The best golf movies of all time deliver a combination of heart, determination, laughs, and life lessons that viewers carry with them after the film is over.
Although most lovers of sports films associate golf movies with humor, there are several worth checking out if you are a serious golf fan.
While films such as Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore have grown in stature over the decades, our top ten golf movies list shows that this genre of sports films offers plenty of entertainment for the casual golfer.
Our Top 10 Golf Movies List
1. Caddyshack
Although its best days may be behind it, Caddyshack still stands atop the list of the all-time best golf movies ever made.
Wearing its crass humor like a badge of honor, Caddyshack solidified the stardom of comedic legends Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, and Rodney Dangerfield.
For golf fans and those who will never pick up a club, Caddyshack delivered side-splitting punchline after punchline against the backdrop of Bushwood Country Club, an upscale and uptight golf club.
Forever quotable, Caddyshack has remained timeless for generations of fans of golf films.
Here’s the trailer:
2. Tin Cup
Highlighted by a winning Kevin Costner performance, Tin Cup, released in 1996, offers a smart, sophisticated, and ultimately hilarious romantic comedy.
Costner plays Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy, the owner of his own driving range in West Texas teaching golf lessons to the locals.
With a golden golf swing but the heart of a hustler, “Tin Cup” failed to reach his potential, but an upcoming U.S. Open qualifier puts the aging golfer on the track to potentially creating history and fulfilling his fading promise.
Co-starring Rene Russo as his sports psychologist, Tin Cup offers a winning combination of romance, humor, and entertaining golf footage to win over even the biggest anti-golf movie hater.
Here’s the trailer:
3. Happy Gilmore
Starring Adam Sandler, Happy Gilmore has grown in stature over the years among professional golfers and weekend warriors alike.
Needing to make enough money to pay back taxes to save his grandmother’s house, Happy Gilmore, a former hockey player discovers a newfound talent on the golf course.
Soon Happy Gilmore becomes a professional golfer and the race is on as the young golfer begins stacking up victory after victory.
Along the way, Sandler supplies Happy Gilmore with enough quotable lines to make it one of the funniest sports movies ever created.
Here’s the trailer:
4. The Greatest Game Ever Played
Based on the outstanding book by Mark Frost, The Greatest Game Ever Played delivered a commercial and critical success to Disney as the film told the story of Francis Ouimet facing down Harry Vardon at the 1913 U.S. Open.
With a thrilling golf story at the center, The Greatest Game Ever Played also details Ouimet’s hardships to become one of the world’s best players.
Against his father’s wishes, Ouimet becomes an avid golfer despite being poor. With a perfect swing, he became the first amateur golfer to win the U.S. Open.
The Greatest Game Ever Played, with its gentle and stirring pace of the gentleman’s game, has long been considered a classic of the golf film genre.
Here’s the trailer:
5. The Short Game
One of the greatest documentaries about the pressure of youth sports, The Short Game follows eight young golfers attempting to win the 2012 U.S. Kids World Golf Championship at the legendary Pinehurst #2 course in North Carolina.
Beloved as a fun movie that shows the colorful characters that inhabit the youth golf circuit, The film delivers laughs and gasps as you root for these young players to achieve their dreams of playing golf.
Here’s the trailer:
6. Tiger
One of the most straightforward documentaries you’ll find about Tiger Woods, the HBO documentary details the rise and fall of our greatest golf prodigy. This true story looks at how Tiger conquered the PGA Tour and the golf world but at a very steep price.
Unflinching in its detail, Tiger works as one of the best golf documentaries of all time, peeling back the curtain about one of our most popular athletes of the last 50 years.
Here’s the trailer:
7. Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius
Stroke of Genius is a 2004 biographical film about the life of one of the greatest American golfers of all time.
The film follows Jones from his early days as a golfer in Georgia through his successful amateur career and eventual victory at the 1930 U.S. Open, where he became the first and only golfer to win all four major golf tournaments in the same year.
Although it didn’t win over many critics, Stroke of Genius enchanted audiences and ranks high on the list as one of the great golf movies of the last 20 years.
Here’s the trailer:
8. Legend of Bagger Vance
With star power dripping off the screen, The Legend of Bagger Vance looks at the great game through the lens of a fable.
Starring Matt Damon and Will Smith, The Legend of Bagger Vance tells the story of Rannulph Junuh (Damon) playing in a match against Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen.
Although critics were harsh to The Legend of Bagger Vance at the time of its opening, with the movie holding a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has gained a following for its easy charm and embrace of sports movie cliches to deliver a satisfying ending.
Here’s the trailer:
9. Dead Solid Perfect
Made for HBO, Dead Solid Perfect has gained a reputation for being one of the funniest and frankest movies about the life of a pro golfer ever created.
Based on the Dan Jenkins novel, Dead Solid Perfect gained cult status over the years as the movie never made it to DVD or streaming, making it one of the most difficult golf movies to find.
10. From the Rough
A little seen gem rounds out our list as From the Rough tells the story of the first African-American woman to coach a men’s NCAA golf team.
Starring Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson, this true story shows the adversity most college programs face in an era of dwindling budgets.
Although From the Rough might not show up on many lists of the great golf films of the last 25 years, the movie offers a PG-rated story that families can enjoy.
Here’s the trailer:
