Everybody’s tried a Happy Gilmore
In the 25 years since the movie was released, the shot it created has become the stuff of sporting legend
Five times she’s won the Canadian long drive championship. At only five-foot-five, her personal best is 334 yards. Meaning she’s pretty good at hitting a golf ball.
But her first attempt at a Happy Gilmore?
“I missed the ball completely,” laughs Burlington’s Fareen Samji. “Almost fell flat on my face.”
It may look rather wintery outside right now and feel like anything but golf weather. But, this is a memorable moment for the game. It was 25 years ago this week that the film that spawned the shot bearing its name was released, unleashing a new terror on golf courses all over the world.
So, what’s a Happy Gilmore? C’mon, really?
For the three people who haven’t seen the movie, Adam Sandler plays a hockey player turned golfer who’s never played the game. Rather than standing still and hitting the ball like everyone else, he walks toward it and smashes it as if he was taking a slapshot. Since February 1996 when the flick hit the screens — and has been on TV almost constantly since then — pretty much everyone who’s ever picked up a club has tried this surprisingly difficult manoeuvre at least once. Including you, right?
“I can’t see who wouldn’t have tried it,” says Hamilton’s Alena Sharp.
The longtime LPGA Tour pro did. It was years ago. She made contact, which is better than most. She even hit it mostly straight which is way better than most.
Ancaster’s Ben Ferguson played on the PGA Tour, which automatically makes him one of the best golfers in the world. Once upon a time, he gave it a go.
“It went very poorly, to be honest,” he deadpans. “Contact was not good.” Translation: He whiffed. “I failed miserably,” he says. Hamilton’s Johnny Travale is on a golf scholarship at the University of Central Florida and is a member of Canada’s national amateur team.
“Contact was fine,” he chuckles
of his attempt. “But direction was all over the place.”
Copetown Woods’ director of guest experience, Barry Forth, describes his lone attempt as akin to a dump-and-chase into the corner. Ward 2 councillor and golf lover, Jason Farr, sliced his so badly that he lost his ball. Calgary Flames play-by-play guy — for a long time, the voice of the Hamilton Bulldogs — Derek Wills accidentally launched his club airborne on one try.
Ancaster’s Michael Blair went to Eastern Michigan University on a golf scholarship and played in the 2019 Canadian Open. He hit his attempt right down the middle. Maybe.
“I might have selective memory,” he laughs.
Scott Cowx is one of this country’s top coaches. He’s done it. In fact, he remembers hitting a
bunch with now-PGA Tour pro Mackenzie Hughes on the Hamilton Golf and Country Club range.
“Sometimes it goes all over the place,” he says. “But, it’s definitely a great stress reliever.”
Speaking of Hamilton, Emerson Mahoney is the new pro there. He’s tried the shot with what he describes as marginal success, meaning there was contact but the ball didn’t go anywhere close to where he was aiming.
Out of curiosity, would it be frowned upon to Happy Gilmore a drive at the swanky HG&CC track?
“(It) would be an applicable attempt at striking the golf ball,” he says. “As long as you’re not damaging the course.”
Talk to average hackers and slashers and you’ll hear endless
stories of complete misses, pirouettes, tumbles, club heads digging into the ground six inches behind the ball and any other catastrophically horrible result you could imagine. If you don’t want the oral version, go online and you can find endless videos showing peoples’ attempts, some with reasonable success and others that range between hideous and downright dangerous. There’s even one of Phil Mickelson nearly impaling a cameraman.
“It’s one of those things you do when you’ve had one or two beers on the course,” Wills laughs.
That may have something to do with it.
Yet, it is possible to hit it well. PGA Tour player Michael Gligic hasn’t tried one in a while but remembers being pretty good at it. The Burlington native credits growing up wanting to be a pro hockey player.
“Like skating into a slapshot,” he says. “Maybe I had a little practice at it.”
Dundas native Christopher Ross has won on the Mackenzie Tour and played in the Canadi
an Open. He’s seen some horrendous attempts. But, he’s tried it a few times and honestly, he says he’s been OK, too. The secret is slowing everything down. Too many people get moving too fast.
But everyone has their story. Everyone has found the temptation to try it too difficult to resist and …
“I’m sorry to disappoint but I’ve never attempted the Happy Gilmore,” says Bryan Crawford, the RBC Canadian Open tournament director.
What? Impossible. Nope. The Ancaster native and former CFLer never played until he began working in the industry a couple years ago. In the time since he’s been taking lessons and trying to do everything right to learn correctly. As a result, he’s never taken a running start into a drive.
Now that he knows he’s a lone voice in the wilderness? “I might have to try it,” he says. He then pauses to think about it a bit.
“But I fancy myself a Shooter McGavin.”