One of the oldest sports in the world, golf is estimated to have originated in Scotland in the 15th century, but it's possible the game stretches all the way back to ancient Rome.
Recently, the Professional Golfers Association has had to postpone the professional golf season. Thankfully last month, the PGA announced plans to return with a revised schedule in mid-June, with all major tournaments being played around the Fall (except the canceled British Open). There's still lots of time before the majors tee off, so these are the ten best golf movies to hold you over until then, according to IMDb.
The Caddy (1953) - 6.5
An early golf movie coming from legendary comedy duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis is The Caddy. The story follows Harvey (Lewis), a man wanting to follow in his father's footsteps of playing professional golf, but he's too unnerved by crowds of spectators.
Harvey instead becomes a caddy for a talented golfer named Joe (Martin), and when hijinks ensue between the two on the golf course, a talent agent suggests they go into show business instead. The movie's most notable claim is its introduction of Martin's famous Oscar-nominated song - That's Amore.
From The Rough (2013) - 6.7
Often played at exclusive country clubs, Golf has long had a reputation of being one of the most elitist sports. Unfortunately, women and minority groups spent far too long being barred from being involved with the game, and that serves as the focus of From the Rough.
This true story's main character is Catana Starks (Taraji P. Henson), a swimming coach at Tennessee State University who's tasked with building and coaching the school's first golf team, making her the first-ever woman (Black or otherwise) to coach a men's golf team.
Bobby Jones: Stroke Of Genius (2004) - 6.7
Jim Caviezel stars in this biopic of golf legend Bobby Jones, who in 1930 became the only golfer to ever win all four major golf tournaments in the same year, remaining the only one to accomplish that feat today.
Stroke of Genius chronicles Jones from his humble beginnings playing with his father in Atlanta to his shockingly early retirement at age 28. The movie is notable for being the first to receive permission to film at St. Andrews Golf Club - the world's oldest course and the traditional home of the British Open.
The Legend Of Bagger Vance (2000) - 6.7
Robert Redford directs an impressive cast in The Legend of Bagger Vance, the story of a struggling golfer who must overcome personal demons to regain his ability to play the game he loves.
The tale is told by an aging colleague (Jack Lemmon) of Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon), a man who succumbs to alcoholism after witnessing horrors in World War I. When Junuh enters a tournament to help his estranged lover (Charlize Theron) during the Great Depression, a mysterious caddy named Bagger Vance (Will Smith) gives him the help he desperately needs.
Dead Solid Perfect (1988) - 6.9
An HBO original TV movie, Dead Solid Perfect focuses on the fictional Kenny Lee (Randy Quaid), a talented but troubled and underachieving professional golfer trying to make it on the PGA Tour.
Lee's talent leads him to an arrogant and irresponsible lifestyle, which inevitably leads to his downfall. Lee realizes that to achieve his dream of winning the US Open tournament, he'll need to humble himself, repair his troubled relationship with his wife (Kathryn Harrold), and realize that the most important things in life go well beyond the golf course.
Pat And Mike (1952) - 7.0
One of nine movies starring real-life Hollywood lovers Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn is the romantic comedy Pat and Mike. The Oscar-nominated script follows Pat Pemberton (Hepburn), an exceptional athlete pursuing championships in both golf and tennis.
Pat becomes nervous and struggles to perform whenever her possessive fiancé (William Ching) watches her play, prompting her to enlist the help of a manager named Mike (Tracy). As a mutual attraction grows between the two, Mike winds up getting Pat into trouble with some shady characters from his checkered past.
Happy Gilmore (1996) - 7.0
The first of several sports comedies from Adam Sandler, Happy Gilmore follows a failed hockey player (Sandler) who finds his natural and unconventional golf swing yields incredibly long drives.
With the help of his coach (Carl Weathers), Happy makes it onto the professional tour, where his eccentric rock star demeanor makes him a polarizing fan favorite, but irritates the veterans preserving the game's sanctity. To win enough money to save his grandmother's house, Happy must sharpen the other parts of his game, and overcome detestable rival Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald).
Seve: The Movie (2014) - 7.1
Severiano Ballesteros is the greatest professional golfer you've never heard of, and the story of his incredible life and career is the subject of Seve: The Movie. A former world no. 1 golfer from Spain, Seve won 90 international tournaments, five PGA majors, five Ryder Cups, and a record 50 European Tour titles, making him considered by many to be the greatest Continental European golfer ever.
Possessing a charismatic aura akin to Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, Seve tragically passed away in 2011 at age 54 after a three-year battle with brain cancer.
Caddyshack (1980) - 7.3
The star-studded comedy from Harold Ramis is perhaps the most well-known golf movie ever made. Caddyshack follows several colorfully goofy characters, but mainly revolves around a match between the team of blue-collar golfer Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) and the hilariously brash Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) vs the elitist Judge Smails (Ted Knight) and his golf partner Dr. Beeper (Dan Resin), with the ownership of Bushwood Country Club serving as the stakes.
Extra humor is provided from the stories of the wise-cracking club caddies, along with the unforgettably wacky groundskeeper - Carl Spackler (Bill Murray).
The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005) - 7.4
It seems poetically fitting that the greatest golf movie ever made is The Greatest Game Ever Played, which tells the true story of Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf), a 20-year-old American amateur golfer who fiercely battled against his idol - English golf champion Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) - in the 1913 US Open Tournament.
Ouimet's massive underdog appeal essentially makes him the Rocky Balboa of golf, but what really makes the story so great is that it's about more than sports; it's a well-crafted commentary on classism and parent-child relationships.