The 7 Best Golf Movies Of All Time

There have been a ton of new golf shows and movies since the pandemic. I have some thoughts on that trend so stick around later this week for some opinions because I’m going to be diving into one of those new shows.

Anway, the influx of new golf entertainment has me thinking about the best golf movies ever made.

Relative to other sports, I would say that golf has underperformed here. We don’t have our Field of Dreams equivalent. There are a handful of good-but-not-great golf movies—mainly slapstick comedies that make fun of our stuffy game—and a much larger graveyard of truly awful golf movies.

Has anyone ever seen Seven Days in Utopia or Caddyshack 2? You might be entitled to compensation.

Having said that, there are still some golf movies that have stood the test of time. I know because my friends still quote them decades after the movie’s release.

If your movie is still being quoted after 40 years, you’ve done something right.

And while our list is thin, I would say all seven movies on this list are absolutely worth watching.

Without further delay, here are the seven best golf movies of all time.

7. The Legend Of Bagger Vance (2000)

The Legend Of Bagger Vance is a better book than a movie.

However, check out this cast: Matt Damon, Charlize Theron and Will Smith. Robert Redford directing. I mean, it’s wild that a golf movie got that group together.

Set in 1931 Georgia, a troubled local war veteran (Damon) rediscovers his golf swing and his life with the help of a mysterious caddie (Smith).

The plot is a slower burn and the movie is rightly criticized for whitewashing race dynamics. On the plus side, Damon and Theron have good chemistry and the cinematography is interesting for an era of golf rarely explored in movies or TV.

6. Tommy’s Honour (2016)

Any golfer worth their salt knows the story of Old Tom and Young Tom Morris. You can’t tell the golf origin story without their influence on Scotland and the Open Championship.

The 2016 film Tommy’s Honour does an admirable job of exploring the complicated relationship between father and son. That dynamic is the emotional core of the movie.

Jack Lowden, who plays Tommy, is a standout performer. The acting in general is very compelling, a rarity in golf movie biographical dramas.

If you love St Andrews, it’s a must-watch. It’s also very watchable with people who have no interest in golf.

5. Phantom Of The Open (2021)

If you are following sites like Rotten Tomatoes, Phantom Of The Open is arguably the most critically acclaimed golf movie. It holds an 86 percent rating as of this writing.

The film, which stars Mark Rylance, is based on the true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a British crane operator who lied his way into the 1976 Open Championship and then shot 121. Yes, this actually happened. Apparently, the application process was pretty lax back in the day.

Flitcroft becomes something of a folk hero which the movie explores in a very funny and charismatic way.

Of all the newer golf movies since the pandemic, I would say this is definitely the main one worth watching.

4. The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)

It’s hard to make a golf movie based on a true story which is probably why we see the best golf movies stick to the absurd. A true story must be captivating and golf isn’t naturally captivating to the masses.

One of golf’s most incredible true stories is how Francis Ouimet, a 20-year-old amateur who rose from a poor working-class background, defied reality by defeating legendary figures like Harry Vardon and Ted Ray enroute to the 1913 U.S. Open victory.

The Greatest Game Ever Played explains Ouimet’s journey and captures the spirit of how modern golf came into existence. It’s unexpectedly emotional.

I’m not sure any other movie on this list captures the golf elements better than this movie. One of my pet peeves is when golf shows or movies come off as totally unrealistic.

The Greatest Game Ever Played straddles the line between real story and movie quite nicely.

3. Tin Cup (1996)

While it doesn’t have the same cultural relevance as the top two movies on this list, Tin Cup is arguably the best golf comedy in the non-slapstick category.

With Kevin Costner playing a washed-up Texas driving range pro who goes after glory and girl, Tin Cup is one of the few golf comedies that actually seems like it was made for golf lovers.

I will forever adore the choice they made to have Roy McAvoy fall apart in the end (sorry for the spoiler but this movie is 30 years old so I’m not all that sorry). Is there anything more relatable than a stubborn golfer who cares more about proving he can hit the shot than whatever the result of that shot will earn him?

It might not be super-quotable relative to the next two movies, but Tin Cup has its place in golf movie lore. I still try to turn my hat backwards whenever I’m hitting shanks (which is often).

2. Happy Gilmore (1996)

I know Happy Gilmore is a ridiculous movie that doesn’t make sense but it’s insane how you can throw this on 30 years later and it still hits.

In the ranking of “movies you can put on at any time while sitting around with your buddies,” it’s certainly near the top.

I think it says a lot that Adam Sandler was able to galvanize the entire sports world (and beyond) to make Happy Gilmore 2 this past year. Hell, Bad Bunny and Travis Kelce are in the movie. Taylor Swift is promoting it! You can’t ignore how much of a cultural phenomenon the original movie was.

The original struck a chord because it was the first golf movie to take a total non-golfer and throw him into the staid environment of golf. Now it seems as if every new golf TV show wants to go the same route but it just isn’t the same.

Happy Gilmore did it first and did it better. Sandler played the protagonist perfectly and Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) is easily the best villain of this entire list.

I’ve lost track of the number of bits within the movie (“Will you people go back to your shanties!”). They are still all over Twitter. I hope they never leave.

1. Caddyshack (1980)

Fun fact: my home course in high school (now known as Grande Oaks) was where they filmed Caddyshack in South Florida decades earlier. Pretty cool.

Caddyshack takes the top spot for me because of the cast. Rodney Dangerfield is iconic. Bill Murray’s performance is timeless. Chevy Chase’s restrained role is so perfect for him here. How about the gopher dancing along to Kenny Rodgers? Immaculate.

Even more than 46 years after its release, Caddyshack is still culturally relevant in memes, GIFs and quotes. That’s remarkable.

No other golf movie has lampooned country club culture better and a lot of what they made fun of still holds true in 2026.

Although each scene is going from gag to gag, the plot is oddly coherent and holds your attention all the way through. I would argue the movie is just as watchable now as it was in 1980.

So that is my list. Like it, love it or gotta have it? Wait, no, that’s Coldstone ice cream. Like it or hate it?

Let me know below in the comments.

Top Photo Caption: Bill Murray filming during Caddyshack. (GETTY IMAGES/Orion Pictures)