Happy Gilmore is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, produced by Robert Simonds, and starring Adam Sandler in the title role, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay and Carl Weathers.

Happy Gilmore dreams of becoming an ice hockey player, but despite a powerful slapshot learned from his late father, his poor skating skills and short temper limit his professional prospects.

While challenging a pair of movers repossessing his grandfather's old golf clubs, Happy discovers that his unorthodox slapshot-style swing can drive a ball 400 yards.

He begins hustling golfers at a driving range, where he meets Chubbs Peterson, a former pro golf star who lost a hand in an alligator attack.

Chubbs urges Happy to enter the Waterbury Open, the winner of which will earn an automatic spot on the PGA Tour, as well as a sizable cash reward.

Though his driving is incredible, Happy's putting is terrible, and his on-course profane meltdowns and lack of golf etiquette soon draw the ire of tour officials.

Citing improved television ratings with a broader spectrum of viewers, higher attendance, and new sponsorship offers, tour public relations head Virginia Venit intervenes on Happy's behalf and promises to help him with his anger.

Shooter McGavin, the tour's arrogant presumed favorite, views Happy as a threat, and bribes a heckler named Donald to taunt him at a pro-am event.

The heckling causes Happy to play poorly, and a subsequent fistfight with his celebrity partner Bob Barker leads to a $25,000 fine and one-month suspension.

Desperate to finally win a Championship jacket, Shooter again bribes Donald, who drives a car onto the course and runs over Happy, impairing his long-drive ability and focus.

On the 18th and final hole, Shooter's tee shot lands in the crowd, but, despite having to play the ball off the foot of Happy's imposing ex-boss, Mr. Larson, he manages to save par with a long putt.

Professional golfers Lee Trevino and Mark Lye, sportscaster Verne Lundquist, and game show host Bob Barker all play themselves.

Happy Gilmore was directed by Dennis Dugan,[3] and written by Saturday Night Live (SNL) alumni Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler.

[8] Meanwhile, Chubbs Peterson's missing hand is an in-joke referencing actor Carl Weathers' film Predator (1987), which depicts his character losing his arm.

[10] Former pro golfer Mark Lye served as a consultant on the script,[12] and told Herlihy and Sandler after seeing their initial ideas, "You gotta be crazy.

Lye also disliked the unrealistic nature of early drafts, which depicted Happy repeatedly making 400-yard drives, so he took the crew to a PGA Tour event so they could understand the atmosphere of golf.

[18] Happy Gilmore features appearances from Richard Kiel, known for playing Jaws in the James Bond film series;[3] Bob Barker, the host of The Price Is Right;[9] and Verne Lundquist, a golf sportscaster.

[22] Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars out of four, stating that Adam Sandler's character "doesn't have a pleasing personality: He seems angry even when he's not supposed to be, and his habit of pounding everyone he dislikes is tiring in a PG-13 movie".

[23] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a grade "D+" calling it "A one-joke Caddyshack for the blitzed and jaded," although he did praise Sandler's confident performance.

[24] Darren Bignell of Empire wrote: "The real surprise is that it's a lot of fun, with Sandler becoming more personable as the film progresses, and a couple of truly side-splitting scenes.

[30] The TV series Sport Science has featured Harrington's "Happy Gilmore swing", demonstrating how it can indeed generate additional distance, though at the cost of accuracy.

[31] Long drive champion and professional golfer Jamie Sadlowski, also a former hockey player who can hit golf balls over 400 yards, has been called "the real-life version of Happy Gilmore".