Let’s face it: There has never been a great golf movie. Sure, Caddyshack is a laugh riot, but it’s hardly what you’d call the pinnacle of cinematic art. The numerous golf dramas and biopics have been generally mediocre either through lack of golf authenticity (actors who can’t swing) or other inherent weakness (golfers who can’t act). Partly for those reasons, few golf movies have achieved much in the way of financial success.
Now comes the latest offering—Tommy’s Honour—an adaptation of Kevin Cook’s book of the same title, which tells the story of Old and Young Tom Morris. Directed by Jason Connery (Sean’s son), it opened the Edinburgh Film Festival last spring and in November won a BAFTA (Britain’s Oscar) as the best feature film of the year. So there’s hope.
One thing Tommy’s Honour has going for it is its locations. Many of the scenes were shot in St. Andrews at the Castle Course with others at Winterfield, a windblown links hard by the Firth of Forth. Generally, however, the courses used in movies have been neither recognizable nor relevant, merely backdrops to the action. In the early days of Hollywood, Riviera Country Club was a frequent shooting location, and Southern California is still the go-to place, but these days golf movies may be filmed just about anywhere. If you’ve ever wondered what that course in the background was, wonder no more.
A Gentleman’s Game (2002)
Mason Gamble
Rolling Green (Pa.)
Banning (1967)
Robert Wagner
Riviera (Calif.)
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
Jim Caviezel
Old Course/Kingsbarns (Scotland), Atlanta Athletic Club (Ga.)
Caddyshack (1980)
Bill Murray
Grande Oaks (Fla.)
Dead Solid Perfect (1988)
Randy Quaid
Colonial/Glen Garden (Texas)
Follow the Sun (1951)
Glenn Ford
Riviera (Calif.)
Golf in the Kingdom (2010)
Malcolm McDowell
Bandon Dunes (Ore.)
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Adam Sandler
Swaneset Bay/Seymour/Furry Creek (British Columbia)
Mulligan (2000)
Steve Lattery
Superior National (Minn.)
The Caddy (1953)
Jerry Lewis
Riviera (Calif.)
The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)
Shia LaBeouf
Kanawaki (Quebec)
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
Will Smith
Colleton River/Kiawah Ocean/Cougar Point/Turtle Point (S.C.)
The Squeeze (2015)
Jeremy Sumpter
Wynn Las Vegas (Nev.), Eagle Point/Beau Rivage (N.C.)
Tin Cup (1996)
Kevin Costner
Santa Rita/Tubac (Ariz.), Deerwood (Texas)
Tommy’s Honour (2016)
Jack Lowden
Castle Course/Winterfield (Scotland)
