The 1996 sports comedy film, Happy Gilmore, is finally getting a sequel after Adam Sandler admitted that he has been on the lookout for a perfect script for the follow-up for many years now. The journey of the slightly eccentric but totally dedicated man, Happy Gilmore, began when he had to put a pause on his ambitions of being an ice hockey player to switch to the sport of golf, only for the sake of earning enough to save his grandmother’s house. With the sequel coming our way very soon, this is the perfect time to look back at the original Happy Gilmore and what happened to each of the characters in the end.
Spoiler Alert
How does Happy Gilmore become a golfer?
Happy Gilmore begins with the sad tale of the eponymous protagonist, who had learned to skate at a very young age and fell in love with ice hockey at that very time. His father absolutely loved hockey, to the point that his dedication to the sport ended in the breakdown of his marriage, although he did not care much about it. As a young boy, Happy became used to the fact that his mother had left the family and moved to Egypt, simply to escape his father’s incessant love for hockey. Young Happy was seemingly not much affected either, and he continued to receive training in the sport from his father, who eventually taught him how to shoot a slapshot. But the happy times did not last very long, as the man was soon killed in a freak accident when a hockey puck smashed into his face while he was in the stands at an arena watching a game with his son.
As a result, the orphaned Happy had to go live with his grandma, despite not being very familiar with her. Despite his nervousness, Grandma Gilmore turned out to be a very kind-hearted woman who loved Happy and gave him the stable life any boy of his age deserved. His grandma’s mild and sweet nature did not really rub off on the boy, though, as he admits that he developed a short fuse after his father’s death, getting angry at the slightest provocation and always taking the violent route in every situation. This is evident from the fact that Happy set two league records during his high school ice hockey career, both of which were negative and both of which are still held by him, even after many years. One was for the most time spent inside the penalty box, where players are sent after committing fouls. The other was for taking off his skate and trying to stab another player with it, as he was the only person to consider doing something so violent and audacious.
Happy’s dreams of becoming a professional hockey player did not take flight, and after graduating, he had to work a number of menial jobs, as a road worker, a janitor, a security guard, a gas station attendant, a plumber, and then as a construction worker. He had been forced out of his most recent job, as a construction worker, after he had accidentally injured his boss, Mr. Larson, with a nail gun. Despite numerous failures, Happy continues to attend hockey tryouts, hoping to be selected by a team, but he gets rejected every single time. Dejected and angry at himself for not being able to do anything significant with his life, Happy just drifts around looking for any way to become a hockey player. His frustration is suddenly doubled when his life takes a very serious turn, with IRS officers coming to his grandmother’s house one day.
As it turns out, Grandma Gilmore had not been paying her taxes for many years, because of which the IRS has now come to seize all her furniture and even her entire house, which they will be selling unless her dues are cleared within a set time. Extremely angry but also helpless, Happy has to take his grandmother to a retirement home run by a wicked orderly named Hal L, who actually forces the elderly residents to knit products that he sells for high profit, essentially using the home as a sweatshop. Grandma obviously hates her time at the place, and Happy also wants to bring her back to her home at the earliest. He has to get hold of a whopping 270,000 dollars in three months’ time in order to save the house from foreclosure and to ensure that his grandmother is saved from the troubles at the retirement home.
Happy is still clueless about how to get hold of such a large amount when he frustratedly agrees to play a few golf shots with the two movers assigned to clear out the house. Much to everyone’s surprise, Happy is able to use the strength and power of a slapshot to hit the golf ball huge distances, and this is the first time that the protagonist learns that he has such an ability. Despite looking down at golf as a leisurely sport played by rich folks and women, Happy realizes that he can make some money with this newly discovered ability of his, and he heads over to the nearest golf course to hustle other players out of small amounts of money.
However, a veteran retired golfer, Chubbs Peterson, spots Happy and is impressed by his skills, encouraging him to become a professional golfer and make it big in the sport. The protagonist has no intention of becoming a golfer, as he is still focused on playing hockey professionally, but he immediately changes his tune upon learning that he can earn ‘big bucks’ in the sport. Thus, Happy Gilmore decides to try his hand at professional golf, only for the sake of his grandmother, so that he can earn enough money to save her house and help her get back to living her usual life.
Is Happy really any good at golf?
As Happy Gilmore agrees to participate in the Waterbury Open tournament, it is literally the first time that he steps on a golf course and therefore he has no idea what to do next. He is alarmed by the presence of a caddy, as he does not know what this person does and is also unaware of the rules of golf. All that Happy can do is to strike the ball extremely hard, making it travel hundreds of yards at a go, and this naturally becomes his most celebrated ability, since nobody else can match him. Thus, when he begins his golfing career at his first ever tournament, the protagonist easily hits the ball close to the hole in just a couple of extremely long shots but struggles to putt it in. Contrary to most professional golfers, Happy has to attempt 6 or 7 putts before he can get the ball into the hole, despite having wasted no shots in the first phase of the round.
By the time the Waterbury Open tournament is over, Happy Gilmore is identified as a very unique and eccentric golfer who has certain skills beneficial to the sport but is definitely not perfect at it. He uses his slapshot every time to get the ball away from the starting point and close to the hole but then gets angry and throws a fit of rage every time he fails to get his desired result. He does not think about his stance and form before the shots and does not care about the quality of his swings either, all of which are very integral parts of the sport. Thus, it would be safe to say that Happy actually hacks into the sport of golf and manages to impress only because of his colorful personality and his unique slapshot skill, but he is not really good at golf, at least at this stage of his career.
Why does the tour commissioner object to Happy’s participation?
Happy goes on to win the Waterbury Open tournament, but he is disappointed to learn that there is no cash prize for the accomplishment, and instead it qualifies him for the PGA Tour. Although he is initially hesitant to spend any more time playing the sport that he is really not interested in, Happy changes his mind after learning that he will be paid a fee daily for his participation, and he can even win 216,000 dollars if he tops the leaderboard at the end of the competition in Portland. However, he now faces a different sort of trouble when the tour commissioner, Doug Thompson, objects to his participation in the tournament, and this objection is also supported by a few of the other players, headed by Shooter McGavin, the main antagonist of the film.
The main reason behind their objection is that the kind of man Happy is and the social class that he comes from are totally different from the supposed target audience of golf. For decades, golf has only been played and followed by the rich, who have a certain way of dressing and talking and who are always mindful of a code of conduct. They do not let their emotions get the better of their rational thoughts, and therefore any outburst of expression on the course is strictly against the custom. They are also very particular about the manner in which the sport is played, such as the stance that needs to be taken by players before shots or the kind of very modern set of clubs that are required to excel in it.
Happy Gilmore and his technique are totally opposite to players like Shooter McGavin, and what irks the latter even more is that he does not even bother to abide by their code of conduct. Happy is extremely expressive on the course, celebrating his successful shots regularly and shouting out profanities for 2 straight minutes whenever he makes bad shots. He is totally unbothered about how he is perceived by his competitors and by fans, and he also plays in the most unconventional fashion. His set of clubs is decades old, as it belonged to his grandfather, and his caddy is literally a homeless man he hires from the parking lot of the golf course.
What upsets people like Thompson and McGavin most of all is that Happy quickly starts to bring such a crowd to golf courses whom they have always kept away from the ‘gentlemanly’ sport. People from the neglected classes suddenly start to get inspired by the protagonist, and they drive out in flocks to support him during the competition. Just like Happy, these people too are least bothered about the snobbish customs in golf, and so they try to enjoy their time on the course by bringing beach balls and cheerleaders, all of which are against usual practice.
Thus, McGavin keeps complaining against Happy, and while Thompson is also opposed to letting him compete in the PGA tour, the head of public relations, Virginia Venit, is able to convince him otherwise. She reveals how the emergence of an exciting and unusual character like Happy Gilmore has already taken the TV ratings of the sport off the charts, making it immensely popular among all audiences. After all, a unique player like him can draw attention very easily, which means the sport will benefit from the money that he will indirectly bring. Finally, Thompson allows Happy to participate, and Virginia eventually becomes the protagonist’s lover as well.
How does Chubbs Peterson die?
Although Happy had initially refused to receive any training from Chubbs Peterson, he eventually goes to the retired veteran pro golfer to learn more about the game. It is with Chubbs’ help that Happy manages to perform brilliantly in the next few tournaments, but the coach ultimately dies a very sudden and tragic death. Chubbs had earlier revealed that he had lost his right hand to a ferocious alligator when he had tried to retrieve his golf ball from a marsh during a tournament in Florida. Eventually, Happy takes part in the same tournament, and just like his mentor, he happens to shoot the ball into one of the small ponds on the course. As he goes to retrieve it, he spots an aggressive alligator guarding the ball, but surprisingly the animal has only one eye.
After Chubbs had lost his arm to the alligator, he had sought revenge against the animal by plucking out one of its eyes and keeping it with himself as a memento. Therefore, Happy identifies the alligator at present as the same animal that had attacked his coach, and so he decides to avenge Chubbs by killing the animal. Happy manages to do so, and he even brings back the severed head of the alligator as a gift for his mentor. However, Chubbs is too shocked to see it, and as he tries to step back from the head, he falls out of the window and dies. Shooter McGavin, who has become a rival to Happy by now, blames him for the death of Chubbs, even though he had never shown any respect for the veteran golfer during his lifetime.
Is Happy able to get his grandma back home?
Despite being very close to gathering the funds required to save his grandmother’s house, Happy suffers a setback after realizing that Shooter McGavin, his arrogant and boastful foe, has bought the house at auction. McGavin does so only to irritate Happy and also to force him to quit golf, as he realizes that the protagonist is too good for him to defeat. Although Happy genuinely wants to get the house and also defeat McGavin, he is unwilling to give in to these unjust demands, and so he literally wagers the house. The two golfers make a deal that whoever wins the upcoming tournament will get possession of the house, and Happy is also ready to quit golf if he loses.
Shooter McGavin employs unfair means to distract Happy, just like earlier, as he pays a man named Donald to constantly heckle the protagonist and then even run him over with a car. Although Happy survives the incident with minor injuries, he hurts his shoulder, as a result of which he is unable to shoot the ball as hard as before. However, it is his final training with Chubbs, at a miniature golf course, that comes to Happy’s rescue, as he is able to score in the last round using skills he had picked up from this training. Thus, at the end of Happy Gilmore, Happy is able to get his grandma back home, and he also seemingly moves back into the house, now with his girlfriend, Virginia, accompanying him.
What happens to Shooter McGavin in the end?
Shooter McGavin had been desperate to win his first ever PGA tournament and to get the prestigious gold jacket that is awarded to the winners for the first time in his life. It is because of this that he had tried various unfair tricks to win against Happy. The egoistic man had also become quite obsessed with how the fans had hyped him up before the tournament, and he was considered the favorite to win it. At the end of the tournament, Shooter McGavin finally shows his true face and runs off with the jacket that rightfully belongs to Happy, essentially stealing it. However, he is chased and caught by the angry fans, who are heard beating him up for the theft and returning the jacket to the protagonist. It is safe to assume that this desperate move brings an end to McGavin’s career, and he will be banned from participating in any more PGA tournaments.
What to expect from The Sequel?
The trailer of Happy Gilmore 2 shows the protagonist returning to golf after all this time in order to afford ballet classes for his daughter, meaning that he had retired from the sport after he had successfully helped Grandma get her home back. Happy still remains least bothered about golf and way more interested in ice hockey, and so how he tackles this comeback will be fun to watch. Virginia surprisingly appears for a brief moment in the trailer, meaning that she and Happy might have broken up sometime in the past. We also see Shooter McGavin talk about how Happy had ruined his career and his life, meaning that the man will probably be back for revenge, at least to some capacity. But the protagonist will surely have to battle hardest against his own age and low fitness, as opposed to the young golfers, in the anticipated Happy Gilmore 2.
