Top 10 Funniest Happy Gilmore Moments

Top 10 Funniest Moments in Happy Gilmore (1996)

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were counting down our picks for the most gut-busting moments from the cult classic Adam Sandler sports comedy Happy Gilmore.

#10: Chubbs Shows Happy What Golf Is All About

It probably goes without saying, but Happy Gilmore isnt exactly a natural when it comes to golf or hockey, for that matter. Still, his ridiculously powerful drive makes him a force to be reckoned with. Happys first real step toward taking golf seriously comes when he teams up with former pro Chubbs Peterson, who recognizes his raw talent and potential, and takes him under his wing. Happys early attempts on the green are less than graceful. But that changes when Chubbs (played by the late, great Carl Weathers) shows him how to loosen up his swing. Sure, the coaching gets a little hands-on, but hey you cant argue with the results.

#9: Happy Begs Terry to Come Back

Happy Gilmore kicks off like any classic Adam Sandler character introduction should: with our hero firmly planted at rock bottom. After a crushing (yet entirely predictable) rejection, Happy returns home to find his girlfriend Terry packing up for good. We dont get much insight into their relationship, but its clear her patience has run out especially with Happys refusal to accept that his pro hockey dreams are dead in the water (or, you know, ice). In a hilariously pathetic, last-ditch effort to win her back, Happy channels Romeo and Juliet and calls out to her from the top floor. But no amount of serenading can make up for the fact that Terrys long gone.

#8: Happy Tries Out For the Local Hockey Team

As Happy explains in the films opening voiceover, hes got a bit of an anger problem: the kind that stems from his dads untimely death by rogue hockey puck. Nowhere is that more apparent than in this scene, where Happys trademark intensity blows his shot at making the team, despite a gladiatorial effort on the rink. This hotheaded tryout tells us everything we need to know about the now-iconic character: hes got the right stuff somewhere deep within, but his lack of discipline and explosive temper just keep holding him back. Still, Happys loss is the audiences gain just dont say that to his face.

#7: Happy Surprises Chubbs

After a particularly nail-biting round of mini-golf, Happy and Chubbs celebrate back at Happys pennant-covered apartment. In a surprisingly heartfelt moment that functions as a touching display of mutual gratitude, they exchange gifts to show their appreciation for one another. Chubbs offers a thoughtful token of his belief in Happy, a sign of his faith in the younger mans unorthodox approach to golf. Happys gift, on the other hand lets just say the intention was there. Unfortunately, his well-meaning gesture triggers a traumatic reaction from Chubbs spurred on by a very familiar nemesis. The result? Possibly the most tragically hilarious one-man handshake ever put to film.

#6: Happy Fights a Familiar Alligator

Placed under the watchful eye of Julie Bowens Virginia Venit, the golf tours public relations manager, Happy attempts to reign in his bad-boy behavior. However, that attempt doesnt last very long, as a misplaced putt lands a golf ball in the mouth of a certain apex predator. Happys efforts to gingerly retrieve the ball are unsuccessful, but the closer he gets, he realizes something: this isnt any ordinary gator this is the one-eyed rapscallion that prematurely ended Chubbs dreams of golf superstardom. Happy puts his trademark rage to altruistic use by not only getting his ball back, but avenging Chubbs lost hand. Of course, its more than a little bittersweet knowing what we know now

#5: Hal L. Lays Down the Law

When Happy learns that his grandmothers house is facing foreclosure, he drops her off at Silver Acres Rest Home as he scrambles to buy it back. At first glance, the place seems fine aside from one notably miserable resident. The mustachioed orderly, Hal L., played in an uncredited role by Sandlers longtime friend and collaborator Ben Stiller, appears warm and professional enough. But it doesnt take long to realize that Hal is a cruel taskmaster in disguise and Grandma needs out, fast. And really, we have to wonder: do Hals satisfied customers know that their quilts were made under heartbreaking duress?

#4: Happy & Shooters Rhyme-Off

If it wasnt already obvious, Happy Gilmore is a classic underdog tale in the vein of Caddyshack, a celebration of the scrappy outsider taking on a world of smug elitism. Enter Christopher McDonalds Shooter McGavin, the perfect embodiment of golfs snobbish establishment. After Happys explosive rise to fame, the two form an instant, heated rivalry, with Shooter smugly dismissing Happys obvious, considerable talent. Over drinks, they lay out whats at stake: for Happy, its Grandmas house; for the snooty, entitled Shooter, its his legacy. But just as things get serious, Shooters ominous warning is hilariously undercut by Happys total lack of reverence.

#3: What Shooter Eats for Breakfast

Nothing ever seems to go right in the movies, does it? Just as Happy scrapes together the $275,000 to buy back his grandmothers house, he finds out he was sorely misinformed: hes only earned the right to bid at auction. When that inevitably falls through, the final insult comes when none other than the slimy Shooter McGavin snatches the house up for himself. That lights a fire under Happy, and with Virginias encouragement, he turns to the last trick up his hockey jersey sleeve. Shooters smug disbelief is quickly shattered by one of Happys most satisfying comebacks and boy, does it hit the spot.

#2: Happy Sends the Ball Home

Watch enough Adam Sandler movies and youll start to notice a familiar roster of faces. And to be clear, were not complaining: its always a treat when Saturday Night Live alum Kevin Nealon shows up. In Happy Gilmore, he plays Gary Potter (no relation to the boy wizard), a well-meaning but clearly off-kilter pro golfer who offers Happy some well, lets call it spiritual guidance. As Happy struggles to sink a putt, Potter serves up a meandering travel metaphor meant to inspire him. Unsurprisingly, it only makes things worse, sending Happy into yet another meltdown  much to the audiences delight.

#1: Happy Gilmore vs. Bob Barker

Ah, the moment youve all been waiting for. Arguably Happy Gilmores most iconic scene: the all-out brawl between the hotheaded golfer and the legendary Lets Make a Deal er, Price is Right host. Watching an irate Adam Sandler get pummeled by a famously genteel game show legend is hilarious enough, but the real punchline is that the cameo earned Barker, who died in 2023 aged 99, a whole new generation of fans. The daytime TV staple later spoofed the scene on The Bold and the Beautiful, and even reunited with Sandler for another brawl during the Night of Too Many Stars autism telethon. Now thats a good sport!

Which Happy Gilmore moment made you laugh the hardest? Are you excited for Netflixs Happy Gilmore 2? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!