Since Happy Gilmore hit the big screen in 1996 with his wild swing and short temper, a sequel seemed to be buried in the rough.
But Adam Sandler's reluctance for a sequel didn't deter Christopher McDonald -- the actor who plays uber popular villain Shooter McGavin. McDonald has kept his character's persona alive on X with a bio that reads: "Former #1 golfer in the world and an all-around bad guy."
"I've been campaigning for about 29 years to get this thing done," he told ESPN.
But the star comedian wouldn't budge.
"For 28 years, I was like, 'What are you talking about? No,'" Sandler recently told "Good Morning America." "And then all of a sudden I was like, 'Maybe.'"
"He says, 'I don't do sequels,' then he starts doing like 'Grown Up 2' and I went, 'Ahem.' Let's readdress this," McDonald said. "It's got so much life left in it."
Finally, Shooter's swings found the green.
Over 10,500 days since the original, "Happy Gilmore 2" was released on Netflix on Friday, full of star cameos and all the feels of the first film. This time, Bad Bunny joins the cast as Happy's new caddie, while Gilmore tees off alongside golf stars such as two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas.
Putts are made. Caddies are strangled. Happy places are once again tapped into.
"It's brought a lot of laughs and joy to people over the years. That's the blessing of a film like this. And I don't think, like I say, any of us expected it. It just happened that way," McDonald said. "And over the moon to be happy making a sequel when people love the movie so much. And I think we stayed true to the first one."
Director Kyle Newacheck was 12 years old when the original film was released and was "very, very nervous" about revisiting the movie.
"I really don't think there's any telling how many times I watched it," Newacheck told ESPN.
He put in extra work to make the golf scenes feel authentic. He said he knew golf "from an arm's length" and leaned on his first assistant director, David Bernstein, who played frequently. Dan Baker, a nearly 17-year member with PGA of America, was also on set, guiding Newacheck on how golf looks on screen.
"I watched a lot of footage and kind of broke it down in terms of how they shot it, and thankfully, a lot of ours had to look like it's on television," Newacheck told ESPN. "So, I could almost just emulate the way that they shot it on television with the cinema cameras."
He focused on how TV broadcasts used zoom and framed shots, replicating those techniques to help Sandler perform as if he were playing in a televised PGA event. PGA cameraman Will Baker helped by operating the thousand-millimeter zooms used during tournaments to follow the ball.
"We would have thousands of people there cheering and yelling for Happy Gilmore. The golfer and the cameras are set up just like they would set it up at a PGA event ..." Newacheck said. "It really felt like we were a part of sports broadcasting for a while there."
Baker tragically died in December in a car accident.
Sandler, who was unavailable to be interviewed for this story, revealed to "Entertainment Tonight" that the idea for the sequel didn't surface until about two years ago. Rumors of a follow-up began swirling in March 2024, when McDonald told a radio show about a recent encounter with Sandler.
McDonald said Sandler invited him to his "Adam Sandler: Love You" show and called him backstage after the performance.
"I go backstage, he goes, 'Wait, wait, you're going to love this. Shooter, come here.' Shows me the first page of the new script," McDonald recalled. "I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? Are you telling me we're making this thing finally?'"
Netflix confirmed in May 2024 that "Happy Gilmore 2" was in the works, with McDonald and Julie Bowen reprising their roles.
"It's just fantastic," Bowen told ESPN about stepping back into Virginia Venit's shoes. "It just feels like going home."
Sandler's wife and two daughters also appear in the film. Cast members from the original who have since died -- including Carl Weathers and Bob Barker -- are remembered onscreen.
Sandler told ET that the story focuses on "a sports person who's aged and undergone some heartache to try and get back to what he loves."
A trailer for the film shows Sandler embarking on his comeback. While watching golf's best take the tee, he says: "I'm a little intimidated. All these guys hit it big now."
In four consecutive shots, three of golf's most prominent names are featured: Rory McIlroy, Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau. In the next scene, Sandler looks for advice from another golf legend, John Daly. The 1995 Open Championship winner lives in Sandler's basement in the film and was "really important" in the family scenes, according to Newacheck.
The five-second sequence highlights a possible reality of "Happy Gilmore 2" -- Sandler might not be the most famous member of the cast.
"Every day, someone cool would show up and we'd hang out," he said.
Just like any film, the team gauged interest and availability. Cameos were scheduled around those windows -- a "huge process," Newacheck said.
The credited actors in the film include a who's who of golfing legends. Lee Trevino, Fred Couples -- who consumes multiple blueberry jubilees in the film -- Corey Pavin and Jack Nicklaus are among a group of the game's biggest names sitting together in one scene.
At one point, Nicklaus asks for a "half iced tea and half lemonade" from a server -- played by Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
"Arnold Palmer," Kelce responds, referring to the famous drink named after the golf icon. "No, no, no Jack Nicklaus, but I do get that a lot," Nicklaus replies.
The cast also includes current golf stars such as Keegan Bradley, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth, who complains to Bad Bunny -- cast as Gilmore's caddie and a server -- that he received the wrong drink.
"That was a big, big deal to get those guys, and they all stepped up and did a great job and lent their time," McDonald said. "And it was just really a blessing for the movie because it makes it so much richer, and now I can call them my friends, which is awesome."
It also made for seamless golf scenes.
"To see the way they swing the clubs, oh my god, they can kill it," McDonald said. "It's so direct and so on point, I'm like, 'OK, I'm not worthy. You guys rule.' Unbelievably good."
Off the course, the celebrity cast brought its own flair.
Rappers Eminem, Kid Cudi, Cam'ron and Post Malone all appear, along with Guy Fieri, Alix Earle, Sean Evans, WNBA star Kelsey Plum and former Heisman winner Reggie Bush.
Eminem's cameo scene was a challenge, Newacheck said, but he "performed it wonderfully." Another musician stood out to McDonald.
"I really think that Bad Bunny was hysterical," he said. "He's unbelievable, but he did it in such a way that made it really steal some scenes."
Returning to the world of Happy Gilmore brought a wave of nostalgia not just for fans, but for the cast and crew, too. For many, being on set alongside golf's greatest icons and comedy legends was a surreal experience that underscored the film's cultural staying power.
That sentiment was emphasized when McDonald visited the set for the first time. He hadn't shot a scene, but as the crew worked on a lighting setup, he saw an opportunity and strolled into a room filled with golf royalty.
To his surprise, the legends treated him like the icon.
Nicklaus started performing McDonald's popular celebration, "going Shooter with the guns," McDonald said. Sir Nick Faldo tried to pull it off, too. The younger golfers were visibly elated when they saw McDonald.
"Everybody was in that happy mood, so when they saw the Shooter, they just made me feel very welcome ... I'll never forget it," McDonald said. "It was just a really, really great moment."
The reactions spoke volumes about what the film has meant over the years, especially to the players who are living the golf dreams the film once made larger than life.
Scheffler said it's part of golf culture "for sure." Thomas called his participation a "very cool experience." Tony Finau, another member of the sequel's cast, added that it felt surreal.
"I think 'Happy Gilmore' is one of the greatest comedies of all time," Finau said. "To be a part of the sequel, it's not even a dream come true because I didn't even dream that something like this could happen."
The film's legacy is what made a sequel feel like the right move nearly three decades later. The original film grossed over $38 million with a budget of $12 million, according to Box Office Mojo, but its true value is measured by how it resonates with audiences across generations.
Bowen can't process what the film has evolved into. To her, "Happy Gilmore" is "dad proof, it is kids proof," emphasizing its cultural importance.
"Nothing is dad and kids proof," she said. "It is mindblowing, and I'm so lucky to be a part of it."
The sequel pays tribute to that multigenerational appeal while honoring what came before. McDonald's campaigning paid off, resulting in an "incredible" experience for the 70-year-old actor.
"I was so glad to be a part of it," McDonald said. "It just means we can maybe have a massive hit on our hands again."
What's more fitting? Maybe a gold jacket.