Adam Sandler plays a failed hockey player who discovers he can hit a golf ball with startling power, channeling his aggressive slap-shot into an unconventional PGA tour run in a bid to win enough prize money to save his grandmother's house from foreclosure. Director Dennis Dugan builds the film around Sandler's brash, hot-tempered comic persona clashing against golf's genteel traditions, with Christopher McDonald's smarmy rival Shooter McGavin providing a memorably punchable antagonist. The film's blend of sports-underdog structure and crude comedy became one of Sandler's signature early hits. Its influence on golf culture endures, with 'Happy Gilmore'-style celebrity tournaments still referencing the film decades later.