To ensure that Adam Sandler was swinging his best swing during filming for ‘Happy Gilmore 2’, they brought in a former Ryder Cup champion and six-time PGA Tour winner to swing for him.
The sequel to the 90’s comedy classic was released on Netflix this past week and featured a star studded cast of celebrities, athletes, and former golfers.
But one former golfer was seen on screen in a way that even the most eagle-eyed viewer couldn’t notice.
Former Team USA star Hunter Mahan revealed that he was used as a ‘swing double’ for Sandler’s titular character in the movie.
In a post to his Instagram account, Mahan showed a look behind-the-scenes at his makeup, his time filming, and selfies he took with stars like Travis Kelce.
‘When they called and said Happy Gilmore needs a golf swing double, I said say no more,’ Mahan captured the post.
Adam Sandler called upon a former Ryder Cup winner to be his ‘swing double’ for his movie
Six-time PGA Tour champion Hunter Mahan was used in the movie ‘Happy Gilmore 2’
The Ryder Cup winner showed off his makeup, his swing, and more from behind-the-scenes
‘Honored to get to be a part of #HappyGilmore2 and witness @adamsandler’s comedic genius come to life firsthand! Here’s a little behind the scenes look of my transformation into Happy – shoutout to the hair and makeup team, that crew is incredible and so hard working! And some fun from set.
‘Such an awesome experience and capped it off by bringing my daughter Zoe to the premiere earlier this week! Happy Gilmore 2 is out now on @netflix!’
The video showed Mahan hanging with Sandler, Kelce, Jordan Spieth, Nick Faldo, and many more stars of the movie. He was also filmed taking a crack at the character’s ‘iconic’ run-up swing.
By all accounts, Mahan is no slouch of a golfer. He won the Presidents Cup with Team USA four times in a row between 2007 and 2013. Mahan has also been a three-time member of the US Ryder Cup team with a win in 2008 at Valhalla Golf Club under his belt.
Additionally, he won six PGA Tour titles: the 2007 Travelers Championship, the 2010 WM Phoenix Open, the 2010 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, the 2012 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, the 2012 Shell Houston Open, and the 2014 edition of The Barclays (now the St. Jude Championship).
Fans have not received the sequel to the 1996 classic nearly as well as the original. On the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a critics approval rating of 65 percent and an audience score of 74 percent.
