When Completely satisfied Gilmore was first launched, even the individuals who produce golf gear for Callaway admit it was a stuffier, stodgier time for his or her sport.
Almost 30 years later, as Netflix prepares to debut Completely satisfied Gilmore 2 on July 25 and Callaway brings a reinvented model of the unique movie’s hockey-stick putter to the plenty, golf has discovered its pleased place.
Adam Sandler’s golf comedy initially made its method to theaters in February 1996, six months earlier than Tiger Woods started his skilled profession and greater than a yr earlier than he’d win his first event. There have been solely 24.4 million golfers, they usually have been generally outlined by the rounds they performed on conventional programs, almost a 3rd of which have been non-public.
It was an surroundings that would plausibly create villainous golfers who’d purchase a hockey participant’s grandmother’s home out from beneath her and eat horrible issues for breakfast simply to keep up the established order.
“When you return to the unique Completely satisfied Gilmore within the mid ’90s, the stereotypes that have been in there have been nation membership members that he was virtually form of poking enjoyable at. Golf at that stage was an older man’s recreation, and Shooter McGavin is the basic golfer who doesn’t need these individuals coming in messing up our golf course,” stated Nick McInally, vice chairman of world advertising at Callaway Golf. ”When you now quick ahead to the center of the 2020s, you’ve obtained a scenario the place—whether or not it’s driving vary, whether or not it’s 5 Iron Golf—the place persons are simply going into town and hitting some balls in a simulator or enjoying a golf course of their basement, then you could have Topgolf bringing new individuals of various ages into the sport.”
Amid the discharge of Completely satisfied Gilmore 2 and a surge in informal golf curiosity, Callaway has launched collections of limited-edition Chrome Tour golf balls emblazoned with photographs of Gilmore’s hockey jersey, stick, and quotes from the movie like “simply faucet it in” and “it’s all within the hips.” Callaway has additionally reworked Gilmore’s Hockey Stick Putter right into a $499 memento with a chrome steel head, urethane “pistol grip” insert, and tube sock headcover that fairly visibly doesn’t conform to skilled golf specs, “so nobody goes to be successful the Open with it this yr,” in line with McInally.
Callaway labored with Netflix and Completely satisfied Madison on the brand new merchandise, with Callaway’s Odyssey enjoying a barely higher position within the inventive course of than it did in making the unique Completely satisfied Gilmore putter. Earlier than filming the 1999 unique, director Dennis Dugan approached Odyssey Sports activities marketer Vikash Sanyal about making a putter resembling a hockey stick for the film. The corporate agreed, asking solely that one in every of its inserts be used because the stick and its brand seem on the blade.
The corporate was bought by Callaway for $130 million a yr after Completely satisfied Gilmore’s launch, and a model of the putter made it into McInally’s Callaway workplace within the U.Okay. a couple of years in the past. Whereas “a bit huge” and “nice for digital camera, however not essentially match for objective,” the hockey stick putter predicted not solely Callaway’s participation in a Completely satisfied Gilmore sequel, however its golf advertising future {that a} robust social media presence, trick-shot influencers, and superstar companions like Stephen Curry, Justin Herbert, and Niall Horan.
“Each time we’re doing advertising, every time we’re doing activation, we’re at all times making an attempt to focus on golfers, however there’s an viewers that can sit and watch the Golf Channel each week, and watch the PGA Tour, watch the LPGA, and many others.,” McInally stated. “That’s in all probability about 15 to twenty% of your viewers whenever you get the chance of one thing like [Happy Gilmore 2], that hardcore golfers are going to look at, occasional golfers are going to look at, comedy followers are going to look at, Adam Sandler, followers are going to look at. It simply makes it a lot greater.”
Someone’s nearer
The Nationwide Golf Federation discovered that 32.9 million of the 45 million individuals who performed golf within the U.S. in 2023 did so at off-course amenities. Final yr, the variety of golfers enjoying solely at off-course amenities rose from 18.4 million to greater than 19 million. McInally famous that, in South Korea, greater than half of the nation’s golfers won’t ever play on a course.
Whereas Callaway is aiming for that entire group of golfers, the adjustments to golf demographics have it taking a running-start swing on the sport’s extra informal followers. McInally famous that, previously, Callaway would’ve launched a marketing campaign round Completely satisfied Gilmore 2 with a couple of TV advertisements, a characteristic in Golf Digest, print advertisements, a presence at Dick’s Sporting Items or the PGA Tour Superstore—and hope {that a} Callaway-sponsored participant would win that weekend.
Immediately, Callaway’s campaigns see help on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube from Good Good Golf, Bob Does Sports activities, and Dude Good. It hosts launch occasions at Topgolf and brings within the San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado and provides chef Min Woo Lee his personal line of golf balls.
For the Completely satisfied Gilmore 2 debut, Callaway is internet hosting a Putt Completely satisfied Problem and having ambassadors Roger Steele, Horan, Herbert, and Underrated Golf founder and clutch putter Curry see what number of 10-foot putts they will drain in 30 seconds with the Hockey Stick Putter. On the American Century superstar golf event in Lake Tahoe this weekend, the putter is discovering its method into the combo. When the movie itself debuts on July 25, Callaway is partnering with Topgolf on screenings and competitions the place gamers can win the putter for themselves.
👀👀 https://t.co/3rRy5kacAi
— Odyssey Golf (@odysseygolf) July 1, 2025
In Brooklyn, Odyssey connected a 70-foot putter to a Netflix billboard previewing Completely satisfied Gilmore 2. For the corporate that invested within the TravisMathew attire model and 5 Iron Golf simulators and merged with Topgolf (although the manufacturers are splitting later this yr), it’s a broad cultural and advertising technique that will make Completely satisfied Gilmore really feel at residence—and Callaway isn’t too good for that residence.
“Golf grew to become cool, and that wasn’t one thing that you could possibly say 25, 30 years in the past—definitely earlier than Tiger got here alongside—however now, when it comes to trendy tradition, it’s not frowned upon to play golf anymore,” McInally stated. “So, how can we gasoline that? How can we get individuals enthusiastic about our manufacturers? But additionally, how can we get individuals excited in regards to the recreation? That’s hopefully the place Completely satisfied Gilmore 2 goes to assist us.”
