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On a recent episode of the “New Heights” podcast, Hollywood legend Adam Sandler revealed the inspiration for his iconic golf film, “Happy Gilmore.”

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Adam Sandler has had a memorable career in Hollywood. The New York native was one of the top comedic actors of the 1990s and 2000s. And several of his biggest and best films were based on sports.

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Be it “Waterboy,” “Hustle” or a remake of the “Longest Yard,” Sandler knows how to make good sports movies. However, his most famous is probably the golf picture “Happy Gilmore.” The film has become a cult classic among movie fans and the news that a sequel is set to begin filming this month has created a lot of buzz among long-time fans.

There are sure to be many fun cameos from well-known golfers and celebrities in the sequel. One that was recently revealed is Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce. Unsurprisingly, with him having a role in the film, this week he was able to get Sandler on the popular podcast he co-hosts with his brother Jason. And during the conversation, the comedy legend revealed the original inspiration for the “Happy Gilmore” script.

Adam Sandler says his father and an old hockey pal were the inspiration for ‘Happy Gilmore’

“It was my dad. Like I said, he liked golf. We used to go the driving range a lot. And I had a great friend, Kyle McDonough, who ended up playing pro hockey,” Sandler recalled. “So Kyle came out with me and my dad [to the range]. He didn’t play much golf but he was banging them. My father kept saying, ‘Man, you hockey player, there’s something about your wrists, or the way you turn, or something like that.

“I think I was finishing up college and I thought, ‘Man, that’d be pretty funny to see a guy with a hockey mentality have such a big shot that he gets up on the tour. And I remember calling my dad and going, ‘What do you think?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, it could be pretty good.'”

Well, it turned out to be very good and the film is viewed as Adam Sandler’s best in his filmography. He would go on to write the script with a writing pal and get his father’s advice throughout the process. And Chubbs Peterson’s legendary “it’s all in the hips” line cam straight from Sandler’s father.

“Happy Gilmore 2” is likely to debut in theaters next summer.

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