WARNING! This article contains spoilers for Hacks season 3, episode 6, "Par for the Course."

Summary

• Happy Gilmore actor Christopher McDonald gets another golf-centric project in Hacks season 3, episode 6.
• McDonald's Marty character joins Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels in a golf tournament in the Hacks episode.
• McDonald's recent role in Hacks season 3 adds to his golf project resume, potentially teasing a sympathetic Shooter McGavin return for Happy Gilmore 2.

An original Happy Gilmore cast member gets a Shooter McGavin-style golf project return in a new TV show episode, which comes at the perfect time after Netflix’s recent sequel confirmation. Adam Sandler’s hit sports comedy movie Happy Gilmore (1996) quickly became established as a classic golf film, with the story’s unique characters, memorable quotes, and hilarious golfing moments making it one of the actor’s best films yet. While Adam Sandler’s titular character remains the film’s standout performance, Happy Gilmore also yielded several other unforgettable pop culture figures like Christopher McDonald’s Shooter McGavin and Carl Weathers’ Chubbs.

On May 15, 2024, Netflix confirmed that Happy Gilmore 2 was happening with Adam Sandler reprising his role as the titular hockey player-turned-golfer. While the streaming service didn’t include any other Happy Gilmore cast members in its announcement, there’s a reasonable expectation that frequent Sandler collaborators from the original film like Julie Bowen, Allen Covert, and Kevin Nealon will also be back. Of course, it wouldn’t feel like a proper Happy Gilmore sequel without the presence of original antagonist Shooter Gavin, and McDonald’s recent comedy show episode provides a great warm-up for this return.

Hacks Season 3, Episode 6 Gives Christopher McDonald An Ironic Happy Gilmore Follow-Up

Christopher McDonald gets to hit the golf course in another big project

One of Christopher McDonald’s biggest roles since Happy Gilmore has been in the cast of Max’s Hacks, in which he plays the recurring character of Marty. While McDonald isn’t playing a villain in Hacks, he certainly provides a foil to and personal conflicts for Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance. This happens to be the case for the show’s latest entry, which also includes a fun connection to McDonald’s famous and highly-quotable Happy Gilmore role.

In Hacks season 3, episode 6, which coincidentally hit Max the day after Happy Gilmore 2’s confirmation, Christopher McDonald’s Marty joined the main characters Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels in playing a golf tournament. The show had never included a golf episode before, so it was fitting that Hacks brought Marty back into the action in the outing that would resonate most with fans of Christopher McDonald’s movies. The Hacks episode let McDonald briefly show off his Shooter McGavin golf skills again, but, this time, he wasn’t playing the antagonist. Rather, Marty was amused by Deborah’s incredible golf skills at the tournament.

The show had never included a golf episode before, so it was fitting that Hacks brought Marty back into the action in the outing that would resonate most with fans of Christopher McDonald’s movies.

Christopher McDonald Has Already Done 2 Other Golf Movies Before Hacks Season 3

Hacks isn't McDonald's first golf project return after Happy Gilmore

While Hacks season 3, episode 6 makes for another great return to the sport for Christopher McDonald after Happy Gilmore, the popular Max original TV show isn’t the first time he’s done another golf-related project over the years. Before Hacks, Christopher McDonald returned to the golf world on screen when starring in the 2015 movie The Squeeze, which was inspired by the real experiences of golfer Keith Flatt and was written and directed by golf tournament producer Terry Jastrow.

New episodes of Hacks season 3 release Thursdays on Max.

A few years later, McDonald was cast in another golf-centric movie for the 2021 comedy Walking with Herb, a faith-based story centered around a fictional former amateur golfer. However, Hacks season 3 is arguably the actor’s biggest golf project return given the widespread popularity of the comedy TV show, and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. While McDonald didn’t get to pull out all the ‘90s comedy villain calling cards of Shooter McGavin for Hacks season 3’s episode – opting for a deeper and more sympathetic Marty episode instead – it’s been all but confirmed that the actor will have another opportunity to fully reprise his Happy Gilmore golf villain character

Hacks' Golf Episode Makes Christopher McDonald's Happy Gilmore 2 Return More Exciting

Will Shooter McGavin still be a villain in Happy Gilmore 2?

Christopher McDonald hasn’t been officially confirmed to return for Netflix’s Happy Gilmore 2, but it’s much more likely than not that he’ll appear as Shooter McGavin in the upcoming sequel. Before the upcoming movie’s announcement by Netflix, McDonald was the one who teased in March 2024 that Happy Gilmore 2 was in the works, implying he would be returning alongside Adam Sandler in the cast. The actor even revealed that Sandler showed him a draft of the Happy Gilmore 2 script, highlighting how far along the sequel already was before Netflix’s official confirmation.

The actor even revealed that Sandler showed him a draft of the Happy Gilmore 2 script, highlighting how far along the sequel already was before Netflix’s official confirmation.

With McDonald returning to a more high-profile golf project in his recent Hacks episode, it’s possible that the comedy show could be inadvertently hinting at a more sympathetic role for Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore 2. While Shooter and Happy were still nemeses in Happy Gilmore’s original ending, the nearly 30 years in between films may have seen some positive changes in the relationship between the two golf pros. It’s more likely that Shooter will still be somewhat villainous in the sequel, but the nostalgic excitement remains for McDonald’s character to arrogantly state his name while pointing finger guns on the golf course again – even if he’s potentially on Happy’s side this time.