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Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Is Happy Gilmore the best golf movie ever? Let's rank the five best
After a nearly 30-year hiatus, Adam Sandler returns to the golf course in Happy Gilmore 2. After a successful career on the tour, Happy Gilmore is forced into an early retirement due to a tragic accident during a round. The only thing that brings Happy joy now is his kids. When his lone daughter receives a chance to attend an illustrious dance school, Happy must overcome his fears and return to golf to win a lucrative tournament. Happy Gilmore 2 is a pure nostalgia play, but it delivers a solid amount of laughs. While Happy Gilmore 2 might not make the list of the best golf movies, five other films deserve a spot on our list. Check it out below. 5. The Caddy (1953) Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis take their comedy act to the golf course in The Caddy. Harvey Miller (Lewis) is a talented golf pro who can't perform in front of a crowd. Joe Anthony (Martin) is a budding star with an ego problem. Harvey agrees to caddy for Joe, and the result is a disaster. However, Harvey and Joe surprisingly find a second career off the course. Recommended Videos The Caddy focuses more on the relationship between a golfer and caddy than on the performance on the course. It's a showcase for Martin and Lewis to do their thing as a comedic duo. Fun fact: That's Amore appeared for the first time in The Caddy. So when you're hearing it in Rear Window, Moonstruck, and The Garfield Movie, you can thank The Caddy for bringing it into the world. 4. The Short Game (2013) Every parent of a young athlete thinks their kid could be the next Michael Jordan or Serena Williams. For golf parents, everyone hopes they have the next Tiger Woods in their family. The Short Game examines some of the greatest golfers in the world under the age of eight. The documentary begins about six months before the 2012 World Championships, as eight boys and girls prepare for the tournament. On one hand, watching these prodigies excel at a sport that gives so many adults trouble is mesmerizing. On the other hand, you'll quickly see which parents are pushing their kids to the limit. All in all, it's a fascinating look into youth sports. 3. Tin Cup (1996) If I ever decide to rank the greatest actors who play athletes in movies, Kevin Costner has to be a first-round draft pick. Baseball is his specialty, but Costner effectively tees it up on the golf course in Tin Cup. Roy McAvoy (Costner) is the best that almost was. A costly decision ruins Roy's shot at the PGA Tour. Years later, Roy now owns a beat-up driving range in Texas. After being embarrassed by his old rival (Don Johnson), Roy attempts to qualify for the U.S. Open. Along the way, Roy tries to court Dr. Molly Griswold (Rene Russo), the girlfriend of Simms. Tin Cup's strength is the palpable chemistry between Costner and Russo. As a realist, Roy's decision on the last shot still infuriates me to this day. A lesson to all — when you have a chance at qualifying for the U.S. Open, be smart and take the logical route. 2. Happy Gilmore (1996) Happy Gilmore belongs in the top three thanks to its rewatchability, quotability, and impact on golf. How many times have you seen a golfer try to imitate Happy's trademark swing? The limit does not exist. Happy Gilmore (Sandler) loves two things: hockey and his grandmother (Frances Bay). After being cut from the hockey team, Happy must find a way to make money to save his grandmother's house from foreclosure. By chance, Happy discovers he can drive the golf ball longer than the pros, so he begins to hustle people for money. This leads to a tryout on the PGA Tour, which might come to an end due to Happy's temper and wild antics. Happy Gilmore is fun, dumb, and charming. The gags still deliver nearly 30 years later. 1. Caddyshack (1980) Without Caddyshack, there is no Happy Gilmore. The fact that Caddyshack pulled off a slapstick comedy set in the uptight world of golf is a minor miracle. Caddyshack also benefits from having a lineup of comedic greats, including Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Ted Knight, and Rodney Dangerfield. At the Bushwood Country Club, social status matters. Most of the members are snobs and rich jerks. One of the young caddies, Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe), works there to win one of the college scholarships offered at the club by Judge Smails (Knight). Danny forms a friendship with the unorthodox but talented Ty Webb (Chevy Chase). However, the young caddy finds himself in the middle of a feud between Smails and the rambunctious member Al Czervik (Dangerfield). Meanwhile, Carl Spackler (Murray), the club's eccentric greenskeeper, engages in a confrontation with an annoying gopher. With slapstick humor and memorable gags, Caddyshack remains a timeless classic and the best golf movie.
News.com.au
08-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Airline's leaked email exposes sneaky act
Aussies planning a trip to the UK who have booked internal flights on easyJet should expect extra eyes on their carry-on. The British budget airline is reportedly paying airport staff at seven UK and Channel Islands airports a bonus if they spot oversized bags before passengers board their flights. Details of the Gate Bag Revenue Programme were revealed in a leaked internal email, first reported by the Jersey Evening Post, in December last year. The internal incentive scheme is run by Swissport, the ground handling company contracted by easyJet at seven airports, including Birmingham International Airport, Glasgow, Jersey, and Newcastle. The scheme is still ongoing. The email was allegedly sent to staff by Swissport's Dean Martin back in November 2023, with staff involved in the scheme 'eligible to receive £1 ($A2.10) for every gate bag taken'. The message described the initiative as a way to 'reward agents doing the right thing' and made clear that internal tracking would be used to offer support and training where needed. According to the airline's website, each passenger can bring one small carry on for free but it must fit under the seat. 'It can be a maximum size of 45 x 36 x 20 cm (including any handles and wheels) and must be kept under the seat in front of you,' the site reads. 'That should be enough to bring all the essentials for your journey or for a short trip. Your bag can weigh up to 15kg, but we do ask that you're able to lift and carry it yourself.' For anything bigger (up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm), passengers have the option to book a 'large cabin bag' for a fee starting at £5.99 ($A12.50). If passengers arrive at the gate with an unbooked oversized bag, they'll need to cough up £48 ($A100) to place it in hold. The scheme applies to operations at seven airports, including Birmingham International Airport, Glasgow, Jersey, and Newcastle. According to The Sunday Times, similar payments are being made to ground handlers from a different provider. Staff employed by DHL Supply Chain at airports, including London Gatwick, Bristol, and Manchester, also receive bonuses when they identify non-compliant cabin bags on specific flights. The exact figures were not disclosed, but it described the amounts as nominal. Meanwhile, there is been major backlash against baggage fees in Europe. In June, the transport committee of the European Parliament backed a proposal that would give passengers the right to carry an additional piece of hand luggage (7kg) on board at no extra charge, Simply Flying reported. This would apply across all carriers operating within the EU and will effectively standardise hand baggage allowances regardless of airline fare structure. However, the publication reported the measure still requires approval from at least 55 per cent of EU member states before it can take effect.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK airport staff offered cash bonuses for spotting easyJet passengers with oversized bags
Airport staff have been earning cash bonuses for every easyJet passenger they spot travelling with oversized cabin bags, according to a leaked email. An internal email seen by The Sunday Times has revealed that staff at Swissport, an aviation company that provides ground handling services, were told they were 'eligible to receive £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every gate bag taken, effective immediately'. The email was reportedly sent to Swissport employees working at seven airports across the UK in Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool and Newcastle. The cash bonuses were introduced to staff as the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive, which is 'intended to reward agents doing the right thing' and would result in 'payments made directly to employees'. The email was sent in November 2023, with The Sunday Times stating that the policy is still in force. The message was signed off by Dean Martin, a Swissport station manager at Glasgow Airport, who said: 'Thank you for your ongoing contribution to the success of easyJet.' Other ground handling companies, such as DHL Supply Chain, also have similar remuneration packages for identifying easyJet bags that do not comply with easyJet's dimensions. DHL Supply Chain, which operates at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports, receives a 'nominal amount' per bag, the publication states. The extra cash incentive applies to bags that are deemed too big to the taken into the cabin, either because the passenger has not paid to take a larger suitcase or their free hand luggage is too big. If a passenger's cabin bags or non-purchased bags are brought to the gate, easyJet will charge £48 and place the bags in the hold. Strict airline baggage rules across various airlines have caused contention at the gate, especially when passengers are handed hefty fees if staff deem their bags noncompliant with their policies. The Sunday Times says that £1.20 of this fee will be paid to the ground handler. Ground handling agents are employed by third parties, which vary from airport to airport. They manage agent remuneration directly, and easyJet do not have oversight on this. Swissport ground handlers earn around £12 per hour. One former Swissport passenger service manager told a publication that he and his colleagues had no choice but to keep a check on oversized baggage. 'Confronting people with excess baggage is like taking on fare dodgers,' he told The Sunday Times on the condition of anonymity. 'You risk abuse or worse — imagine stopping a group of lads on a stag weekend and telling them, 'I'm going to have to charge you more than you paid for your tickets to check those bags into the hold'.' A spokesperson for Swissport told The Independent: 'We serve our airline customers and apply their policies under terms and conditions for managing their operation. 'We're highly professional and our focus is on delivering safe and efficient operations, which we do day in and day out for four million flights per year.' A spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain also told The Independent: "We're fully committed to ensuring the safety, security, and on-time departure of all aircraft. A critical component of this is adherence to the easyJet Baggage Policy, which plays a vital role in maintaining an efficient operation as well as passenger safety.' The company requires 'all colleagues to consistently adhere to [the easyJet baggage policy] and this is recognised as part of their remuneration'. 'Doing so ensures we provide a smooth travel experience for every passenger.' EasyJet said it is 'focused on ensuring our ground handling partners apply our policies correctly and consistently in fairness to all our customers'. 'Our bag policies and options are well understood and we remind customers of this when booking, before they travel and on their boarding pass, which means a very small proportion of customers who don't comply will be charged at the airport,' the spokesperson told The Independent.
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK airport staff offered cash bonuses for spotting easyJet passengers with oversized bags
Airport staff have been earning cash bonuses for every easyJet passenger they spot travelling with oversized cabin bags, according to a leaked email. An internal email seen by The Sunday Times has revealed that staff at Swissport, an aviation company that provides ground handling services, were told they were 'eligible to receive £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every gate bag taken, effective immediately'. The email was reportedly sent to Swissport employees working at seven airports across the UK in Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool and Newcastle. The cash bonuses were introduced to staff as the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive, which is 'intended to reward agents doing the right thing' and would result in 'payments made directly to employees'. The email was sent in November 2023, with The Sunday Times stating that the policy is still in force. The message was signed off by Dean Martin, a Swissport station manager at Glasgow Airport, who said: 'Thank you for your ongoing contribution to the success of easyJet.' Other ground handling companies, such as DHL Supply Chain, also have similar remuneration packages for identifying easyJet bags that do not comply with easyJet's dimensions. DHL Supply Chain, which operates at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports, receives a 'nominal amount' per bag, the publication states. The extra cash incentive applies to bags that are deemed too big to the taken into the cabin, either because the passenger has not paid to take a larger suitcase or their free hand luggage is too big. If a passenger's cabin bags or non-purchased bags are brought to the gate, easyJet will charge £48 and place the bags in the hold. Strict airline baggage rules across various airlines have caused contention at the gate, especially when passengers are handed hefty fees if staff deem their bags noncompliant with their policies. The Sunday Times says that £1.20 of this fee will be paid to the ground handler. Ground handling agents are employed by third parties, which vary from airport to airport. They manage agent remuneration directly, and easyJet do not have oversight on this. Swissport ground handlers earn around £12 per hour. One former Swissport passenger service manager told a publication that he and his colleagues had no choice but to keep a check on oversized baggage. 'Confronting people with excess baggage is like taking on fare dodgers,' he told The Sunday Times on the condition of anonymity. 'You risk abuse or worse — imagine stopping a group of lads on a stag weekend and telling them, 'I'm going to have to charge you more than you paid for your tickets to check those bags into the hold'.' A spokesperson for Swissport told The Sunday Times: 'We serve our airline customers and apply their policies under terms and conditions for managing their operation. 'We're highly professional and our focus is on delivering safe and efficient operations, which we do day in and day out for four million flights per year.' A spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain also said the company requires 'all colleagues to consistently adhere to [the easyJet baggage policy] and this is recognised as part of their remuneration'. 'Doing so ensures we provide a smooth travel experience for every passenger.' EasyJet said it is 'focused on ensuring our ground handling partners apply our policies correctly and consistently in fairness to all our customers'. 'Our bag policies and options are well understood and we remind customers of this when booking, before they travel and on their boarding pass, which means a very small proportion of customers who don't comply will be charged at the airport,' the spokesperson told The Independent.
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Airport staff paid bonuses to catch out passengers with oversized bags
Airport staff are being handed cash incentives to catch out easyJet passengers who have oversized luggage. Staff at Swissport, an aviation company which provides services at 296 airports, including running passenger gates, are 'eligible to receive £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every gate bag taken', according to a leaked company email. Dubbed 'the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive', the scheme was billed as aiming to 'reward agents doing the right thing' and would result in 'payments made directly to employees'. The email was sent to Swissport employees at airports in Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool and Newcastle in November 2023 by Dean Martin, a company manager based in Glasgow. The policy is understood to still be in force. EasyJet's baggage policy allows passengers to take a small under-seat cabin bag onto flights for 'free', but charges between £5.99 and £32.99 for larger luggage which requires the use of overhead lockers. Travellers are often required to place their luggage in a metal frame or box that is fitted to the dimensions of under-seat and overhead locker baggage allowances. Should the bags not fit, passengers can be charged £48. Policy 'puts staff in danger' A source, who wished to remain anonymous, previously told the Jersey Evening Post that the policy had been deeply unpopular with Swissport staff because they would get into rows with passengers at boarding gates. 'You get a family going on holiday with a couple of kids, and when they get to the gate, you're taking another £80 off them for two bags. A lot of passengers get stroppy about it, and it's the staff who are getting the flak for that,' the source said. A Swissport passenger service manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, also told The Sunday Times: 'Confronting people with excess baggage is like taking on fare dodgers. 'You risk abuse or worse – imagine stopping a group of lads on a stag weekend and telling them: 'I'm going to have to charge you more than you paid for your tickets to check those bags into the hold'.' Ground handlers working for DHL Supply Chain, a third-party firm, at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports also reportedly have a remuneration package for identifying non-compliant easyJet bags. EasyJet, which recorded an annual revenue of more than £9 billion in 2024, has oversight of incentives available to employees at third-party companies. Bag rules 'well understood' A spokesman for the airline said: 'EasyJet is focused on ensuring our ground handling partners apply our policies correctly and consistently in fairness to all our customers. 'Our bag policies and options are well understood, and we remind customers of this when booking, before they travel and on their boarding pass, which means a very small proportion of customers who don't comply will be charged at the airport.' The EU recently proposed introducing new standardised rules for airlines, which would allow passengers to bring one personal item, such as a handbag or a backpack, and one item of cabin baggage weighing less than 7kg on board 'free' of charge. The shake-up, which was put forward last month, would apply to any flight taking off or landing in the EU but requires the approval of 55 per cent of member nations before it can come into force.
