Michael Block was almost Happy Gilmore.
Well, Adam Sandler’s stunt double, that is.
The teaching professional who was the Cinderella story of the 2023 PGA Championship, where he had a hole in one during the final round, was tapped to assume that role in the record-setting “Happy Gilmore 2” on Netflix.
“The line producers were like, ‘We got a problem. Adam hurt his knee,’” executive producer Chad Mumm told Skratch’s Vanity Index podcast. “And he was worried that he wasn’t going to be able to do the running swing as well as he thought he’d be able to. So they’re like, ‘We need a swing double for Adam.’ My first thought was, ‘Who can be a Sandler body double? Ah, Michael Block.’ Fast forward a day later, you’ve got Michael Block in full Happy Gilmore outfit. And so, he had to literally get his hair cut. They stick the beard on him and he gets all the thing and he’s doing the swing.”
The evolution of Happy's swing double is incredible. 😭@chadmumm shares the mad scramble to find @AdamSandler’s swing double in this edition of "Can't Knock It" presented by @knockaround. Hear more Happy Gilmore 2 behind-the-scenes stories in the newest episode of Vanity Index… pic.twitter.com/ltoJFxRtfc
— Skratch (@Skratch) August 1, 2025
However, the dream was short-lived.
“They take one look at him and they’re like that, ‘Yeah, that’s not going to work, he’s too tall,” Mumm said. “So, he’s like, ‘You got to go tell Michael Block you’re out. He got his hair cut and dyed and flew to New York and now he’s flying back.”
So, searching for a middle-aged golfer, Mumm reached out to Jason Dufner’s agent, but the 2013 PGA champion turned down the opportunity. Mumm then sent an email blast to every agency in hopes of filling the void.
Shortly after, six-time PGA Tour winner Hunter Mahan replied with a video of him doing the running start swing—and the rest is history.
As for Block, he might not have gotten his big-time Hollywood role, but there’s no doubt more public appearances are in the cards for him.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Had Michael Block on the Set but Not in the Movie.
