Caddyshack Happens In Real Life, See The Unbelievable Gopher Golf Video

By Robert Scucci | Published

Bill Murray caddyshack gopher

If you thought Caddyshack was entirely a work of fiction, you’re going to have to reassess your assumption after watching the movie’s B-plot actually play out in real life. We’re talking, of course, about a gopher popping out of the ground while hugging a golf ball. Earlier this month, Reddit user Coffee_Is_Dope posted a video of a little critter doing just that, and the comments section immediately exploded with quotes from the iconic 1980 sports comedy.

In the video, we bear witness to an innocent little gopher popping out of the ground and gently embracing the rogue golf ball before realizing it’s all being caught on tape and burrowing back underground. Though the Caddyshack gopher caused Bill Murray’s Carl Spackler to unleash a considerable amount of brute force to maintain the grounds, we don’t hear any explosions or profanity in the background, but rather a healthy amount of laughter.

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what a gopher can do to a golf course, you now have visual proof that may make you feel a little more sympathetic to Spackler. While the video is a cute callback to Caddyshack, it goes without question that a groundskeeper will have to eventually assess the damage and repair the field of play in question.

Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack
Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack

It’s worth noting, however, that there is some truth in Caddyshack, as gophers are known menaces to golf courses. Just like in the movie, gophers actually cause quite a bit of damage while they tunnel underground. Not only does their tunneling create unsightly mounds that can interfere with gameplay, they are also known to cause irrigation issues that can further damage the golf course.

In Caddyshack, the golf course transforms into a war zone as Spackler busts out plastic explosives in the third act. In real life, we’re pretty sure that such extreme measures won’t ever be taken (even if an $80,000 wager is hanging in the balance). But still, we have a newfound appreciation for the monolithic amount of work that groundskeepers must endure to make sure their golf courses remain playable as players try to coexist with gophers, skunks, deer, raccoons, beaver, and even armadillos.

Since we’re paying homage to Caddyshack, we can’t help but wonder when a video of a Baby Ruth bar floating in a country club swimming pool will surface. Now that we have video evidence of mole-based mischief, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that somebody will one day want to recreate the infamous “doodie in the pool” scene if they haven’t done so already.

And if you’re not picking up on all of the Caddyshack references we’re throwing down, we encourage you to stop what you’re doing and watch the movie before doing anything else today. While a number of comedies from the 80s are considered problematic these days (we’re looking at you Porky’s), it’s safe to say that Caddyshack still holds up.