Happy Gilmore 2 is a hole in one for Adam Sandler and New Jersey.
The long-awaited sequel to the beloved 1996 comedy debuted on Netflix with an opening weekend of 46.7 million views—the biggest U.S. opening weekend in the platform’s history—and the scores of fans who watched it not only saw Sandler and his funny pals, but viewed several locations in the Garden State, too.
Because Sandler plays a hockey player-turned-golf champion, many of the filming locations were Jersey’s beautiful golf courses, including Closter Golf Center, Fiddler’s Elbow country club in Bedminster, Rockleigh Golf Course, and Farmview Golf Center in Hackettstown. Other locations that can be seen in the movie include Ideal Beach in North Middletown and Matson’s Tavern in Kearny, according to Netflix.
“We had location scouts drive around Jersey to find locations that fit the creative needs of the script and…creative vision,” a Netflix rep says.
Sandler poses with Jon Lovitz on the Jersey-based set of Happy Gilmore 2. Photo: Scott Yamano/Netflix
According to Netflix, the company employed hundreds of people in New Jersey to bring the sequel to life, recruiting more than 400 crew members and 3,000 background actors to appear alongside Sander and returning faces like Julie Bowen, Ben Stiller and Christopher McDonald. Casting calls for extras took place last year at Morristown’s Hyatt Regency; more than 12,000 hopefuls showed up.
More than 400 local vendors worked on the production, including Freehold-based Action AC and Prop Rentals, whose managing rentals director, Elena Gonzalez, was excited to be involved. “We are all huge Adam Sandler fans, and were thrilled to find out he and Netflix had partnered up to produce the sequel to his iconic Happy Gilmore completely in the state of New Jersey,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Knowing we provided services for a small part of that project gives us all a real sense of hometown pride.”
NFL star Travis Kelce has a role in Happy Gilmore 2. Photo: Scott Yamano/Netflix
Sandler took up residence in New Jersey last fall while filming Happy Gilmore 2, and was spotted enjoying our state at places like Goldberg’s World Famous Deli & Bagels in Millburn, the swanky French restaurant Faubourg in Montclair, and Lokl Café in Morristown.
The 58-year-old is back in Jersey now, currently living in Montclair while working on the Netflix film Don’t Say Good Luck, starring his 16-year-old daughter, Sunny Sandler. The movie recently shot for several days in Livingston at Nana’s Deli and the restaurant Ilpoom, at Montclair High School, and at various locations in Ridgewood and Cranford.
Montclair locals have seen Sandler shooting hoops at Rand Park, dining out at restaurants like Mercado and Paper Moon, and even shopping at CVS.
Happy Gilmore 2 is one of a handful of recent Netflix movies shot across New Jersey, where film and TV productions have increased in recent years thanks to Governor Murphy’s 2018 reinstatement of generous tax incentives. Netflix is currently in the process of transforming the former Fort Monmouth Army base into a massive production studio, slated to open in 2028; a groundbreaking ceremony was held this May.
Sandler’s previous streaming-exclusive releases with Netflix include The Meyerowitz Stories, Murder Mystery and Hustle.
Shadow of Hope examines the People of Hope, a fringe religious group that thrived in North Jersey from the late 1970s to the early ’90s.
The Newark-born singer, best known for ’50s and ’60s hits like “Who’s Sorry Now?” and “Where the Boys Are,” had recently responded to news that her deep cut “Pretty Little Baby” had gone viral on TikTok—six decades after its original release.
