Where was Caddyshack filmed?
1980
City Locations
Davie, Boca Raton, Miami, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Key Biscayne
Location Types
Apartment, Bars/Clubs, Naturescapes, Hotels/Motels, Restaurant, Ship Docks
Location Styles
Dated/50’s-60’s-70’s Building, Hotel/Motel Style, Luxury Hotel, Resort, Shipping Yard/Dock
About Caddyshack
Considered one of the greatest sports movies of all time, Caddyshack is one of those gems that still retains its shine, over 40 years after its release. Although the budget of the film was less than 5 million, Caddyshack manages to incorporate some of the greatest comedic geniuses in the 80s including Bill Murray and Chevy Chase. Spoiler Alert: This guide will discuss some of the major events and plot points that occur throughout the film!
Caddyshack revolves around a caddie Danny Noonan, played by Michael O’Keefe, who attempts to gain enough money to go to college. He does this by currying favor with the arrogant co-founder of Bushwood Country Club, Judge Elihu Smails, to get a chance at a caddie scholarship program that could potentially save him from working at a lumber yard. In the meanwhile, a mentally unstable groundskeeper, played by Bill Murray, is sent on a mission to get rid of a gopher that is destroying the golf course.
Along the way, chaos is caused by Al Czervik, considered a nouveau riche golfer by the other members due to how he made his money by becoming a real estate developer. He disrupts Judge Smails’ games consistently and is considered a thorn in his side. They later decide to settle this feud over a match in which Danny Noonan later participates on Al Czervik’s side, revoking his potential to receive this caddie scholarship but having the chance to receive compensation for winning this game with a wager of $80,000 per team.
As Danny Noonan hits the last shot, it falls short of the hole and all seems lost, but then Carl Spackler detonates rigged explosives throughout the course to try to get rid of the gopher and this shakes the ball into the hole, winning the game for Danny Noonan.
Caddyshack Locations
With a relatively small budget of 4.8 million dollars to create a movie centered around golf, Caddyshack had to get creative with the locations they utilized to give the illusion that the famous Bushwood Country Club was one massive resort and club. Many of the locations used were close to each other and were used in a variety of ways to create illusions that either made the shots look connected or a totally different location.
Since the movie Caddyshack was set to be in the US Midwest, the producers had to look for filming locations and golf courses that didn’t have any palm trees. This led to them choosing the famous Rolling Hills Golf Club, now known as the Grande Oaks Golf Club, as the main site for where their shooting was to take place. To add to the luxury and grandeur of the film, producers decided to use other resorts and restaurants like the Boca Raton Hotel and Club as well as the Rusty Pelican Restaurant to add a more refined look to the locations used in the film.
Fun Fact:
The final scene for the 18th hole was not shot on an actual golf course but was built from scratch. The pyrotechnicians used so many explosives that pilots that flew over the area reported the explosion as if a plane crash occurred.
The chaotic family scene in Caddyshack
Los Angeles, USA
The introduction of the movie presents to the audience the dysfunctional family of Danny Noonan. Danny initially sits down to eat breakfast as his morning starts out, but his father begins to pester him about his future. As his father continues to pester Danny about his plans for college, Danny decides to abandon his breakfast plans and just head out to work. On the way out of his house, the audience hears his father talk with his mother as he says, “He isn’t gonna be a caddy all his life, is he?”
Located in Los Angeles, this filming location of Caddyshack can still be reached to this day and it's easily accessible too. With it being so close to a bus station, there are plenty of ways to reach this filming location, including public transport. For those that prefer a physical address, it is located at 232 N Avenue 54 Los Angeles. To get there with the help of a bus, you could travel with the Highland Park/Eagle Rock bus along North Avenue 54 and stop by the intersection where North Avenue 54 meets Monte Vista Street. Walking a little distance down will allow you to see the house where this scene was shot. Although it’s painted a little differently compared to the movie, you can be sure that this is the right house!
Ty Webb talks to Danny Noonan scene in Caddyshack
Grande Oaks Golf Club, Davie, USA
With Danny confused and looking for a third opinion on what he should do with his life, he goes to work as a caddy at Bushwood Country Club. He caddies for Ty Webb, a golfer who seems well off. Mr. Webb is notorious for not remembering names and calls Danny a multitude of wrong names to which Danny corrects him. One such instance comes in the introductory stage of the movie where Mr. Webb says, “I like you, Betty.” To which Danny replies, “That’s Danny, Sir.” Afterward, he gives Danny some “words of wisdom” to help him find direction in his life.
Most of the shooting for the golf course scenes took place at Grande Oaks Golf Club, which was formerly known as Rolling Hills Golf Club. To get to Grande Oaks Golf Club, drive along Southwest 82nd Way or the West Rolling Hills Circle to get to the famous golf course used for the shooting of Caddyshack’s action scenes. Some of the landmarks close to the golf course include the HCA Florida University Hospital as well as a variety of restaurants.
Dinner scene in Caddyshack
Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton
Supposed to be one of the more calm and collected events, the dinner scene in Caddyshack was supposed to be a nice way to end the night for Mr. Smails. While he shows off his eccentric suit that supposedly originated from Scotland, Mr. Czervik makes a scene and goes up to Mr. Smails and upon meeting his grandson mentions one of the many one-liners spewed throughout the film, “Now I know why tigers eat their young, you know.”
Although most of the shooting for the film took place within Davies, several shots, including the dinner scene that showed the interior of several luxury clubs were shot at the Boca Raton Resort & Club at Boca Raton. It’s located at 501 East Camino Real and to get there, drive along the East Camino Real and take a turn down Boca Resort Drive. Featuring a full resort, you’re sure to get your fill of luxury staying at one of Caddyshack’s many film sets.
Pool scene in Caddyshack
Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club, Plantation
With the exclusive Bushwood Country Club hosting a Caddy day at their pool, the caddies do all they can to enjoy the time they have at this resort’s pool. The caddies enjoy this time to the fullest, even pushing the lifeguard tower into the pool for fun. With the audience simply observing from the sideline, they can see that even more chaos is about to take place as the older regulars come to visit the pool. When the older women come from the bushes, they are startled at all this madness, and one lady decides to shoo the caddies away from the pool by saying, “I want you out of that pool at once!”
One of the best scenes in Caddyshack, the pool scene full of confusion and laughter was filmed in Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club in Plantation, Florida. Although the pool has since been demolished, which is ironic considering the name of the golf course, you can still reach Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club today. You can drive along West Broward Boulevard and take a turn down Southwest 70th Avenue to reach Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club.
Danny drops his family off at church scene in Caddyshack
Davie, Florida
There were many deleted scenes in Caddyshack that were aired on television throughout the 1980s and one of these scenes included Danny dropping off his family at church. Here we see that as he drops off his family at church, his mother stays a bit longer behind and asks him why he doesn’t attend. She does, however, know about his plans and says, “You’re going to the yacht club party, yeah I know all about it, great for you.”
This scene was shot within Davie, much like the introduction of the film, and was supposed to be in between Lacey’s visit to Ty and the yacht club scene. To get to the filming location of one of Caddyshack’s deleted scenes, you can drive along Davie Road, or you could take the number 9 or 12 bus that also travels along Davie Road. You make a turn down Southwest 47th Court and you’re bound to see the famous Davie United Methodist Church that was used to film one of the scenes in Caddyshack.
Uncover Miami Filming Locations
Yacht Club scene in Caddyshack
Rusty Pelican Restaurant, Key Biscayne
With Danny winning the Caddy Day golf tournament, Judge Elihu Smails invites him to attend the christening ceremony for his boat at the Rolling Lakes Yacht Club which is located close to the golf course. Before the ship can sail, however, when Mrs. Smails says, “I christen thee, the Flying Wasp.” and attempts to break the bottle on the pulpit of the ship, it breaks off. When Mr. Czervik sees Mr. Smail’s sloop he tries to reach there but causes many problems for the smaller boats, and when he finally drops his anchor, it smashes through Mr. Smails’ ship causing it to sink.
This scene was all filmed along the Rusty Pelican Restaurant in Key Biscayne. This is one of the many funny scenes in Caddyshack and features a lot of the famous Floridian coastline. Getting to this location is simple and you can reach it by driving along the Rickenbacker Causeway. Not only is the restaurant present at this location, but there are also many other attractions at the Rickenbacker Marina that you can explore. As a bonus, you can also reach this location through public transport by taking the B bus that leaves Brickell Station.
Conclusion
Although Caddyshack is over 4 decades old, there are still relevant points to take from this timeless classic, including the fact that it takes a hit at the modern class war that still occurs today. It gives a glimpse into the lives of two classes of people on opposite sides of life and although it’s considered a comedy, many of the tropes it introduces including celebrating the underdog really make it an enjoyable film to watch and rewatch.