Bill Murray and golf go hand in hand.
Whether he’s playing the game seriously or just to have a hoot, there’s no mistaking Murray on the course. He has dressed in some of the craziest outfits if for no other reason than to have fun and make people laugh.
After all, that’s what comic actors do, and although he is known for his career on Saturday Night Live and the many characters he portrayed, anyone who follows the game of golf knows Bill Murray for the role of the irreverent groundskeeper Carl Speckler in the movie Caddyshack. He was terrifically funny trying various ways to kill gophers, along with the one scene in which he is dressed in rain boots and a rain cap taking some shots on the practice range, pretending to be the Cinderella story groundskeeper trying to win the Masters.
Murray and his five brothers spent their summers working as caddies at the local private country club near their home in Wilmette, Illinois. One of Bill’s brothers, Brian Doyle, wrote Caddyshack based on the siblings’ experiences. Some of the brothers also acted in the movie.
In 2001, the six brothers opened Murray Bros. Caddyshack restaurant at World Golf Village, home of the World Golf Hall of Fame, in St. Augustine, Florida. Along with the restaurant, the brothers created the Murray Bros. Caddyshack Charity Golf Tournament with the mission to partner with various charities to raise monies that provide medical services, educational programs, lifesaving equipment, and fundraising opportunities to better the lives in communities across the country.
The tournament has raised more than $4 million and it’s billed as a two-day event combining great parties, fabulous golf, one of a kind concerts and plain fun just as the Murrays intended for it to be.
The catch line is eat, drink and be Murray.
And now the Murrays have launched a line of golf apparel called William Murray Golf, which will be revealed in its entirety on October 20. On www.WilliamMurrayGolf.com, the website describes the line of clothing “where golf meets irreverence and fun inspires style…straight from the mind of the world’s most irreverent golfer.” The logo is a golfer tossing a club, something Bill Murray has done at different times to inject some humor into the game.
The clothing apparel has already become a fashion hit. The launch of a limited number of polo-style shirts called This Is The Year, dedicated to the Chicago Cubs, sold out immediately, along with a hat. Could this be the Cubbies’ year to finally break their bad-luck trying to win the World Series? Well, enthusiasm is strong, as evidenced by the desire by Cubs’ fans to snap up the shirts and hats William Murray Golf offered up.
It will be interesting to see what the rest of the clothing line looks like. The Cubs’ apparel is classy and elegant with neat lines and trim. But you wouldn’t expect the full lineup to be the same. If it’s anything similar to some of the zany hats and pants that Murray has fashioned in tournaments, it will truly turn the game on its ear – kind of what Caddyshack did back in 1980.
Time has flown by since the launching of that irreverent film that has become a cult classic.
This post was originally published by Knetgolf on October 18, 2016. Knetgolf was acquired by LostGolfBalls.
