Maurice (Mark Rylance) works in the dockyard as a crane driver and marries Jean (Sally Hawkins) a secretary in the works office. She has a son (Jake Davies) and together they have twins (Christian & Jonah Lees). At age 46 the olderboy has been to college and got a management job at the office and warns his dad of impending redundancies. Maurice decides to take up golf with the ambition of playing in the Open.

Comedic fun ensues as he encounters the snobbery of the golf club establishment but gets his application to enter the Open accepted and plays a 112 round in the qualifiers.He becomes a people's hero (of sorts) and continues to enter the open under assumed names in disuise (having been barred). The twins support him (they have a short lived career following their dreams of winning the disco dancing world championships) but the elder brother is caught between the management view that is is disgracing the shipyard's name and familial loyalty.

All gets resolved when Mausice and familiy are invited to the states where a club has been holding a Maurice Flitcroft competition event for 10 years.