Owen Wilson’sStickSwings Hard but Misses the Green on Golf Authenticity
You know, I really wanted to love Stick , Owen Wilson’s new Apple TV+ series. It has all the makings of a great sports comedy—Wilson in his comfort zone as a washed-up ex-pro golfer, a promising young talent played by Peter Dager, and a quirky supporting cast. At first glance, it’s positioned to be Ted Lasso for golf lovers. But the more I watched, the more it felt like the show doesn’t quite understand—or maybe just doesn’t care enough about—the sport it’s supposedly centered around.
There’s one scene in particular that just didn’t sit right with me. In episode seven, the young protégé Santi tells Wilson’s character Pryce that he doesn’t want to play amateur tournaments anymore. Instead, he says, “I’m talking about the show,” referring to the PGA Tour. And I just thought… wait, what? No one in golf calls the PGA Tour “the show.” That nickname belongs to Major League Baseball. It’s even the name of MLB’s best-selling video game. In golf, that phrase simply doesn’t exist, and if you know anything about the sport, hearing it is like nails on a chalkboard.
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That kind of detail may seem minor, but it represents a larger issue. The series tries to dramatize golf while repeatedly botching basic terminology, references, and cultural nuances. Santi hits near-impossible shots like bouncing a 250-yard drive off a sign, a feat even Tiger Woods would struggle to replicate. One episode mispronounces Muirfield. Another describes chip shots as being “made” instead of “hit.” And we’re shown amateur tournaments where fans yell “Mashed potatoes!”—a thing that might happen at a rowdy PGA event, but never at a local amateur round.
What’s frustrating is that the show gets a lot right emotionally. The relationship between Pryce and Santi feels genuine. There’s heart in the way they heal from personal traumas and broken family dynamics. Even the inclusion of characters like Zero, Santi’s gender-fluid caddie, adds a modern and inclusive layer rarely seen in golf media. These elements are refreshing and give the series soul.
But despite the emotional resonance and some creative swings, Stick doesn’t do the work to make its sports setting believable. In contrast, Ted Lasso —which is also far from realistic—still manages to nail the culture, tone, and feel of English football. The show may be about human connection and personal growth, but it doesn’t neglect the world it’s set in. Stick , unfortunately, does.
If you're not a golf fan, you might not notice any of this. You might enjoy the drama, the humor, and the oddball con they pull off to get Santi into a PGA Tour event. But for those of us who know and love the game, Stick feels like a missed putt from two feet out. It had the chance to be something truly special—a love letter to golf with all its quirks, intensity, and beauty. Instead, it’s a well-meaning show that fumbles the fundamentals, leaving die-hard fans wondering: Why make it about golf at all if you’re not going to get golf right?
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