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Stop me if this logline rings a bell:
A talented but down-on-his-luck former golf pro hops into an RV with his former caddie on a journey of competitive golf glory and redemption.
I’m loosely describing the plot of 1996 romantic comedy Tin Cup, where Kevin Costner’s charming golf-bum Roy McAvoy chases deferred golf success and love en route to the U.S. Open.
But I’m also loosely describing the plot of Stick, AppleTV+’s new comedy series, where Owen Wilson’s Pryce Cahill, who tasted PGA Tour stardom before crashing out in embarrassing fashion, sets off on a road adventure, this time with the goal of shepherding young Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager) towards the summer’s U.S. Amateur Championship.
Likening Stick to a small-screen Tin Cup is not to say the new Apple TV+ comedy is simply a retread, unworthy of present-day viewers' time. It tells a fun, golf-accented road story of its own with charming, big-hearted turns from comedy veterans and some lesser-known up-and-comers. Across 10 episodes - a 45-minute pilot and nine half-hour follow-ups - it delves deeper than a feature-length film can, adding color and side-plots to the main arc: Owen Wilson's former touring-pro Pryce trying to shepherd young, temperamental and talented 17-year-old Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager) towards competitive-golf greatness.
As most good road stories do, Stick picks up some endearing strays along its route. Marc Maron plays former caddie Mitts, who remains by former employer Pryce's side as a hustling-buddy and RV chauffeur. Santi's mother Elena (Mariana Treviño) tags along as well to make sure her son isn't abandoned by another male role-model figure like his overbearing father. Lilli Kay's Zero, an avatar of all things Gen Z, throws more ripples into the mix when she/they arrive(s) in the story, helping catalyze other characters' journeys of self-reflection and growth.
Stick swings smoothest when its producers, writers and directors are clearly in the comfort zone of conventional TV storytelling. It is less a show about golf than a show that uses golf as a vehicle to explore well-established themes like self-discovery, generational clashes, teenage awkwardness and grief. The light touch and optimism with which it broaches heavier subjects is admirable, and helps propel the story forward even if at times the series has a few too many ideas, like a golfer with a head full of swing thoughts. Nevertheless, Wilson's reliably upbeat demeanor despite past personal woes sets a bright default tone that keeps Stick fun. Maron is as sardonic and gruff as ever as Mitts; his and Pryce's odd-couple schtick recalls that of Tin Cup's duo of Kevin Costner and Cheech Marin (the Marin/Maron name coincidence is fun to note).
This is all to say that Stick plays best away from the peculiarities of golf's settings and language. The scenes that take place on and around golf courses and tournaments are a mixed bag at best. The opening sequence of the show, with Pryce rhapsodizing about the game's capacity to challenge and frustrate leading to a genuinely funny punchline, is a charming table-setter that ultimately proves difficult to live up to.
On-course sequences take place in an uncanny valley. Santi has a refreshingly believable swing, but his outrageously baggy clothes strain credibility, even for someone of Santi's non-country-club-kid status. The way Pryce advises Santi about how to harness his talent seldom sounds like how an actual professional golfer would speak. Throughout the series, characters who are meant to be deeply into golf do not often sound like it. These inconsistencies will probably fly by non-golfers, but if Stick seeks street-cred among avid golfers, it might see mixed results. The mounting anachronisms sound like an actor trying to fake a non-native accent with too little preparation. Late-episode cameos from Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelmann, plus pros like Collin Morikawa and Max Homa, reward golf sickos for sticking around, and Timothy Olyphant's character, a fellow former pro of Pryce's who shows up in the second half of the season, is a fun scene-chewer.
Ultimately, though, Stick's birdies slightly offset its bogeys, in part because showrunner Jason Keller and his team manage to coax hearty performances out of their cast, highlighted by Wilson's aw-shucks optimism and Dager's youthful ebullience and vulnerability. And despite its uneven fidelity to golf, the story Stick tells is an enjoyable one.
Apple TV+
10 episodes; all screened for review
Premiere: June 4, 2025 (first 3 episodes; Wednesdays through July 23)
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