


Golf is a middle-aged white man’s sport and “Stick” is a series tailor made for the TaylorMade set — and Owen Wilson.
It’s a sentimental, easygoing comedy about “a good walk spoiled,” a show that grabs the gimmes and leans into Wilson’s laid back charm.
He plays the title character, a one-time pro star who had a “Tin Cup” meltdown sixteen years before, now reduced to selling clubs and hustling barflies in BFE, Indiana.
Stick’s broke, dodging the ex-wife’s efforts to sell the house he’s cluttered up, still driving a Bondo’d Corvette from back when he was big, still pulling hustles with his smart-mouthed old caddy who’s not shy about cracking jokes about how he “triple bogeyed your whole life.”
And then Stick, in mid little-old-lady golf lesson, hears a swing and a ball strike. And he knows he’s found the next big thing before he turns around and spies the mop-topped teen who hit that ball.
“Stick” is about an aimless “burned-out never was” seeing his last chance to get noticed and get paid for golf via a hot-shot teen he takes on a summer warm-up tour, via RV, in prep for the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship at summer’s end.
Jason Keller, the series’ creator, scripted the crackling “Ford v. Ferrari.” He plays to his leading man’s strengths — Wilson’s gee-whiz, open-mouthed harmlessness, the crooked smile hiding “a deep sadness within.” And he fills this show with familiar characters, low-hanging fruit gags, set-ups and situations.
Those are dramedy versions of golfing’s “gimmes,” too easy to miss.
The kid, Santi (Peter Dager) “plays like a 17 year old,” retired caddy Mitts (Marc Maron, of course) grumbles, “go-for-broke, all risk, no reward.” Santi’s also moody, with golf “issues” dating back to childhood.
Cue the “Gen Z” jokes.
He’s Latino, and his mom (Mariana Treviño) drives a hard bargain and rolls the dice on her kid. So naturally she quits work to come on the trip with them.
Judy Greer brings her impish wit to the course as Stick’s moved-on ex-wife.
Lilli Kay is the disgruntled, Marxist-in-training bartender who connects with the kid just a year or two younger than her.
And Timothy Olyphant is the tour veteran/TV pitch man looming over this quest before making a late in the run appearance, a villain whom Stick has ugly history with.
Yes, Stick’s remembered on youtube thanks to “the worst day of my life.” Yes, he has secret pain. Yes, there’s parenting that comes with this resists coaching teen phenom.
Classic rock score? ZZ Top, The Who, The Knack, Thin Lizzy, Marc Bolan? Check.
Obvious needle drops are soundtrack gimmes. As I said, this series is aimed at middle aged white guys, and Keller ticks off as many boxes as he can think of that pander to that demo.
The golf is mostly unrealistic — holing out or water hazarding, falling down the leader board, racing back up it.
But Wilson and Maron click, the leading and supporting ladies get their backs up (barely) and the show saunters through its paces and its episodes like a par three course they’re laughing through, sipping beers from the cooler in the back of the cart between swings.
It’s not really “a good walk spoiled,” as a legend of the game once put it. Not when you’re riding instead of walking. It’s still a game worth a few laughs.
Rating: TV-14
Cast: Owen Wilson, Peter Dager, Marc Maron, Mariana Treviño, Lilli Kay, Judy Greer and Timothy Olyphant
Credits: Created by Jason Keller. An Apple TV+ release.
Running time: Ten episodes @:30-46 minutes each

