"Stick" is Apple TV's new golf dramedy starring Owen Wilson as a washed-up pro golfer who becomes obsessed with coaching a talented but troubled teenager. While Wilson brings his trademark charm and the show tackles meaningful themes about grief and second chances, it's held back by frustratingly unlikable characters, unrealistic sports sequences, and heavy-handed political messaging that overshadows the genuine heart of the story. It's a show with solid bones that could have been great, but stumbles due to poor character writing and misplaced priorities.
The Plot
"Stick" is about Pryce Cahill (Owen Wilson), a former professional golfer who now works selling golf clubs at a sports store. His life is pretty sad - his wife Amber-Linn left him, he's struggling with money, and we later find out he lost his young son Jett to cancer, which destroyed his golf career and marriage.
One day at the driving range, Pryce sees a 17 year-old kid named Santi Wheeler hitting golf balls with incredible accuracy. Santi can hit targets from amazing distances - like hitting yard signs and even a dumpster perfectly. Pryce gets excited because he thinks Santi could be the next big golf star.
Santi lives with his mom Elena, and they're not doing well financially. Santi used to be really good at golf when he was younger, winning 13 tournaments, but he quit when he turned 14. The reason? His dad Gary was really mean and harsh when coaching him, always yelling and putting too much pressure on him. Eventually, Gary just left the family completely.
Pryce convinces Elena to let him coach Santi and take him on a golf tour to different tournaments. But Elena demands $100,000 upfront before she'll agree! She also wants Pryce to pay for all their travel, food, and hotels. Pryce is desperate, so he sells his house to get the money and agrees to everything.
They start traveling in an RV with Pryce's best friend Mitts, who used to be his caddy. Mitts is grumpy and sad because his wife died, but he's loyal to Pryce. Elena comes along too with her little dogs to watch over Santi.
At their first tournament, Santi does well but gets upset when Pryce tries to coach him during the game. Santi thinks Pryce is being too harsh, just like his dad used to be. He storms off the golf course and meets a bartender named Zero at the country club.
Zero is probably around 19-21 years old and has strong opinions about everything. Zero talks about how capitalism is bad, how meat eating hurts the environment, and uses pronouns "she/they." Zero convinces Santi that Pryce is just using him to make money and that he shouldn't listen to adult men telling him what to do.
Even though Zero just met Santi, she has a huge influence on him. When Santi starts listening to Zero instead of Pryce, Pryce gets frustrated and offers to pay Zero $10,000 to come with them as Santi's caddy. (In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course). Zero agrees (even though she was just complaining about capitalism), and she joins their traveling group.
Throughout the season, there's a lot of drama. Santi keeps having tantrums and disrespecting Pryce, even though Pryce gave up everything to help him. Elena doesn't really control her son or make him behave better. Zero and Santi start a romantic relationship, which is weird because she's an adult and he's still a teenager.
The show has some good moments showing Pryce's grief over losing his son, and how Mitts is dealing with losing his wife. We also learn more about why Santi is so damaged from his father's abuse.
By the end of season 1, they're working toward a big professional tournament where Santi will compete against real PGA Tour players. The season ends with Santi having learned some lessons about trusting Pryce and the group becoming more like a family.
My Review
I really wanted to like "Stick" because I enjoy Owen Wilson movies and the idea of a golf show sounded fun. Unfortunately, this show has some big problems that made it frustrating to watch.
The Good Parts:
Owen Wilson is great as always. He brings his usual charm and makes Pryce a sympathetic character, even when the writing doesn't help him. You can feel how much Pryce misses his dead son and wants to find meaning in his life again by helping Santi.
Marc Maron is the best part of the show as Mitts. He's funny and grumpy but also shows real emotion when dealing with grief. His friendship with Pryce feels genuine and touching.
The show does a good job exploring themes about loss, second chances, and father-son relationships. When it focuses on Pryce's grief and his desire to mentor Santi, it can be quite moving.
Some of the golf scenes are exciting, especially when Santi makes incredible shots that seem almost impossible.
The Big Problems:
The biggest issue is that most of the main characters are really hard to like. Santi is supposed to be sympathetic because his dad was mean to him, but he acts like a spoiled brat constantly. He's ungrateful, disrespectful, and throws tantrums every episode. Yes, he's a teenager with trauma, but it becomes exhausting to watch him treat Pryce terribly when Pryce literally gave up his house to help him.
Elena, Santi's mom, is also frustrating. She demands $100,000 from Pryce (which is crazy!) and then expects him to pay for everything else too. She brings her dogs on the trip and lets them pee all over Pryce's RV without apologizing. She doesn't make her son behave better or show gratitude to the man who's changing their lives.
Zero is probably the most controversial character. She's written as a stereotypical "woke" young person who lectures everyone about capitalism and climate change. She is always preachy and annoying. The show seems to want us to think she's wise and helps Santi grow, but mostly she just causes problems between Santi and Pryce. Also, the romantic relationship between Zero (an adult) and Santi (17) feels inappropriate and weird.
One thing that really bothered me is how the money works in this show. In real life, young athletes pay coaches to train them - coaches don't pay the athletes' families! But Pryce gives Elena $100,000 just for the chance to coach her son. This makes no sense and feels like bad writing.
While the golf scenes can be exciting, they're often unrealistic. Santi hits shots that even Tiger Woods in his prime couldn't make. He can hit tiny targets from 200+ yards away consistently. This makes it hard to believe and takes away from the sports drama.
The show creates a lot of fake drama by making characters fight about things that could be easily solved with simple communication. Santi gets mad at Pryce for doing normal coaching things, Elena gets offended when people give her reasonable financial advice, and Zero causes problems just by being preachy.
I hate the Zero character to the core. She represents a type of young person who's very political and outspoken, which can be exhausting in real life and even more so on TV. The show tries to use her for both comedy and drama, but it doesn't really work.
The romantic relationship between Zero and Santi is concerning. She's at least 21 (she works as a bartender) and he's 17. If this was an older man with a teenage girl, people would be outraged. But because Zero is a woman, the show treats it as normal and sweet.
What Works Despite the Problems:
Even with all these issues, the show has heart when it focuses on Pryce and Mitts. Their friendship and shared grief make for the most genuine moments. The show is best when it's about two broken men trying to heal by helping a talented kid, rather than when it's trying to be edgy with political commentary.
Final Thoughts
"Stick" feels like it could have been a great show about golf, mentorship, and healing from loss. Owen Wilson and Marc Maron have great chemistry, and the basic story idea is solid. But the writers made too many characters unlikable and included too much political messaging that distracts from the main story.
If you can tolerate annoying characters and don't mind unrealistic golf scenes, you might enjoy the show for Owen Wilson and the emotional moments about grief and fatherhood. But if you're looking for a fun, light sports comedy, this probably isn't it.
The show got renewed for a second season, so maybe the writers will fix some of these problems and focus more on what works - the relationship between Pryce and Santi, and less on the political stuff that turns viewers away.
It has good moments and great actors, but the writing problems and unlikable characters keep it from being truly enjoyable.
Watch on Apple TV or Amazon Prime