Everything Apple’s "Stick" Got Wrong (And Right) When It Comes To Gear

Apple TV’s Stick is a heartfelt show that brings a Ted Lasso feel-good vibe to the golf course, and like a lot of golfers, I was curious to tune into the initial episodes. I’ll admit that I got sucked in pretty quickly to the story and characters, especially with Marc Maron playing Owen Wilson’s caddie in the show.

For those who haven't had the chance to check out Stick yet, here's a quick summary of the show's premise.

Former tour player Pryce Cahill (Owen Wilson) has been out of pro golf for 20 years after a flameout incident on the course and now works at a local shop selling clubs and giving lessons to regular golfers. That is until he meets Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager), a once-promising young golf talent who has tons of potential but needs help unlocking it. Together, along with Santi's mom (Mariana Treviño) and Pryce's former caddie and friend Mitts (Marc Maron), they set off to play in a series of events to prep Santi to qualify for the U.S Amateur.

But, as a golfer and someone who has made it my career looking at and playing with golf equipment, there were a few things in the first three episodes that threw me for a loop.

But, before we get to everything I spotted in the show, I think it’s important to acknowledge that I fully understand the show is written for general entertainment. I’m sure many of the things I enjoy about Ted Lasso is painful to watch for hardcore footy fans. Ok, so with that out of the way, lets dive in.

Owen Wilson’s Irons

I know a big game improvement iron when I see it, and considering Owen Wilson’s character Price “Stick” Cahill is a former tour winner, and extremely celebrated golfer, it was very odd to see that he has TaylorMade R7 CGB Max irons in the bag. For some extra info, the R7 CGB Max irons were released in 2005 and featured a thin 455 steel face with tungsten plugs in the rear to boost forgiveness.

Beyond the irons being oversized game improvement clubs, I'll give full credit to the show for nailing the era correct golf bag and clothing when showcasing Pryce in his playing days including the R7 Season Opener (Masters) staff bag.

If I were to make an edit to the clubs, I likely would have gone with a set of RAC MB blades or TP forged CBs. In the mid-2000s the RAC CBs were in so many players bags, and even to this day the modern P7CB draws inspiration from its cavity features.

Also, one more little note when it comes to Pryce's clubs. In Stick, they are equipped with what appear to be some oversized Winn grips which for any pro would be a highly unlikely option.

Santi’s Club Care

First off, full credit to the show for making sure that Santi’s character gets his new clubs fit before playing any tournament golf (sorry, no spoilers for the reasons behind playing in tournaments). But, one BIG issue I had was that once he was fit for clubs (a nice bag full of PXGs), he took them home in the back of a car and unloaded them without any head covers!

Come on, who’s going to drop all that money on new clubs and then throw them willy-nilly in the back of a car?? This was likely a production choice made to showcase the clubs he was fit for, but as a club nerd, this is big no-no behavior.

Fun Finds

Ok, so after pointing out a few inaccuracies, it was also fun to spot some older clubs that made it into the show, especially a set of Ping i3 irons with their distinctive golf badge in the scene where Owen Wilson's character, Pryce, meets Peter Dager's character Santi for the first time.

Considering Ping i3's are now 25 years old (can't believe I'm saying that), they make for the perfect choice for a club a kid might find at a driving range and use to hit balls.

Fun fact. The Ping i3s was the first Ping iron to incorporate the Custom Tuning Port (the gold badge) in the back of the club to help reduce vibrations, something that has become a staple in Ping designs.

With the first season still ongoing, it will be fun to keep an eye on any more clubs that make their way into the show, and if you havent have a chance to tune in yet. Stick is available on Apple TV+ with new episodes releasing on Wednesdays.