Will Ferrell's The Hawk Vs. Owen Wilson's Stick: Which Golf Comedy Scores A Birdie — and Which Belongs In The Bunker?

Will Ferrell is no stranger to the sports comedy. Throughout his career, he's portrayed a dim-witted NASCAR driver ("Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"), an ABA basketball player ("Semi-Pro"), and a banned figure skater looking to reclaim the spotlight ("Blades of Glory"). Now, the "SNL" vet is turning his head to another pro sport: golf. 

In Netflix's "The Hawk" (all 10 episodes are now available to stream), Ferrell plays Lonnie Hawkins, a pro golfer who hit No. 1 twenty-something years prior, and is struggling to recapture his glory days. Despite the fact that his son Lance (Jimmy Tatro, "Home Economics") is a rising star who becomes his competition, Lonnie just can't give up his dream of pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in golf history.

And "The Hawk" isn't the only golf comedy to hit screens of late. Last summer, Apple TV launched "Stick," starring Owen Wilson (whose brother Luke, oddly enough, stars in "The Hawk"), Judy Greer, and Marc Maron. Wilson's Pryce Cahill isn't looking to chase down fame like Lonnie; rather, this past-his-prime golfer pivots to coaching after finding a gifted teenage golfer who unceremoniously quit the game.

So which series scores under par and which one's a big ol' whiff? Let's break it down. 

As a millennial who grew up watching "SNL" in the years that Will Ferrell rose through its ranks, I'm always ready to dive head-first into any of his new projects. (My "Old School" viewings alone have probably hit triple digits by now, and my love for "Eurovision Song Contest" grows exponentially every time I hear "Jaja Ding Dong.") So know that I take absolutely no joy in saying that "The Hawk" is one huge swing and a miss for the comedy vet. And no joy is exactly what I found after watching all 10 episodes of the series' freshman run.

The story — which was created by Ferrell, his friend Harper Steele ("Will & Harper"), and his longtime collaborator Chris Henchy, felt like it had potential, but that potential is buried by flat jokes, a weak and dated premise, and a lead character who's mostly an unfunny simpleton. As a central character, Lonnie feels like an amalgamation of other Ferrell characters we've seen in the past. He's oblivious to others' perceptions of him. He's selfish, which is played for laughs, but rarely garners any. And like many of the comedian's best and worst characters throughout this career, Lonnie is absolutely shameless, a comedy well that's been drained dry throughout Ferrell's years in the spotlight. While we're told that Lonnie's love of the game is what propels him, that notion is rarely felt. Rather, he yearns for success. To win, to reclaim his reputation, to stick it to his cartoonish rival Golden Fisk (Luke Wilson), and at times, his son Lance. But Lonnie often feels cartoonish himself, and with no real heart behind him or his motivations, the series' central storyline carries no stakes. 

Some of the supporting cast work overtime with the mundane material they're given. Molly Shannon, who stars as Lonnie's estranged wife Stacy, fires on all cylinders. Her hatred for her husband fuels big explosions and turmoil, which often plays into Shannon's many strengths. She's a total scene-stealer who deserves better. 

The cast also includes Fortune Feimster (as Lonnie's caddy Sam), Chris Parnell, and David Hornsby, but the stable of funny(-ish) people never quite gels. In this golf world that leans toward absurdism, "The Hawk" never fully commits to the bit, à la David Wain's "Wet Hot American Summer" series or Tim Robinson's "The Chair Company." 

Had the story been truncated or perhaps been presented as a movie, maybe some of the stronger bits could've risen to the top. Instead, the hollow "Hawk" attempts to soar as high and far as some of Lonnie's best drives, but with bloated episodes and a lack of momentum, it ultimately winds up in the bunker.

Owen Wilson's "Stick" (which is available on Apple TV and renewed for Season 2) is a different beast, leaning toward dramedy without relying on schtick. Like Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson leans on his usual beats, for better and for worse. His character Pryce is a charming sweet talker who's scrappy and determined once he sets his mind to something. Unfortunately for him, we meet him as he's circling rock bottom. He's a washed-up pro golfer who at the start of the series is making his bucks as a golf club salesman. His personal life is almost non-existent, as he spends his time hustling in bars to make quick cash.

That is until he meets Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager), a teen prodigy in the sport who Pryce believes he can coach into the big leagues. But first, he must convince the boy's mother, Elena (Mariana Treviño), to hop into an RV along with Mitts (Marc Maron), his no-nonsense friend and former caddy who steps in to drive this motley crew from tournament to tournament. Maron sells his character's curmudgeonly lack of patience and abrasiveness well (as he did in "GLOW"), and throughout the group's time on the road, Mitts' softening is both earned and well-developed.

And then there's the always sturdy Judy Greer who plays Pryce's ex-wife Amber-Linn. The dynamic between the former marrieds adds an emotional through line, and serves as yet another aspect of life Pryce has failed at. A traumatic event from their past unravels midway through giving the series a leg to stand on and motivating Pryce to strive for more, through his relationships with Amber-Linn and his mentee Santi, who struggles with familial issues of his own. 

We'd be remiss not to mention Lilli Kay, who is notably great as Zero, a Gen-Z genderfluid bartender who joins Team Santi and constantly challenges Mitts' views of, well, everything.

While the two golf series do aim for different comedic cups, "Stick" wears its heart on its sleeve, delivering feel-good moments without sacrificing laughs. It's not perfect. It relies far too much on Wilson being his usually Wilson-y self, plus a slow start does it no favors. However, the series takes some admirable swings that mostly hit, leaving room for "Stick" to go deeper and farther down the green come Season 2. 

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: The Will Ferrell-led comedy "The Hawk" is more of a turkey that overstays its welcome and never lands, while "Stick" finds success focusing on the long game.