As you might guess, Jason Keller, creator of the Apple Original series Stick, loves golf. Here are the spots he thinks are worth a visit if you’re a fellow fan—or just love an ice-cold Arnold Palmer.
Less“Pitt Meadows was used as the location for the last two episodes of Season 1. This is where the Ready Safe Invitational takes place and Santi dazzles the golf world. Our production took over and filmed for two weeks, which meant many of us had a ‘private’ 18-hole golf course to play on when we weren’t shooting. The biggest problem with this was that I often had to go find Owen Wilson, who would grab a golf cart and sneak away to work on his game between takes. He was like a kid in a candy store!
“Crooked Stick is considered one of the top 100 courses in the United States. Although I never actually played this course, it holds fond memories for me. I grew up in Indianapolis, and my best friend in high school, Steve, lived across the street from the seventh hole. We would often steal beers from his dad and drink in the middle of the seventh fairway on long Indiana summer nights. I’m sure the empty Budweiser cans we left were a nightmare for the greenskeepers the next morning.”
“Nathan Leonhardt was our pro-golf consultant during the filming of Season 1 of Stick. He was so helpful to us and is such a great guy. During production, all of us would sneak lessons with him when the camera wasn’t rolling, and his style of coaching is the best. He runs the Tour Development Academy, a modern, high-tech facility that has everything you need to strengthen your game–and if you can get an hour of one-on-one instruction with him, do it! He’s a master.”
“This tip is coming straight from Mitts, who would tell you: ‘You can’t have a conversation about golf beverages without starting with an Arnold Palmer.’ He would also tell you this all-time classic drink is best enjoyed at The King’s very own Bay Hill Club & Lodge, where the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational is played every year.”
“The best public course in Los Angeles. It’s about an hour north of LA proper, tucked beneath deep canyon hills. It is beautiful and probably the most challenging public track in LA. I played this course once a long time ago—and it ate me alive. You better bring your A game because the free-form green complexes are not for the faint of heart.”
“This is where we first see Pryce and Mitts pull off their ‘shot-glass shootout’ hustle in the pilot. It’s a great restaurant. I went back many times over our four months of production to get a steak and martini. Check it out if you’re ever in Vancouver.”
“If, like Pryce and Santi, you find yourself caught in a frigid Indiana winter and are itching to swing the club, The Hangar is your best bet. With multiple high-tech bays featuring Trackman setups and massive 4K HD screens, you can play over 300 different courses in the middle of a blizzard. They have organized tournament nights and plenty of room for the whole family.”
“There’s not a more unique place to hit a golf ball than at Aroma Spa & Sports in the heart of Koreatown. This four-level, semi-indoor range has automated tees and some of the best views in the city. And it’s probably the only place you can get a mango seaweed body scrub after shagging 150 balls. It’s the best driving range in LA.”
“I’ve never been here, but it’s on my bucket list. This place is just down the road from the game’s most iconic cathedral, St. Andrews Links: The Home of Golf. This pub is set inside an 1850s stationmaster’s lodge, with roaring fireplaces and home-brewed Jigger Ale. This sounds like a golfer’s paradise to me.”
“My father lived on Kiawah Island for many years. Not only is the River Course considered one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world, but it also holds a memory I will always cherish. Sometime in the mid ’90s, I spent a day on this course with my dad and my aunt Anne and uncle Mark—both avid golfers at the time. My aunt and uncle are no longer alive, but that course reminds me of that day and the two of them.”