Full Swing

I'm a keen golfer, I'm now retired so I play golf a lot, fortunately my wife also loves the sport and plays just as much as me.

I play it, watch it and try to improve constantly, much like many of the players highlighted in this documentary.

The difference is that I don't have millions in the bank, private jets and even though I try hard I'm still average at the game!

This is a fascinating look behind the scenes at the world of professional golf, I loved it.

Seeing some of the players that we see everyday on TV up close and personal and getting a look into their lives was eye opening.

I've now got much more respect for some of the players.

Some others less so, Tony Finau and Joel Dahman what lovely guys.

Really good insight into what goes on behind the scenes and what the players go through not only on the course but off it. Although I'm not against what LIV is trying to do to potentially enhance the sport of golf, this series just shows that the PGA tour will likely always be the pinnacle and where the best players want to compete against eachother. It goes to show that the very best players such as Rory/JT have stuck around because legacy is just as important as the wealth. However for those middle ground players such as Poulter/Westwood who're also at the tail end of their careers, you can see why LIV Golf was the right decision.

Full Swing is Netflix's first attempt at taking a cookie cutter approach to their incredibly successful Drive to Survive series and applying the formula to another sport. Unfortunately all the things that make Drive to Survive so successful for diehard F1 fans - insight into specific controversies, dynamic of teams and racers, and the governing bodies decision making - are completely absent from Full Swing.

True golf fans will have to wait until the very last episode before Full Swing attempts to wholly address the PGA's inside decision making on LIV and the future of the sport. Rather unfortunately, it's only told from Rory's perspective. Like a heavily guarded military, we get no actual insight from PGA officials, footage or audio of player and league meetings, nor official interviews from PGA organizers.

What Full Swing does is spend most of it's time loitering around the personal life stories of specific players. It's edited in a way that wants you to believe the Netflix crews were following these players before their breakout or reaffirming wins, but in reality, you can tell the interviews and personal life filming was just cleverly edited and mixed with stock Tour footage to trick you into the timeline of events.

If you want to know certain golfers better, this is a good show for that. If you're hoping it brings something new to the table that was unknown or unseen by the golf community, this show offers little in that regard.

It's really a gift to have such an inside look into these players lives. Who knew Tony Finau was such a family man? The emotion and heart of that man really touched me in a wonderful way.

Joel Dahmen is a Washington state player so we love him up here. His humility and talent go hand in hand as a welcoming gift to us all. I will be rooting for him even harder after this series.

Come for the rivalries but stay for the emotion and dedication of these players. It's a well shot and edited documentary.

I would've loved to see more LIV tour rivalry stuff. There's some juicy bits there that could be squeezed for the audience more.

Overall, I loved this season and I hope there's much more.

As a keen golfer, I was really looking forward to this behind the scenes documentary series. Do t get me wrong, I did enjoy the insight into what it's like to be a pga tour pro, particularly the varying abilities and expectations. What I didn't like was the heavily biased anti LIV golf message. All the LIV players are portrayed as greedy, unprincipled, and shallow, whilst those who reject the advances of LIV are saintly, loyal, morally superior, and caring for the community. I have no horse in this race personally but I do respect individuals right to choose, and think political and cultural differences are far too complicated to be solved on the golf course or sports field. I do hope there is another series that doesn't focus on the Political arguments and LIV rivalry so much, and more on the tour and the individuals involved. I would also welcome input from more globally well known golf journalists and commentators rather than the frankly boring comments from Sean Foley and Amanda Renner.