Full Swing: una stagione di golf

Like series 1 and 2 but sadly series 3 is a real bore and dissapointment. It jumos around too much back and fourth in time due to there being very little unfolding story lines. The characters are boring this season and all around relies way to much on fast cutting and bland master interviews that don't forward any sort of narractive. Feels like Full Swing has done it's day and should be retired.

Like series 1 and 2 but sadly series 3 is a real bore and dissapointment. It jumos around too much back and fourth in time due to there being very little unfolding story lines. The characters are boring this season and all around relies way to much on fast cutting and bland master interviews that don't forward any sort of narractive. Feels like Full Swing has done it's day and should be retired.

(Reviewed after Season 3).

A behind-the-scenes look at the world of professional golf. From superstars like Rory McIlroy to journeymen like Joel Dahmen and many in between we get to experience the highs and lows of the sport and what goes into being a professional golfer.

A great, though not consistently so, look at the world of professional golf. We don't just see the lives of the superstars but also the everyday, just-getting-by golfers and players of various levels in between. For me it was the struggles of the less-good golfers that were most interesting though I did also like to see what made the megastars so good and how they approach the game.

It's not consistently engaging though: some episodes focus too much on the golfers' families and tend to feel quite padded. The best episodes focus on the golf.

This mix between golf and the golfer's private lives is the main determinant of the quality of the seasons. Season 1 starts more family-focused but ends very strongly. Season 2 continues where S1 left off. Season 3, while covering the main golfing events of 2024 and still being quite interesting, does feel a bit padded towards the end.

Season ratings: S1 8/10, S2 8, S3 7.5.

Netflix has done a great job with their sports documentaries, and their golf series is no exception. 2022 was an excellent year to start following golf, and the episodes are packed with emotion and suspense. Golf is a sport that translates incredibly well to television, and the stakes are high - one poor shot can be catastrophic and ruin any chance of winning. In contrast, a tennis match is often long and grueling, and a single mistake may not determine the outcome. Like Formula One, the intensity of golf lies in the knowledge that one misstep can knock a player out of the running for the win.

Like Drive to Survive and Break Point, there is a lot of information we already know (rules, etc) but it's explained quickly. These shows are aimed at general sports fans, and in that aspect, they're great. Even if you're already familiar with golf and its players, it's still fascinating to gain an intimate look into the athletes' thoughts and emotions - and perhaps even more so for more casual fans who may not have seen this side of the sport before.

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.

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.