Full Swing

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.