Introduction
Netflix’s “Full Swing” is a documentary series spanning eight episodes that follows the lives of professional golfers and shows behind-the-scenes footage during a high stakes season on the PGA Tour. Netflix released the first season in February 2023. It gave golf fans insight into the world of the highest level of professional golf during the tumultuous 2022 PGA Tour season. At the same time, the tour came under threat from the emergence of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour.
Synopsis
Each episode focuses on a certain event or part of the season. They also feature interviews with different golfers who had big moments over the season. The story conveyed over the course of the eight episodes is not entirely linear. One episode will focus on events which take place earlier than in other episodes. However, the narrative is easy to follow and comes together with the last episode. Over the eight episodes, the show gives the viewer a detailed but easy to digest look at the PGA Tour.
Review
This series is everything a golf fan could want all wrapped up in a neat package. The series is very reminiscent of Netflix’s wildly popular Formula 1 “Drive to Survive” series. “Full Swing”, however, seems to do a better job of presenting the facts without too much dramatization. Of course, the show features lots of slow motion and emotional moments enhanced by music. Despite this, the show manages to feel genuine in the way it presents the events of the PGA Tour season.
The interviews are very informative for new fans of the sport and veterans alike and the choice of the golfers who Netflix interviewed was a smart move. They featured a number of already established fan-favourites like Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy as well as new rising stars like Sahith Theegala. This allowed a more in-depth and personal angle to the show which worked very much in its favour.
Something else the show does very well is make professional golf interesting. It’s not uncommon that golf is thought of as a boring sport. Netflix, however, manage to please already established golf fans and bring in new fans who previously may have avoided media related to golf. It will likely grow the fanbase of the sport. Netflix have experience in this with “Drive to Survive” making Formula 1 cool and opening the sport to a wider audience. They seem to have pulled the same rabbit out of the hat with “Full Swing”. Anyone can enjoy this documentary thanks to the nuanced way it presents its subject matter.
Perhaps the most impressive achievement of “Full Swing’ is how it presented the LIV Golf drama. Before watching it there was a sense that it could turn into a propaganda piece for the PGA Tour. Thankfully, the show is very fair with its depiction of the rival tour. Ian Poulter, a golfer who was interviewed who decided to jump ship to the LIV tour, was not depicted as a villain in the narrative. Instead, his decision was fully outlined and explained. Viewers could develop a sense of understanding for the golfers who jumped ship. The show informs the viewers about the drama without an overbearing sense of righteousness surrounding the PGA Tour. During a tense time of speculation and drama, the show gives the viewer a chance to develop their own opinions.
Summary
“Full Swing” is a magnificent sports documentary series. A show which manages to inform and entertain both established and new golf fans. Anyone, no matter their interest in golf, will enjoy this show and it’s a good opportunity to grow the game. It manages to outdo its sister show “Drive to Survive” whilst being aimed at a more niche audience which is a very big achievement for Netflix’s documentary team. With another season on the way, hopes and expectations for the continuing story of the world of professional golf will surely be high. Hopefully, the show will continue to provide fantastic insight and entertain audiences well into the future.
Overall rating – 9.5/10
Recommendation – Yes
