Golfers Are Excited to Watch Full Swing on Netflix

By: Derek Clements | Mon 13 Feb 2023

Golfshake's Derek Clements looks ahead to the release of Full Swing on Netflix

I AM excited. Very excited. Why am I excited? It’s all about Full Swing, the new Netflix series looking at life on the PGA Tour.

It is made by the same production team who gave us F1: Drive to Survive and if it manages to do for golf what they did for Formula One then it will be deemed to have been a success. I have to tell you that I was a disengaged fan of F1 but I loved every second of Drive to Survive.

And I am confident that Full Swing will introduce a whole new audience to golf - and provide some unique insights for those of us who already love the game.

I was concerned that it might turn out to be an anodyne production but I am here to tell you that some of our sport’s leading lights are going to enthral you. And that when you start viewing you will probably want to binge-watch the entire series in one go.

Are you planning to watch Full Swing, Netflix's PGA Tour documentary series, when it is released next week?
— golfshake (@golfshake) February 8, 2023

You will know that during filming, LIV Golf arrived on the scene and caused a massive rupture to the sport’s status quo - and nobody could possibly have foreseen that.

If you are expecting lots of insight into LIV’s launch then you might well be disappointed - there are no exclusive interviews with the likes of Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson, who have emerged as two of the most divisive figures in the game.

Those behind LIV Golf tell us that their motivation is a desire to grow the game worldwide. But Ian Poulter and Dustin Johnson both happily admit that they defected because of the money they had been offered.

Johnson says: "For me it was playing less, making more money. Pretty simple. Someone offers anyone a job, doing the same thing they're already doing but less time at the office and they're gonna pay them more. Pretty sure you're gonna take it. And something's wrong with you if you didn't.”

And Poulter also opens up about how devastated he would be if he is not offered the Ryder Cup captaincy.

Before filming began, Rory McIlroy had indicated that he did not want to take part because he wanted to focus on his game.

But when the LIV debate began the producers decided they want to hear McIlroy’s voice and went back to him.

And eventually he agreed to allow the cameras to follow him for a month - and that time coincided with him finishing third at the 150th Open Championship, losing the Claret Jug to Cameron Smith, who won few friends during his press conference by refusing to rule out a move to LIV Golf. We later discovered why - the Australian had already struck a deal.

McIlroy tells us that the first person to text him after a win is Tiger Woods.

One of the stars of the series is Tony Finau. This is how he described the film-makers and his experience:

“They were everywhere,” he said. “On off-weeks they were home with me. I felt like they did a lot of filming. I knew when I said yes that that was a possibility. I told my wife. She was all-in; she didn’t mind it.

“It got to a point where it felt like they were just a fly on the wall,” he added. “We got to know the crew because it was the same people. They visited Utah, we had a great old time. They ended up being people I’d call friends now. I’ve got a great relationship with some of them.”

And the players themselves will be watching. Matt Fitzpatrick said: “I definitely will watch it. I’ll admit it: I’m nosy about other golfers. I want to know what’s going on in their houses.”

This is going to be compulsive viewing.

Full Swing is available on Netflix from February 15.