Netflix - Full Swing

Watched the series in full over the weekend. Whether it was the subject matter (golf) or the personalities that were focused on, I found it a bit dull. The F1 series got better as the seasons went on, and I don’t have much of an interest in the F1 sport, so I’m hoping that future series will improve.

I found the episode about Keopke good, I know he is seen as an automaton by many, but I like him and thought he was a fantastic golfer when he was winning majors. I also liked his feud with deChambeau and Reed who I dislike. His struggles mentally and with his game were interesting and I thought he was very down to earth. DJ at least was honest and forthright “which one of us wouldn’t want to work less and get paid more” is a fair point if you ignore the SA stuff. Poulter is a tosser, I’m friendly with a former European tour player and have heard enough stories that no matter how he comes across in this series, he really isn’t a nice guy. Finau is just hero in every sense and Joel Dahmen is fantastic, if uninteresting. I think Mito Perreira is a loss to the PGA Tour, he seemed to be a fine player who had a great rookie season and like many of us, lost passion for the game only to take it up again after a few years and commit to making a go of it.

Overall, not a bad series but was probably a couple of episodes too long. It’s a pity they didn’t simultaneously follow the LIV players during their season to see how they faired at the same time as the PGA players. Maybe that will come in the next series.

BraveDonut

I've never like Koepka as he always tried to give a vibe that he never wanted to be a golfer and would have preferred to be a baseball player. I thought he came across very badly and confirmed to me that he is really not a nice person.

benny79

Have to say Im loving it

spacecoyote

Watched Fitzpatrick episode today and thought it was a good watch.

Not that it was exceptionally exciting or anything like that. But it was good to see a fairly humble guy working his balls off to make it and build his game to be competitive at that level.

Had genuine happiness and emotional in it too which felt a bit lacking in some of the other episodes

Salvadoor

Watched the 1st episode. Speith and JT are dull individuals

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120269724#Comment_120269724

Yes - most of the "characters" - don't have the personality to pull this off. Maybe there will be another series . But many guys you would like to see on it probably can't now ? (is this in conjunction with PGA)

Likes of Bryson - Phil - Reed would be gold.

You'd hope Lowry gets on it.

Likes of Fitzpatrick was all rather boring - like, could they not at least gone to a soccer match with him - drag a bit of personality out.

We probably have to accept that - Golfers are a bit dull.

NIMAN

Watched the 2nd episode last night, mostly about Brooks Koepka.

Found him a bit of a moaner. It really was a 'poor me' show.

These guys really have some lifestyle, from what we have seen in the opening 2 episodes. All private jets and unbelievable homes.

Salvadoor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120271926#Comment_120271926

And Jenna swanning around in her bikini 😍

benny79

I really dont know what lads were expecting! It wasn't going to be anything like drive to survive! Thats fast cars, hot chicks & parties more of a macho sport! This is golf lots of travel, hard to make it, loads of selfishness, with some hot chicks and loads of money! I am actually loving the series.. But I am into Golf.. which I kinda think you would have to be to enjoy it.

blue note

I finished it yesterday. It was fine for me as a golfer. For non golfers, I'd say it would reinforce the perception that golf and golfers are boring. It's hard not to compare it to drive to survive and it suffers from the comparison. But what a lot of people were hoping for (I certainly was anyway) was seeing a few guys struggling to hang onto their cards. Now the new guys on tour who mightn't have high rankings like perriera or theegala - they look like serious players who are just new. I wanted to see the guys who have been years on tour and scrape by to make their card every year.

I thought the brooks episode was perhaps the best of them. Oddly, because he was struggling so much he was probably the closest storyline to the guy fighting to keep his card. The rest of them were all doing very well. I watched a couple of episodes of the tennis one and the most interesting story was the girl who was outside of the top 32 in the world. So in a tournament with 64 people in it, she's probably not going to win a match. That's a tough existence, traveling the world and generally not winning a match each week.

Maybe what I'm looking for says a lot about me. I probably need to stop enjoying watching people's misery.

spacecoyote

Yeah, really is impossible to replicate. You've a sport like F1 where there are the same 20 guys racing each week versus golf which has a field of around 150 per week with no really definifable through-line.

They could have leaned more heavily into LIV thing I guess, to more effectively create some feel of competition or controversy.

benny79

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120274694#Comment_120274694

Yeah but LIV only came into effect last year where as Netflix was already in production scripts, plots etc done well in advance. They did touch on it a bit to be fair probably more on it next year or maybe not if only PGA based. Dont recall much about the DP tour either.

glen123

I am not a golfer and I don't watch golf that often, but because I like sports in general, I found it very interesting to get the insight into what golfers' lives look like especially those that don't win that often. Nearly liked it as much as Drive to survive and I am a massive F1 fan. It was certainly more enjoyable than the one they did about tennis.

They should do more of these shows about other sports since they have a good crew that hits it the nail. For example Moto GP one on Amazon Prime I turned off after episode 2 - it was just boring and slow.

benny79

Interesting glen123 to hear a non golfers taughts on it fair play.

coillcam

What's the DP tour again, I think I heard of it before 😂? It's clearly very USA-centric so if it's not PGA/LIV then it doesn't exist. Koepka was a grinding journeyman on the challenge, and then European tour for his first couple of years. It's not really mentioned much on the episode iirc. Fitz was essentially portrayed as unproven despite his talent, ranking and wins in Europe. Still has more majors than his older countrymen who jumped to LIV.

The LIV stuff was about as far as they would push it and I'd say it's unlikely you'll see access to the LIV lads in future. You'd have subpoenas from all angles for Netflix. The challenge for season two will be how to make it more interesting for the existing players and how they can integrate any new faces. I doubt anyone wants to see poor ould Poulter or the same spiel from the rest. The background of a Ryder Cup and progress from rookies/Dahmen or Rahm/Rory/Scheffler domination might be the only stories. There's no real head-to-head rivalry like Verstappen-Hamilton for example. It's a very different sport.

FixdePitchmark

Don't get me wrong ...I.liked it (if i left my golf brain off)...but a seriously missed opertunity. And completely superficial lacking any depth.

Like ..the JT and Spieth episode was absolutely ridiculous.

Got no insight into what motivates them , flying around on a private jet ..pulling cards .

Like ..how about Jordan speaking about how he wants to get back to top, what went wrong with his game .

The fake best man speech phone call - summed up how daft the whole thing was..

Anyway...it highlighted that there were some great ideas in it , but ultimately it failed to deliver.

6/10...

Deep Thought

Watched 1st 3 episodes

Koepka...said he couldn't keep up with new players,,so had a choice to make, he decided not to fix his problems but move to LIV

Poulter said he would be pissed about missing possible Ryder cup capticancy etc.., but then moved to LIV, so really didn't care

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120276022#Comment_120276022

Yes - but as mad as this seems , I don't think some of them seen the Ryder Cup thing coming.

tayto lover

I enjoyed it although some of them came across as childish or a bit thick. I enjoyed watching the flow of emotion by players and families and what winning/losing meant to them.

Dr Turk Turkelton

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120274043#Comment_120274043

Personally I thought she came across as a gold digging skank.

Also I reckon Brooks will be the first big name to defect from Liv.

FastFullBack

As a golf fan I enjoyed it, although it definitely lacked the drama and rivalry of Drive to Survive, so I doubt this will bring a big new following to golf like the F1 one did.

Of all the deflectors to LIV, Brooks is the oddest one. His whole episode is about how desperate he is to get back winning again and to win majors again. And then he just ups and jumps to LIV effectively giving up his chances of winning on the PGA tour in future

gypsy79

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120276655#Comment_120276655

Hardly a massive prediction considering I have heard on numerous podcasts that he is considering it

blue note

On the one hand it would seriously weaken Liv to see guys defecting. But on the other if there's a way back to the PGA then it would take away a lot of the fear of joining Liv.

benny79

I cant see how he could deflect? I'm sure he had to sign a contract. So be fcuked if he broke it I'd imagine.

Deep Thought

I thought I heard that they signed something like a 2 year contract.

if some do defect back, then other than tournaments where they have exemptions, they should be made to go back to Q school.

big_drive

I've just started watching it. Not unreal but I'm enjoying it

I'm as far as the Fitzpatrick episode. Enjoyed that one, his family are so ordinary and humble. It's nice to see someone like that winning a major

Find some of the American lads hard to warm to.

The level of wealth is unbelievable, the houses are on another level

slave1

Watched the final episode, bit disappointed with some of Rory's verbal comments, just no need for it

slave1

Unlike the PGA and LIV we have more freedom to fix things so two competing Threads merged into one folks

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120288229#Comment_120288229

What in particular...

slave1

Well if he has grief with Reed or Mickleson then he should talk to them and not bad mouth across TV, he says LIV is bad for the game but so is bad mouthing golfers on TV clickbait

I think there is a level of two faceness here, he's got beef with these guys for deserting the PGA tour but he did the same to the European tour and only comes back to play the big money events as a general observation

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120294400#Comment_120294400

The beef with Reed or Mickelson is really just a side show. Deep down, the fight in Rory is more about protecting his own legacy, rather than being about any great loyalty to a tour imo. A new tour puts an asterisk on any future regular wins or Majors for him.

That might read like a bad thing but it's not imo. It should be all about Rory, for Rory.

FixdePitchmark

I admire Rory speaking out -but I'll be honest , Rory is not the most consistent person out there. And whilst he is a nice lad and his heart is in the right place. I personally wouldn't see him as a great intellect or leader.

benny79

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120295418#Comment_120295418

Awh, Fix how can you say hes not the most consistent? He definitely was last season! I actually liked his episode. I actually enjoyed most of them to be fair.

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296696#Comment_120296696

He has shown the most consistency on this issue...but it is kinda out of character for him.

Look over the last 10 years ..he completely changed view on

Olympics

National declaration

Views on Links golf and the Open

Views on the Ryder cup

He completely flips on relationships with anyone who challenges him on anything.

Again ..he doesn't come into this a a man of great consistency ..yes it is OK to change opinion....but Rory is all over the shop to be honest. He blows with the wind..

At one point in the summer he was going towards a compromise...but completely flipped on that too....can pull it up if needed.

One of his main sponsor are middle Eastern based and he was a big part of the European drive to Middle East.

I admire what he is trying to do.....but ...he is a bit childish and inconsistent at times.

benny79

I was talking about his golf! not his views ..lol..😂

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120298178#Comment_120298178

Was thinking possibly wires were crossed.

I was speaking in.the context of him being the current leader and voice ....

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297810#Comment_120297810

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG0nFfJggJE

is this the ryder cup thing? Like he explains it pretty well right there, is he being told to say this? I doubt it, are both views valid, i think so

it is a cringe corporate hype job a lot of the time but sometimes sport transcends that and it becomes great

imagine how many times the average person would contradict themselves if they had to do 1000s of interviews over 20 years

thats why most just stick to the prescribed line and say basically nothing, Rory is different in that regard

The first speith episode was a perfect example of them, bore fest

dan_ep82

Enjoyed them all, even the koepka and poulter ones although they just reinforced my views on them.

slave1

I enjoyed it all, any insight welcomed, thought to South Americans episode was the best

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120298588#Comment_120298588

No - I would agree and often defended Rory when all these events were going on - basically he was in his 20s - was being asked opinions on stuff way beyond his years.

He is older now - a bit more mature. But - it will take time for me to be convinced that Rory - is the great leader of the PGA movement and the fight back,

Even recently - you could hear with Rahm - there was a uneasiness with this idea - that Rory is the leader.

Anyway - a bit of a Segway - but even this conversation highlights how vacuous the Rory episode was on the most obvious and important topics.

Id unrealistic expectations - I'm use to fairly heavy hitting sport Biopic documentaries.

benny79

In fairness to Rory and Im not a fan do love his swing though.. I would compare it to been asked to go on your club committee nobody really wants to and he took it on.. Or like a union shop steward for the Players.. Its a lot of extra work in his already busy schedule I'd say so fair play to him in that regard.

Seve OB

I think Fix has made a lot of good points on Rory. Basically he seems to shoot his mouth off before thinking and while he might not totally mean it, the press will pick it up and twist anything they can into a story. He did it a lot in his 20's and really should know better now as he grows older but he still acts a bit immature at times. Don't get me wrong, we all do it, but I think most will agree as the years pass us by, we learn a lot, especially from our elders. Rory has the ear of the greatest golfers ever and I'm sure that they have supplied him with enough wisdom over the years that has helped shape him into a better person, but comments like "f*&% you Phil" don't serve any purpose other than show the immaturity is still in him.

Regarding him in the Series, his episode was boring and unlike most the other lads where you got to see inside their homes and private lives a bit, there was nothing with Rory. I'll see you when I'm on tour and nothing more. Well, you did get to see him get a massage 🤣

Series was an ok watch. Agree, best episodes were the lesser known lads. But it would be a hell of a lot better if Amanda Renner and Sean Foley didn't get so much airtime to spout off as many clichés as they could muster.

I watch F1. Quite enjoy Drive to Survive as it gives a better insight to the season. It is a good watch as an armchair fan to summarise the season. It's obviously easier with less events and less people to follow around, but you pretty much get a summary of every drivers season, every race and how the championship worked itself out.

Future Full Swing should probably concentrate a bit more on the season, what events are on, The Fed Ex Cup, Ryder Cup will obviously be a big one this year. It started out being a dummy guide for anyone knowing nothing about golf telling the viewer what a birdie and a par was and making the cut. But after that, it it didn't tell them anything about the fact there are 4 majors and their history. What the WGC's are. What the Fed Ex Cup is. plenty of room for them to expand next year.

FixdePitchmark

I think that is a good summary from Seve....I probably incorrectly categorised this as a modern sports series that are done to incredible standards, detail and research ...likes of the basketball ones are amazing.

Tiger Woods HBO one was brilliant (if it could have gone on for as long as The Last Dance)

I guess I have higher standards for sporting content and I'm realising how little great golf content there is out there .

It ran in the drive to survive format (fair enough, a great series) ...but seve is right ...golf just doesn't lend itself to that ...there was literally no continuity and little or no context in many episodes.

Don't get me wrong...is golf content on netflix ...I'm all over it ...but was expecting much more...

Would be great if they take feedback and alter a bit more (if a 2nd series ?)

coillcam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300942#Comment_120300942

Rory said no family or personal stuff was to be covered from day 1. So there's little additional insight than what golf fans already get from Twitter or news articles.

I agree that it's a bit disjointed as it picks 1-2 golfers and only addresses their story over a narrow part of the season. It flip flops across the season until Rory's tour final episode. The dynamic is centred on the golfers almost exclusively and it's quite repetitive. There's scope to widen the story for the next season. Dahmen's episode was great because it featured lots of Gino, the wife and his background story. Likewise with Finau and Fitz but to a lesser degree. They had a broader story, hence I enjoyed and related to it better.

benny79

"Series was an ok watch. Agree, best episodes were the lesser known lads. But it would be a hell of a lot better if Amanda Renner and Sean Foley didn't get so much airtime to spout off as many clichés as they could muster."

Yeah what was this about! Think they got the most air time out of anybody!

Seve OB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120301086#Comment_120301086

Yea this is not really about the sporting content or golf for that matter. It’s a golf themed documentary telling a few light stories about a few of the tour golfers.

I think if someone is to make a proper golf documentary they need to focus on no more than 5 or 6 players. Someone in the top 10 eg Rory. A good player on the PGA/DP tour eg Shane. A journeyman on PGA tour eg Joel and for comparison a journeyman on DP tour eg Siem (even though he won last week). To round it off, a couple of lads on Korn Ferry and Challenge tours. It has to follow them for a year, properly follow them. Show their routine, how they sit down and plan their year, can they make events, what is their contingency plan. How their relationship with their caddy is. How they travel, where they stay, what they spend. And most importantly how they train and prepare. Show the hours and they spend practicing.

a couple of years ago when Phil was going for grand slam he spent a week on course with a videographer,10 hours a day 4 hours on a hole, putting and chipping from all angles to all pins. Home to watch and review tapes….. he didn’t win, but this is the type of effort that the winners and best in the business put in and although we know it, do we really know the extent of it????

Anyway watch the Zola Budd doc on Sky, that’s excellent

Hoboo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300579#Comment_120300579

His sponsors and him have one concern only and that’s dollars, no comparison to a voluntary shop steward or committee member, don’t be fooled by his heroic crusade. The stronger the PGA tour is the better it is for him and his sponsors, that goes without saying.

Rory does everything for Rory. The same Rory who doesn’t play his home Open or the European tour “to grow the game”. And then has the cheek to point fingers at lads trying to make a few quid in LIV while he’s already made hundreds of millions.

He’s a spoilt manchild.

Mantis Toboggan

I'd like to see a similar style doc where half is spent following players in danger of loosing their cards and the other half following players looking to win a card for the following season. Even if they were complete unknowns.

slave1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300942#Comment_120300942

 but comments like "f*&% you Phil" don't serve any purpose other than show the immaturity is still in him

Exactly, a more mature approach would be to depersonalise and show Phil the respect he deserves with 45 PGA Tour wins and 6 Majors (all during Tiger era) and his many valiant attempts at the US Open. Sure, criticise his move to LIV but not him in isolation, all who made the move should be reflected the same and singling out someone personalises it and therefore weakens any such criticism from Rors.

Actions of today's Phil should not wipe out past Phil's achievements as one of the greats of the game

benny79

I think the fcuk Phil is been taking out of context here! They were all laughing/joking & then he said it (I took it in a joking context anyway).. Jesus Professional Golfers cant actually p!ss without it been scrutinised 🤦‍♂️