Full Swing Season 3 hit our screens this week as Netflix released the third iteration of its popular golf-centred docuseries.
While not as riveting as Season 1 or Season 2, it still offered plenty of insight into life on the PGA Tour and behind-the-scenes access at the Majors, including The Masters.
It’s always fascinating to see parts of Augusta National that are normally withheld from public view and footage of things like the Crow's Nest.
Below, I’ve listed the 14 things that most caught my attention in Full Swing Series 3, starting with the undisputed – in my eyes at least – star of the series…
Woodland shines
Gary Woodland has just become one of my favourite golfers. I know it sounds ridiculous given brain surgery clearly isn’t a routine procedure, but I had no idea how badly he suffered before and after going under the knife (Woodland had a lesion that was putting pressure on the part of the brain that causes anxiety and fear).
Maybe instead of endless talk about money in the professional game, more focus should have gone on the human interest stories that make the sport appeal to so many people. Woodland granted the Netflix cameras incredible access to both his family life and hospital visits and he comes across so well. It’s hard not to well up when you watch episode six and I wish him nothing but the best for the future.
The game is lacking characters
This shouldn’t come as any surprise to anyone, but professional golf is really lacking larger-than-life personalities. It’s probably a product of the amount of money in the game, the prevalence of sports psychologists, the collegiate system in America, the packed year-round schedule and other factors. The players featured in Full Swing Season 3 are fantastic to watch on the course, but not so entertaining off it.
Ted Scott has the best job in the world
It’s Ted Scott’s world and we’re just living in it. After a very successful stint with Bubba Watson, the duo parted ways. Scott then reveals how Scottie Scheffler called him about taking over his bag and Scott had concerns because of… Scottie’s temper!
We then see some archive footage of Scheffler berating himself during his rooking season. If he’d have known how Scottie would turn out, he’d have begged him for the job. Not only is Scheffler a prolific winner and by extension money-maker, he’s also an extremely nice person. Scott must thank his lucky stars every day that Scheffler approached him.
Lowry/McIlroy relationship
It’s very interesting to observe the relationship between Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry and listen to the comments they make about each other, most notably Lowry’s assertion that some people treat Rory differently because he’s Rory and he needs someone around him who doesn’t put him on a pedestal. Rory seems to really value their friendship. They also talk about an afternoon when they met for lunch and ended up consuming several bottles of wine. It’s nice to know they’re like some of us! That said…
Too much Rory
I do think McIlroy has been overexposed for quite some time and I’m ready to hear someone else’s opinions on the game, as interesting and insightful as Rory can be. Not that long ago, reading and hearing quotes from top sportspeople was somewhat of a rarity… now you can’t turn on the television or open social media without seeing McIlroy at a press conference or speaking before/during/after a round.
Not all glitz and glam
Something else that struck me while watching Full Swing Series 3 was just how mundane life can be for the top professionals. Because they have so much money, we have visions of them living life at a million miles an hour at all times. But away from work, they’re just like the rest of us… with much bigger houses and bank accounts.
Enough with the Presidents Cup
Perhaps this take is because I’m not American or from the ‘rest of world’, but the Presidents Cup does nothing for me. I think it should either be removed from the schedule or adapted to include female professionals too. It’s dreadfully one-sided and has nothing on the Ryder Cup, so can we stop talking about it like it even comes close? If you asked all the competitors anonymously if they’d prefer to play in it or have it scrapped, I suspect a few would opt for the latter.
Shipley’s stock rises
I really enjoyed the episode that featured Neal Shipley, which portrayed him as an incredible golfing talent but also someone with a bit of personality. Shipley, who won low amateur honours at The Masters in 2024, isn’t the robotic, identikit college graduate you see so often these days. He’s won himself another fan.
Back to reality for Dahmen
Joel Dahman was the unexpected star of Full Swing Season 1, along with his caddie, Geno Bonnalie. The duo also combined for what I felt was the best episode of Season 2 – an emotional, honest and possibly alcohol-induced conversation about the future of their partnership. But they barely make an appearance in Season 3, even though Dahmen dramatically secured his PGA Tour card for 2025 in the last event of the season. It looks like their moment in the sun is over, for now at least. The same can be said for Tom Kim after his episode failed to land in Season 2.
Where’s JT?
I was surprised at the lack of Justin Thomas in Season 3. I find him to be an interesting and amusing character and his battle to make the Ryder Cup team was one of the best episodes of Season 2. He also has a great relationship with Tiger Woods, which could have been leveraged. Max Homa seems an odd omission to me, too. He’s a popular player with a good sense of humour and insightful views on the game. Bryson DeCheambeau was also conspicuous by his absence – I guess Full Swing needs him more than he needs Full Swing.
Lack of females
I was surprised more female professionals weren’t covered. There are a host of great storylines in the women’s game at the moment, but Minjee Lee is the only player who’s featured – and that’s presumably only because she’s the sister of Min Woo Lee, who gets his own episode. Nelly Korda’s record-breaking 2024 and Lydia Ko winning Olympic Gold and the AIG Women’s Open could really have added to the series.
No DP World Tour
I’m not overly shocked about the DP World Tour being ignored as there’s often a misguided feeling in the golf world, and beyond in all honesty, that America is the centre of everything. Perhaps the producers should have looked to Europe for some better storylines, instead of focussing so extensively on the Presidents Cup, Olympic qualification and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Tiger is missed
I’m sure the Full Swing producers tried everything they possibly could to persuade Tiger Woods to appear on the show, but sadly it wasn’t enough. He’s not the most gregarious of characters, but he transcends the sport and would have attracted hoards of non-golfers. His insight into the PGA Tour/PIF negotiations would have been fascinating, too. Still, he keeps winning the Player Impact Program despite barely playing, so he clearly doesn’t need the extra publicity.
Youth isn't always the answer
It’s often said that golf is a young man’s game, but some of the best storylines in Full Swing Season 2 come from the older generation. As mentioned, Woodland comes across brilliantly and Justin Rose’s storyline is one of the more compelling ones of the series. Keegan Bradley is also one of the better contributors as his quest to make the US Presidents Cup team is documented. It’s often easy to write off older players as past their best and therefore not interesting, but that simply isn’t the case.
