Full Swing: Season 3 review (with some spoilers!)

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for season three of Netflix series Full Swing.

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Worrying news emerged for fans of Netflix’s Full Swing in September last year.

The fly-on-the-wall docuseries, which made such a huge impression on its debut in 2023, saw a sharp decline in viewership for its sequel during the first part of 2024.

Season 1 attracted 4.8 million views and 28.5 million hours watched from January to June, down from 53.1million hours watched across the same six month period for the first series.

The mitigation was that Season 1 had a three-week head start having premiered on February 15 rather than March 6, but the early numbers still signalled an alarming slide that has mirrored the waning interest in live tournament broadcasts in recent times.

Another season was already in the works at that stage, though, and the longevity of golf’s answer to ‘Drive to Survive’ may well rest on the success of Season 3.

That doesn’t mean the show comes out swinging in episode one, however. Rather than begin with the PGA Tour-LIV melodrama that dominated the start of the second season, there is a refreshing change of pace as we follow the story of amateur Neal Shipley.

Shipley sealed his spot at last year’s Masters thanks to a runner-up finish at the US Amateur. In the lead up to his magical week in Augusta National, we explore his messy digs at Ohio State University and there is a poignant moment when he learns he will be playing Saturday’s third round with his hero, Tiger Woods. The Joel Dahmen of this season, Shipley leaves the impression of someone you’d love to go for a drink with.

When Netflix dropped teasers for this new series, a tabloid newspaper in the UK published an article with the headline: “Rory McIlroy’s dirty divorce laundry to be aired in public…”

Suffice to say, of course, that the finer details surrounding the breakdown and reconciliation of McIlroy’s marriage with Erica Stoll – which frankly does not concern those not involved – are absent from the show.

That’s not to say McIlroy’s personal tribulations, as well as his agony on the course, are not both important features throughout this season, though, with his divorce drama unfolding before the PGA Championship at Valhalla.

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“I’ve struggled with trying to be the best golfer, the best husband, the best dad,” the Northern Irishman admits in one scene.

Indeed, McIlroy’s candour in sit-down interviews throughout proves vital to a narrative that, in other areas, lacks substance. There’s a nice look into his bromance with Shane Lowry in an episode about the duo’s victory at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, with McIlroy later taking to the mic for a rendition of Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’. Casual fans could have mistaken the Zurich Classic for a fifth major given the intensity of the episode, but this is a Netflix show after all.

The most frustrating aspect of Season 3, however – and the producers may reluctantly agree – is that Bryson DeChambeau chose not to get involved.

It’s difficult to capture the seismic shift in public perception of DeChambeau since filming began of the second season. His conversion from pariah to fan favourite despite the backdrop of his LIV Golf move has been one of the sport’s most compelling storylines. The returning Dan Rapaport does a good job dissecting DeChambeau’s unique rise, while the cinematic breakdown of his US Open victory at Pinehurst is an absorbing, if excruciating, watch.

But DeChambeau’s own words are restricted to press conference quotes and TV interviews that many will have already seen before. The American’s refusal to take part in any sit-down interviews for this series is, admittedly, completely out of Netflix’s control. But you can’t help thinking that – just like McIlroy did at Pinehurst – producers have missed out on a big win at DeChambeau’s expense.

Golf has always had a propensity for its own kind of drama, but the sight of the world No.1 being handcuffed and photographed in an orange jumpsuit just hours before his tee time at a major championship was something straight out of, well, Netflix.

The producers did what they do best with the Scottie Scheffler storyline at Valhalla, detailing his stunning arrest with testimonies from shocked players and the body cam footage from the officer that drove Scheffler to jail.

Even after covering this story extensively during and after the PGA Championship, this segment was still a gripping and surreal watch. A later insight into Scheffler’s relationship with his caddie Ted Scott offered further intrigue and it certainly helped having the game’s best player on board during his remarkable season of dominance.

Perhaps a personal annoyance, granted, but it remains somewhat jarring to see the continuation of players acknowledging the Netflix cameras in the third season. For a series supposed to be giving the “fly-on-the-wall” illusion, some authenticity is lost when a cautious McIlroy is overheard on a phone call, saying: “The Netflix cameras are following me right now, so…” Surely those moments could have been cut. It’s not the producers that are the stars here, after all.

The first two series of Full Swing are eight episodes long, while the drama is condensed into seven this time around. For some, it will again be grating that the episodes don’t follow a chronological order as the drama leaps from the end-of-season Tour Championship back to the heart of the major season.

Despite these wrinkles, there are just enough compelling moments to persevere. And crucially, the penultimate episode stands alone as arguably the best of all 23 created.

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With the crescendo set as the Open at Royal Troon, Gary Woodland provides extraordinary access to one of the most difficult periods of his life. The former US Open champion allows the cameras to follow his visits to the hospital as he begins recovery from a lesion in his brain.

There are heartfelt moments at home with Woodland’s wife Gabby and two young children that, as he says in the episode, really put the birdies and bogeys into perspective. Justin Rose’s journey from Final Qualifying to the brink of a Claret Jug adds further depth to the standout episode.

In the final episode, the portrayal of the heroic strides made by Camillo Villegas and his wife Maria Ochoa after the unthinkable tragedy of losing their 22-month old daughter Mia to brain cancer in 2021 is also incredibly moving television.

Among plenty of familiar faces returning is Keegan Bradley, this time for his redemption arc. Bradley finding out about his Ryder Cup snub with Netflix cameras in his home was the flashpoint of the last season and it felt appropriate to return for an update now he has been named a left-field captain.

The centrepiece of the finale is the Presidents Cup – where Bradley enjoys the winning moment for the US team – but that tournament has long proved a tough sell for even the most engaged golf fans.

The narrative of the International team missing two Canadians in Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin on home soil lacks the crucial acknowledgement that LIV players like Cam Smith and Joaquin Niemann couldn’t even be considered for the PGA Tour-owned event. More detail wouldn’t have hurt in some cases.

This time around, the tiresome division with LIV and the PGA Tour is largely ignored for plotlines focusing on personal journeys and travails. Some of which are compelling, of course, but other narratives feel slightly forced and the weak ending fails to whet the appetite for a Season 4.

Yet with the promise of a chaotic Ryder Cup in New York to come this year, plus White House talks that will likely change the landscape of the sport, it just might be worth keeping the cameras rolling.

• Full Swing is available to watch on Netflix from February 25

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.