Golf is a benefactor in the growing trend of behind-the-scenes sports documentaries.
The first episode of Full Swing, which aired in February 2023, was highly anticipated given the turbulence between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League from the previous year.
The sport’s most controversial period was documented on Netflix, the most popular TV and movie streaming platform. Several players, including Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Ian Poulter, allowed the cameras to peek into their private lives in the opening season.
The series was largely inspired by Formula 1’s Drive to Survive series, which also inspired other sports like tennis and English football clubs to follow suit. Season two arrived in March 2024 and now, season three is booked for February 25 in 2025.
The third series features another huge list of PGA Tour and LIV Golf stars and begins with showing some of these stars’ involvement in the filming of Happy Gilmore 2, which is also being released on Netflix in 2025.
Let’s discuss season 3 now we’ve passed the February 25 release date and tackle some commonly asked questions about the programme.
ALSO: Meet Gary Woodland: One of the stars of Full Swing Season 3
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When does Full Swing come out?
Full Swing came out on Netflix on February 25, 2025. There is seven episodes following the stories of several PGA Tour and LIV Golf stars.
What is Full Swing about?
In each episode of Full Swing, the Netflix cameras follow a handful of players closely at a certain tournament, or across a couple of tournaments. You get to learn their personalities, meet their families, discover where they live and find out what it’s like to play in professional golf events and circulate a professional tour.
The series showcases the majors in depth, including the Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open, and The Open. It also shows other events such as the Ryder Cup, the Players Championship, the Presidents Cup, and more.
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Some of the stories with the players are very intimate. Some of the most popular storylines have been with PGA Tour players Joel Dahmen and Sahith Theegala, as well as Wyndham Clark who won the US Open in season 2.
Viewers see each player prepare for tournaments, how they react to various breaking news stories in the sport and the highs and lows of winning, losing and contending at tournaments.
On February 12, the official trailer for the third season was released.
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What happens in Full Swing Season 3?
In season 3, we are introduced to new protagonists such as Neal Shipley. He was the low amateur at the Masters and the US Open in 2024. He played with Tiger Woods in the final round of the Masters and was the subject of media attention at the time.
“Neal Shipley is going to be a superstar after this,” Full Swing Executive Producer Chadd Mumm told the Mirror. “We keep saying he is this year’s Joel Dahmen. Neal has that same vibe.
“There is something about a college kid who makes it to the Masters and ends up playing golf with Tiger Woods on Sunday wearing his red shirt. He is living out his dream and he almost can’t believe he is there. It is really fun and super relatable.”
Now a Korn Ferry Tour regular, fans will no doubt enjoy Shipley’s personality and his journey to becoming the low amateur at two majors.
We get a sneak-peak into his career and personality which fans will no doubt enjoy. Another new character, so to speak, is Gary Woodland. A former US Open champion, Woodland shows us his ordeal with having surgery on a lesion on his brain, and emotionally divulges how the lesion acted on his anxiety and mental state.
Fans meet Woodland’s children and his wife Gabby and the emotional path through brain surgery and the symptoms of his issue. The lesion on his brain affected the part that concerns fear and anxiety. We also learn of his friendship with fellow US Open champion Justin Rose which might surprise some viewers.
Also, Min Woo Lee is featured. The popular Australian’s quest for the Olympic team and the Presidents Cup team is shown, as well as the fascinating dynamic of deciding where to live as a professional golfer.
An interesting scene takes place where Lee and his girlfriend Gracie talk about relocating and bump into Justin Thomas walking his dog, who is a resident of the tax-free haven of Jupiter, Florida.
ALSO: Why do so many golfers live in Jupiter?
The story of the year was shown. Scottie Scheffler was arrested on the morning of the second round of the PGA Championship after confusion in traffic outside of Valhalla. Netflix shows the reaction of the players at the PGA Championship and the extraordinary police footage of Scheffler being arrested.
You won’t be surprised to learn that Rory McIlroy is featured heavily in the series. He suffered arguably his most heartbreaking loss at a major championship when squandering the chance to win the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst. Bryson DeChambeau took victory and the Netflix cameras picked up McIlroy walking back through the Pinehurst complex, before leaving the course without speaking to DeChambeau or the media.
The season also documents this period in the context of McIlroy and his wife Erica‘s divorce which was eventually called off. As for DeChambeau, Mumm said that the LIV Golf and YouTube star declined to officially participate.
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“He never sat down for an interview despite our best efforts,” Mumm added to the Mirror. “I think we did a really good effort of telling his story without his direct point of view.
“There is so much media. He is great in press conferences, he produces so much content on YouTube. It is still a really good portrayal of Bryson. In particular, as he matured, and redefined himself in front of the public. We do a really good job of capturing that. Would I rather he sat down for an interview?
“Absolutely, but he said no. We did the best we could with what we got. I still think it’s probably the deepest portrait of Bryson as both a player and figure that anyone has ever seen before.”
The series features the highs and lows of Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin who were desperate to make the International Presidents Cup team in 2024, but were ultimately unsuccessful. Then, there is the heartbreaking story of Camilo Villegas and his wife who lost their daughter Mia in 2020 to cancer, before her second birthday.
The series homes in on Keegan Bradley and revisits his disappointing commission from the 2023 US Ryder Cup team, but also his unexpected appointment as 2025 US Ryder Cup captain. Netflix also shows Bradley’s pivotal play in the Presidents Cup which America won against the International Team in 2024.
Where to watch Full Swing
If you have a Netflix subscription, you’ll be able to watch Full Swing. It will be exclusively shown by the mammoth streaming platform.
Which players are in season 3 of Full Swing?
These are the players involved in season 3 of Full Swing:
Ludvig Aberg, Keegan Bradley, Joel Dahmen, Bryson DeChambeau, Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Adam Hadwin, Min Woo Lee, Minjee Lee, Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Scottie Scheffler, Neal Shipley, Nick Taylor, Sahith Theegala, Justin Thomas, Camilo Villegas, Gary Woodland.
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How many episodes of Full Swing are there?
In season 3, there are seven episodes of Full Swing. In season 1, there were eight episodes and there were also eight episodes in season 2.
Was Grayson Murray on Full Swing Netflix?
In May 2024, the golf world recieved the heartbreaking news that PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray had passed away. His parents Eric and Terry revealed in a statement that the cause of death was suicide.
Murray’s passing was not covered on Full Swing.
NOW READ: New stars, but old problems! Assessing Season Two of Full Swing on Netflix
NOW READ: ‘Anger, sadness’: Keegan Bradley Ryder Cup rejection laid bare on Full Swing
What have you made of the Full Swing Netflix show so far? Who else would you like to see in the Full Swing cast? Tell us on X!
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