Behind the scenes
The Netflix Full Swing docuseries is a big deal for golf. When it was announced, the hope was it would attract new fans to our sport, as the Drive to Survive series did for Formula 1. But the fear in the industry was that it wouldn’t be as emotive and exciting as Drive to Survive; that golf and the golfers would look one-dimensional and a little dull. We needn’t have worried.
Full Swing is a brilliant, behind-the-scenes look at a world of pressure, rivalry, dedication, perseverance, success and failure. Yes, the timing was good with the emergence of LIV Golf, but aside from that, the producers and directors at Netflix have done a tremendous job of focusing on different characters with very different stories. They cover superstars at the top of the pile, like Rory, DJ and JT, to those lower in the pecking order like Joel Dahmen, whose self-deprecation and bantering with his caddie, together with his honesty about off-course adversities, makes for a captivating episode.
The other episode that particularly struck me focuses on Tony Finau – his journey to the top has been a remarkable and emotional rollercoaster ride. His story shows there is more than one way to succeed as a professional golfer. His early golfing career was by no means typical – he wasn’t on some sort of elite programme from a young age.
Growing up in a poor neighbourhood in Salt Lake City, he started out firing golf balls at a mattress in his garage, rather than in a state-of-the-art practice facility. He’s worked his way through the ranks over 15 years as a professional to a point where he will be one of the leading contenders for this year’s Masters.
Finau is the main interview in our Masters preview on page
62. The 33-year-old spoke to Garrett Johnston about his career, his family, his game, his goals and his chances at
Augusta. He’s one of the most naturally talented golfers in the game, and with three wins on the PGA Tour in 2022 to add to two previous titles, he heads into the year’s first Major with confidence. He has already notched three top-ten finishes at Augusta National and I predict he will be there or thereabouts come Masters Sunday.