Golf used to be boring to people who didn't play it. That's just the truth. You had the hushed tones of Jim Nantz, the polite clapping, and the general sense that everyone involved was a multimillionaire robot. Then Netflix showed up with cameras. When Full Swing season 1 premiered, it didn't just show us golf; it showed us a workplace drama where the office was literally burning down in the background.
It was a weird time. Honestly, the timing was a total fluke that worked out perfectly for Box to Box Films, the same production crew behind Drive to Survive. They started filming a documentary about life on the PGA Tour, thinking they’d get some nice footage of Rory McIlroy’s workout routine and maybe a few jokes in a private jet. Instead, they walked right into the middle of the LIV Golf civil war.
If you go back and watch Full Swing season 1 now, it hits different. You’re watching guys like Dustin Johnson and Ian Poulter give interviews while they are secretly—or not so secretly—negotiating exits that would change the sport forever. It wasn’t just a sports show. It was a documentary about loyalty, greed, and a whole lot of existential dread.
The Brooks Koepka Episode Was a Reality Check
Most people expected the show to be a highlight reel. We thought we’d see the glory. But the second episode, "Win or Go Home," flipped that. It focused on Brooks Koepka. At the time, Brooks looked lost. He was coming off injuries, his confidence was shot, and he was obsessing over his own perceived failures.
It was raw.
You see him sitting in his massive kitchen, staring into space, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. He was a four-time major champion who suddenly couldn't find the hole. Seeing a guy that dominant look that fragile was arguably the peak of Full Swing season 1. It humanized a sport that usually feels like a corporate board meeting on grass. It’s easy to forget that while these guys are playing for millions, they’re also one bad "yip" away from a mental breakdown. Brooks was essentially the "canary in the coal mine" for the LIV defection. He needed the win, sure, but he also seemed to need the guaranteed money because he wasn't sure he could still compete at the highest level.
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas: The Bromance vs. The Scoreboard
The first episode tried to set the tone with JT and Spieth. They’re best friends. They travel together, they roast each other, and they’ve been competing since they were kids. It’s a great hook. But what Full Swing season 1 did well here was showing the subtle friction. When Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, the cameras caught the celebration, but they also caught the look on Jordan’s face.
It’s not that he wasn't happy for his friend. He was. But these guys are psychos when it comes to winning. You can see the wheels turning in Jordan’s head—calculating how far behind he’s falling in the "greatness" race. The show stripped away the country club etiquette. It showed that even your best friend is someone you want to bury on the leaderboard.
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The LIV Elephant in the Room
You can't talk about the first season without talking about the "Blood Money" cloud hanging over everything. The producers got incredibly lucky with the timing. They were filming during the 2022 season when Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed league started poaching players.
The tension in the locker rooms was palpable.
You have Ian Poulter looking at his career and realizing he’s on the back nine. He’s looking at his family, his lifestyle, and the massive paycheck LIV was offering. Watching him weigh that decision in real-time was fascinating. He knew the backlash was coming. He knew he might never play in a Ryder Cup again. Full Swing season 1 captured that transition from "traditional sportsman" to "business asset" better than any press conference ever could.
Then there was Rory.
Rory McIlroy became the de facto spokesperson for the PGA Tour. He was the one in the gym, the one in the boardrooms, and the one taking shots at Phil Mickelson in the locker room. There’s a scene where Rory is getting a massage and he’s just casually trashing the guys who left. It was the kind of access golf fans had been begging for for decades.
Why the Joel Dahmen Episode Changed Everything
If you ask a casual fan what they remember about Full Swing season 1, they probably won’t say the majors. They’ll say Joel Dahmen. Joel is the "anti-golfer." He wears a bucket hat, he drinks beer, and he’s remarkably honest about the fact that he doesn't think he’s the best player in the world.
In a sport full of ego, Joel’s vulnerability was a breath of fresh air.
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His story—surviving cancer, losing his mother, and his co-dependent relationship with his caddie Geno Bonnalie—was the emotional heart of the series. It proved that you don't have to be Tiger Woods to have a compelling story. In fact, Joel’s struggle to believe he even belonged on the PGA Tour was more relatable than Rory’s quest for another Claret Jug.
- He showed the "middle class" of pro golf.
- He highlighted the importance of the player-caddie bond.
- He made us realize that for many players, just keeping their card is the real victory.
The Production Style: Box to Box's Signature
Netflix has a formula, and they applied it heavily to Full Swing season 1. Lots of slow-motion shots of grass, the sound of a ball rattling in the cup amplified to sound like a gunshot, and dramatic music cues. Some purists hated it. They thought it made golf look like an action movie.
But it worked.
The show wasn't for the guy who watches the Golf Channel 24/7. It was for the person who sees a golf clip on Instagram and wonders why everyone is so stressed out. By focusing on the "Why" instead of the "How," the show successfully bridged the gap between niche sports and mainstream entertainment.
The Rory Finale: A Full Circle Moment
Ending the season with Rory McIlroy winning the Tour Championship was the only way it could have finished. After all the drama with LIV, after all the defections and the lawsuits, having the guy who stood up for the "status quo" win the FedEx Cup felt like a scripted ending.
Except it wasn't.
That’s the beauty of Full Swing season 1. It captured a year where golf was more than just a game. It was a battleground for the soul of the sport. We saw the highs of Scottie Scheffler’s Masters win and the lows of Mito Pereira’s heartbreak at the PGA. We saw the private jets and the grueling travel schedules.
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Actionable Insights for the Casual Viewer
If you’re just getting into golf because of the show, or if you’re re-watching it to prepare for later seasons, here is how to actually process what you’re seeing:
Don't take the "villain" edits too seriously. Guys like Ian Poulter or Sergio Garcia are often edited to look like the bad guys because it makes for better TV. In reality, the LIV/PGA split was a mess of legal contracts and generational wealth opportunities that most people would find hard to turn down.
Watch the caddies. Pay attention to guys like Geno Bonnalie. The show does a decent job of highlighting them, but the reality is that caddies are therapists, mathematicians, and best friends rolled into one. The pressure on them is just as high as it is on the players.
Look at the equipment. Notice how often these guys talk about their "feel." Golf is a game of millimeters. When you see a player like Matt Fitzpatrick obsessing over every single stat and data point, it’s not just for the cameras. These guys are elite scientists of their own swing.
Understand the "Cut." The show explains this, but it’s worth repeating: if you don’t play well on Thursday and Friday, you go home with $0. No other major sport operates like that. Imagine a football team losing a game and the players not getting paid for the week. That’s the reality of the PGA Tour, and it's why the stress levels in the show are always at a ten.
The legacy of the first season is that it made golf "cool" to a demographic that previously wouldn't have tuned in. It stripped away the polish and showed the sweat, the swearing, and the massive gamble that is a professional sports career. Whether you like the guys who stayed or the guys who left, you can't deny that the drama was top-tier television.
Check the leaderboards from 2022 against the episodes. You'll see just how much was happening off-camera that we only got a glimpse of through the Netflix lens. It’s a time capsule of a sport in total flux.
To get the most out of your golf viewing now, go back and watch the "Everything at Once" episode. It perfectly encapsulates the chaos of the London LIV event vs. the Canadian Open. It’s the best summary of why the professional game looks the way it does today. If you want to understand the modern pro game, you have to understand the bridge that this season built between the old guard and the new reality.