Full Swing

➤ Rated TV-MA
➤ Netflix

It’s been said that viewing golf on TV is as exciting as watching paint dry (with apologies to the painting profession). So how does Netflix try to draw viewers to its new eight-part ­documentary series Full Swing? By glamming it up.

Episode 1’s first two minutes blast a montage of private jets, champagne-drenched trophies, scantily clad women, and frustrated players chucking their clubs. But the rest of the series rolls by at a typical documentary’s pace: player interviews, family perspectives, and commentary from golfing journalists and gurus. Golf fans will enjoy details about players’ practice habits and business deals, but parents be warned: Keep children out of the rough. Bad language is par for this course.

Each episode focuses on one or two golfers. In the first, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas discuss their friendship and golf rivalry that began when they were 13.

Episode 6 contrasts the lives of Collin Morikawa and Tony Finau. With wins at two major tournaments in his young career, Morikawa has earned comparisons to Tiger Woods. Finau, who has five career wins but no majors, often takes his wife and five kids with him. “You can be a great golfer and be a great husband and father,” says Finau, a Mormon.

Sometimes, though, even great golfers don’t make the tournament cut, going home without a paycheck. Lucrative appearance fees have lured several big names to LIV Golf, a controversial Saudi-backed league. The ­downside: The PGA Tour has suspended their memberships. Viewers hear from players weighing the pros and cons of joining LIV. If nothing else, the flap has added some excitement to the golf world.

Movies that blend faith with sports

• Chariots of Fire / 1981
• Facing the Giants / 2006
• Soul Surfer / 2011
• When the Game Stands Tall / 2014
• Woodlawn / 2015
• Greater / 2016
• Run the Race / 2018
• Overcomer / 2019
• American Underdog / 2021