Netflix Doc - Reviews?

[Jim_Coleman]

    What say you all?

[Will Lozier]

Just watched first episode...really well done and interesting!


Cheers

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Just watched first episode...really well done and interesting!

The first is supposedly the worst, and I've heard from enough that it's true that I'm relieved. It was a B- or so. (Oh, and the first episode isn't viewed as badly by non-golfers as it is by golfers, it seems based on my reading…).

[Kalen Braley]

I watched the 1st 4 episodes tonight as the wife is out of town.

The series is just OK and overall feels like player profile spotlights mixed in with tournament recaps. It doesn't have the continuity of a normal series, and can be watched standalone.  Each episode focuses mostly on 1-2 players: JT & Spieth (ep.1), Brooks & Scheffler (ep.2), Ian Poulter (ep.3), or Joel Dahmien (ep. 4), so if you want a deeper dive on those guys, then its a decent watch.

Other aspects are a bit annoying in how they explain basic background info over and over again like:
- players don't make money if they don't make the cut,
- size of the field,
- world rankings,
- Nature of LIV Golf,
etc.

[Sean_A]

Is the entire series out of time order? I found this off-putting. Two episodes in, bang average tv. A story is meant to hook the viewer from the start. Whatever the hook was it didn't work for me. I will try another episode.

Ciao

[MKrohn]

I'm hoping for something that I probably won't get.


Most won't have watched Sunderland Till I Die, which was one on the first behind the scenes look, terrific series.


I know people liked Drive to Survive, I found it cringeable and put on, then we got an insight into Michael Jordan trying to prove he's not as big of a dick that everyone suspects he is. Followed by some puff pieces on Tottenham and a few others.


The genre is dead to me........but I will still watch the golf one given the rugby league hasn't started yet.

[Mike_Trenham]

I’ve watched two episodes.  The visuals are very good, the forced moments of supposedly candid conversations are cringe worthy.  Like when out of the blue Jordan calls JT to discuss his best man speech when both are being filmed, ugh.


I’ll watch all eight episodes and cancel my Netflix, nothing on there I can’t live without and so many let downs.
This confirms it, give me a split of HBO Max 11 months Netflix 1 month.

[Max Prokopy]

Based on #1, I would only watch an episode if it tracks a golfer of which you're particularly fond.  The actual golf part is not going to appeal much to enthusiastic golfers.

[Kalen Braley]

I found a link which has a breakdown of every episode, who they highlight, the main points, etc... but don't want to post up spoilers just yet I guess. 

P.S.  Overall it feels like the target audience is not necessarily those who are already familiar with the Pro Tours and players, but those who may be tuning in now given all the drama in the media the last year.

[Charlie Goerges]

If you're an avid golf fan, the show probably isn't aimed at you. The production company is the same one that does Drive to Survive. That series was decidedly not aimed at avid F1 fans. I'd guess F1 did it in order to bring in new Non-F1 fans (by definition, they don't need to convince current F1 fans to watch F1). For them it worked, in the years since DTS premiered, US viewership numbers of F1 races have essentially doubled. I'd guess that's what the PGA Tour people would like to see. I doubt it will work the same, F1 was working from a much lower floor (in the US) than golf is.

[Sean_A]

I don't follow golf and am amazed at how much of this series that I already knew. Although, I never heard of the Joel fella nor the chap of Indian descent. Its incredible how much I pick up being around golf wingnuts.

Ciao

[Jason Topp]

I have watched two episodes.  I liked the first and thought it did a great job illustrating the highs and lows of tournament play.  I found the second episode painful to watch.  Brooks does not seem like a very interesting guy other than the fact that he is competitive and was not playing well at the time of filming. 


Having said that, I loved the first couple of seasons of Drive to Survive but now find the show repeating itself with far less interesting content.  The difference could well be me.  I know the characters now.


I alreay know the characters on the golf show.

[Alex Miller]

Really recommend the Joel Dahmen episode.


Drive to Survive got me into F1 in 2020... I watched every race the last two years and now follow F1 like a true fanatic. I tried watching D2S after following the sport for some time and it became totally unwatchable. Played up storylines that weren't really relevant or true and everything just surface level drama to draw new fans in... but it worked on me once!


5 episodes in, I think Full Swing is doing a decent job with the products and personalities they have. The repeating of basics is somewhat annoying, but it's not meant for us. The presentation of on-course drama is reasonably well done, and in some ways does a better job of communicating what's happening than they do for F1.


While the players do not have dramatic or objectively interesting lives, I think they have done a good job of presenting their personalities and just how different their views on success, golf, work, and the PGA Tour / LIV are. Brooks episode was particularly fascinating, and credit must be given for his openness on camera even if many of us would not have jumped to LIV when going through a slump.


Final thought: Joel's wife and caddie seem awesome (all the caddies in fact). Jena and Paulina would make me miserable whether I played on the PGA Tour or on LIV (a very realistic hypothetical of course  )

[Jeff Schley]

Watched the Poulter episode and apparently he flies private everywhere???  Is it that common on tour? I know he has done well, but that chews away at any earnings quite quickly.

[Charlie Goerges]

I'll be interested in where this thread goes, because in the F1 fandom, on forums like this, we've had many discussions about the netflix effect on the sport. We've debated whether the series shows a realistic vision of the sport (no, not really), whether the show is any good (half like it, half don't really), whether it has brought in new fans (indisputably yes, especially in the US), whether that's a good thing (I certainly think so, and I think the majority agree), and more besides. I still watch it. I realize it's more like Real Housewives than Hoop Dreams, but it's enjoyable. And my wife will watch it with me, she thinks the drivers are cute, especially the Ferrari guys. But mostly I'm happy it's pulled in people like Alex and Jason and whoever else has sort of caught the bug. I actually run into fellow F1 Fans in the wild now, not something that happened much pre DTS.

[Kalen Braley]

While the players do not have dramatic or objectively interesting lives, I think they have done a good job of presenting their personalities and just how different their views on success, golf, work, and the PGA Tour / LIV are. Brooks episode was particularly fascinating, and credit must be given for his openness on camera even if many of us would not have jumped to LIV when going through a slump.

Alex,

I don't understand the last part of this statement.  If anything, this is exactly why he jumped to LIV, cause he knew he was probably done and struggling with doubts about his future, so he took the guaranteed money.  The  Ian Poulter episode seemed very similar in that respect and he even mentioned how frustrating it was with his decline.

P.S.  The saddest thing about Brooks was seeing the massive custom trophy shelf he built in his front room which was mostly empty, (and likely to stay that way including the prime center slot for the "future" Augusta trophy)

[Alex Miller]

While the players do not have dramatic or objectively interesting lives, I think they have done a good job of presenting their personalities and just how different their views on success, golf, work, and the PGA Tour / LIV are. Brooks episode was particularly fascinating, and credit must be given for his openness on camera even if many of us would not have jumped to LIV when going through a slump.

Alex,

I don't understand the last part of this statement.  If anything, this is exactly why he jumped to LIV, cause he knew he was probably done and struggling with doubts about his future, so he took the guaranteed money.  The  Ian Poulter episode seemed very similar in that respect and he even mentioned how frustrating it was with his decline.

P.S.  The saddest thing about Brooks was seeing the massive custom trophy shelf he built in his front room which was mostly empty, (and likely to stay that way including the prime center slot for the "future" Augusta trophy)

Yes that is why he jumped and many of us may have assumed that, but has any player every shared that publicly? I'm not a Brooks fan btw...

[Tommy Williamsen]

I have watched a few of them, and it kind of feels like a behind-the-scenes soap opera. I doubt I'll watch them all.

[Jim_Coleman]

   Watched the first two episodes. Spieth/Thomas was boring.  Two guys consciously taping a puff piece for their brands. Koepka was a little sad, watching a former alpha feeling sorry for himself. This feels much more scripted than the F-1 series, but maybe that’s because I know golf and don’t know F-1.  I’ll watch the whole thing, but have lowered my expectations.

[Wayne_Kozun]

I have watched the first few and I like the Dahmen eposide the best.  But these shows are very superficial and they don't go into anything in any depth.  Interview with the players, coaches or media personnel tend to be short sound bites that only last a few seconds.




The Dahmen episode talks about his mom dying of cancer when he was in high school, but they barely touch on Dahmen's testicular cancer in his early 20s.

[David Harshbarger]

They made interesting choices in whose stories they intertwined.


Collin has an air of golden boy about him but when contrasted against Finau he looks like an elitist ass. After hearing how Tony learned to hitting all week into a mattress in their one-car garage, then going to the range on Saturday to see how the ball is flying, the writers cut to Collin pulling off a new golf glove because it’s pinching at the thumb seam. It’s delicious.


Scottie and Brooks, another deliberate choice to bring the players into relief through contrast. There’s a scene of Scheffler and his wife playfully tasting each other’s iced coffees, which is contrasted against Brooks’ over the top right from a car ad home replete with fur covered swinging seat. I found that juxtaposition very effective at making Brooks look unhinged. Which he is! He’s hunting the high of victory and sees it receding from his grasp. Scheffler’s innocence just makes Brooks’ struggle to accept his golf mortality all the more jarring.


Later, in the Fitzy episode there’s a throw away transition shot where they show players prepping for the round. Brooks pulls a huge pinch of chaw and as he’s shoving it into his maw they pan over to Fitzy applying a liberal layer of sunscreen. It’s 4 seconds of fill, but it captures their arcs, responsible and deliberate vs self-destructive, quite neatly. That they found, assessed, and included this shot in the Final Cut, given how many hours of footage there must be, was impressive as well.


It was these touches and more generally the use of unnarrated storytelling that I think is so well done. As I watched more I really felt that the producers had a POV on the personalities and were expressing it through the choices of storylines and editing.


I also think they do a good job of communicating the vibes of the cast. Joel’s boozy party with friends, Mito and the Latin 20-something expats relying on each other, Finau’s genuine familiarity with family card night. All of these scenes are done well and with a human touch.


I also love how they capture the pressure of the job. It’s a theme throughout and really is the juice behind pro golf.


All in all very well done.

[Rob Marshall]

Keopka’s wife is a Paulina Gretzky wannabe. Who are the golf writers they keep showing? Never heard of any of them.

[Mark Chaplin]

Watched the Poulter episode and apparently he flies private everywhere???  Is it that common on tour? I know he has done well, but that chews away at any earnings quite quickly.

Jeff many of the players have Netjets sponsorship which I gather is in hours, hence many of the guys pooling hours on tour and sharing jets to and from the likes of Orlando. Poulter flying his family transatlantic private would have been expensive whether he paid or used his mileage credits.

[Rob Marshall]

Watched the Poulter episode and apparently he flies private everywhere???  Is it that common on tour? I know he has done well, but that chews away at any earnings quite quickly.

Jeff many of the players have Netjets sponsorship which I gather is in hours, hence many of the guys pooling hours on tour and sharing jets to and from the likes of Orlando. Poulter flying his family transatlantic private would have been expensive whether he paid or used his mileage credits.

I remember a story from Lee Westwood. He and his family always flew private. They were going somewhere and had to take a commercial plane. His young son says "dad, who are all these people on our plane".....

[John Kirk]

I’ve watched two episodes.  The visuals are very good, the forced moments of supposedly candid conversations are cringe worthy.  Like when out of the blue Jordan calls JT to discuss his best man speech when both are being filmed, ugh.


I’ll watch all eight episodes and cancel my Netflix, nothing on there I can’t live without and so many let downs.
This confirms it, give me a split of HBO Max 11 months Netflix 1 month.

Hi Mike,

Before you quit Netflix, I recommend the new Bill Russell documentary.  Opinions will differ, but I consider Bill Russell to be the greatest American sportsman of my lifetime.