There was excellent news for golf fans earlier in the month when Netflix confirmed that its docuseries following the lives of players on the PGA Tour, Full Swing, would be returning in 2025 for a third season.
However, while the only question now remains exactly when it will premiere next year, and not if, there is more concerning news over the performance of the second season, with Sports Business Journal reporting that the viewing figures were sharply down on season one.
The report states that the latest season secured 4.8 million views and 28.5 million hours watched between January and June, down significantly from the 53.1 million hours it racked up during the first season over the same timeframe a year earlier.
One mitigating factor is the timing. Season one had a near three-week headstart on the second season, premiering on 15 February 2023 rather than 6 March this year, when season two was made available.
The second season also covered a period that arguably wasn’t quite as controversial as the opener. In particular, in 2022, which the first season documented, the golf world was shaken to its foundations by the emergence of big-money PGA Tour rival LIV Golf.
The show's second outing followed life on the PGA Tour in 2023. That period still provided plenty of talking points, not least the news that the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund behind LIV Golf had opened peace talks, while it was also a Ryder Cup year.
However, it could be argued that the initial furore following the emergence of LIV Golf had subsided by that point, which may have contributed to the reduced viewing figures when it aired earlier this year.
Whatever the reasons for the drop-off in numbers, it had been hoped long before figures were available that the series would return for a third season.
Days after season two premiered, producer Chad Mumm told Golf Monthly that he hoped it would be given the green light, saying: “We haven’t announced any official confirmation of that yet. We’re waiting with bated breath as I hope the rest of the world are.”
The report also states that, compared to a similar Netflix docuseries dedicated to tennis, Break Point, Full Swing held up well. Break Point accumulated just 13 million hours of viewing in its second season (or 2.7 million views) over the first half of 2024.
Sports Business Journal also reports that last November’s Netflix Cup, which featured stars of F1 taking on Full Swing players including Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas, would not be returning after it drew only 700,000 views, or 1.7 million hours watched.
