Full Swing 2: An Evening With Chad Mumm
Producer Chad Mumm uncovers insights into the making of the show.
In this week’s Baller Golf newsletter.
The producer of Netflix’s Full Swing opens up about the challenging process of putting it all together.
On Monday night, I had the privilege of attending an exclusive event hosted by the TGLs LAGC (Los Angeles Golf Club) at the head office of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in the heart of Los Angeles.
The occasion? A special screening of episode 2 from the hit show Full Swing 2, a show that I’m sure most, if not all of you, have watched. The pre-game to the screening was a meet-and-greet networking session and post-screening we had an insightful Q&A with the show's producer, Chad Mumm, hosted by Bradford Wilson who features in Full Swing 2 and Ben Boskovich who is a contributing editor at Esquire Magazine.
Episode 2 "The Game Has Changed, Part 2". Is the one that announces the PGA & PIF merger, shocking the golf world, Dustin Johnson reunites with PGA Tour players while Rickie Fowler attempts a comeback.
During the discussion with Chad, he shared interesting insights into the production process.
Mumm revealed that creating both series of Full Swing was no small feat, with the team having to sift through a staggering 900 hours of footage to craft the second series. I believe he said 700 hours for series 1. That is a monumental task.
I’m no film maker but I know a few and I’m aware of how painstaking a process it is to find the right clips and tie it all together, and that’s using pre-planned shots. Of course, plenty of planning went into Full Swing but the storylines are created as they go. The production team couldn’t plan for the PGA & LIV bombshell or which players were going to win tournaments.
Chadd explained how in some cases you had some interesting footage but with all good storytelling you need story arcs and sometimes the story arc just wasn’t there so certain footage wouldn’t get used, in other instances, something would develop and you’d pick up on something you’d shot before to put the story arc together.
There were a lot of challenges in even getting Full Swing off the ground.
The stat that really grabbed my attention was that it took 9 years from first approaching the PGA to getting the show on Netflix.
It took a while to warm the PGA up to the potential of the show, as it often does with new concepts like this. I can’t help but wonder if the F1 Drive to Survive played a role in warming them up in recent years with its success. No doubt it must have helped get the players themselves on board.
Once approval was there, the process of getting the buy-in from players and their agents was the next challenge. Mumm told us a story about gaining access to Augusta so he could locate and speak to player agents, with a printout of images and names so that he could identify them (no phones allowed). With his day pass and restricted access, he was allowed to get close to roped-off areas but not beyond, therefore, had to conduct meetings with agents with a rope in between. Credit to Mumm, it sounds like he had to do a lot of work before and was fully committed before even having everyone on board.
One of the most intriguing aspects Mumm touched upon was the evolution of the relationships between the production team and the golfers. Initially viewed with some scepticism, the team gradually became an integral part of the golfing world, with some players even inviting them into their family environments and inner circles.
Some golfers would have minor rules around the process while others were wide open doors, I think we know which one Joel Dahman was. In other cases, production team members became so friendly that one found themselves celebrating with Matt Fitzpatrick as he won the 2022 US Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Yes, the producer is in the shot 😂
As the Q&A progressed, Mumm recounted tales of unexpected encounters and unforgettable moments on set. One that stood out to me was looking back to season 1 and when players were still a little new to the experience, many would show up with agents, managers, wives, and more, but not Brooks Koepka, Brooks rocked up on his first day, alone and in a golf cart and sat down to fully unload about how at that time he was struggling with his game. Pretty on-brand for Brooks Koepka.
When the PGA & PIF merger news broke
Perhaps one of the most memorable anecdotes shared by Mumm was the frantic scramble to cover breaking news during a pivotal moment in the golfing world. When news broke of the PGA and PIF combining forces, the team found themselves scrambling to capture the momentous occasion.
At the time of the story breaking, the RBC Canadian Open was underway and the team had sent a junior producer to capture some moments as it was likely to be a low-drama situation for the junior producer to cut their teeth. It didn’t stay that way for long.
All of a sudden, the news breaks and the junior producer is thrown into the deep end to capture anything and everything they can. A more senior producer who happened to be in New York was sent up to Toronto to lend a hand in a frantic last-minute commute but once they arrived they didn’t have the required credentials to gain access. In a stroke of luck, Rory McIlroy turns a corner, now familiar with the production team, offering them a ride and filming opportunity to discuss what he knew (nothing) about the situation. Those reactions can be seen in the show.
Production work, whether events or media content often requires an element of thinking on your feet and reacting to situations. It seems to me that the Full Swing team are very good at this.
Throughout the evening, Mumm's passion for his craft was evident, as he told stories of creativity, perseverance, and camaraderie. From the meticulous editing process to the thrill of capturing raw emotion on camera, it was evident that every aspect of both Full Swing 1 & 2 was a labour of love for Mumm and his team.
In the end, it was an evening filled with insight and a shared passion for the sport, leaving us eagerly anticipating the next chapter, if there is one. Chad would not comment on the possibility of Full Swing 3. I would be surprised if there wasn’t!
Thanks for reading, David Skilling - X/Twitter
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