Meet the man behind golf's biggest reality show
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A scene from "Full Swing." Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
Chad Mumm, co-creator of Netflix's "Full Swing," is trying to bridge the gap between golf and mainstream culture.
Why it matters: Golf has a reputation of being exclusionary, but the sport's fanbase has been diversifying.
What they're saying: "You've got this explosion of grassroots consumer interest in the game that has led to all kinds of different expressions about what it means to be a golfer," Mumm tells Axios.
- "Whether you go to play Top Golf with your friends or you go hit on a simulator or you follow a bunch of golf YouTubers ... I think overall, golf has become this sort of lifestyle for people, in a way that it really hasn't been before."
Enter "Full Swing," an unscripted series that follows the lives of over a dozen golfers and all four major championships, including the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship.
Zoom in: The newest season features some of the world's top golfers, like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg and Wyndham Clark.
Yes, but: "We've got a lot of new faces this season," Mumm said.
- He notes that viewers will see more of "the kind of normal human beings who find themselves competing in [golf] and living in this kind of crazy traveling circus."
One example is Neal Shipley, a recent Ohio State grad and amateur player who got paired with Tiger Woods at the Masters.
- There's also Min Woo and Minjee Lee; the first pair of siblings to compete in the Olympics for Australia.
What we're watching: Golf's popularity could be on the upswing as two star-studded comedy projects tee off this year.
- Mumm's company, Pro Shop, is producing "Happy Gilmore 2" and Apple just announced a new comedy starring Owen Wilson.
