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Golf is a sport with deep custom, but it surely’s not precisely recognized by casuals for heart-pounding pleasure. For a lot of, the phrase conjures photos of unique nation golf equipment, crisp polo shirts and a chilly Arnold Palmer — not the type of high-energy spectacle that retains followers on the sting of their seats.
Chad Mumm, govt producer of Full Swing, founding father of Professional Store and bonafide golf nut, is nicely conscious of this enduring picture drawback.
“I feel golf has historically been seen as a gentleman’s sport, typically related to wealth,” Mumm says. “There’s additionally been a notion that skilled golfers are both robotic or simply plain boring.”
Given these associations, golf won’t appear the plain selection for a success Netflix docuseries. But, that is exactly what Mumm has delivered with Full Swing.
Now coming into its third season, Full Swing gives an immersive look contained in the world {of professional} golf, very like Drive to Survive did for F1. This similarity is not coincidental. Mumm credit a lot of the success of the present to his collaboration with Drive to Survive creators Paul Martin and James Reese, founders of Field to Field Movies.
“They don’t seem to be large golf followers,” Mumm says, “however they know learn how to have interaction viewers and draw them in.”
He believes that revealing the internal workings of any professional sport makes for compelling storytelling, no matter folks’s preconceived notions. Actually, Mumm thinks the general public’s notion of golf as “boring and gradual” labored within the present’s favor, because it made the intimate moments with athletes all of the extra shocking.
“You wish to create a present that appeals to a broad viewers, not simply die-hard golf followers,” he says. “This present is for individuals who love actuality TV or fascinating sports activities documentaries.”
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That being mentioned, there is a quickly rising viewers for golf content material, which Mumm attributes to COVID-19 when many individuals picked up a membership for the primary time. The game has gained traction on platforms like YouTube and Instagram, with impartial creators main the best way. It is now experiencing a cultural renaissance, with celebrities embracing golf publicly on social media.
On high of that, golf’s by no means been simpler to strive. From hitting balls on a digital simulator to hitting up your native Prime Golf, the game is extra accessible than ever to the widespread particular person. Due to this, the viewers for golf is more and more various, one thing Mumm believes is “wholesome” for the sport. It additionally means the circumstances for golf content material have by no means been higher, and Mumm is able to capitalize.
His firm, Professional Store, not too long ago introduced a brand new studio division, which is able to co-produce the upcoming Adam Sandler movie “Blissful Gilmore 2”, a sequel to what’s inarguably probably the most iconic golf film of all time. Season 3 of Full Swing begins with an unique behind-the-scenes look into the manufacturing of the film.
“The season opens with golfers, often seen competing in tournaments, getting into performing,” Mumm shares.
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In keeping with him, Sandler needed the sequel to his legendary 1996 comedy to really feel extra genuine to the sport it was representing. This resulted within the legendary comedian writing in “27 cameos” {of professional} golfers, talking traces and all, earlier than even reaching out to them to see in the event that they had been .
“Getting all of the golfers collectively on set on the identical time was a problem, but it surely was a simple promote,” Mumm says. “These guys grew up watching Blissful Gilmore and love the film.”
He believes viewers will probably be shocked that these aren’t simply small cameos.
“The golfers have traces, carry out stunts, and put on full wardrobe,” Mumm shares. “They play pivotal roles all through the movie, they usually had a blast.”
Picture Credit score: Full Swing
Looking for to capitalize on the cultural momentum, Professional Store is launching The Self-importance Index, a brand new podcast hosted by Mumm and Bachelor Nation fan-favorite Wells Adams. The present unpacks the ever-expanding crossover between Hollywood and golf, providing behind-the-scenes moments from Full Swing‘s newest season, movie star golf tales, and debates on which A-listers are inflating their handicap.
This sort of cross-promotion aligns with Mumm’s bigger imaginative and prescient for his golf ventures. His holding firm, Professional Store Holdings, spans all the pieces from content material to commerce.
“We’re constructing a universe the place golf is greater than only a sport — it is a way of life,” Mumm says.
Beginning an organization from scratch isn’t any straightforward feat, however Mumm takes on the problem with over a decade of expertise at Vox, the place he helped form the digital media powerhouse.
“Vox was nice at setting the usual, ensuring their manufacturers had been best-in-class with out compromising simply because they had been digital,” says the Professional Store founder. “That relentless dedication to high quality storytelling set a excessive bar, and I’ve carried that with me to Full Swing.”
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He credit Vox CEO Jim Bankoff as a key mentor, instructing him learn how to “construct an organization that lives as much as dream job expectations” and “be extraordinarily aggressive at successful your class.”
With the Netflix present in Full Swing (get it?) and the upcoming Blissful Gilmore sequel, golf followers are in a golden age of content material.
“All the popular culture ecosystem is shifting in direction of golf,” Mumm says. “Professional Store is designed to be the middle of that universe, particularly for the following era of golfers.” Suffice it to say, the golf green appears to be like greener than ever for golf fanatics.
