“I want to keep my personal life and my wife and family out of it,” said Justin Thomas on the Throwbacks podcast, making it clear he’s not exactly thrilled about the cameras following him everywhere. The two-time Major winner is one of several players feeling uneasy about the level of access granted by Netflix’s Full Swing—a docuseries the PGA Tour greenlit in response to a drop in viewership. With fan engagement slipping, the Tour hoped to reignite interest by showcasing the raw, behind-the-scenes lives of its stars. And while the show has been a hit with audiences, not every player is on board with how personal the spotlight has become.

Joel Dahmen, the guy who’s just as likely to crack a joke as he is to make a clutch birdie putt, was all over Full Swing—and his ride to fame has been a crazy one. Recently, on Episode 8 of the podcast Quiet Please! With Mel and Kira, he sat down and reflected on what it’s been like to have his life broadcast to millions of fans. “I guess I never thought I would be this popular from a TV show,” Dahmen admitted. “I certainly thought it’d be from hopefully winning golf tournaments, but that wasn’t quite the case.” And honestly, it’s kind of wild to think about it. Here’s a guy who just wanted to do what he loves—play golf—and the next thing he knows, he’s one of the most talked-about players on the Tour, and the reason being, he’s showing more about his personal life.

What does that kind of popularity look like behind the scenes? It’s a mixed bag. Dahmen was quick to mention how much his life had shifted, especially with the birth of his kid just three weeks before Full Swing hit Netflix. “It was kind of a wild two years,” he said, and no kidding! You’ve got the stress of fatherhood, the pressure of being on an international TV show, and then the game itself not always cooperating. “Time management is not one of my strong suits, so I had to figure that part out,” he joked, giving a relatable spin to what must’ve been an overwhelming time.

But here’s where it gets interesting. As the second season of Full Swing rolled out, Dahmen took a step back. “I just did kind of avoided, as much as I could,” he confessed. There was one sit-down interview where he talked broadly about the game of golf, but that was about it. And why? It’s because the cameras were getting a little too close to home. In past seasons, the show delved deeply into his personal life—the struggles, the challenges—and while it made for compelling TV, Joel Dahmen was less than thrilled to relive those moments.

So, what’s it like to relive all those personal battles on national television, months after you’ve already moved on? Joel Dahmen explains it perfectly: “What you’re seeing on Netflix is just so… I had felt like I had grown up and moved on and had faced a lot of these challenges head-on.” Imagine battling through tough times—feeling like you’re finally on the other side—and then having to watch it all play out again for the world to see. It’s not as easy as it looks, and Dahmen admits that after a while, the constant reminders of past struggles can get a little draining.

But, he says, it’s part of the deal when you sign up for Full Swing. “At some point, it gets a little bit tiring with the social media or just some of the questions of, ‘Oh, you know, you got to do this, you got to do that.’” Honestly, who wouldn’t feel that way? He’s over those challenges, and yet people still expect him to keep rehashing them on social media. But don’t get it twisted—Dahmen’s not all complaints. He’s got the perspective now: “I’m a happier golfer, I would say, and enjoying day-to-day life more in the process of it all.” And you can see that in his game. The guy is settling in, finding balance, and showing everyone that, behind all the fame, he’s just a dad who loves golf. In the 2025 season, he had two top 10 finishes of T9 and T6.

The ups and downs of Full Swing and the future of the PGA Tour

Netflix’s Full Swing made a massive splash when it first dropped in 2023, racking up over 53 million hours watched and turning casual fans into armchair insiders overnight. But Season 2 didn’t quite replicate the magic—viewership dropped to 28.5 million hours, a 46%  decline signaling some fatigue with the off-course drama. Still, Netflix isn’t backing down, already greenlighting a third season and betting that the PGA Tour’s behind-the-scenes chaos still has more stories to tell.

So, what does all this mean for the PGA Tour moving forward? Well, Full Swing has brought a lot of eyeballs to the sport, no doubt about it. But with players like Thomas and Dahmen expressing their reservations, it’s clear that the balance between keeping things real and maintaining privacy is tricky. The Tour’s efforts to boost engagement through more intimate documentaries and fan access are working, but they come with challenges, especially when those cameras start digging a little too deep.

In the end, it’s about finding that sweet spot between engaging fans and respecting players’ personal boundaries. The future of the PGA Tour is likely going to lean more into storytelling, more access, and maybe even more seasons of Full Swing. But for guys like Dahmen, it’s a wild ride—one that’s made him a fan favorite, but also one that’s required a lot of adjustment. And as for the fans? Well, we’re all in for the ride, just hoping to see more of the great golf and real-life moments that come with it.

What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments!