American channels like Good Good Golf and No Laying Up are pulling audiences that are boasting impressive numbers.
Good Good has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, while the broader creator ecosystem is generating billions of golf video views. In a recent 90-day window alone, golf content on YouTube was watched more than 4 billion times.
That scale has become simply impossible for the industry to ignore.
Sponsors certainly haven’t. Equipment brands that once spent millions on tournament, tour and tour pro brand deals are increasingly redirecting budgets into creator partnerships worth a fraction of the cost, often for stronger engagement.
Creators like Rick Shiels, No Laying Up, and Good Good are not just reviewing gear or filming challenges. They are all playing a part in shaping what modern golf looks like. Hoodies, bucket hats, match-play challenges and on-course banter is rivalling the traditional coverage for a younger audience that wants bite-sized content riddled with personality as much as performance.
“Older audiences still watch live broadcasts. Younger fans often see the same moments clipped and remixed on TikTok or Instagram within minutes.”
Golf content is no longer just about scoring. Lifestyle, humour, and access are prevailing themes the new generation is indulging in. A good shot is clipped, shared, memed and replayed from YouTube to Instagram to Tik Tok and beyond.
Two-time major winner Bryson DeChambeau has essentially rebranded himself by building a YouTube audience of more than 2.7 million subscribers while still competing at the top level. The PGA Tour to its credit has lent into social-first formats as it tries to keep the pace with younger fans who are increasingly watching highlights rather than full rounds.
Traditional golf still holds plenty of weight, just not week to week like it once did.
Majors remain the sport’s anchor events. Final rounds of events like the Masters still attract well over 10 million TV viewers. Broadcasters continue to spend hundreds of millions a year for PGA Tour rights alone.
The difference is how fragmented attention has become. Older audiences still watch live broadcasts. Younger fans often see the same moments clipped and remixed on TikTok or Instagram within minutes.
That shift is reshaping everything from equipment trends to fashion. What players wear and what clubs become “must-have” often now starts online, driven by creators rather than tour pros. Brands like Malbon have built followings largely outside the traditional tour structure, barring a scattering of Tour pros being on their books.
Golf is living in both the creator and tour worlds at once, and it is worth embracing, because the game needs both.
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