A Guide to Golf YouTube: The Creators Changing the Game
Over the past decade, YouTube has become one of the biggest places to watch and learn golf. Here is a guide to the different kinds of golf channels, and why so many fans follow them.
Why golf works on YouTube
Golf has a lot of natural story: head-to-head matches, hole-by-hole drama, difficult shots and recognisable courses. Cameras are now cheap enough to follow a round from start to finish, and creators have found formats that work for people who have never watched a tour event: friendly matches, challenges and "can a beginner beat a pro?" scenarios.
Instruction channels
The first big wave of golf creators were coaches and club professionals who explained how to hit the ball better. Channels such as Rick Shiels Golf and Peter Finch Golf grew by mixing lessons with equipment reviews and course vlogs, and they now reach audiences in the hundreds of thousands to millions of subscribers.
Entertainment and challenge groups
A second wave focused on personalities. Groups like Good Good, Bryan Bros Golf, Bob Does Sports and Fore Play Golf make match-play episodes, team challenges and travel videos where the story matters as much as the golf. In the UK, Big Wedge Golf brought together well-known creators from other corners of YouTube who play golf together. A lot of these groups share a channel, which is why in our Guess the YouTube Golfer game several creators have the same channel clue.
Creators who are also elite players
Some of the most-watched players are genuinely high-level golfers who turned to content, such as former college stars and professionals like Brad Dalke, Kyle Berkshire and Luke Kwon. They show what real tour-level play looks like in a relaxed setting, and they often sit at the top of the handicap leaderboards.
How creators are ranked
Because every golfer has a published handicap, fans have built leaderboards ranking creators by ability. The top spots are held by players with plus handicaps, meaning they are better than scratch, while the list stretches all the way to players who happily play off 20 or more. It makes a handy way to compare the creators you watch against each other.
Four clues, one mystery creator
Our Guess the YouTube Golfer game turns this world into a daily puzzle. Each day there is one mystery creator, and each guess reveals how close you are in country, handicap, subscribers, age and channel. If you guess someone on the same channel as the mystery creator, the channel square turns green, which is a good way to work out a group such as Good Good or Big Wedge Golf.
Tips for the daily YouTube puzzle
- Start with a well-known creator to get a rough idea of subscribers and handicap.
- Use the country clue early, since it narrows the field fast.
- If channel turns green, think about which other creators share it.
- Use the arrows: they tell you whether the mystery creator has a higher or lower number.
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