Home Consumer Want To See The Future Of Golf? It’s Happening On YouTube.

Want To See The Future Of Golf? It’s Happening On YouTube.

Rick Shiels is one of the founding stars of the YouTube golf community. (Tasos Katopodis/For The Washington Post)

Back before all of this — before all the followers, the videos, the acclaim — Rick Shiels was just an anonymous golf pro in Manchester, England, trying to drum up some business. Clean-shaven and fresh-faced, he turned to YouTube and posted videos with swing tips in hopes of attracting new clients.

“If you asked me what I did for a living, I’d tell you, ‘I’m a golf coach,’” Shiels explained, “because I’ll be honest, I was quite embarrassed to say I’m a YouTuber. At the time it was quite a stigma; it wasn’t a positive statement.”

But now, 13 years and 2,500 videos later, for some golf fans, Shiels is more popular, more recognizable and more relevant than many of the world’s best players. He has nearly 3 million YouTube followers. He has a staff of 15. He has sponsors and contracts, including a multiyear deal with LIV Golf, and he was at the forefront of a cottage industry that has changed the way fans engage with the sport.


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