Two weeks ago, LIV Golf made a splash in the YouTube space by signing Rick Shiels. It was a shrewd decision for LIV to pick the man with the most subscribers of any golf brand on the platform, and he’ll now be pumping out content that could end up being significantly more compelling than watching an actual LIV tournament.
The move confirmed what we all know by now—the scuffling circuits of the PGA Tour and LIV are scrambling to invest in YouTube golf where fans are flocking for on-demand entertainment. Whether that is the Tour expanding the Creator Classic concept or LIV pushing its players to compete in skills challenges on Shiels’ channel, it’s officially a race to connect with an audience that has been leaving traditional golf broadcasts in favor of commercial-free, personality-driven golf content.
Now the next domino has fallen.
Good Good, one of the Goliaths in YouTube golf, has announced its acquisition of an ownership stake in Los Angeles Golf Club, one of six teams in TGL.
“We can’t wait to showcase this partnership through new content, collaborations, and competitive play that pushes the boundaries of the sport,” their statement read.
LA Golf Club consists of Tour players Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood. One would assume that we’ll be seeing the Good Good team produce content with these players.
Good Good already shot a highly entertaining video of a match using the TGL technology inside of SoFi Arena in Florida. The video has more than 1.1 million views as of this post—that is more views than any of the four TGL matches between professional golfers, which were broadcast on ESPN.
Why does this mean anything?
If you came across this news scrolling through social media, you probably wouldn’t think much of it.
Personally, I think this move—along with LIV signing Shiels—signals the official start of a new era in professional golf.
Yes, we have seen the Tour and LIV dip their toes in the YouTube golf space. The Tour established a Creator Council a few months ago, in addition to building on its successful Creator Classic at East Lake last August. LIV’s format and lack of media restrictions has allowed players like Bryson DeChambeau (and now Phil Mickelson) to heavily invest in the platform.
Now we are getting into new territory as YouTube golf brands are picking sides.
TGL is a Tour asset. The 24 players competing in it are all Tour players. The two players who pushed it forward—Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy—are the Tour’s leading voices.
Good Good’s investment in TGL not only boosts the hopes of that product—which has been a mixed bag four weeks into its debut season—but it screams that we will be seeing more Good Good/Tour collaboration moving forward.
There is no doubting Good Good’s popularity. At more than 1.7 million subscribers, the brand brings a youthful energy and attracts a younger demographic the Tour desperately needs.
The group has experienced a lot of turnover as the likes of Grant Horvat and Micah Morris have set out on their own—and competition is much stiffer than it was a few years ago as they started to dominate—but Good Good still has a lot of influence.
The Tour wants its players being introduced to younger fans. It wants people to tune into the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am because they saw Rory McIlroy in a YouTube video.
Here is my feeling on all of this: I think we are rapidly moving into a time period where golf entertainment becomes more decentralized.
I’m not suggesting professional golf will disintegrate into nothing. Fans will still rally around the majors and convene for back nine Sunday viewing when the stars align. Ratings are in a bad place and the TV product will have to adapt to keep it from falling further—but there is enough corporate sponsorship and support to keep it going.
Perhaps—and this is a big ask—some of those viewers will carry over to watching their favorite pro golfers on TV.
But that is just going to be one of the places fans go to be entertained.
The options will grow. Players and OEMs will take more authority of their own content, with the help of previously established brands like Good Good and Shiels. More Tour and LIV stars will be watched on standalone videos than during the second round of a random event in June.
Golf is becoming more a la carte. If you love Morikawa, there will be several places to find him play golf that are more appetizing than sitting through the five-hour first round of the Valspar Championship.
For example, take this 21-minute TaylorMade video of Fleetwood and Morikawa playing nine holes against each other at Pebble Beach last week. This is brilliant content. It’s quick, insightful and shows off their personalities.
Now Fleetwood and Morikawa will have the opportunity to do similar things with Good Good, introducing themselves to teenagers who might not be familiar with them.
That is where the game is headed. And that is where the Tour and LIV are headed.
For YouTube creators, it’s access to the best players. For the leagues, it’s displaying their talent in an engaging way.
Don’t be surprised when more YouTube brands invest in one or the other.
Top Photo Caption: Good Good’s Garrett Clark hits a tee shot during the inaugural Creator Classic. (GETTY IMAGES/Mike Mulholland)