The sport of golf has been on a steady increase in popularity ever since Tiger Woods started to dominate the game. According to the National Golf Foundation, more than one-third of the U.S. population over the age of five played golf (on-course or off-course), followed golf on television or online, read about the game or listened to a golf-related podcast in 2023. This is up 30% since 2016.
With the growth of the game itself, the characteristics of what makes a pro golfer have also evolved. In the 80s and 90s, professional golfers could easily be mistaken for professional bowlers. Today, professional golfers share similar physical traits to other professional athletes – which could be a contributing factor to the sport’s success.
A more measurable reason for golf’s continued rise is the eruption of YouTube golf channels gaining unprecedented followings. Modern fanatics have recently argued that content on YouTube could play a bigger role in growing the game than the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
It’s all in the numbers
Channels like Good Good Golf, Grant Horvath, Rick Shiels, Bob Does Sports, Foreplay Golf and others rack up hundreds of thousands of views and millions of followers. The Good Good Golf channel has 1.48 million subscribers compared to the PGA Tour channel at 1.38 million subscribers.
According to My Golf Spy, “The Tour’s videos average about 85,000 views. There are an average of 34 ‘engagements’ per video, meaning comments or other interactions. Good Good Golf videos are watched an average of 545,000 times. There are 717 engagements per video. The channel is only three years old.”
These metrics are impressive, but the Tour’s main viewership comes from television, which YouTube golfers can’t really compete with. However, the Good Good Open garnered over 670,000 viewers within 24 hours, and that doesn’t even include the viewers on Peacock.
To compare the Good Good Open to the 2024 LIV Golf at Maykoba – which drew one of their highest viewership for their final Sunday round – LIV Golf only had 438,000 viewers. This is a significant difference in views, and it’s worth noting this was Good Good’s first time on television (and it was also a par 3 tournament).
Another added factor is the current riff that has been created between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has rubbed some golf fans the wrong way, pushing them to YouTube golf channels. According to Golf.com, “CBS’s latest report showed that 9.59 million average viewers tuned in to Scottie Scheffler’s Masters Sunday triumph. And even if out-of-home viewing data was down, it doesn’t account for a drop of nearly 2.5 million viewers from Jon Rahm’s 2023 victory.”
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as this trend in golf is similar to the dipping traditional TV ratings across the board. YouTube influencer viewership is up – and it’s not stopping any time soon.
So, what can marketers learn from their success?
You don’t need major media corporations’ backing and production to create quality content. This aligns with Google recently implementing policies that stress the importance of having quality content if you want users to find you. The digital world is prioritizing authentic content.
The people who have created these highly successful golf channels are not just amateur golfers – they are master marketers. They understand the importance of SEO-rich titles and headlines, eye-catching thumbnails and quality descriptions. They are experts in utilizing the YouTube algorithm, reaching their target audience and keeping them on their channels. They also know how to collaborate with other creators, which the PGA Tour and LIV Golf struggle to do. They understand how to cross-promote to bring new users to each of their channels.
YouTube golf is starting to attract the likes of a variety of professionals showing up as guests on their channels. It would not be surprising if both professional golf organizations started to work hand in hand with these golf influencers. With their quality content and digital marketing abilities, they can continue to raise the popularity of the game of golf – and shape the way we view content for years to come.
Ryan Solecki is a Senior Paid Media Specialist at Franco. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
