YouTube Golf has taken over the golf media landscape the past of couple years.
While dominated primarily by YouTube-native brands and creators like No Laying Up, Good Good, Bob Does Sports, Grant Horvat, etc., pro golfers have entered the fold.
Bryson DeChambeau has given the modern pro golfer the blueprint for what golf can look like beyond tournament play—and I believe others should follow suit, so long as it doesn’t affect their game.
Want to know how much money Bryson makes from YouTube? Here’s our estimate on just ad revenue (not sponsorships or anything else).
Today, we’ll chat about pros and cons of starting a YouTube channel and for whom YouTube is most appropriate (and a few rules and regulations that come with it).
Pros and cons of building a YouTube channel
Before you say, “This is dumb; pro golfers should stick to tournament golf”, answer me this: if your favorite golfer started a YouTube channel documenting their processes, would you tune in?
Chew on that for a bit.
Now, a pro golfer will have to evaluate the risk that comes with building out a media presence, on standard socials or on a video platform like YouTube.
You’re willingly opening yourself up to scrutiny of the public in a more intimate way. Posting pictures from tournaments on your Instagram is very different than giving an audience access to life off the course.
That said …
PROS
The most obvious pro is the community of fans you can build. You can win over only so many people in post-round interviews. You can, however, build a large number of fans by peeling back the curtain on your life, your routines and the habits that have shaped you into the golfer you are.
If it sounds a bit invasive (peeling back the curtain of your life), it can be. But it can also be what you make it. You can post a couple of videos a week, you could post a couple of videos a month—no one makes the rules.
Another pro: optionality post-career. This is less for guys like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and the greats who will really never struggle with money unless they’re wildly irresponsible with it. This is more for those guys who are just cracking the top 100. They’re still making great money but if their career is relatively short, they may not have $10 million sitting in the bank come retirement.
Why media (including YouTube) is a low-risk, high reward option: golf fans will always be interested in the characters and the stories from inside the golf world.
So to reiterate the pros:
- Build a community of fans
- Parlay YouTube into a post-playing career in golf media
- Monetize being yourself while playing golf
This is why I love media. While it requires a good bit of work, when you have an audience, you can make money by simply being yourself online. Talk about what interests you, do what interests you and make money doing it.
CONS
It’s simple. Building a channel takes time and it puts you further into the spotlight. If you want to live a quieter life out of the spotlight, maybe don’t start a YouTube channel (but maybe also don’t be the best in the world at golf because that’ll do it to you, too).
Here are a few basic cons:
- Filming time
- Mental energy
- Narrative storytelling
- Possible travel
All of this has to replace something: practice, time with family, rest, recovery, etc.
Of course, if a golfer simply vlogged their typical day of practice, training, rest, recovery, etc., then they don’t have to sacrifice too much. They just have to start thinking about telling a good story each time they’re out there being filmed which can be taxing. And if a golfer is in their prime, they may be better suited to just practice.
Another major con: If you start a channel and then you struggle on the course, you open yourself up to serious scrutiny. Every video you make will be flooded with comments of “you should be practicing,” “couldn’t hit these shots when it mattered most,” “stop playing around on YouTube and practice your putting.” That said, no player is immune to that even on their socials.
YouTube simply gives people a deeper look into the day-to-day if that’s how you’ve positioned your channel.
The PGA Tour has media rights rules that limit what can go on a player’s personal channel. Let’s break that down.
What can be shared and monetized on YouTube
Players can share and earn YouTube revenue and sponsorship dollars from:
- Practice rounds
- Individual non-tournament rounds
- Course previews
- Travel days, workouts, recovery, routines
- Equipment breakdowns
- Strategy talk without showing live competition shots
- Behind-the-scenes storytelling
This content doesn’t compete with the TV product so it’s good to go.
What cannot be share or monetized on YouTube
Players cannot:
- Upload live tournament rounds
- Post replay clips of broadcast shots
- Share hole-by-hole competition footage
- Repackage broadcast content with commentary
- Participate in unauthorized events
Basically, if someone could substitute watching the standard broadcast with watching your YouTube channel, it’s a no-go.
And if you are playing in a televised/streamed, paid-for golf competition operated outside of the Tour, that is also not allowed.
This means players actually have to create new content. They can’t poach from already recorded broadcasts and use that as their own. Hence, the time con.
However, it’s a common misconception that Tour players can’t have their own YouTube channel. They can do exactly what someone like Bryson does.
So should pro golfers have YouTube channels or not?
I’ll give you the classic, it depends …
If you’re in your prime on the golf course, a top 50-ish player and an earner on Tour, it may benefit you to remained focused on golf performance.
If you are on Tour, making decent money, but may not be primed for superstardom, and you might be interested in business and a career in golf after your playing career, start a YouTube channel. People crave information from the inner golf world. These guys can find ways to be themselves, continue to golf, meet movers and shakers in the golf industry, and monetize it.
It helps to be entertaining—but even if you’re not a DeChambeau-level entertainer, you have knowledge and expertise that people want. So share it with the people, have fun with it, make some money.
Max Homa has created a community of fans through his engagement on Twitter but after his appearance on Grant Horvat’s channel, he has YouTube calling his name, too.
So start a channel:
- For future career optionality/financial security
- To build a larger fan base
Do not start a channel:
- If you don’t want the spotlight after your career
- If you don’t want to use it to support a career in golf (post-playing career)
Now tell me: Would you follow along with your favorite golfer if they created a YouTube channel?
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