Whilst the golfing world’s attention will be on thirty of the best players in the world at the PGA Tour’s season ending Tour Championship, a special tournament took place at Eastlake the day before all of the action kicked off.
Billed as the Creator Classic, this special exhibition event invited 16 of the most popular golf influencers and content creators to play the back nine of Eastlake all in the hope of being crowned the inaugural Creator Classic champion.
After all had been said and done, it was Luke Kwon who had his hand raised in victory as he emerged victorious via a playoff. Whilst Kwon’s victory isn’t likely to dramatically alter the path of the game, the event as a whole might do.
It’s no secret that golf viewership figures are in decline and on average this year on the PGA Tour a million less people have tuned in. Golf, like many sports, is in the midst of a crisis in how they try and grab the attention of younger viewers. With younger generations consuming sports in completely different ways to those who grew up with the evolution of TV, the battle to keep the PGA Tour fresh and relevant is well and truly on.
Whilst purists of the game may find the inclusion of YouTube and celebrity stars as potentially damaging to the game, the likelihood is that the Creator Classic is just the start.
Here are just some of the challenges that professional golf tours need to try and overcome.
Golf Has Never Been as Out of Touch With The Everyday Man
It's no secret that golf has always been an expensive sport to play. With green fees often proving to be extortionate, equipment is increasingly rising in price and in order to dedicate time to the game, a player will need to be prepared to spend thousands. Couple this with the fact that the sums that players are playing for on an almost weekly basis are just absurd.
For many, the grace of the game has been lost to greed and the chase for never ending wealth and until both the PGA and LIV Tours can put the element of competition back in focus, golf might struggle to make its way back.
Content Creation is King
Over 1 million people tuned into Wednesday’s Creator Classic, to put that into context, those numbers are higher than any LIV tournament this season and would stack up well amongst some of the biggest PGA events.
If you need to see the power of content creation you need to look no further than Bryson DeChambeau. Once vilified for his quest for distance, DeChambeau was the first professional to dip his toes into the world of content creation and it’s fair to say that since he has started putting out content, the perception of DeChambeau has completely changed.
His official YouTube channel has almost 1.5 million subscribers and his video with Donald Trump has received over 11 million views. To put that into context, only 181,000 people have tuned into the final round of the BMW Championship.
When DeChambeau found himself in the thick of things at the U.S Open it was clear who the gallery’s choice was. With the crowd rooting for him, when he holed his winning putt the crowd was sent into absolute raptures.
DeChambeau’s brilliant content has allowed his personality to shine through and it’s his relatable nature that has really been able to resonate.
YouTube stars have helped make the game relatable.
One of the reasons why YouTube golf has become such a phenomenon is that it allows the everyday fan to see how normal players can tackle some of the best courses around the world.
In the modern professional game, we have become immune to how many birdies and eagles are recorded. The pros are so good they make the game look ridiculously easy.
If you didn’t already know, golf is ridiculously hard and when we get to see non professional players take on courses such as Bay Hill, TPC Sawgrass, Royal Troon and others, it is refreshing to see how these courses are played when a player isn’t a magician with a wedge in his hand or can drive the ball a million miles.
Add the relatable play to a colourful commentary and the footage can be brilliant to watch. Some of the most popular channels across YouTube see their hosts make millions of dollars every year. Although the market has become saturated, it is certainly showing no signs of stopping.
Two Worlds Look Set to Collide
One of the problems that golf currently has, is that it can fail to move the needle. Strokeplay can at times lack excitement and although the golfing purists love it, it can often make for a lack of entertainment.
Despite Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Rory McIlroy all being superb players, none can boast the star power of Tiger Woods in his pomp and it’s fair to say that both the PGA and LIV Tours are struggling to attract players that help move the needle.
Often accused of being robotic machines, the game lacks characters but that is where the world of YouTube can come to play.
Across the nine holes of the Creator Classic, there were big crowds and an energy around Eastlake which was missing during the first round of competitive play.
The Creator Classic produced a product that was high quality. The playing was good, but there was colour, there was personality and more importantly it looked fun.
Many sports like golf are trying to follow the lead of Formula 1 who have successfully adapted their product for younger audiences. The Full Swing documentary that has pulled good numbers on NetFlix has helped break down some of golf’s walls but more needs to be done.
With the success of the Creator Classic you can bet that next year, we may see more of the stars of YouTube playing alongside their professional colleagues.
The Creator Classic provided a successful glimpse of what the future of the game could look like, it’s now up to the PGA Tour and other bodies to decide what to do next.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
