The PGA Tour announced a new “Creator Council” on Friday, hosting up to 10 internet golf personalities in ongoing discussions about potential rule changes and collaboration opportunities, as part of a larger effort to speak to the millions of golf fans not currently engaging with professional events.
In August, the PGA Tour hosted 16 YouTubers at the first Creator Classic, generating more than 5 million views across its own stream and participant posts. The contest doubled the PGA Tour’s record for new YouTube subscribers in a day. The median viewer was 32 years old, according to the organizer, while the average consumer in the PGA Tour’s overall YouTube audience is 37 years old.
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“You can’t help but notice the way that the next generation of fans is engaging with YouTube,” said Andy Weitz, PGA Tour chief marketing & communications officer and EVP for investor relations, who was hired in June. “We want to meet them where they are. We want to understand what’s engaging. We want them to connect with the tour on their own terms so we can all grow together.”
The council body is expected to shift over time, but at launch the tour is working with:
The group will discuss future versions of the Creator Classic, as well as PGA Tour media regulations, event strategies, collaborative content opportunities and broader fan engagement initiatives. The tour has also launched a Fan Forward process that has included speaking to roughly 50,000 consumers about how the pro circuit can adapt to today’s media world.
Lang, whose Random Golf Club has close to 300,000 YouTube subscribers, said only 20-25% of his audience watches pro competitions on TV.
“What these golf creators have done that are part of the Creator Council is that they have made accessible, entertaining, inspirational and educational content,” he said. “Cumulatively, there’s a lot of power in these creators, and that’s obviously why we have a seat at the table.”
Spiranac alone has more Instagram followers than Tiger Woods.
Golf is unique among American sports, given the game generates an estimated $100 billion in economic activity in the U.S. annually from more than 40 million participants. That bottom-up formulation has given leverage to the creators speaking to everyday players.
Many have turned those connections into brand deals and merchandise businesses. Steele reportedly led the Creator Classic field with nine partnerships, including tie-ups with Mastercard and United Airlines. Barstool golf personalities even landed in PGA Tour 2k23 as playable characters.
But as they seek continued growth, those personalities can still benefit from what the PGA Tour has to offer—a global stage, access to pro stars and big events, and connections with other businesses.
“It feels like there’s an agreement that’s not been spoken about or written about,” Lang said. “It’s not in the press release. It’s essentially this agreement that, ‘Hey, we need each other.’”
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