My middle son is 14 and typical of the audience. He loves playing golf, off single figures now. He loves watching golf, particularly big tournaments such as the Masters. Staying up last year to watch McIlroy’s win was probably the highlight of his life to date. But unless it is a big tournament, and/or his favourite players are in action, he would probably rather be watching YouTube golf.
Something about the combination of instructional content, from which he can glean tips to apply to his own game, tech reviews, engaging challenges and fun social matches – usually somewhere appealingly warm while we are in the depths of winter in the UK – just appeals to him.
“Younger fans are tuning in not just because of skill, but because of the vibes,” explains Joe Hills of MKTG sports marketing agency. “Scroll through the comments on YouTube and it’s obvious the ‘just like playing golf with your mates’ feeling to the content is what keeps people entertained and coming back for more. These creators are relatable, their content is entertaining and it fits the way Gen Z and Gen Alpha consume media.”
The biggest creators offer slightly different things. My son prefers the Horvat and Bryan Bros (Wesley and George Bryan, the brothers behind one of golf’s first channels) end of the spectrum. They are all seriously handy golfers who can illustrate the difference between top amateurs and professionals but in a fun way.