With the Tour Championship approaching, the two worlds will finally collide in Atlanta.
The PGA Tour and YouTube Golf are teaming up for the first time to host a challenge called “The Creator Classic.”
This isn’t the first time a Tour event has collaborated with a content creator, but the fact that the Tour produced something like this for Tour Championship Week is significant.
People love this type of entertainment, from The Q in Myrtle Beach to Bryson DeChambeau of LIV Golf taking the YouTube golf channel by storm. There are plenty of popular channels with talented golfers, and they don’t stop there.
The goal is to grow golf, and the inclusion of YouTube Golf helps the Tour reach a much-needed younger demographic.
Some of the most popular golf content creators will compete in nine holes of competition on Wednesday, August 28th at 4pm ET before the top 30 take on the back nine holes of East Lake Golf Club’s newly restored “Golden Age” course.
These creators will face the same course conditions that the Tour Championship pros face.
The event will feature 16 creators, including those already confirmed to take part, including Tyler Toney of Dude Perfect, Fat Perez of Bob Does Sports, The Bryan Bros, Good Good creators Garrett Clark, Brad Dalke and Sean Walsh.
I’m excited to see who else will take part in this challenge, hopefully including Paige Spiranac as she is one of the most followed golf influencers of all time.
Participants will play eight holes in gross stroke play followed by a top four playoff on the final hole.
They will be taking their first official steps on the restored course, and fans will be excited about these challenges and events because these creators are personable and know how to entertain a crowd.
Look at the qualifying success of the Myrtle Beach Classic.
The YouTube video for the preliminary round alone has garnered 981,140 views since it aired three months ago. Combined across all ten videos, the content has garnered 1,327,630 views, a total of 3,423 comments and 17,942 likes.
Those are impressive numbers for a first-time event and it’s great that the PGA Tour wants to have fun with these content creators at the Tour Championship.
The event will be streamed live on the PGA Tour’s YouTube channel, Peacock and ESPN+ and will also be broadcast on the Tour Channel on PlutoTV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi and XUMO.
The PGA Tour has partnered with Pro Shop Studios, the production company behind Netflix’s “Full Swing,” to handle local production and broadcast production.
“Golf is exploding in popularity,” Pro Shop founder and president Chad Mumm said in the release. “For many young people, we’re seeing big stars emerge from YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. The Creator Classic will bring the brightest of these rising stars to golf’s biggest stage, giving them the chance to compete in a PGA TOUR environment in front of fans at the venue and around the world.”
One of the first new projects from Pro Shop Studio, we’re inviting some of the best golf YouTube creators to get behind the ropes and compete in the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake. https://t.co/O7QwpZX0sb
— Chad Mumm (@chadmumm) July 29, 2024
“The combination of these creators, each with millions of loyal fans, with the PGA TOUR’s unmatched competitive atmosphere, production values and massive reach promises to deliver a groundbreaking event unlike any other in golf.”
Mumm is absolutely right. This event has the potential to reach record levels in views and reach. If the Tour wants as many people as possible to watch their programming, collaborating with YouTube Golf is a great start.
Creator Classic will be broadcast in standard broadcast quality. ShotLink scoring and data will be provided. Trackman will be used for shot tracing and on-screen graphics. These additional features will allow fans to see Creators’ prowess in a Tour-like setting.
A host will be present in the booth and broadcast talent will be covering the on-course action to give fans a comprehensive package, while attendees will also be filming and sharing content throughout the nine holes.
The best part is that anyone with a ticket to the Tour Championship on Wednesday will get to watch The Creator Classic.
I love this idea because it shows the PGA Tour can adapt to golf’s ever-changing landscape, and hopefully the Creator Classic will become an annual event, or even one that takes place several times throughout the year.
The more attention golf gets, the more it will grow, and I can’t wait to see what the pro shops and the PGA Tour create.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.