The PGA Tour has announced the inaugural Creator Classic, a golf tournament featuring popular YouTube personalities, set to take place at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 28th. This unique event brings together 16 top YouTube golfers, including Tyler Toney from Dude Perfect, the Bryan Bros, Fat Perez from Bob Does Sports, and Garrett Clark from Good Good, among others.
The Creator Classic offers a fresh twist on traditional golf tournaments, featuring eight holes of stroke play followed by a playoff hole for the top four finishers. The event coincides with the TOUR Championship, allowing fans with Wednesday tickets to attend both events. It will be broadcast live on Peacock, complete with professional production elements like Trackman shot tracing and ShotLink data.
Pro Shop Studios, a new media company backed by the PGA Tour and led by industry veterans Joe Purzycki and Chad Mumm, will co-produce the event. Their aim is to bridge the gap between the PGA Tour and younger audiences through innovative content and collaborations.
“Golf is experiencing a surge in popularity, with YouTube and social media stars becoming major influencers,” says Pro Shop Studios President Mumm. “This event combines their reach with the PGA Tour’s high-quality production, promising a unique and engaging golf experience.”
The Creator Classic is sponsored by Blackstone, offering essentially free tickets to existing tournament attendees, focusing on connecting with younger golf fans rather than immediate profit. The average PGA Tour fan is 64 years old, according to a 2017 Sports Business Journal study, highlighting the need to attract a younger demographic.
The rise of golf content creators like Rick Shiels and Good Good Golf, who boast millions of YouTube subscribers and monthly views, underscores the potential for reaching new audiences. Good Good Golf’s previous event before the WM Phoenix Open drew 800,000 live viewers and 3,000 spectators, proving the demand for this type of content.
The Creator Classic leverages existing sponsorships and partnerships, with major golf brands like Callaway and TaylorMade supporting the influencers involved. This innovative format reduces production costs and maximizes engagement by allowing creators to share content with their followers.
The Creator Classic is a significant step in the PGA Tour’s strategy to embrace digital platforms and connect with the next generation of golf enthusiasts. By engaging YouTube’s vast audience, the PGA Tour hopes to attract new fans and unite existing ones through this exciting, one-of-a-kind event. The future impact of this initiative remains to be seen, but it sets a precedent for further embracing online golf communities.
This article first appeared on Huddle up
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