Today, on Wednesday, August 28, the who’s who of golf creators will face off at the first-ever Creator Classic—a sixteen-player tournament streamed live for all the world to see. Hosted by the PGA TOUR (capitalized for reasons unbeknownst to me), the event will kick off the TOUR Championship (again, I don’t know, I’m just trying not to get sued).
The significance of this event is… not nothing. The TOUR Championship is the finale of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, where the top thirty PGA golfers compete for the season title at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The TOUR’s decision to not only live stream the Creator Classic on their own channels, but dedicate the same quality of coverage, is evidence of an overwhelming shift we’re seeing across the sport—all for entertaining golf and entertaining golf for all.
It’s likely that many purist golf fans won’t know the participants in the classic from Adam. But for those well-versed in YouTube Golf, it was inevitable the PGA would be forced to address its overwhelming popularity sooner or later. Just this July, an article was published in the Athletic titled: “YouTube golf is taking over. Will the PGA Tour ‘like and subscribe’?”. The Creator Classic seems to be a definitive answer.
One of the driving factors behind YouTube Golf’s rise in popularity is an ability to make the sport accessible like never before. Unlike the pros, these creators regularly shatter the fifth wall—bringing the audience along for the highs and lows of every round. You’re not only in their cart, you’re in their crew, inside the action and inside the jokes. And when one video ends, the only thing standing between you and another is a 30-second ad for Golf Galaxy (er, I mean, PGA TOUR Superstore). Point is, the golf content is limitless—pumped out in droves by everyone and anyone, scratch to high handicappers alike.
This movement toward a more casually approachable golf culture is great for brands like us. It’s why we got into the business in the first place. Inclusivity, anti-tradition, shirts with little chickens all over them. It’s a little loud, a little colorful and a lot different than your standard country club look. We’re not for everyone because we are for everyone… if that makes sense.
What’s cool about events like the Creator Classic is that they provide the opportunity for brands like us to bridge the gap (for our little chickens to cross the road, if you will). The personality behind our polos isn’t always the easiest sell for professional golfers. But these creators, conversely, are all about personality. They’re building content around the game, but it’s the ability to relate to an everyday audience that skyrockets them from just another fresh face into a star of the sport.
So how do we fit into all of this? Enter, Dude Perfect’s Tyler Toney—a beloved beard on the Mount Rushmore of YouTube’s founding fathers and, as the group’s resident golfer, a participant in the PGA TOUR Creator Classic.
We won’t bore you with the details but, thanks to Sparky, DP member and longtime friend of the brand, we had an opportunity to outfit Toney for the event. It’s a lesson in the power of the very connections that exist at the core of everything we do. (…And that, kids, is how we met the PGA TOUR).
Fun stuff, right? Catch Dude Perfect (and Waggle) in the Creator Classic live Wednesday, August 28 on the PGA TOUR YouTube Channel, Peacock, ESPN+ and a laundry list of additional streaming services you may or may not have ever heard of.