With the professional golf tours quiet this off season feels busier than most. The sports world has decidedly taken golf’s “silly season” a little more seriously this year with side bets and made-for-tv competitions taking centerstage. Yes, Skratch’s parent company Pro Shop is leading the charge on the reboot of The Skins Game and we’ll be eagerly awaiting dispatches from the Tito’s Shorties Classic down in Austin—and before you know it, it’ll be time to queue up Tiger’s Hero World Challenge and the underrated Grant Thornton PGA/LPGA collab team event. And while there’s no shortage of access to our favorite pros, so many winter-prone golf fans experience an uptick of couch time where weekend tee times once lived.
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So switch up the dreaded post-Thanksgiving tradition of riding out your uncle’s “scientifically proven” tryptophan lecture and dive into the deep, cozy rabbit hole that is YouTube Golf. We don’t have to tell you how much YouTube Golf has exploded in the last few months, if you’re online at all you’ve no-doubt seen just how far-reaching this genre has become. It’s no longer a dark corner of the web rife with grainy swing tips or context-less clips existing in silos, but high-production, drama-packed programming that has become can’t-miss viewing. The pros are getting involved, celebs and athletes from other sports flow in and out, budgets are packed—there is a genre of YouTube out there for everyone.
Whether you’re viewer one on every new YouTube golf video that goes live or have some catching up to do, this holiday season is the perfect time to spiral into the creator universe. Here are a few of our favorite YouTube Golf rabbit holes to dive into.
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No Laying Up (Tourist Sauce & Strapped)
Full bias on the table: I am a massive fan of No Laying Up. I was one of their first 500 Twitter followers, and haven’t stopped following since. With that being said, I think they make the best content you can find on YouTube—specifically with their Tourist Sauce and Strapped series. When you mix the courses they visit, their sense of humor, and the production value they bring to the table, they are great place for anyone to start when looking for a golf video to watch.
Tourist Sauce
Tourist Sauce was a first-of-its-kind when it came to golf on YouTube. There were plenty of people out there making golf-centric content, but not in this way. Across nine seasons, they have (literally) traveled the globe showcasing some of the best courses the world has to offer—Bandon Dunes, Royal Melbourne—while also showcasing while also showcasing hidden gems like Pacific Grove, affectionately known as “Poor Man’s Pebble.”
Beyond the courses, you feel like you’re joining five friends on the trip of a lifetime. It’s the rare series that captures both the beauty of golf and the camaraderie that keeps us coming back.
Where to Watch: All nine seasons are on the No Laying Up YouTube Channel
Where newcomers should start: Season 4: Ireland
Worth a rewatch even if you’ve seen it before: Season 5: Carolinas
Strapped
What would a golf trip look like if you and your buddy only had $500 to spare? This is the premise that Big Randy and Neil (along with D.J. Pie behind the camera) set out to explore. It is essentially the antithesis of Tourist Sauce. They showcase the part of golf that 99% of players experience on a daily basis, where most of the tee times come in sub-$50 and with fairways sometimes looking more like the first cut of rough, you get a realistic look at what a buddies trip would look like on a budget.
Throughout the series, the two are always chasing the mythical “Mega Bonus”—an extra $500 added to their budget if either of them breaks par during one of the three rounds. It adds just the right amount of stakes and silliness.
This series made me fall back in love with golf. As a competitive golfer for most of my life, you can lose sight of why you started playing the game in the first place, and the boys over at NLU capture this perfectly.
Where to Watch: Find the full series on the No Laying Up YouTube Channel
Where newcomers should start: Season (Iowa)
Worth a rewatch even if you’ve seen it before: Strapped (Southern California ft. Max Homa)
Masters Final Round Replays
Very similar to the USGA, the folks over at Augusta National have quietly been demolishing the field when it comes to the content they produce, both during the week of their tournament, and the rest of the year.
I think the best of this comes in the form of their full final round broadcasts. Last Christmas, after my dad and I had finished watching “A Christmas Story” for the sixth time that day, we turned on the final round replay of the 2019 Masters and relived Tiger’s back-nine march for his 15th major. Listening to Nance take us through every step of the drama that was on a cold winter morning is about as good as holiday comfort viewing gets.
Where to Watch: The Masters YouTube Channel
Where newcomers should start: 2019 Masters Tournament Final Round Broadcast
Worth a rewatch even if you’ve seen it before: 1997 Masters Final Round Broadcast
Bob Does Sports
I was introduced to Bob Does Sports through his podcast “The Brilliantly Dumb Show.” At its inception, it was a fun look at two buddies that represented most of the population of the golfing world, especially post covid. However, the show definitely took a big step forward after adding Fat Perez (Nick Stubbe) to the group. Your prototypical scratch golfer, FP brought that missing piece that I think the Bob and Cold Cuts were missing from the jump.
I am not typically someone that is a fan of videos centered around challenges (i.e how many beers can we drink in 9 holes), but there is just something about watching these three make their way around the golf course that makes it endlessly entertaining. Where I think this group truly shines is in their matches against PGA Tour players, especially the one with Max Homa.
Where to Watch: Bob Does Sports YouTube Channel
Where newcomers should start: The Greatest Golf Match in YouTube History (Bob Does Sports vs Max Homa)
Worth a rewatch even if you’ve seen it before: NFL QB’S CHALLENGED US TO A MATCH! (Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Kyle Allen)
Fore Play Golf
With their recent work surrounding the Internet Invitational, it is hard to deny the powerhouse that is Barstool Sports. Fore Play has been a consistent force in both the podcast game and on YouTube for the better part of 5 years. Their content spans far and wide from collaborations with the biggest stars in YouTube golf (and golf in general) to fun travel series akin to Tourist Sauce from No Laying Up.
A must watch for me over the last couple years has been their “Breaking 100” series centered around Trent’s search to better his golf game. He has since broken 100, 90, and is currently in search of breaking 85. As someone who is obsessed with the golf swing, watching him work with swing coach John Tillery. I think everyone would learn a thing or two by just watching these videos alone.
Where to Watch: Fore Play Golf YouTube Channel
Where newcomers should start: Trent Breaking 100 Series – Episode 1
Worth a rewatch even if you’ve seen it before: Kevin Kisner Vs. The Fore Man Scramble (Pinehurst #2)Fore Play Golf
The Internet Invitational
A collaboration between the previous two names on this list, Fore Play and Bob Does Sports combined their powers like the Avengers to produce maybe the best series of videos YouTube golf has seen. No matter if you are a fan of the characters in the competition, you have to respect the work that went into making this come to life.
I came into this series thinking it would contain a lot of what I don’t like about YouTube golf, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. From Luke Kwon missing his tee time in the first episode, to Watergate-level investigations into deciding if the slope feature was enabled on Malosi’s rangefinder or, there is drama around every corner.
Where to watch: Internet Invitational YouTube Channel
Rick Shiels Golf
If YouTube Golf had a godfather, it’d be Rick Shiels. Long before anyone in the golf space paid any mind to the YouTube world, Rick was in the bay grinding—reviewing clubs and delivering his ultra-approachable golf instruction we’ve all benefited from whether we’re subscribers or not. What’s kept him relevant is that he’s never stopped evolving and the production has leveled up without losing that genuine feel. Rick has always been just your golf-intelligent buddy who is there to help hit it better if you just sit down and listen. With almost 25 years of content, there’s a lot of different rabbit holes to find but we’d recommend equipment deep dives or “break my score” challenges at the very least.
Where to Watch: Rick Shiels Golf YouTube Channel
Where newcomers should start: Breaking 75 at St. Andrews (Old Course)
Worth a rewatch even if you’ve seen it before: I bought the World’s longest golf driver – does it work?
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Bryson DeChambeau
Everything about Bryson DeChambeau is a rabbit hole of information, let’s be honest. He’s known for out-of-the-box thinking, over-analysis of every minute detail the swing has to offer and damn, can he hit a golf ball. His YouTube channel has taken a moment to find its swing but the chaotic moments along the way are pure entertainment. We’re not surprised that the pro that gamefies literally everything figured out how to hack YouTube golf success meter, too.
Where to Watch: Bryson Dechambeau YouTube Channel
Where newcomers should start: I Challenged Phil Mickelson to a 9 Hole Match
Worth a rewatch even if you’ve seen it before: A Week on Tour
Now this is by no means a comprehensive list of YouTube Golf channels—and that’s the beauty of this genre. Beyond the big names there are dozens and dozens of niches in this content space. Like the game of golf, it’s able to be mainstream and personal all in one breath. The fact that there is more great storytelling, competition, and pure joy in this corner of YouTube than you can possibly watch in a single offseason is the best possible scenario for golf fans.
So this holiday season, when the house quiets down and you are eyeing that second piece of pie, throw on a replay, a travel episode, or a buddies-trip vlog. You might end up laughing, or—if you’re anything like me—remembering exactly why you fell in love with this game in the first place.
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