Rick Shiels gets HONEST: LIV Golf Backlash & How YouTube Almost Broke Me
Rick Shiels is one of the most influential figures in modern golf media, and a creator who helped redefine what high performance looks like in the digital age. From a small YouTube channel to hundreds of millions of views, Rick has built a career by questioning the traditional pathways to success and proving that creators can perform at the very highest level.
In this episode, Rick sits down with Jake and Damian to explore authenticity, ambition, and the reality behind online growth. He explains why his breakthrough came when he stopped trying to be polished and professional, and instead showed the bad shots, kept first takes, and asked questions he genuinely wanted answered. From testing illegal golf equipment to facing tour pros like Tommy Fleetwood with a 10-shot head start, Rick reveals the simple idea behind his most successful formats.
Rick also opens up about the mental health cost of social media, why stepping away from comments transformed his mood and family life, and how collaboration, even with potential rivals, helped him grow.
This episode is a thoughtful, modern conversation about creativity, balance, and performance in a world where anyone with a phone can become a broadcaster.
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#HighPerformance #golf #LIV #rickshiels #golfing #golfswing #golfer #golflife #rydercup #themasters
Chaptersš
00:00 Intro
00:39 Illegal Golf Clubs
06:11 āFirst Takeā Changed Everything
11:42 Most Watched Video
15:12 MrBeast
18:46 The Cost Of Criticism
21:56 The Darkest Comment Heās Seen
27:35 The LIV Deal Decision
33:03 Protecting Yourself From Backlash
36:20 Saudi Money
38:09 Quitting Alcohol
40:20 What Elite Golfers Have In Common
42:11 Purpose, Competition & US Wave
44:52 Collaborations, Threats & Growth
46:49 Starting From Zero Every Upload
47:46 The Next 5 Years: Media Business Vision
48:13 Quickfire Questions
What makes Rick one of Golf's most impactful entertainers? š¤
Simba š Better performance starts with better sleep. Discover Simba, start your 200-night trial today now:
https://highpfrmc.com/simba-yt
Rick is amazing, great interview
Brilliant episode guys šš
genuinely watched from start to finish – as a big golf fan, this was the insight i never knew i needed to the youtube godfather of golf! well done everyone, brilliant watch!!
Not a fan of LIV golf at all. Havenāt watched a single second of their tourneys. But I rarely miss a Rick Shiels video so thereās that. He brings great content and heās been doing it for a long time. Good for him.
Blah blah blah
I was one of the 30,000 who left Rick's channel when he joined LIV. No hate, he took life changing cash. I would probably have done the same. But hearing him fudge the moral question over Saudi money and morality confirms my decision was the right one.
Rick Shiel is a shill.
Don't listen to the trolls Rick. Keep doing you!
I just wanna say I was one to criticize Rick for going to LIV GOLF, I'm not upset over it anymore and I really enjoy his channel and I'll never stop watching, it's refreshing and raw. Thank you for having him on your show I learned some things about Rick
Get that money Rick ol boy. No need spinning on it. Say I like money and got it! I respect that kind of honesty, do you?
LIV lol not 54 holes now ,72 holes and not 54 players 57 or 59 so it needs a new name , might as well call it the Byron tour because it lives or dies if he resigns or not.
36:23 …. yuck rick… they are doing it to launder their terrible reputation
36:44 hahahahahahaahahahah the saudis want women in golf. lol tell me another one.
Is that guy on the right the dude David Ginola suggested was a tosser on live TV?
I was warming up to Rick with the online abuse he described being hard to cope with. Then Rick was asked how he squared LIV morally and all he had was they want to grow the game of golf. So heās either ignorant of the abuses and murder heās sportwashing or doesnāt care heās actively sportswashing for the regime.
I stopped watching his channel when he took the cash. This confirms that thereās a vacuum at the heart of it.
You went to LIV because you are not good enough to play in the PGA, i understand you like money but only losers are in LIV.
LIV is done, and so is Rick. Great run though(Rick).
Talor Gooch would have a hard time keeping his card on the PGA Tour; and Rick can't say things like that anymore. Bryson is LIV's star, and consistent competitor in Majors. Even Rahm is sputtering, and hopefully he'll get back to his awesome game again this year, outside of the LIV BS, in Majors. But I doubt it. LIV makes these guys, excepting Bryson, soft.
Great video, Great guy Rick!
By the way…. I pay for YT PREMIUM, not to be bothered by adds………. š
I stopped watching after the LIV announcement, not because I donāt like LIV but because the content started aiming at hardcore fans rather than people who liked golf YouTube
Rick, did you consider asking the human rights organisations whether they also think that this Saudi investment in golf "can only be a good thing"? Or the people who they locked up and tortured, or the families of those they executed? Or did you only listen to what "His Excellency" told you?
Rick is great, legend of golf content
Do we want to know the answer, love that
Really enjoyed this š
Rick Shiels is everything that is wrong with content creator golf today. As soon as he announced he was joining LIV I un-subscribed from his channel and i've not watched anything he's been on since, even when he paired with my personal favourite Peter Finch (who is everything right about YT golf). As the poster below mentioned, @jasonphillip1966, he turned 180 degrees as soon as LIV offered some money. He became untrustworthy instantly.
I still watch the H.I.T channel and his comp against Peter Finch videos, and some with James & Guy but the brown nosing……..š¤¦
A few years ago I thought Rick had hit a brick wall and was struggling mentally with maintaining his niche.
BUT..
He did what Rick does best which was seeing the future and grabbing it by the balls.
And now he looks more relaxed again, the master of his own destiny, and totally in control of his life.
And like you said. He looks more and more like the good guy we saw 10+ years ago.
All hail…..šš
I like Rick as a bloke, he is a typical Manchester lad and I can relate to that so It was disappointing when he sold out to LIV and the camel jockeys, people who, without oil, would be fighting wars with each other over an oasis. I unsubbed and didn't go back.
I don't like them and I can't stand people like eddie hearn and others who have sold out their core fan base for greed, and the agenda of getting these people into the western world in the name of globalism, politics I can accept because those involved are as grubby, dirty and unscrupulous as the oil despots but the sports washing is shameful.
Since when were the oil despots interested in sports, apart from horse racing, and they were caught doping horses in that!! There's a bigger agenda to it and the sports that have been built by western nations for decades and longer are now just a tool for very rich people to use and that is wrong.
Watching the boxing in saudi is pathetic, the players who have gone to the saudi league don't care about football, it's just a means to an end for them, but golf was the one for me, you always had an image that golfers were a level above your average footballer with integrity, but money talks, and where there are people who will stop at nothing to get their way are involved the glory is tarnished and it's not about the achievement or legacy anymore.
Ultimately it's access to players, content, views and money – nothing else.
It's up to us as viewers if we tune in – I personally don't watch the LIV stuff as it doesn't interest me !
He always comes across as a decent man and he will live or die by his decisions
I've always liked Rick and his content. Been a subscriber to his channel since the very early days, probably 10 years at this stage.
People complaining about LIV being backed by Saudi Arabia should have a look at the actions that their own governments take. The UK and USA have been committing some of the worst acts imaginable over centuries. No country is without fault. I'm not saying what the Saudis have done is OK. What I am saying is that it's very easy to point the finger without looking in the mirror.
noone cares about the LIV side, the issue i have and always had is he was so against it for a long time and then just went, clearly a money making thing which i dont begrudge
Some of these sponsors are really looking sketchy snake oil sales. Placebo pills, anything health related, it's all very dodgy. Doesn't feel high performance, feels like shopping channel garbage dragging your image down
This one of the most telling interviews I have ever watched. Honest, entertaining, informative and everything else you might want from a podcast. political questions should have been left out however as Rick will take the flak for them. Every country in this world has its dark side. Its only by working together that things will change for the better. Well done Rick. Looking forward to whats coming in 2026. Go for it! šššš
Always been a Rick Shiels fan. Interesting how he navigated some tricky decisions.
being invited to "I'm a celebrity" is a sign of recognition? what the fuck is this world we live in, stupidity on the highest level
Rick fell off after that deal. No one cares what LIV golfers are doing after getting their paycheck. His videos have been horrible since, and the views show I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Why am I paying for YouTube premium and still getting ads inside this video!!!!!!!
I used to love watching Rickās videos, and I was a longtime āClubhouseā member of his podcast. But I canāt bring myself to watch him much after the switch to LIV. Thatās not because I hate LIV or blame the players who took the money to play there. Rather, itās because I just donāt trust or respect Rick like I used to and donāt see him the same way.
Rick made it known from the beginning of LIV that he didnāt really enjoy its productāparticularly the manufactured team element. He was more diplomatic once he realized it might affect his relationships with certain LIV players. But his co-host Guy once tweeted that āLIV is trash.ā
Yet, Rick changed his tune as soon as LIV offered him a bunch of money. Fair enough. Most people have a price. But Rick built his whole brand on being honest, independent, and trustworthy. In fact, thatās what the name of his product review channel H.I.T. stands for. His audience believed they could trust his product reviews, because he claimed to fiercely guard his independence. And he frequently told us he would never be an ambassador for any product he didnāt truly believe in. Yet, itās obvious that he promoted LIV despite not believing in its product. I guess what Rick meant to tell us was that he would never be an ambassador for a product he didnāt believe in, unless they offered him a lot of money.
Again, thatās fair enough, he should do whatever he thinks is best for him and his family. But I now know that I canāt trust his honesty, independence, or integrityāas itās clear those qualities are all negotiable at the right price. So I no longer trust him to provide objective reviews, which eliminates the incentive to watch a lot of his content. Iāll tune in to watch an occasional collaboration, but thatās about it.
Rick unfortunately people judge you by the company you keep you made a money decision now you have to live with that …LIV is a joke. Sorry pal history will judge you …
I don't blame him but I really wish those associated with LIV would just be honest. It was for the money, pure and simple, selling your soul to the Saudi's and their sports washing.
Like many I valued the impartiality and open views but those are no more as once you side with LIV it becomes a propaganda machine, a voice piece and part of the shunning of resposibility.
Just remember what these people represent, poor human rights, prosecution by medieval law and so much more that as a parent it should make you flinch.
Fair enough you had lots of subscribers, many of who, like me have now moved to alternative content but your old content was waining in the number of clicks and viewing time as it was stale and not very entertaining so you chose the route many would and that was taking the blood money of the Saudi's like so many golfers wanting more for less effort. That is your choice and probably a very profitable one for your wallet and family but respect those of us who do not want to hear excuses or whining.
Rick is the only reason I started watching some LIV. His content with the players is fantastic.
I stopped subscribing after the LIV sell out. I still watch occasional content but don't go looking for it. I don't watch anything LIV related or with Guy in lol.
Quite a disappointingly bs response about the Saudi stuff. "Hey, lots of companies including the PGA have their hand in bad shit but at least this way I can secure financial security for my family and its future generations" would've at least been a more honest accounting.
Having known Rick for a long time from having lessons with him in his early days to doing his decorating at his home, I can safely say that that is Rick on screen as he is in reality, heās genuinely a nice and generous guy. A good guy in this very critical world and he deserves his success. Good on you Rick and great to see you doing well, bollox to the trolls šāļø
Why I took the risk? Money. Guaranteed money remove the risk, if the only risk perceived is loss of money.
LIV is dying. I don't care how much money they have. Are they going to keep setting billions on fire just to keep this league no one watches active?
"I had an opportunity to make more money and be financially more secure for myself and family"
That answer the thumbnail?
99% of why anyone does anything.