The PGA Tour has been going through a tumultuous time lately with the ongoing saga with LIV Golf deflating interest in a divided sport. With ratings declining last year, the tour has taken an unprecedented step in calling in the cavalry to help out.
A cavalry of content creators, that is.
On Friday, the PGA Tour announced the creation of the Creator Council, a group of some of the most popular digital media golf personalities, that will help drive tour strategy, accessibility, and media coverage. Included are big names like Paige Spiranic and popular podcasts and YouTubers like No Laying Up and Barstool’s Fore Play.
The TOUR is teaming up with top golf content creators 👀
The Creator Council will discuss fan engagement strategies, collaborative content opportunities, the evolution of the Creator Classic, and much more. pic.twitter.com/vbJleyMwGF
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 6, 2024
The online marketplace is filled with content creators with huge followings all centered on golf. So it’s about time the PGA Tour thought to themselves that maybe there is something there that can help the sport and translate it to their own success.
But lest you think that this is just some kind of clever marketing ploy to get the personalities with the biggest followings onside with the PGA Tour so that they can be used to advance their agenda and interests, it actually seems like there could be some positive change that could come out of it.
According to the PGA Tour’s announcement, the Creator Council won’t just be talking about their own world and exhibition tournaments. Rather, they will also work with the PGA Tour on increasing fan engagement and bringing the tour’s media regulations and broadcasts to the modern age.
The PGA TOUR is ramping up its efforts to engage with top golf content creators, announcing Friday the formation of a Creator Council.
The Council will be comprised of up to 10 popular content creators/brands who will meet regularly with media, marketing and communications team members at the PGA TOUR to develop shared strategies for content development and fan engagement.
The Council will include creators such as Bob Does Sports, Bryan Bros Golf, Erik Anders Lang, Fore Play/Barstool Sports, No Laying Up, Paige Spiranac, Roger Steele and Tisha Alyn.
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The Council is expected to discuss potential future iterations of the Creator Classic, along with several other broad initiatives. The PGA TOUR released the following discussion topics it expects the Creator Council to address:
Fan engagement strategies
Collaborative content opportunities
PGA TOUR media regulations
PGA TOUR event/broadcast enhancements
Creator Classic evolutionAlong with the regular meetings, the creators will have increased access to the PGA TOUR platform and network to create more compelling content that can serve as both stand-alone content and complementary coverage of weekly PGA TOUR events.
TOUR officials anticipate the Council will evolve, both in its priorities and participants. The inaugural members will serve on the Council for one year, with new creators added in future iterations.
That sounds great… where can we sign up!
The PGA Tour is never going to be confused with the most progressive of sports organizations. And as you can tell from our archives, fans are never happy with the insane amount of commercials that flood most telecasts week in and week out where it seems like the sponsors are the priority rather than the fans watching at home. Could you imagine Mike Breen interviewing a Disney CFO during an NBA game the way Jim Nantz and Dan Hicks have to spend a few minutes with a corporate exec every week?
To be fair, there have been some positive steps like commercial free final hours and the innovative walk and talks with players on course. But there’s clearly more that can be done.
If these creators are able to help bring the tour’s coverage and outreach forward and make it more fan friendly, it’ll be great for the game of golf. And there’s something for them as well, with the PGA Tour allowing these creators to have access to tour platforms enabling them to boost their content.
There hasn’t been much to cheer about in golf in recent years, but this seems like a solid win-win proposal that can hopefully lift some spirits and make some meaningful change for the better.
