Grant Horvat is now one of YouTube’s biggest sensations in the golfing world and one could argue he’s one of the biggest names in the sport, period.
Horvat might have made his name as part of the popular Good Good stable but since deciding to leave, he’s gone to another level.
Horvat has experienced huge collaborations with the likes of Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm, while he’s also picked up sponsorships and recently won the Creator Classic.
Of course, it’s now a couple of years since Horvat made the big move – along with Micah Morris – to leave Good Good.
And now, he’s been explaining everything around his decision, two years down the line.
Grant Horvat shares why he left Good Good golf
While Micah Morris put out a video at the time explaining his decision, Horvat has very much ploughed on with his life and it has paid off.
However, looking back to his decision to leave, Horvat has revealed that it ultimately came down to a difference in direction.
“To explain all that would take a while and we would have to go into a lot. But the main thing was that I loved YouTube golf and love the art of YouTube while in Good Good.
“It started to become this thing where I started to love the art of the thumbnails and titles and how it works. And I was like, I felt there was a calling… I felt that Good Good was going in one direction and I wanted to go in a different direction. That was basically, I would summarise it in that way,” Horvat explained.
“They wanted to go in one direction and I wanted to go in another, and my direction was not going to look the same. And so obviously looking back now a couple of years later, very, very good decision in my life. I could not imagine that it would have turned out this way.”
Grant Horvat explains how he handled the ‘hate’ from fans after leaving Good Good
Of course, one of the big problems with being a big social media personality is you are wide open to messages from fans, good or bad.
And Horvat has revealed that when he initially left, the messages he was receiving very much affected him.
“[I was] pretty low. It was the first time you really get awful messages sent to you. It was intense. Just like the amount of DM’s and every time you go on your phone you see a million different opinions. It was wild.
“But I look at it as a positive thing because it thickened my skin for what is to come. It kind of prepared me for what is to come in the future. I feel like in this space you could have a million comments and a million different opinions and people are not going to like you.
“I read them all the time even now. It’s just something where I’m kind of used to now. It’s still human nature that it still bothers you for sure. This guy on the internet, we never even got to hang out probably and it is a very shallow thing to go on the internet and say I hate this guy or whatever. But I get it, you cannot please everybody.”
Horvat, though, has explained that while it was hard to absorb, it has helped him in the current day as he admitted to learning lessons on judgement.
“What I am realizing, kind of flipping it, I had some opinions on pros from watching them on TV. I was like I’m not sure if I really like this guy. You go meet them and they are the nicest person and you’re like wow, I feel terrible! That’s how I try and look at it now with anybody that I would ever not necessarily agree with or like on the internet or TV, you have to give them a chance.”
Good Good recently landed a $45m investment to continue their brand domination while Horvat is looking to get himself a potential sponsors invite at some point on the PGA Tour.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
