Rick Shiels believes Sunday’s eventful Wyndham Championship finale could massively benefit YouTube golf.
Englishman Aaron Rai secured his maiden PGA Tour victory, edging out Max Greyserman by two shots at Sedgefield Country Club. The final round wasn’t without controversy, however. Matt Kuchar angered fans after refusing to finish his round, instead returning on Monday morning to play just three more shots.
The American’s actions didn’t make any difference to the outcome, and Rai has since been congratulated by Matt Fitzpatrick and YouTube golf personality Peter Finch.
Shiels has since discussed Rai’s efforts on his latest podcast and highlighted the impact of YouTube golf on the 29-year-old’s career.
Rick Shiels: Aaron Rai coached by YouTube golfers
YouTube star Shiels highlighted Rai’s coaches—Andy and Piers from Me and My Golf—fellow YouTubers with whom he once collaborated.
“He is also coached by pals of mine, Andy and Piers from Me and My Golf,” explained Shiels. “It’s great to see Me and My Golf, who are one of the very original OG YouTube channels, make coaching content.”
He added: “I’ve collaborated with them in the years gone by. They were great when I first started making YouTube videos. They reached out to me and said, let’s make content together. I spent some great time with those lads. And they’ve moved now over to LA kind of in the last few years. And Aaron they’ve coached Aaron from such a young age, from in kind of Birmingham, Wolverhampton area.”
“And now to see him as a PGA Tour winner with Me and My Golf stamped on his heart and his T-shirt. Andy and Piers, I’m sure, were super, super proud yesterday. And well done to the lads as well.”
Shiels went on to highlight the significance of Rai’s win for the YouTube golf scene. “I mean, it’s an unbelievable achievement. And it’s great for YouTube Golf. We talk about YouTube Golf,” Shiels added.
“You know, getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And the fact we’ve got now a Tour pro who has literally won on Tour now and who was coached by two YouTube Golf coaches.”
YouTube golf coaching will soon become commonplace
With the emergence of Bryson DeChambeau and other recognisable names on YouTube, coaching on the platform will quickly become commonplace.
There’s generally been a discourse around online coaching, which suggests it’s perhaps fabricated and nowhere near the in-person experience with a local PGA professional. To some extent, this statement rings true. There are several uninformative channels out there.
But the likes of Dan Grieve, Me and My Golf, and Peter Finch are producing reliable and trustworthy content that can actually allow improvement to take place.
Crucially, with YouTube free for users, more golfers could turn to the platform in search of hints and tips. Given that Rai’s coaches regularly post free content, Me and My Golf could be the place to go.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
