16 RICK SHIELS
Rick Shiels has gone from an amateur dramatics lover to one of the most influential people in golf
Social media superstar
When a young Rick Shiels gave a sterling performance as an unlikeable bully in a school rendition of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, he could never have imagined, some 20 years later, crediting the role with helping him become one of the most popular people in golf.
In the two decades since treading the boards as Barry Kent, Shiels has gone from acting for a group of parents and students in a Bolton school hall to entertaining millions via the world’s No.1 golf YouTube channel and one of the game’s leading podcasts.
“I wasn’t great at school, wasn’t the brightest, but I loved drama and I loved PE,” he smiles as he recalls several acting roles, including Young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. “I left with an A* in drama and an A in PE, and now I effectively make my living by performing golf in front of cameras, so it’s done me alright.”
“Alright” is something of an understatement. At the time of writing, Shiels’ YouTube channels (Rick Shiels Golf, H.I.T Golf, and The Rick Shiels Golf Show) have more than three million combined subscribers and his videos have attracted more than 750,000,000 video views. THREE. QUARTERS. OF. A. BILLION.
“It’s a bit crazy, isn’t it… surreal,” he laughs as we chat at his uber-modern Salford base, home to his golf and podcast studios and just a couple of minutes from his beloved Manchester United’s Old Trafford.
“It’s our goal to crack that billion mark over the next year or so. But sometimes it feels like it’s just numbers on a website. We did a live podcast record recently where 300 people had paid to come and listen to me and Guy (Charnock, Rick’s co-host and Head of Brand &
Content) and we sold the tickets in four minutes! It’s when you meet the fans that it really hits home, whether the videos have helped them get a little bit better at the game, helped them buy the right club or just provided entertainment and helped them switch off. We even have some people who don’t play golf who watch just because they enjoy it.
“This year at The Open was the craziest it’s been. I barely saw any golf because every time I went out to watch I was getting stopped for selfies and autographs, or just for a chat. It was similar at the Ryder Cup. Amazing as it is, I still haven’t truly got my head around it.”
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
It was while working 30 hours a week at The Mere Golf Resort’s club shop that Shiels first tasted social media success, using Twitter to promote his own lessons, give out quick tips and reply to amateur golf
