Why I Can’t Stop Watching People Play Bad Golf on the Internet
- Samantha Lindstrum
- Jun 4
- 4 min read
I have a confession to make, and it involves my YouTube homepage. If you looked at my search history a few months ago, you’d find houseplant care tutorials, cozy travel vlogs, and maybe a recipe or two. Today? It is a chaotic wall of twenty-somethings playing golf in hoodies, microphoned-up foursomes shouting over golf cart speakers, and intense match-play challenges at courses I’ll probably never visit.
Somehow, "YouTube Golf" has completely hijacked my digital life—and honestly? I’m not even mad about it. In fact, I think it might be the best thing to happen to the game in years.
The Relatability Trap (They Hit Bad Shots Too!)
Don't get me wrong, I love watching the pros. Watching Scottie Scheffler effortlessly pure an iron from 240 yards out or seeing the field battle it out under massive pressure is incredible theater. But it’s also entirely alien to me. I don't know what it feels like to carry a ball 310 yards over a water hazard onto a glass-like green.
If you caught my recent Wanamaker Masterclass: My PGA Trip Recap, you know how much I loved soaking in that elite atmosphere. But let’s be real: I don't play that version of golf.
You know what I do know? I know what it feels like to slice a drive so far into the trees that it wakes up the local wildlife. I know the distinct panic of a bladed wedge that rockets across the green into the opposite bunker.
And that is the magic of creators like Good Golf, Rick Shiels, or Bob Does Sports. They aren't robots. They hit terrible shots, they laugh about it, they talk trash to their friends, and they scramble for a double-bogey just like the rest of us. Watching them makes golf feel less like an elite, rigid test of perfection and more like… well, a game.
The New Clubhouse Vibe
This digital wave isn’t just staying on our screens, either. Walk out to the first tee here at The Golf Club at Oxford Greens on any given Friday afternoon, and you can see the influence everywhere.
The traditional dress codes are softening to make room for comfortable hoodies and jogger pants. Golf bags have bluetooth speakers magnetically clipped to them. Groups are trying out chaotic alternate-shot formats or fast-paced betting games instead of strictly grinding over a standard scorecard.
YouTube golf has reminded everyone that the main goal of spending four hours on a golf course is to have fun with your friends. It’s stripped away the intimidation factor that keeps so many beginners from picking up a club in the first place.
What’s Your Foursome’s Channel?
It made me think about my own weekend rounds. If my regular group were mic’d up for a video, it would probably look less like a masterclass and more like the casual chaos I wrote about in my Diary of a Spring Round. But we absolutely have the classic "YouTube lineup" characters:
The Optimizer: The one who knows every single yardage, reads the wind, and analyzes their swing analytics after a chunked shot.
The Hype Machine: The friend who celebrates your rare par like you just won the Masters.
The Chaos Agent: The player who refuses to hit anything other than a driver, regardless of how narrow the fairway is.
The Vibe Coordinator (Me): The one who is entirely unbothered by a bad scorecard. I’m the custodian of the Bluetooth speaker, the supplier of snacks, the voice of reason when The Chaos Agent wants to try an impossible hero shot through a wall of trees, and the person making sure we still hit the patio for post-round drinks.
We might not have two million subscribers, but the banter, the frustration, and the post-round snacks taste exactly the same.
🎵 The "Vibe Coordinator" Playlist
As the resident Vibe Coordinator, I take my golf cart DJ duties very seriously. You can’t have a YouTube-style afternoon without a proper soundtrack. The golden rule? Keep the volume respectful, and keep the queue strictly curated to prevent The Optimizer from throwing a club.
If you're riding in my cart this summer, this is what you're hearing:
Song Title | Artist | The Cart Energy |
"Cruisin'" | Smokey Robinson | Perfect for the smooth coast down the first fairway. |
"Saturday Sun" | Vance Joy | Big acoustic energy for a beautiful June twilight round. |
"Ventura Highway" | America | Keeps the mood breezy, even if someone just triple-bogeyed. |
"Put Your Records On" | Corinne Bailey Rae | High-volume singalong potential for the back nine. |
"Sunshine" | Atmosphere | Head-nodding rhythm that keeps the pace of play moving naturally. |
"Peg" | Steely Dan | To appease the golf purists in the group while maintaining the groove. |
To keep the tunes rolling smoothly over every bump on the fairway, I love my Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS Golf Speaker. It has a massive 14-hour battery life that easily lasts multiple rounds, an integrated magnetic cart mount that completely locks onto the cart frame, and premium audio depth that keeps the group grooving without disturbing the next tee box over.
What Do You Think?
Are you a traditionalist who prefers the quiet, polite applause of a Sunday broadcast, or are you secretly binge-watching golf challenges at midnight?
More importantly: What is the ONE unskippable song on your summer golf playlist? Or do you prefer the quiet rustle of the trees? Let me know in the comments below!
Ready to film your own highlights? Grab your friends, pack the bluetooth speaker, and book a relaxed afternoon loop with us. PLAY GOLF: Book a Tee Time
Comments