002: Rick Shiels PGA
In our regular series, we speak to notable figures from the world of golf and ask them to recount how they learned to play the game that we all love.
Here, we speak to Rick Shiels who has evolved from a PGA coach into the most popular figure in golf on YouTube.
WITH almost 3 million subscribers, Shiels has created videos at some of the best golf courses in the world, making content with some of the best players too.
As Shiels began his career teaching people the game at venues as such as Mere and Trafford Golf Centre, we asked him to look back to the first lesson he taught rather than was given.
Do you remember the first lesson you coached?
It would have been juniors. At the time, I did my PGA at the age of 19 and as an assistant, you’re not qualified to teach at a high level, so I think it was kids. I really enjoyed coaching kids. We used to have this amazing driving range at Mere where you can hit balls out into the water.
What do you best remember about it?
We had floating golf balls, it was so much fun and just to see the enjoyment and the thrill of hitting these golf balls into the water and making the balls splash. They loved it. You didn’t make it complicated; you made it simple. You had who could make the biggest splash or who could hit the ball the highest or the lowest, and you could teach them without teaching them.
This is how you hit the ball high. You’d explain how to hit the ball high, and the kids were so receptive to it. I can’t say I could name my first ever lesson, but I fell in love with coaching children the sport that I love so much.
2.97M
YouTube subscribers
Rick by numbers
920M
Video views – and counting
2,400
Videos published
2011
The year he joined YouTube
Which type of golfer did you find the most rewarding to coach?
I loved every journey, but I would probably say a golfer who was really struggling or contemplating quitting, who I could help and guide to not quit, and show them that there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Golf is a bloody hard game, as we all know. I’m not surprised that people may say I’m quitting this, I’m chucking the clubs away because it’s an impossible sport. Nobody has ever cracked it, so being able to take a golfer and fix their shanks or their slice that’s been causing them issues, or fixing the yips they’ve had for 10 years that’s made them want to quit, that mantra has continued to my YouTube career.
I want to make golf fun and entertaining. I want to make it easy to understand and leave the professional coaching and the biomechanics and the deep diving to the Pete Cowens of the world. They do a great job of that and should continue.
What was your strength as a coach?
My real superpower was taking those golfers who needed a quick fix or a quick adjustment to help them play better and to not quit golf. That was my real kick. That’s what I enjoyed the most.
