Arnold Palmer once said that golf was “deceptively simple and endlessly complicated.” Now the PGA Tour hopes to give fans of the links something a little less intense: a good laugh.
“PGA Tour Alter Ego” a new unscripted sports comedy series co-produced with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, launches Tuesday ahead of the organization’s BMW Championship. Some viewers may be surprised, even tickled, by what they see. The first episode will debut on the PGA Tour YouTube channel and PGATour.com, as well as Omaha Productions’ YouTube and social channels, and shows Wyndham Clark going incognito to test and trick fans and peers. One additional episode will follow, featuring Max Homa.
“We think we’ve got a generation of really fun PGA Tour stars who are looking to connect and build their brand and their game to try stuff like this out,” says Andy Weitz, PGA Tour’s chief marketing officer, during a recent interview.
Laughs are only one potential outcome from the golf organization’s push to create such content around its tournaments and events. Executives, says Weitz, have noticed a significant uptick of people playing golf since the coronavirus pandemic and see an opportunity to bring a younger generation of fans under its umbrella. “If they are a fan of comedy, if they are a Will Ferrell fan, if they are a Druski fan, if they are a YouTube golf fan, if they like simulator golf, if they like gaming, there are all kinds of different ways through our original content strategy,” he says. “We can make them more familiar with our players, more familiar with the competitive format, and translate that into overtime a larger fan base.”
In recent months, PGA Tour has launched “Chasing Sunday,” a docuseries that gives fans a behind the scenes look at top events. “Tee Sheet presented by FedEx” offered previews of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. “The Life” helps fans learn more about their favorite players, off the course.
In January of last year, PGA Tour unveiled a new 165,000 square foot production facility on its campus in Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida, as part of a bid to gain new oversight over thousands of hours of sports content that its top executives believe will only be in more demand in a future dominated by streaming video — and different kinds of media entities that are looking at sports in very different fashion in the streaming era,
“Having firm control of your content strategy is really important because it becomes the bridge to your core product,” says Weitz. “We play Thursday through Sunday, and we want to own the whole week. We want to find ways to meet our fans earlier in the week, deepen their engagement and connection to the tour, remind them that they should be watching on the weekend.”
Part of that effort involves programs such as “Alter Ego.” “One of the most fun things for us to do right now is to reach out to leading production houses like Omaha and say, ‘Where is the overlap? What are you working on that might fit in the world of golf?’ We’re open for business here,” says Weitz.
Indeed, the seeds for “Alter Ego” were planted in 2025 when PGA Tour Studios teamed up with Omaha Productions to send Eli Manning undercover as a tournament volunteer to catch star golfers off guard at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
“Hidden stars causing chaos on the PGA Tour is a great setup for a fun show,” says Petyon Manning, in a statement.
The new “Alter Ego” also comes with a sponsor. ShipSticks, which helps transport golf clubs and bags, is featured in different segments of the program, says Weitz, which requires golfers to figure out logistics for equipment.
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