The PGA Tour is loosening its grip on player content.
The Tour presented updated social media guidelines at a Player Advisory Council fans subcommittee meeting at the Truist Championship in Charlotte, with formal rollout to members expected later this month, per Front Office Sports.
The key changes are significant. Players can now post broadcast footage of six shots per round, up from a single shot previously. Players can post 120 minutes of player highlights on YouTube, up from 60 minutes, 72 hours after an event concludes. Players can now earn ad revenue for content captured during practice rounds and pro-ams. Players no longer need to transfer ownership of their YouTube channel to the PGA Tour to use archive footage. There is no limit on how much on-site player-created content can be published during non-competition days.
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The revisions were developed by the PAC fans subcommittee, which includes Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Harris English, Max Homa, Camilo Villegas, and Korn Ferry Tour pro James Nicholas.
The timing is not coincidental. Bryson DeChambeau, who has over 2.6 million YouTube subscribers, left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf and was able to take advantage of a much looser social media policy to help grow his channel. DeChambeau has argued that the Tour’s limitations on on-site filming and monetization hindered his ability to create engaging content, even when such content could benefit the Tour itself. “If I was to film a video during the week of one of their events with a content creator or a celebrity, that would be in violation to my knowledge. It’s their policy, they didn’t let me do it when I was on there. I asked various times,” DeChambeau said.
“The PGA Tour strives to provide the most athlete-friendly social media guidelines in professional sports,” a PGA Tour spokesperson told Front Office Sports.
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Several players have already branched out as content creators, including Jason Day with 207,000 YouTube subscribers and Tommy Fleetwood with 134,000. The new policy gives them access to official broadcast footage to help expand their followings and add value to their commercial partnerships.
DeChambeau’s LIV contract expires after the 2026 season, though the updated policy may still not be enough to lure him back. The inability to fully commercialize his content and the general level of PGA Tour approval required could remain barriers for a player who wants free rein in his content creation.
