Rick Shiels
{{Short description|British golf YouTuber}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Rick Shiels
| image = Rick Shiels, March 2019.jpg
| caption = Shiels in 2019
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|7|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = Bolton, England
| occupation = {{flatlist|
| years_active = 2011–present
| known_for = YouTube channel, [https://www.youtube.com/user/RickShielsPGAGolf Rick Shiels Golf]
}}
Rick Shiels (born 3 July 1986) is a British YouTuber and golf professional, best known for his YouTube channel, Rick Shiels Golf.{{Cite web|title=Richard Shiels - Tournament Results {{!}} The PGA|url=https://pgagbi.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgagbi15/profile/rshiels/tresults.htm|access-date=2021-03-29|website=pgagbi.bluegolf.com}} In June 2019, his channel became the largest golf channel on YouTube after surpassing 561,500 subscribers. As of March 2025, he has over 2.9 million subscribers.
Biography
Shiels was born in Bolton, England on 3 July 1986.{{Cite web |author1=Matt Cradock |date=2022-01-30 |title=15 Things You Didn't Know About Rick Shiels |url=https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/the-game/15-things-you-didnt-know-about-rick-shiels |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Golf Monthly Magazine |language=en}} He began playing golf at Hart Common Golf Club in Westhoughton at the age of 11.{{Cite web|date=2020-09-24|title=Golf coach Rick Shiels from Bolton is helping more than a million people develop their game|url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/things-to-do/rick-shiels-youtube-golf-coach-7063176|access-date=2021-03-28|website=Great British Life|language=en-UK}} He earned a diploma in golf studies at Myerscough College. Ten years after he began playing golf, he started working at Mere Golf and Country Club in Cheshire, England after completing his PGA training and becoming a qualified pro.{{Cite web|title=Where is PGA Professional Rick Shiels from?|url=https://www.whywelovegolf.com/golf-wiki/where-is-pga-professional-rick-shiels-from|access-date=2021-03-28|website=www.whywelovegolf.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Rick Shiels – GolfWRX|url=https://www.golfwrx.com/author/rickshiels/|access-date=2021-04-04|language=en-US}} He then worked at Trafford Golf Centre where, in 2011, he started his YouTube channel, posting videos related to golf as an attempt to gain more customers. In June 2020, he became the first golf vlogger to amass 1 million subscribers.{{Cite news|title=Golfer attains YouTube one million followers first|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-manchester-53276653|access-date=2021-03-28}}{{Cite web|title=Rick Shiels – A Top PGA Teacher|url=https://golf-info-guide.com/golf-tips/golfs-greatest-teachers/rick-shiels-a-top-pga-teacher/|access-date=2021-03-28|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=GolfBusinessNews.com|title=Rick Shiels hits 1 million subscribers on YouTube|url=https://golfbusinessnews.com/news/media/123104/|access-date=2021-04-04|website=GolfBusinessNews.com|language=en}} In 2019, Shiels helped host the first YouTube Golf Day, which raised over £15,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.{{Cite web|title=YouTube star Rick Shiels enjoys unrivalled year of growth – PGA Publishing|url=https://pgapublishing.com/connect-25/youtube-star-rick-shiels-enjoys-unrivalled-year-of-growth/|access-date=2021-03-28|language=en-US|archive-date=28 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228040545/http://pgapublishing.com/connect-25/youtube-star-rick-shiels-enjoys-unrivalled-year-of-growth/|url-status=dead}} The event gathered 44 creators with over 19 million combined followers.{{Cite web|last=GolfBusinessNews.com|title=Rick Shiels Becomes World's Most Subscribed Golf YouTuber|url=https://golfbusinessnews.com/news/media/rick-shiels-becomes-worlds-most-subscribed-golf-youtuber/|access-date=2021-03-28|website=GolfBusinessNews.com|language=en}} He has also partnered with many large brands like Nike, Inc., Garmin, and Mastercard to create multiple mini-series on his YouTube channel.
His videos have included celebrities like Robbie Williams and Eddie Hall. By April 2021, he had over 1.54 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, with over 374 million views.{{Cite web|title=Rick Shiels Golf - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/RickShielsPGAGolf|access-date=2021-03-28|website=www.youtube.com}} His channel's content covers many aspects of golf, including golf equipment reviews, instructional tips, golf stories, and more.{{Cite web|title=WATCH - EXCLUSIVE webinar with YouTube star Rick Shiels|url=https://www.pga.info/news/watch-exclusive-webinar-with-youtube-star-rick-shiels/|access-date=2021-03-28|website=www.pga.info}} Shiels also presents a podcast called The Rick Shiels Golf Show and a second YouTube channel of the same name.{{Cite web |author1=Jonny Leighfield |date=2024-02-20 |title=YouTube Giant Rick Shiels Celebrates New Milestone |url=https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/youtube-giant-rick-shiels-celebrates-new-milestone |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Golf Monthly Magazine |language=en}} In February 2021, Shiels announced on his podcast that he had ended his partnership with Nike, but Nike hoped to get Shiels to switch to a 'paid to post' model with Shiels encouraging viewers to buy Nike apparel; not wanting to do this, Shiels decided not to renew the partnership.{{Cite web|title=Rick Shiels reveals why he has SPLIT with Nike Golf {{!}} GolfMagic|url=https://www.golfmagic.com/golf-news/rick-shiels-reveals-why-he-has-split-nike-golf|access-date=2021-04-04|website=www.golfmagic.com|date=16 February 2021 }}{{Cite web|title=When did Rick Shiels end his sponsorship deal with Nike?|url=https://www.whywelovegolf.com/golf-wiki/rick-shiels-nike-sponsorship|access-date=2021-04-04|website=www.whywelovegolf.com|language=en}}
As of July 2022, Shiels has a new apparel partnership with the clothing brand Lyle & Scott and Danish shoe brand ECCO.{{Cite web |author1=Matt Cradock |date=2024-04-22 |title=Ecco Releases Limited Edition Rick Shiels Biom C4 Golf Shoe |url=https://www.golfmonthly.com/buying-advice/ecco-releases-limited-edition-rick-shiels-biom-c4-golf-shoe |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Golf Monthly Magazine |language=en}}{{Cite web |author1=Jeff Kimber |date=2022-07-08 |title=Rick Shiels Announces New Sponsor |url=https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/rick-shiels-signs-sponsorship-deal-with-lyle-scott |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Golf Monthly Magazine |language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiels, Rick}}
Category:British golf instructors
Category:21st-century British sportsmen
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