15 Things You Didn't Know About Rick Shiels

How well do you know the YouTuber golf professional?

15 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT RICK SHIELS

1. Shiels was born in Bolton, England on 3rd July 1986.

2. Shiels earned a diploma in golf studies from Myerscough College, which he actually attended with fellow YouTuber, Peter Finch.

3. He is a Manchester United fan.

4. After turning professional, Shiels worked at the Mere Golf and Country Club in Cheshire. He then worked at Trafford Golf Centre, where the majority of the filming for his YouTube channel began.

5. At this moment, his most popular video on YouTube is with Dude Perfect. The video has amassed nearly 4.5 million views.

6. He began his YouTube channel in an attempt to gain more customers. The videos worked: ‘Because of the videos I became one of the busiest golf coaches in the world. I was booked up for about seven weeks in advance and there were people flying in from Europe and the States to have lessons.’

7. Shiels has partnered with many large brands like Nike, Garmin, and Mastercard. In 2021, after being sponsored by Nike since 2017, Shiels revealed he had split with the brand. This came after the company changed its model in a way that Shiels felt would have a negative effect on his relationship with his audience.

8. He has been a regular name on Golf Monthly's Top 50 golf coaches and has also featured on Golf Monthly's YouTube channel and magazine front cover.

9. Shiels now films the majority of his videos at Marriott Worsley Park. At the course,  Shiels has staged videos with multiple-time DP World Tour winner, Sam Horsfield, former Open Championship participant, James Robinson and Soccer AM crew member, Tubes.

10. Talking about Tour players, Shiels has filmed videos with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Min Woo Lee, Tyrrell Hatton, Andrew 'Beef' Johnston and Lee Westwood.

11. Shiels also hosts the Rick Shiels Golf Show Podcast alongside Guy Charnock. On the podcast, they delve into Tour news, as well as the big talking points. They have also interviewed Andy Gardiner, CEO of the proposed Premier Golf League, Bryson DeChambeau and World Golf Hall of Fame member, Annika Sorenstam. 

12. In June 2019, his channel became the biggest golf channel on YouTube after surpassing 561,500 subscribers. As of January, 2022, he now has over 2 million subscribers.

13. He married his wife, Claire, on the 30th March 2013 and, together, the couple have three children.

14. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Shiels walked 4 miles (roughly 18 holes) carrying his golf clubs on his back to raise awareness and money for Mind charity. Every day, Shiels would do something different for the walk, whether it was dressing up in fancy dress, walking with his family or his fellow YouTube friends. He raised around £50,000 for the charity.

15. Shiels is known for his in-depth reviews on golf equipment like clubs and golf balls. A running joke he has amongst fans is cutting the golf ball in half, with his viewers regularly posting memes to his social media channels.