Golf is inherently humorous.
For ages, golfers have gleefully informed off-color jokes at their native golf equipment; films like “Caddyshack” and “Happy Gilmore” have tickled audiences with their irreverence; authors like Rick Reilly have written books espousing the virtues of self-deprecating golf humor, and announcers like David Feherty have launched playful barbs at skilled golfers caught in a spot of trouble.
However as of just some years in the past, golf had not often seen humor within the type of Saturday Evening Stay-esque sketch comedy—obtainable in short-form movies on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and past—carried out and produced by skilled comedians.
That void was stuffed within the fall of 2022 by the Atlanta-based comedy group of St. André. In simply over two years, the group has shortly amassed greater than 440,000 Instagram and 330,000 TikTok followers. Dozens of their skits have gone viral on a number of platforms together with 25 completely different YouTube shorts being seen multiple million instances.
The skits function Aaron Chewning, Hannah Rae Aslesen and Jonathan Pawlowski—together with cameos from PGA Tour gamers, creator Bradford Wilson and different personalities—because the group navigates hilariously exaggerated conditions the typical golfer encounters. Meaning every little thing from the expertise of being paired with random folks to having some backup when you want to affirm what rating you shot whereas taking part in alone.
St. André is accessible in that anybody may be entertained even when their golf background is minimal. That’s a part of the magic.
However the relatable inside jokes hit the candy spot of a die-hard golfer’s humorous bone, cleverly punching at this self-serious sport that lends itself to comedy in a means less-deranged sports activities can’t grasp.
No person else within the golf creator house has performed this in addition to they’ve.
The origins of St. André
Pawlowski (left), Aslesen and Chewning shoot a sketch with Tiger.
So how do you begin a golf comedy sketch group?
The story begins with Chewning, who earned a movie diploma at Full Sail College in Winter Park, Fla., earlier than transitioning to what he actually needed: “messing around on the internet with my friends,” as he places it.
Chewning acquired traction in short-form video on the now-defunct Vine and labored as a inventive director for various advertising and marketing companies specializing in comedic gross sales movies. On the aspect, he produced a few of his personal comedy sketches and dabbled in standup.
Being within the Atlanta comedy and improv scene led Chewning to Aslesen and Pawlowski, comedians who had moved to the world.
When Chewning, a 7-handicap who has been a lifelong golfer, developed the thought of making golf sketches, he knew Aslesen and Pawlowski needed to be concerned though neither of them got here into St. André as avid golfers (that has since modified as Aslesen is now taking part in thrice per week and frequently breaking 90). He had labored with them beforehand on inventive initiatives and felt they’d get the idea.
Chewning grinded over sketches and setup for 9 months previous to the group’s launch in August 2022. He acquired permission to movie at Heritage Golf Hyperlinks (in Tucker, simply northeast of the town) which is the place many of the movies are nonetheless shot.
(Regardless of some commenter considerations, St. André is just not holding up anybody on the course throughout filming. Movies are shot on devoted elements of the course which have been rented out or blocked off so no person performs them at the moment).
“That was my terrifying year of quitting my job, taking out a credit card and being like, ‘This absolutely better work or I’m screwed,’” Chewning mentioned. “I went to a espresso store to put in writing a sketch and ended up writing 9 to 10 pages of sketches. That was the lightbulb second of golf being such an ideal backdrop for comedy like this. There may be each dynamic on the course, so many emotions.
“It went from a couple sketches to ‘This could be a brand and I could do this forever.’”
Chewning had certainly invested quite a lot of time, cash and emotion into the venture. Whereas he would have recovered again into his profitable profession if St. André by some means tanked, he didn’t need to try this.
After falling again in love with golf over the pandemic, he noticed a possibility for golf to embrace short-form content material that differed from different creators who had been centered on YouTube matches, the written phrase or no matter else it may be.
“I saw a lane open,” Chewning mentioned. “I love golf content, love the Bob Does Sports guys. There are a lot of funny people in golf but not a ton of well-produced sketch comedy. I thought if I could find a way to mess around on a golf course and call that work, it would be a dream.”
For these questioning, the identify St. André is a hybrid of St Andrews, the enduring golf course, and André 3000, the born-and-raised Atlantan rapper who shaped one-half of the hip-hop duo Outkast. (Chewning was carrying an Outkast sweater throughout our interview.)
“The goal was to have a name that looks good on a shirt that wasn’t a golf joke like Fore Play or Mood Swings or whatever else it could be,” Chewning mentioned. “I wanted it be a brand and sound like old-school golf a little bit.”
After the launch—the primary video featured the crew wanting by means of a rangefinder to get an encouraging message from their fathers somewhat than seeing a yardage—the response was instantaneous.
Chewning knew they’d one thing after the primary week.
“We had a year-long plan. We had been going to offer it a 12 months and prayed that it labored. There have been a number of pages like Zire Golf, PGA Memes, the place in the event that they picked up our stuff, we knew that we had one thing. We needed to get on these pages within the first three to 4 months. By the top of the primary week, we had been on all of them.
“It quickly went from, ‘Let’s grow this thing and make it work’ to ‘Don’t screw it up. Let’s keep feeding the beast and see what happens.’”
Just a few months later, St. André was filming with the best golfer in historical past.
A viral rise and chopping it up with Tiger
Simply three months after launching, St. André obtained an e mail from an Atlanta-based manufacturing firm that labored with Bridgestone Golf. They’d seen among the sketches and needed to see if the group might work to advertise Bridgestone, a model that needed to be seen as having enjoyable.
Bridgestone’s most well-known golfer? Tiger Woods.
“We thought the email was fake until we got on a call,” Chewning mentioned. “I had been playing Bridgestone balls and clubs for years and years. Honestly, I would have said yes to whatever brand emailed us first but thank God it was Bridgestone.”
Extremely, St. André went from launching on the finish of August 2022 to filming with Tiger (and different Bridgestone gamers like Jason Day and Fred {Couples}) that December. A number of sketches had been shot after which launched in 2023.
Amongst these sketches was one the place Tiger is standing over a tee shot because the St. André crew watches. Tiger by accident knocks over his ball, resulting in consternation among the many group whether or not to tease him with the “that’s one” joke.
“He got the concept of what we were trying to do and loved it immediately,” Chewning mentioned. “He’ll be the first one to admit he has a hard time remembering lines but he was into it. In between takes, he would come stand next to us and chop it up. We all were laughing. It was really cool.”
The morning earlier than capturing, Chewning mentioned he was crying in a bath, overwhelmed at what their group had completed. St. André had solely amassed 30,000 Instagram followers at the moment, however it felt just like the group had already made it.
“Shooting with Tiger, that was just beyond bucket list. I didn’t even dream that big when we launched. But also it just kind of hit me that day how we took a big risk and went all-in on this idea and I think we’ve officially changed our lives.”
That’s much more true right now than it was again then. St. André is totally ingrained in golf tradition. Your golf associates won’t acknowledge the identify instantly however most of them know the faces of the comedians. And when the crew goes right down to the PGA Present in Orlando, they’re universally beloved celebrities.
Practically three years after forming, St. André has advanced. The group used to shoot as soon as per week in Atlanta however now shoots extra sporadically, preferring to batch content material by filming extra skits in the identical time interval to unlock house for different endeavors like longer-form YouTube movies. Additionally they have workplace house now so Aslesen, Pawlowski and the manufacturing crew can come collectively. Chewning nonetheless writes many of the sketches however everybody within the group has enter.
This isn’t a full-time job for everybody concerned. Aslesen, a gifted author, simply launched a brief movie and is buying a sitcom pilot. Pawlowski, along with different comedy performing, performs in a Limp Bizkit cowl band known as Limp Triscuit.
However this trio and manufacturing crew love working collectively. There may be an alchemy there and it comes out within the polished completed product. Others have tried to duplicate the SNL vibe of St. André however no person has come shut within the short-form comedy class.
Shifting ahead, the thought is to maintain the sketches whereas additionally increasing long-form YouTube content material like journey, matches and longer, more-scripted content material like this “Influencer Training” video they not too long ago shot with the DP World Tour.
And be careful MyGolfSpy readers (and writers!) as a result of Chewning is a daily right here. His subsequent concept for a sketch may be coming from this remark part.
“We try to figure out ways to parody (MyGolfSpy), which is a sign of respect,” Chewning mentioned. “Just know, y’all are on our radar in a very loving way.”
Hey, St. André, right here is an MGS-inspired concept you possibly can have at no cost: A husband and spouse get up through the nighttime to discover a burglar of their home. The burglar begins asking for valuables and leads the husband into the storage the place they arrive throughout a L.A.B putter. The burglar accosts the husband: “Well, does that thing work? Will it fix my putting?”
The frazzled husband takes the burglar exterior through the nighttime to allow them to each work on his placing on the driveway. In the meantime, the spouse is horrified; she known as the cops a very long time in the past. The cop exhibits up and is confused by the scene of the husband now teaching the burglar. As soon as the cop will get the story straight, he takes a protracted stare on the two of them and says, “OK, show me how it works.” Now the three of them are standing over a L.A.B. putter like caveman gazing a hearth.
Lower to the spouse, who’s rolling her eyes and going again to mattress. Finish scene.
Their success has opened the door for partnerships
St. André doesn’t simply work with Bridgestone. Their good-natured comedic act has delivered partnerships and an actual enterprise.
Among the many companions are attire model Johnnie-O, PGA TOUR Superstore and Lengthy Drink. St. André has collaborated with the manufacturers to create movies for them or function their merchandise.
It’s an fascinating house proper now with creators. We’ve got been seeing quite a lot of membership producers get extra concerned with signing and selling YouTubers. Even Titleist—seen as a extra conventional model—now has relationships with the likes of No Laying Up, Peter Finch and Micah Morris.
We’re reaching some extent the place manufacturers are spending vital sources on creators as a result of these are the folks connecting with the typical golfer. There isn’t any doubt creators influence the underside line in a means the A centesimal-ranked golfer on this planet doesn’t.
For Johnnie-O—a extra lighthearted model that likes to have enjoyable—partnering with St. André was a no brainer choice.
“If you sponsor a tour pro who made $25 million on the course, their job is to play golf,” mentioned Dave Neville, Johnnie-O’s Senior Vice-President of Advertising. “I get the query quite a bit about which tour professionals put on Johnnie-O and I clarify to those who many of the tour professionals don’t transfer the needle a lot and aren’t essentially excited to put on the product. And should you work with them, you need to activate these folks. You want a crew and schedule it and distribute it.
“Content creators like St. André, their job is to entertain people. That is how they get sponsorships and make money. People notice them. And they create the content themselves—they produce it and distribute it. And they are excited to wear our apparel. For someone like us that wants to increase our brand awareness, it makes sense.”
Johnnie-O has three prongs in its creator model consciousness objective: educate, encourage and entertain. Danny Maude, a prime YouTube teacher, is a fundamental a part of the training piece. Finch, one other YouTuber, is on the encourage aspect of the equation as he produces quite a lot of movies about chasing objectives (like attempting to qualify for the Open Championship). Lastly, there’s St. André for the leisure portion.
“Their vibe matches us with not taking themselves too seriously,” Neville mentioned. “But if you watch them, everything they do is very high quality. And that matches us with how our clothing is high quality.”
Whereas producers nonetheless put quite a lot of eggs within the basket of prime tour gamers gaming their gear, the brand-creator house has “exploded” and “reached an inflection point,” based on Neville.
“Clearly these folks can drive sales,” Neville mentioned. “And if you look at player No. 132 on the PGA Tour, I don’t think that guy is driving sales.”
After I was placing this story collectively, one of many issues that stood out was how St. André has established a distinct segment. We’re in an period the place golf content material creation focuses closely on YouTube matches, collaborations and quick-witted social media commentary. There may be nothing unsuitable with that however it’s straightforward to get misplaced within the shuffle should you fall into that class.
With a bunch like St. André, their lane is way much less crowded whereas the product remains to be skilled, relatable and marketable.
That’s a dynamic mixture.
Golf remains to be as humorous as we’ve at all times recognized it to be however the type has modified. It’s being reinvented.
For that, we will all pray to St. André.
The submit How St. André Is Reinventing Golf Comedy appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
