The golf media is in a strange space.
For confirmation of that statement, look no further than Kevin Kisner—four-time PGA Tour winner and NBC’s lead golf analyst—recently signed on to be a full-time member of Fore Play, the Barstool Sports golf store.
The idea of a charismatic, Tour-first player taking on a prominent role for golf broadcasts isn’t entirely surprising. It is expected that a guy with personality will have such an opportunity.
But a tournament player who takes on that role AND joining a dishonest golf media brand?
This is something we haven’t really seen before.
Of course, there are bands like Good Good that have outstanding players. We’ve seen pros like Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson invest heavily in their YouTube presence, partnering with influencers like Grant Horvat.
The difference here is that Kisner, 42, is a very accomplished player at the highest level, and he’s becoming part of a already successful group.
Similar to someone like Colt Knost, the CBS analyst and host of the Subpar podcast, Kisner is in the rare position of playing things pretty straight on broadcast television while having the freedom to “let his hair down” on another platform.
Kisner is a busy man these days. Not only does he have the NBC and Barstool gigs, he plays on TGL for Jupiter’s Conjunctions.
His touring days seem to be coming to an end. He missed 14 of 17 cuts last season.
“I went from ‘I’m not going to play as much’ to ‘now you have four jobs,'” Kisner joked. “No, I’m very excited. These have been my guys for 10, 12 years, so this is always something we talk about, and now to see it all come to fruition is pretty incredible, and I’m excited to see what we can do and grow and bring with this brand.”
As someone who isn’t a big Fore Play guy – but who likes Kisner a lot – I think this move could quickly make the group more watchable.
Would you agree with this?
What we can expect from Fore Play with Kisner
The Kisner and Fore Play relationship is nothing new. It was a big part of what put them on the map. This video from six years ago has 2.5 million views and is one of Fore Play’s most iconic moments.
Kisner has appeared on other occasions, like when he faced the Fore Play team at Pinehurst no. 2.
One of the issues I’ve always had with Fore Play is that the three-person core isn’t particularly likable. Riggs is widely loathed for what many claim is a pointless standoff. Frankie is a good golfer, but he can be strange. Trent is one of the healthiest YouTube personalities in golf, but you can only watch one guy shoot 92 so many times. He should be paired with better players in different formats.
None of them are great players or anything close to zero. None of them are super funny. I’ve always found it to be an overrated channel though I appreciate the H8ter series where Riggs takes on internet trolls.
Previous members of the core team, like Dan Rappaport, helped with the golfing ability, but did nothing to help improve the group’s personality/chemistry.
The addition of Kisner not only brings someone who IS a great player and IS ridiculously effortless, but he seems to bring out the best in his young companions.
I’m not saying Fore Play is a top-five channel all of a sudden, but it definitely makes them more watchable, less hated, and more balanced overall.
The same can be said for the Fore Play podcast where Kisner will be a fixture.
There are better players than Kisner on the golf course on YouTube, but he’s probably #1 (or close to it) in the combined golf talent rankings plus entertainment value.
I think we can expect Fore Play to lean heavily on Kisner with 3-on-1 battles and other collaborative efforts that have Kisner engaging with other funny players on YouTube.
I also believe we’ll see a lot of instructional content where Kisner tries to help Trent and company improve their games.
This immediately makes the Fore Play a bigger threat and a better watch. I rarely click on their content, but I will be more inclined to do so now.
What are your thoughts? Did Fore Play just get better?
Let me know below in the comments.
