Tag: Andy Weitz

PGA Tour unveils its inaugural Creator Council with the likes of Paige Spiranac, No Laying Up and Barstool Sports

“It’s clear that there is a new fan base, a next generation of fans that want to consume content and learn about golf through different channels in different ways.”

Following the success of its initial PGA Tour Creator Classic at the Tour Championship in August, the PGA Tour is leaning into working with YouTube content creators and influencers. On Friday, the Tour announced the PGA Tour Creator Council, which will consist of up to 10 top creators in the golf space. The Council is initially made up of the following creators (listed in alphabetical order):

  • Bob Does Sports
  • Bryan Bros Golf
  • Erik Anders Lang
  • Foreplay/Barstool Sports
  • No Laying Up
  • Paige Spiranac
  • Roger Steele
  • Tisha Alyn
  • Two more to be announced at a later time

“The Creator Council is about the Tour evolving,” said Andy Weitz, the PGA Tour’s chief marketing & communications officer/investor relations. “It’s clear that there is a new fan base, a next generation of fans that want to consume content and learn about golf in general through different channels in different ways. It just makes sense to connect from those who are doing it well, who are maybe doing it best and learn from them what we can do better and what we can do together.”

The Creator Classic, which saw 16 creators play the back nine of East Lake Golf Club the day before the first round of the Tour Championship, proved to be the tipping point of an increased push by the Tour to integrate the industry’s top content creators into the professional game. The event aired live on Golf Channel, ESPN+, Peacock and YouTube. The YouTube video has amassed 2.5 million views, with another 2.8 million views across the 16 content creators’ individual YouTube videos of the event.

Weitz, Norb Gambuzza, executive vice president of media and marketing and communications representatives will represent the Tour. The goal is for the Creator Council to speak on a monthly basis and meet at least three times a year in person – likely at Tour events – which could potentially be opportunities to hold additional iterations of the Creator Classic, and discuss a variety of different topics and share best practices. Initially, the focus will be on collaborative content development and fan engagement, but other topics on the table include PGA Tour media regulations and PGA Tour event/broadcast enhancements.

Robby Berger of Bob Does Sports, caddies for Nick “Fat Perez” Stubbe during the 2024 Creator Classic prior to the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on August 28, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

“This is an example of the Tour asking for feedback and knowing we’re going to be accountable to evolving alongside these creators — all in the service of reaching our fans and engaging them in new and different ways,” he said.

Weitz said the Tour’s embrace of the content creators and influencers is driven by a series of things.

“First of all, our recognition that the next generation of fans want to engage differently. Golf is growing and thriving, especially on YouTube, but there’s an opportunity to create bridges, if you will, to create PGA Tour fans,” Weitz said. “Secondly, our players are getting younger, they are getting more savvy and this is of their generation and they want to engage directly with their fans in this way. We want to make sure we are working alongside them to make that as effective as possible.

“And third, I think it’s an example of the Tour wanting to go further, faster on behalf of the fans. If that’s something new, that’s something we hope to demonstrate more of in the future. From my perspective that’s not something new. What might be new is that we want to talk more directly to the fans through the marketplace and our stakeholders about how we’re evolving and we think this is a great example of that.”

PGA Tour taps Andy Wietz to serve as chief marketing and communications officer, VP of investor relations

PGA Tour hires veteran marketing, communications officer from Aon.

The PGA Tour announced Monday it has hired Andy Weitz to serve as chief marketing and communications officer and executive vice president of investor relations.

The investor relations portion of the role will focus on developing messaging and communicating strategy for PGA Tour Enterprises, the new for-profit subsidiary of PGA Tour, Inc. The group was formed this year when Strategic Sports Group made an initial investment of $1.5 billion in the new commercial venture that gives players an investor stake in the business.

Weitz spent the past decade working for Aon plc, most recently as chief marketing officer for the global professional services firm. Aon has built deep relationships in golf in recent years.

Read the full media release announcing Weitz’s hiring below:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida – The PGA Tour today announced that Andy Weitz has been named Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and Executive Vice President, Investor Relations, for the Tour’s global operations. In the role, Weitz will be responsible for positioning the PGA Tour brand for current and future investment while communicating its global strategy and performance to the Tour’s stakeholders and beyond.

“As our business continues to evolve and grow, Andy will be an invaluable addition to the PGA Tour given his experience as a trusted advisor to many of the world’s largest and most influential companies,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “With his track record of helping global companies tell their stories and engage their stakeholders, as well as his deep knowledge of the business community, Andy will be instrumental in further elevating the PGA Tour brand and helping our organization grow.”

In addition to overseeing marketing and communications for the PGA Tour, Weitz will take on a newly created investor relations role that is responsible for developing messaging and communicating strategy for PGA Tour Enterprises, a for-profit subsidiary of PGA Tour, Inc., incorporated earlier this year. In January, the Strategic Sports Group (SSG) made an initial investment of $1.5 billion – with up to $3 billion available – into the new commercial venture, and this funding will allow the PGA Tour to make significant strategic investments to enhance the PGA Tour experience for fans and players, and benefitting tournaments, sponsors and other constituents.

Through the PGA Tour Enterprises structure, the PGA Tour unveiled a Player Equity Program, a first in professional sports.  PGA Tour players now have an investor stake in the Tour’s commercial growth, which creates alignment between the organization’s athletes and the strategic investments that will further grow the game and engage the next generation of fans.

“With the launch of PGA Tour Enterprises and the investment made by SSG, the PGA Tour’s business has grown significantly in value, opportunity and complexity,” said Joe Gorder, PGA Tour Enterprises Board Chairman. “This new role is important to the PGA Tour’s ability to successfully execute its strategy and deliver an engaging, satisfying future product for fans.”

“In our search, Andy’s experience and clear ability to use a mix of techniques to reach and engage everyone from Main Street consumers to Wall Street investors stood out,” said Ed Herlihy, PGA Tour Policy Board Chairman. “I am confident Andy will contribute enormously to the organization’s future success.”

Weitz comes to the PGA Tour following a decade at Aon plc, where he most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer for the global professional services firm. During his tenure at Aon, Weitz led the integration of the worldwide marketing and communications team and the unification of its global brand strategy, including a rationalization of its sponsorship portfolio, which included properties across Premier League football, Formula One racing, Major League Baseball, the National Football League and international rugby.  While at Aon, Weitz was also responsible for leading the firm’s widely recognized brand building efforts, especially advancements in its use of digital strategies to engage the firm’s colleagues, clients and investors.

In 2019, Aon established an Official Marketing Partnership with the PGA Tour, beginning with the award-winning “Aon Risk Reward Challenge” that launched simultaneously on the LPGA Tour and was the first program to offer equal prize money to winners on the men’s and women’s tours. At that time, Aon also became a worldwide partner of the Ryder Cup and introduced the “Nicklaus/Jacklin Award presented by Aon,” which recognizes the player that best represents the spirit of each Ryder Cup competition. More recently, Aon evolved its PGA Tour relationship to include naming rights to the new eligibility paths for Signature Events, known as the Aon Next 10 and the Aon Swing 5, and transitioned the Aon Risk Reward Challenge into “Aon Better Decision Breakdowns” to emphasize the use of real-time data during in-telecast segments to analyze player decisions.  In parallel, the firm has continued it successful Aon Risk Reward Challenge program with the LPGA.

“I’ve seen the power of the PGA Tour brand firsthand, as both a fan and a partner, and am truly excited to play a role in growing its global impact at this transformative moment,” Weitz said. “As the organization evolves, it’s critical that we stay focused on fan priorities, aligned with player interests and accountable to partner and investor expectations. I’m looking forward to listening to and learning from all our stakeholders.”

Prior to joining Aon in 2014, Weitz was U.S. President and Chief Executive Officer of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a leading global strategic communications consultancy in the WPP portfolio. While there, he also served as Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. region and as Vice-Chair of the global Corporate Advisory Practice, which included the financial, internal, corporate communications and public affairs practices of the global firm.

Weitz holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Weitz and his family will relocate to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, this summer, and formally begin his work with the PGA Tour in mid-August.

The PGA Tour thanks its partners at Korn Ferry for the successful completion of this important executive search.