Golf media is in a weird space.
For confirmation of that statement, look no further than Kevin Kisner—the four-time PGA Tour winner and lead analyst for NBC golf—recently signing on to be a full-time member of Fore Play, the Barstool Sports golf outlet.
The idea of a charismatic, past-his-prime Tour player taking on a prominent role for golf broadcasts is totally unsurprising. It’s expected for a guy with personality to get that type of opportunity.
But a Tour player taking on that role and joining an irreverent golf media brand?
This is something we haven’t really seen before.
Obviously, there are groups like Good Good that have outstanding players. We’ve seen pros like Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson invest heavily in their own YouTube presence, collaborating with influencers like Grant Horvat.
The difference here is that Kisner, 42, is a very accomplished player at the highest level and he is becoming a part of an already successful group.
Similar to someone like Colt Knost, the CBS analyst and Subpar podcast host, Kisner is in the rare position of playing things fairly straight on broadcast TV 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 but he plays in TGL for Jupiter Links.
His Tour days appear to be just about over. He missed 14 of 17 cuts last season.
“I went from ‘I’m not going to play as much’ to ‘now you’ve got four jobs,’” Kisner said jokingly. “No, I’m super excited. These are my boys for 10, 12 years so this is always something we talk about, and now that I see it all come to fruition is pretty incredible, and I’m excited to see what we can do and grow and bring in with this brand.”
As someone who isn’t a huge Fore Play guy—but likes Kisner a lot—I think this move could quickly make the group more watchable.
Would you agree with that?
What we can expect from Fore Play with Kisner
The Kisner and Fore Play relationship is nothing new. It was a huge part of what put them on the map. This video from six years ago has 2.5 million views and is one of the most iconic Fore Play moments.
Kisner has been featured at other times, like when he took on the Fore Play team at Pinehurst No. 2.
One of the issues I’ve always had with Fore Play is that the three-man core is not particularly likable. Riggs is widely hated for what many claim to be a vanity handicap. Frankie is a decent golfer but can be cringey. Trent is one of the more wholesome characters in YouTube golf but you can only watch a guy shoot 92 so many times. He needs to be paired with better players in different formats.
None of them is a great player or anything approaching scratch. None of them is super funny. I’ve always found it to be an overrated channel although I do appreciate the “H8ter” series where Riggs takes on internet trolls.
Previous core team members, such as Dan Rappaport, helped on the golf skill side but did nothing to help improve the personality/chemistry of the group.
Adding Kisner not only brings in someone who is a great player and is effortlessly funny but he seems to bring out the better qualities in his new teammates.
I’m not saying Fore Play is a top-five channel all of a sudden but it definitely makes them more watchable, less hateable and better balanced as a whole.
The same can be said for the Fore Play podcast where Kisner will be a fixture.
There are better players than Kisner in the YouTube golf realm but he is probably No. 1 (or close to it) in the combined ranking of golf talent 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 get Kisner involved with other funny YouTube golfers.
I also believe we’ll see a lot of instruction-adjacent content where Kisner tries to help Trent and company improve their games.
That immediately makes Fore Play a bigger threat and a more quality watch. I rarely click on their content but I will be more inclined to do so now.
What are your thoughts? Did Fore Play get better?
Let me know below in the comments.
Robert Stone
3 months ago
Can’t stand Kisner. His voice is grating and his commentary is worse. Everything he says is slightly negative or a grudging compliment. He has a know-it-all & told-you-so attitude that is not at all entertaining or enlightening. I can’t understand how he got an NBC gig at all. I don’t particularly care for Colt Knost’s voice, but he’s better than Kisner.