One of the stories of the year in YouTube golf is Bryson DeChambeau’s “Breaking 50” series.
The concept for the series is simple: DeChambeau invites someone to play with him in a two-person scramble from the forward tees in hopes of breaking 50.
Even with the advantage of playing from the forward tees and having a two-time major champ in a scramble, shooting in the 40s requires near-flawless golf. That is 23-under at many regulation courses.
Making five eagles and 13 birdies doesn’t leave much room for error. The par-3s are particularly crucial because the short length doesn’t help too much—it still requires a solid shot and a made putt.
I find myself drawn to this series and have watched all 11 installments since DeChambeau came out with the concept late last year.
Apparently I’m not alone based on these thriving viewership numbers. The past five episodes of Breaking 50 have collected just over 26 million views as of this writing.
These are big, big numbers. Since this summer, the series is averaging more than five million viewers per episode. There have been more than 68,000 comments (averaging nearly 14,000 comments per video) just on those past five episodes.
These are really unprecedented engagement numbers when it comes to the rapidly growing world of YouTube golf. People are clearly connecting with this type of content—more so than just about anything else out there when it comes to any form of consuming golf outside of actually playing.
The PGA Tour and LIV might need to start taking notes…
Why does Breaking 50 work so well?
I have a few theories on why this series has been crushing it.
The first is that the guests have been compelling. Even putting former president Donald Trump to the side—that episode broke records for YouTube golf viewership—guests like John Daly and Tony Romo have been perfect complements to DeChambeau’s more straight-laced approach.
DeChambeau isn’t all that funny on his own but it is hilarious to see him partner with someone who is constantly cracking jokes and leaning into the entertainment aspect a lot harder than thinking about the score.
The second part is that the videos have no wasted space. The concept is abundantly clear and captivating in that we all want to see an incredible golfer shoot a remarkable score (with occasional help from his partner).
The episodes are fast-paced and usually hold your attention all the way until the end given that DeChambeau and his partner often come tantalizingly close to breaking 50. The “stakes” are high right off the bat given how much pressure there is to keep pace with the target score.
It also helps that the episodes are around 55 minutes long on average so it isn’t a heavy time commitment.
The third part is the simple joy of watching a long-hitting golfer demolish comically short holes that were not designed for someone of his length. Seeing someone hit a driver and a flip wedge into a par-5 is impressive. It’s really a phenomenal insight into how a golfer of that caliber easily defeats a relatively normal course.
It also helps that you can pick up any episode without having to watch anything else in the series. They all work independently of each other.
The series is definitely one of the reasons DeChambeau has surpassed 1.5 million subscribers.
The top five Breaking 50 moments
This is a tough list to pick but I would rank the top Breaking 50 episodes as follows:
5. Garrett Clark
In terms of pure skill being displayed, I think this is probably the best video. DeChambeau and Clark start slow but go into hyperdrive in a race to break 50.
4. Tony Romo
Come for Tony Romo’s ridiculous outfit where he looks like a hobo-turned-NFL-commentator. Stay for Bryson pulling off epic shots down the stretch.
3. Donald Trump
If we can just put politics aside for a second, this episode is highly entertaining. Trump’s putting stroke is diabolical but magically works (sometimes). Pulling a golf cart right up to the tee box is a power move you should only make when you literally own the course.
2. Bob Does Sports
This is the only episode where DeChambeau has three partners. Does it help? Not a ton, but Bob Does Sports pulls off a few miracles in a ferocious chase for 49—and watching Bobby Fairways go through Bryson’s snack pack is worth the price of admission. I’ll give you a hint: this one ends in dramatic fashion.
1. John Daly
Does this video feature a special chocolate milk delivery on the 10th tee? Yes, yes, it does. Daly is absolutely not taking the competition seriously as evidenced by his bare feet and drunken behavior. DeChambeau is taking it seriously. Hilarity ensues.
Kuso
3 months ago
This is the way of the future.
Social media has come to save the game. And it’s saving many people’s lives, people who may ordinarily not have made it onto TV Networks and cables shows back in the day as there were not enough outlets for them to showcase their own individual talents. These social media platforms have done and solved that, for every walk of life, every job, hobby and even the minutest of skills.
If the powers that be don’t cop to that and make use of it from here on out and create tie-ups and permit freedoms like LIV has done to allow Bryson to continue to do these videos, the mainstream media will be left behind and be ignored as anachronistic and archaic – hello PGA TOUR, that’s YOU!!! 🫵🖕
😂