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By Dan Allison
Cronkite News
TEMPE – There was a party on the links Wednesday in Arizona, but it wasn’t at TPC Scottsdale, the rowdy home of the WM Phoenix Open.
Good Good, a YouTube channel turned golf brand, partnered with the Grass Clippings Rolling Hills Golf Course in Papago Park for the “Good Good GolfNow Desert Knockout.” It was Good Good’s second straight year hosting an event on the eve of the WM Phoenix Open’s opening round, and the third fan event in Arizona overall.
Hundreds of spectators packed into the par-3 golf course just before sunset for meet and greets with the players, food and drinks and a stop at the pro shop. But the real show began after dusk when Team Clark/Nadeshot beat Team Dalke/King after a sudden death “chip-off” to decide the tiebreaker under the lights.
“This is unbelievable. It is a testament to what Good Good has for themselves, their community, and golf as a whole,” said Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, a former Call of Duty eSports pro and celebrity player. “I mean, we are on the Golf Channel getting interviewed, my dad would be happy about that. Very delighted to be here.”
The inaugural event in 2024 was broadcast live on Good Good’s YouTube and streamed on Peacock. In 2025’s edition, Good Good made its cable television debut with the knockout scramble shown on NBC’s Golf Channel.
“It’s just huge for the sport of golf, right?” said Jimmy Hoselton, Grass Clippings chief of brand. ”If you look back just a year ago, I met with Good Good CEO Matt Kendrick at the course and he had the vision to bring the Desert Classic to life. It really set the tone for a different style of golf.”
A different style of golf is the name of the game for Good Good. Established in 2020, the group’s collection of former college golfers and tour hopefuls turned internet personalities have helped pioneer the YouTube golf genre that has blown up since the turn of the decade.
“It literally is insane. All these people somehow want to watch me play golf. I will never understand it. I love them so much, it’s a blast,” Good Good member Matt Scharff said after his round.
“All these golfers are stars in the golf world. They are equally as famous as players on the PGA Tour, which is a crazy thought,” Hoselton said. “YouTubers are just as big as PGA players. So I think this is just the beginning for all of us.”
Good Good’s videos and tournaments have taken the company all over the world, but their partnership with Grass Clippings has made Arizona almost a second home.
“This is my third time seeing them, it’s awesome,” Blake, a Phoenix native, said at the Desert Knockout. “It’s only 10 minutes away. It’s so cool to see the guys you watch all the time.”
This year’s format, in year two, brought a bit of Scottsdale to Tempe. The “Knockout” stipulations put all six teams in the same hole, losing a life every time a team comes in last. Two lives before contestants are knocked out, the last team standing wins.
“It is basically like a traveling hole 16 at TPC,” Hoselton said. “Because there’s only one hole of golf at a time. The fairway and green will always be surrounded by fans. It will be really unique.”
No matter the format, YouTube golf seems here to stay. A plethora of other YouTube channels have also made their presence known in Arizona with “Bob Does Sports” hosting their own tourney in Scottsdale last fall. Barstool Golf is set to come to the Valley and hold its “Barstool Classic” in June. Good Good’s desert events have also featured celebrities such as Johnny Manziel, Albert Pujols and Dave Roberts.
Plans for the 2026 tournament have yet to be announced, with Grass Clippings now gearing up for their “Grass League” Par-3 league later in the spring.
“I think they just bring that youthful spirit back into the golf world. I feel like golf has just been booming since they came into the space,” Blake said.
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