How Travis Miller Grew PGA Memes into a Global Brand
With the evolution of social media, the world of sports has evolved tremendously. Today, fanbases and communities live online where followers can interact, converse, discuss and engage with not only other fans and foes, but also with their favorite athletes and players. While sports like basketball and football have facilitated many online forums and platforms for their communities to gather and engage in, the sport of golf has been one of the last to join this trend. Some might attribute this to the fact that golf might be known as the stuffy, more formal sport.
But one amateur golfer set out to break the stigma behind the “country club sport” with a meme account that would bring golfers together via a meme account called PGA Memes. Established in 2018, the account’s founder Travis Miller created PGA Memes as a fun way for golf lovers to engage with fun golf-related content, but after three years, the brand has since amassed global visibility, reaching more than 50 million people a week. Circulating golf content that is equally hilarious, relatable current and even newsworthy, through PGA Memes, Miller’s platform encompasses all things golf, including the good, the bad, and the hilarious ugly that comes with playing.
“People often regard golf as a very dry and exclusive sport,” says PGA Memes Founder and CEO Travis Miller. “But with PGA Memes, we wanted to showcase the fun side of the sport for the everyday golfer. Even when we work with pro players, we want to bring out the fun, relatable side of the game with the pro content and events we develop as well.”
Having grown such a massive following, PGA Memes is now a globally recognized brand that Miller uses for brand collaborations, partnerships, and even opportunities with the PGA Tour themselves as well as the European Tour. Partnering with such big names like these, PGA Memes has become an invaluable asset, with its ability to tap into its network and following of more than 50 million which in turn essentially results in a guaranteed ROI for partners. Miller has additionally added other extensions of the brand including the brand’s podcast, Shank Happens with PGA Memes, as well as the PGA Memes branded merchandise via their online shop.
But Miller knows that with such a great audience and following, comes incredible responsibility which is why the brand recently established a charity series called the PGA Memes Challenge, where golfers play to raise and donate money to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Thus far, more than $100K has been donated to the charity. While Miller could never have imagined what his humble meme page would amass to, the business-minded entrepreneur is already pursuing new and innovative mediums to continue to share PGA Memes content. Up next, the CEO has plans to expand into TV content with relatable, engaging golf content for fans and players. So as the game of golf continues to evolve, reaching new demographics and generations, PGA Memes looks to continue to build and grow a fun and relatable golf community by way of their various platforms.