PGA Tour Takes Swing at Comedy in New ‘Alter Ego’ Unscripted Series

Arnold Palmer once said that golf was “deceptively simple and endlessly complicated.” Now the PGA Tour hopes to give fans of the links something a little less intense: a good laugh. Some viewers may be surprised, even tickled, by what they see. The first episode will debut on the PGA Tour YouTube channel and PGATour.com, as well as Omaha Productions’ YouTube and social channels, and shows Wyndham Clark going incognito to test and trick fans and peers.

One additional episode will follow, featuring Max Homa. Laughs are only one potential outcome from the golf organization’s push to create such content around its tournaments and events. Executives, says Weitz, have noticed a significant uptick of people playing golf since the coronavirus pandemic and see an opportunity to bring a younger generation of fans under its umbrella.

In January of last year, PGA Tour unveiled a new 165,000 square foot production facility on its campus in Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida, as part of a bid to gain new oversight over thousands of hours of sports content that its top executives believe will only be in more demand in a future dominated by streaming video — and different kinds of media entities that are looking at sports in very different fashion in the streaming era, “Having firm control of your content strategy is really important because it becomes the bridge to your core product,” says Weitz. We want to find ways to meet our fans earlier in the week, deepen their engagement and connection to the tour, remind them that they should be watching on the weekend.” Part of that effort involves programs such as “Alter Ego.” “One of the most fun things for us to do right now is to reach out to leading production houses like Omaha and say, ‘Where is the overlap? What are you working on that might fit in the world of golf?’ We’re open for business here,” says Weitz.

Indeed, the seeds for “Alter Ego” were planted in 2025 when PGA Tour Studios teamed up with Omaha Productions to send Eli Manning undercover as a tournament volunteer to catch star golfers off guard at the FedEx St. The new “Alter Ego” also comes with a sponsor. ShipSticks, which helps transport golf clubs and bags, is featured in different segments of the program, says Weitz, which requires golfers to figure out logistics for equipment.