Rick Shiels Bio, Swing Style & What’s In The Bag | My9Iron

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Rick Shiels

English PGA professional turned the biggest golf channel on YouTube — straight-talk reviews, relatable coaching, and the equipment tests that move the entire industry.

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2M+ subscribers PGA-qualified pro Bolton, England

Quick Answers

Rick Shiels — FAQ

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Who is Rick Shiels?
A British PGA golf professional from Bolton, England, who built one of the biggest platforms in golf through his YouTube channel, Rick Shiels Golf. He started filming lesson clips and club reviews at a Manchester driving range and grew it into a channel with millions of subscribers, known for honest equipment testing and relatable coaching.
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What’s Rick Shiels’ swing style like?
A compact, balanced swing built around repeatable contact rather than maxed-out speed. He typically produces a neutral, slightly drawing ball flight — more relatable single-figure handicap golfer than tour bomber, which is a big part of why his coaching connects.
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Has Rick Shiels played on tour?
No — he’s a PGA-qualified professional who built his career around coaching and content rather than competing full-time. He trained at Myerscough College, qualified as a PGA pro in 2007, and coached at UK ranges before YouTube took over.
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What’s in Rick Shiels’ bag?
His setups rotate often because of his review work, but they follow a consistent pattern: a low-spin control-focused driver, a strong-lofted 3-wood, compact players’ irons, a versatile three-wedge setup, a high-MOI mallet putter, and a premium urethane tour ball. Full breakdown below.
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What golf ball does Rick Shiels play?
A premium urethane tour ball in the Pro V1 / TP5-style category — chosen for predictable spin, greenside feel, and stable flight in the wind while filming.

Gear Snapshot

Rick Shiels — What’s In The Bag

Rick tests gear constantly, so his exact setup shifts with each review cycle. The pattern below is what his bag typically looks like when he’s not actively testing something new.

  • Driver — Current-gen low-spin driver (Callaway/TaylorMade-style), set for control over max distance
  • 3-Wood — Strong-lofted, fills the gap off the tee and into par-5s
  • Hybrid / Utility — Used for flighted tee shots and long par-5 approaches
  • Irons — Compact, forged-style players’ cavity irons, 4–PW
  • Wedges — Three-wedge setup, versatile soles, lofts spaced for full-shot and finesse control
  • Putter — High-MOI mallet with strong alignment features
  • Ball — Urethane-covered tour ball, Pro V1 / TP5-style category

Setup reflects his general pattern across recent content, not a single fixed spec sheet.

About

Rick Shiels’ Story

Rick Shiels found golf at age 11 at Hart Common Golf Club near Bolton — no elite junior pedigree, just a kid who fell in love with the game at his local club. That down-to-earth start shaped the “no nonsense, no ego” coaching style he’s known for today.

Instead of chasing a tour career, he went the coaching route, studying at Myerscough College and qualifying as a PGA professional in 2007. He coached at Mere Golf and Country Club and later The Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester, where in 2011 he started filming simple tips and club reviews between lessons. What began as a side project on a busy range bay grew into one of the largest golf platforms on the internet, reaching millions with coaching, reviews, challenges, and course vlogs that make the game feel approachable rather than intimidating.

Today his equipment tests carry enough weight that major brands treat his launch-monitor data with the same seriousness as tour staff feedback — built not on a trophy case, but on years of honest, relatable testing that everyday golfers actually trust.

All Breakdowns

More Rick Shiels Content

Check back soon — breakdowns covering Rick Shiels videos will be added here as they’re published.

Try It Yourself

Find the Ball Built for Your Swing

Rick spends his career testing gear so you don’t have to guess — start with the same idea and find what actually fits your swing.

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