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Rick Shiels Bio
English PGA professional, golf instructor, equipment reviewer, and the creator behind one of the world’s largest golf channels.
Quick answer: Rick Shiels is an English PGA professional, golf instructor and equipment reviewer whose straightforward club testing helped make independent YouTube reviews a mainstream part of how golfers research equipment.
Rick Shiels at a Glance
Who Is Rick Shiels?
Rick Shiels is an English PGA professional who became one of the most influential golf creators in the world by making club reviews, golf instruction, course videos, and equipment testing easier for everyday golfers to understand.
He did not become famous through victories on the PGA Tour or DP World Tour. His career was built through coaching, communication, consistency, and the ability to turn technical golf subjects into videos that ordinary players could use.
His main Rick Shiels Golf YouTube channel passed three million subscribers and one billion total views, placing him among the largest independent golf creators in the sport.
That distinction matters because Shiels helped change how golfers research equipment. For many players, watching an independent launch-monitor review became part of the buying process before visiting a shop or booking a fitting.
Growing Up Near Bolton and Finding Golf
Rick Shiels was born July 3, 1986, and grew up around Bolton in Greater Manchester, England.
He began playing golf at approximately 11 years old at Hart Common Golf Club. His route into the game was not built around a famous junior résumé or an early tour pipeline. It began at a local club and developed through practice, study, and an interest in teaching.
Shiels attended Myerscough College from 2002 to 2004 and completed a National Diploma in Golf Studies. At 18, he decided to pursue a career in golf.
Myerscough later recognized his impact on the sport by awarding him an Honorary Fellowship in 2023.
From PGA Coaching to Golf Media
Rick Shiels is a qualified PGA professional whose career developed through coaching, equipment education and golf media.
His PGA qualification reflects professional training and experience within the golf industry. His career should be distinguished from that of a tour professional whose primary occupation is competing for prize money on major circuits.
Shiels turned professional at 19. He has explained that he was playing from a handicap of approximately three before becoming a professional and completing the required playing-ability process.
He worked in coaching roles at Mere Golf and Country Club and later at The Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester. His professional path centered on lessons and helping golfers rather than pursuing full-time tour status.
Did Rick Shiels Have a Tour Career?
Shiels did not build a full-time playing career on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour or another major international circuit.
He has competed in professional events, qualifying competitions, exhibitions, creator tournaments, pro-ams, and golf challenges. In 2026, he entered Open Championship Regional Qualifying but did not advance to Final Qualifying.
The distinction: Rick Shiels is a PGA-qualified professional and accomplished golfer whose primary career became coaching and golf media rather than full-time tour competition.
From Driving-Range Lessons to More Than Three Million Subscribers
Shiels began posting golf videos in 2011 while working as a coach at The Trafford Golf Centre. Early videos focused on straightforward swing instruction and club reviews filmed around his daily coaching work.
The format worked because it was useful and direct. Viewers could see a club hit by a skilled golfer, hear an explanation of the results, and watch launch-monitor numbers without relying only on a manufacturer’s advertising.
As the channel grew, the content expanded into:
By July 2026, the main Rick Shiels Golf channel had approximately 3.08 million subscribers and more than one billion total views.
Shiels also developed H.I.T Golf as a dedicated equipment-testing channel, allowing the main channel to focus more heavily on entertainment, matches, travel, and broader golf stories.
Why Rick Shiels Changed Golf Equipment Reviews
Before golf YouTube became a major part of the industry, equipment information was dominated by print magazines, brand advertising, retail sales material, tour usage, and fitting studios.
Shiels helped make independent video testing a normal part of the buying process.
His influence came from combining four things:
The most important change was behavioral. Millions of golfers became accustomed to watching a product tested before deciding whether it deserved further consideration.
Rick Shiels’ legacy: he helped turn the independent golf-equipment review from niche content into a mainstream step in the purchasing process.
How Good Is Rick Shiels at Golf?
Shiels is a highly skilled golfer, but his playing level should not be confused with that of a current elite tour professional.
He turned professional while playing from approximately a three handicap. Because professionals do not normally carry an amateur handicap, he does not have a directly comparable current index.
On his own Golf Show, Shiels said that if he returned to a golf club and competed regularly, he believed he could eventually play to approximately a 1 or 2 handicap. He also acknowledged that his immediate scoring level in a pressure round could look closer to a four or five.
That self-assessment fits what viewers see: he can produce excellent drives, approach shots, birdies, and under-par stretches, but he can also make the larger mistakes that separate a strong professional from a full-time tour player.
This relatability is part of his appeal. He is skilled enough to demonstrate equipment and technique clearly, but his game still includes the decisions and misses that ordinary golfers recognize.
What Does Rick Shiels’ Golf Swing Look Like?
Shiels’ swing is built more around repeatability and playable ball striking than extreme speed.
His motion generally features a controlled takeaway, a compact backswing, balanced sequencing, and a finish that allows him to stay in control through the strike. His stock flight often appears neutral to slightly drawing when he is swinging well.
That description is based on observation of his public golf content rather than a formal biomechanical assessment.
What’s in Rick Shiels’ Bag for 2026?
Rick Shiels tests more equipment than most golfers, so his bag can change. The setup below was published in April 2026 and reflects clubs he had selected for actual play rather than every product appearing in a review.
Watch Rick Shiels Explain His 2026 Bag
In this April 2, 2026 WITB, Rick Shiels explains which clubs had earned their place through extended play and why. Treat it as a dated 2026 snapshot rather than a permanently current bag.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D, 9° — Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
Fairway Wood: Callaway Elyte Titanium, 15° adjusted to 17° — Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 75 X
Driving Iron: Titleist U500 3-iron — Project X 6.5
Irons: TaylorMade P-7CB, 4-PW — True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM11, 50°, 54°, and 58°
Putter: Ping PLD Custom
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
Golf Ball: 2025 Titleist Pro V1
Observed 2026 setup published in April 2026. Individual clubs may change as Shiels continues testing equipment.
What Driver Does Rick Shiels Use?
Shiels’ 2026 driver is a TaylorMade Qi4D set at 9 degrees with a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X shaft.
He moved into the Qi4D after using the TaylorMade Qi35 LS. The newer head gave him the spin window, appearance, and distance profile he wanted without requiring him to sacrifice control.
Which Driver Profile Fits Your Game?
Shiels chose a low-spin setup because it matched his delivery and performance goals. Your best category depends on the speed range, forgiveness, shot-shape help, adjustability, and feel you need.
What Fairway Wood Does Rick Shiels Use?
His Callaway Elyte Titanium fairway wood is marked at 15 degrees but adjusted to 17 degrees, making it function more like a strong 4-wood.
That adjustment gives him a useful combination of tee-shot control, launch from the fairway, and separation from his driver and driving iron.
What Irons Does Rick Shiels Use?
Shiels plays TaylorMade P-7CB irons from 4-iron through pitching wedge with Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts.
The P-7CB is a compact players’ cavity design. It provides more stability than a traditional muscle-back blade while retaining the shape, feedback, and control preferred by stronger ball strikers.
Do You Need Players’ Irons?
Compact irons can provide control and feedback, but they are not automatically the best choice for every golfer. Your ideal category depends on how much forgiveness, distance support, workability, and feel you want.
What Wedges Does Rick Shiels Use?
His 2026 wedge setup uses Titleist Vokey SM11 models at 50, 54, and 58 degrees.
The four-degree gaps create a simple progression through the scoring clubs and give him options for full swings, partial shots, bunker play, and greenside shots.
What Putter Does Rick Shiels Use?
Shiels uses a custom Ping PLD putter selected through a dedicated Ping fitting. It has become one of the more stable clubs in a bag that otherwise changes regularly because of his review work.
What Golf Ball Does Rick Shiels Use?
His 2026 setup lists the 2025 Titleist Pro V1. It is a premium urethane ball built to combine distance, controlled flight, iron consistency, and short-game spin.
Should You Play the Same Ball as Rick Shiels?
Not automatically. A premium tour ball may fit your game, but the best choice depends on the distance, feel, greenside spin, workability, forgiveness, and price profile you prefer.
Podcasting, Charity, and Expanding Golf Media
Shiels’ work extends beyond club reviews and swing tips. The Rick Shiels Golf Show developed into a regular podcast and video platform, and in January 2025 he became a LIV Golf ambassador and content creator.
Bankruptcy documents filed 09-08-2026 listed Rick Shiels Media as an unsecured creditor owed $1.4 million by LIV Golf. Neither the filing nor subsequent reporting established that Shiels had ended the relationship.
He has also used his audience for charity. Myerscough College reported that he helped host a YouTube Golf Day that raised more than £15,000 for Prostate Cancer UK and later completed a 150-mile fundraising walk connected to the 150th Open Championship, raising approximately £115,000.
Those projects demonstrate the scale of the platform: it is not only a review channel, but a golf-media business capable of creating events, fundraising, collaborations, and industry-wide conversations.
Rick Shiels’ Career Timeline
More Golf Creator Bios on My9Iron
Frequently Asked Questions About Rick Shiels
Use Reviews to Learn, Then Fit the Club to Your Game
Rick Shiels helped millions of golfers compare equipment before buying it. The next step is separating an interesting club from a club category that actually matches your needs.
Editorial review: July 21, 2026. Subscriber totals, equipment, and active projects should be rechecked during future updates.