Who Is Rick Shiels?

Rick Shiels is a British PGA golf professional from Bolton, England, who became one of the most influential voices in modern golf through his YouTube channel “Rick Shiels Golf.” After qualifying as a PGA pro and building a busy lesson diary at UK ranges, he started filming simple swing tips and club reviews that gradually exploded in reach. Today his channel has well over two million subscribers and reaches golfers worldwide with coaching, reviews, challenges and course vlogs that make the game feel more approachable, honest and fun.

Early Years

Shiels grew up in Bolton in the north of England and found golf at age 11 at Hart Common Golf Club in nearby Westhoughton. He wasn’t the stereotypical child prodigy grinding elite junior tours – he simply fell in love with the game at his local club, learned the basics, and developed a down-to-earth view of golf that still shows up in his coaching today. Those early years shaped his “no nonsense, no ego” approach: golf should be challenging but never intimidating.

College & Amateur Career

Instead of chasing a full-time tour career, Shiels went the coaching route, studying at Myerscough College in Lancashire and earning a diploma in golf studies. That pathway mixed swing mechanics, coaching theory and the business side of the game, and it gave him a solid technical base to teach everyday golfers. He played local and regional events as a PGA trainee, but the focus was always on understanding the swing and explaining it in plain English rather than building a trophy cabinet.

Pro Career

After completing his PGA training, Rick began coaching at Mere Golf and Country Club in Cheshire before moving to The Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester. There, in a busy driving-range environment, he started experimenting with video – filming lessons, quick tips and honest club reviews that he uploaded to YouTube. What began in 2011 as a side project quickly turned into a full-scale media career as his channel grew past traditional golf TV in reach and influence. Over time he added big equipment tests, celebrity and tour-pro collaborations, and podcast content, positioning himself as one of the game’s most trusted independent voices.

Rather than playing full seasons on tour, Shiels has built his “pro career” around helping normal golfers. His impact shows up in millions of viewers learning basics like grip, ball position and club selection – and in the way major brands now treat YouTube reviews and launch monitor data as seriously as magazine tests or tour staff feedback.

Rick Shiels’ Swing Style

Rick’s swing is a modern, compact move built around balance and repeatable contact rather than maxed-out speed. He sets up with a solid, athletic posture, keeps the club nicely on plane and uses a smooth transition that produces a neutral, slightly drawing ball flight when he’s swinging well. To most viewers he looks like a strong, single-figure handicap club pro rather than a 180-mph-ball-speed tour bomber, which is exactly why so many golfers find his swing relatable.

Because he’s constantly testing equipment, Rick tends to favour heads and shafts that give him predictable, mid-launch, mid-spin numbers on a launch monitor. Drivers and fairways are usually set up for control and consistency first, with irons that lean toward compact players’ cavity shapes and wedges that match the turf and bunkers he actually plays. His bag is less about chasing distance and more about proving to viewers what modern gear can (and can’t) do in realistic hands.

Rick Shiels – WITB Snapshot

Rick rotates clubs more than a typical tour player because he’s constantly reviewing new launches, but his setups tend to follow a consistent pattern: a modern, forgiving driver and fairway woods, compact forged-style irons, versatile wedges and a high-end mallet putter, all paired with a premium tour ball.

• Driver – A current-generation low-spin driver from major brands like Callaway or TaylorMade, set for control over sheer distance
• 3-Wood – A strong-lofted 3-wood that fills the gap off the tee and into long par-5s
• Hybrid / Utility – A hybrid or utility iron he can flight down off the tee or launch high into par-5s
• Irons – Compact players’ cavity or forged irons in the 4–PW range for feel and shot-shaping
• Wedges – Three-wedge setup with versatile soles and lofts spaced for full-shot and finesse control
• Putter – A high-MOI mallet (often from Evnroll or similar) with strong alignment features
• Ball – A urethane-covered tour ball in the Pro V1 / TP5-style category for spin and control

Open the full Rick Shiels WITB page

Training, Practice & Prep

Rick’s “training plan” looks very different from a tour pro’s. Instead of grinding eight hours a day on the range, he splits time between filming, editing, coaching and keeping his own swing sharp enough to test clubs credibly on camera. You’ll see him hit a lot of wedges and mid-irons on launch monitors, checking spin, dispersion and strike patterns so the numbers he shares in videos actually reflect consistent swings.

He also leans heavily into short-game and putting work – not in a glamorous way, but in the practical, club-pro sense of “can this setup get up-and-down when there’s money or pride on the line?” That blend of real-world scoring focus and modern data is a huge part of why viewers trust his takes on equipment and technique.

How Your Game Compares to Rick Shiels

Most golfers who watch Rick’s videos don’t have his background, his hours on the range or his PGA training. They’re working real jobs, sneaking in nine holes after work and maybe hitting a bucket once a week. That means they won’t have the same ball speed, strike consistency or shot-shaping skills – and that’s okay. The goal is to borrow Rick’s clarity and setup logic, not to pretend you’re a full-time content-creating club pro.

A quick first step is to measure how far you really carry a 9-iron, then plug that into the My9Iron 9-iron Distance to Swing Speed Guide . From there you can explore Ball Lab and Wedge Lab to find Shiels-style gear – drivers, irons, wedges and balls – that actually fit your swing instead of just matching what you saw on YouTube.

Fun Facts About Rick Shiels

• His channel started with simple range-bay lesson clips and has grown into one of the biggest golf platforms on YouTube.
• Before going full-time into content, he spent years giving everyday lessons at UK ranges, which is why his tips feel so relatable.
• He’s played matches and challenge videos with tour pros, celebrities and fellow creators, helping bridge the gap between tour golf and the average weekend round.

Video Highlights

Look up “Rick Shiels Golf” on YouTube for WITB breakdowns, club reviews and course vlogs – then come back here to turn those ideas into a setup that actually fits your swing.

Rick Shiels Bio & WITB – FAQ

What driver does Rick Shiels use?

Rick rotates drivers frequently because of his review work, but he typically games a current-generation low-spin model from brands like Callaway or TaylorMade in the 9–10.5° range, set up for control and a neutral-to-slight-draw ball flight rather than max distance.

What irons does Rick Shiels play?

He usually favours compact, forged-style players’ cavity irons in the mid-to-short irons with a little more help in the long irons. That blend gives him enough precision to shape shots for testing and course vlogs while still offering forgiveness on the typical off-centre strike.

What golf ball does Rick Shiels use?

Like his clubs, Shiels tests a lot of golf balls, but he tends to play a premium urethane tour ball in the Pro V1 / TP5-style category – something with predictable spin, solid greenside feel and stable flight in the wind when he’s filming.

Can I just copy Rick Shiels’ exact setup?

You’ll get far more out of his content by copying the concepts rather than chasing identical specs. Rick’s equipment is chosen around his ball speed, strike pattern and testing needs – not your swing. Use his WITB as a roadmap to the right type of clubs, then use your 9-iron distance, your usual miss and your budget to build a Shiels-inspired setup that actually fits you. The My9Iron 9-iron distance guide, Ball Lab and Rick Shiels Setup Lab are built to walk you through that process step by step.