Last week, the European Tour won Best Social Media Campaign at this year’s BT Sport Industry Awards, thanks to their ‘Access All Areas’ series.

In this category, the golf tour faced stiff competition from Adidas Football with Messi Piano, ATP Media, Bauer Media and the International Netball Federation.

Available on a dedicated playlist on YouTube, the Access All Areas series gathers famous videos of the Tour’s stars involved in fun or awkward situations as well as in challenges or spending time with fans.

The Tour provides a great variety of videos to entertain golf fans and to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of the players, who appear authentically as themselves and yet also show a fun side. It is an original and engaging series of content.

A golf star tries to make hole-in-one with 500 balls:

A Bad Coaching prank with fans:

The Awkward Reporter coached by the players themselves:

Golf stars celebrating a young fan’s birthday:

Chief Content Officer at the European Tour, Rufus Hack, is proud of the effort provided by people involved in Access All Areas: “A huge amount of work goes into each and every one of these videos, from idea generation to executing the concepts at high profile events in different corners of the world, to delivering the finished product, and I would like to applaud the efforts of the entire team. Our thanks also go to the players, whose enthusiasm and belief in what we are aiming to do has made the Access All Areas series what it is today”, he said in an official statement.

The appearance of several big-name golf stars is the DNA of All Areas Success. The series “showcases the character of our players to a wider audience” as Hack explained, and it certainly does that.

Indeed, we know that one of key success factors in sports in terms of content is the involvement of players and the exposure of their personalities. A practice adopted by many clubs, leagues and tournamenents, notably on YouTube.

The difference with the European Tour is that golf is often seen as a calm sport. When we see golf players playing pranks or having a go at challenges, the impact is more significant than when it comes from footballers or basketball players whose sports often show them off in a more extgroverted light.

Through Access All Areas and content based around humor and entertainement, the European Tour has found a way to reach new audiences and engage with them. The series has also perhaps pushed the boundaries by changing some opinions about golf. And whilst the awards are deserved, that is the priceless trophy.