Robby Berger on the Future of YouTube Golf and Playing with LeBron

Robby Berger, once a modest guest service manager at the L.A. Four Seasons, is now one of the most recognized faces in golf. At 34, he may not break 80, but his personality and ability to create a positive atmosphere have garnered him millions of fans on the Bob Does Sports YouTube channel. Each video commands seven-figure views, and Berger has become the face of a growing media empire built on good times and unconventional golf challenges. In a recent episode of GOLF's "Drop Zone" podcast, he shared his thoughts on his journey to success, playing with celebrities like LeBron James, and the future of YouTube golf.

On Work and Self-Identity

"What do you tell your parents' friends that you do for a living?" host Dylan Dethier asked Robby Berger. "That's a good question," Berger replied. "Usually, I say YouTube, and their first question is always, 'Do you make money off of it?' They'll just go right into it. I explain it's kind of like a radio show with advertisements. But if my parents aren't around and there's no chance somebody's going to get it, I tell them I still work at the Four Seasons."

Dethier recalled Max Homa's advice to simplify conversations with Uber drivers by saying he's in real estate. "Correct!" Berger laughed. "At least with Max, it's golf. With YouTube, it's like, people don't get it."

From Casual Player to YouTube Star

Berger admitted he wasn't always a passionate golfer. His interest in the game grew as he became part of the golf content world. "The more we've done Bob Does Sports, the more I've fallen in love with golf," he said. "We hit the perfect storm when we started releasing videos—right around Covid, when things really started to pop. What helps us, and it's not on purpose, is that a lot of the YouTube golfers you see are sticks, which makes hacks like us relatable. People say, 'Bob plays bad on purpose.' You can't give me that much credit, because I'm trying."

Shifting Perspectives and Celebrity

Having interviewed celebrities and now becoming famous himself, Berger has noticed a change in his perspective on fame. "What's eye-opening for me is how people handle it," he shared. "With every single interaction, you can tell who handles it well and who doesn't. Like, I hope there never comes a day where it makes sense for us to be playing golf with LeBron James, or it makes sense for us that we're playing with Max Homa. I always want that rush of going to a course—like, 'I can't believe we're doing this with Max Homa!'"

The Future of YouTube Golf

Discussing the trends in YouTube golf, Berger noted the immense interest in the niche. "It's a good question and one we talk about all the time," he said. "I've tried to set everything up where, if YouTube is done tomorrow, I'm still in a good spot. Talking to somebody like Jet, our producer, he's so glass-half-empty. Like, 'It's all going to go away!' But the way I see it—and, of course, I could be wrong—is I don't think it's going away anytime soon. What I think you're going to start to see is what we did with the Internet Invitational. You have so many eyeballs on this that I think it's going to continue to grow and grow. The thing that's hard to do is—if you're putting out a video every week, it's like, 'All right, how do you change it up?' So, getting creative on that front is important."

Balancing Content and Personal Life

When asked how he disconnects from the fact that so much of his life is now content, Berger replied, "To be completely honest, I love it so much that it's what makes me happy. There's so many videos out there of me since I was a kid. I was always filming stuff; I was always doing content. So that's always been in me. But there's the business side of it where, mentally, I need a break at times."

Playing with LeBron James

Berger recently shot a Bob Does Sports video with LeBron James. "Yeah, for sure," Berger responded when asked about the pressure of having such a star on the show. "I wanted to make the most of it. Like, I knew we had nine holes [with him], and there's so many things you could ask him. Obviously, when there's a big guest coming on [the show], I make sure I'm ready to go. I probably prepared for LeBron as much as anybody. The two guests I've prepared most for were LeBron and the guy who killed Osama bin Laden."

When asked which shoot he prepared for harder, Berger humorously replied, "The bin Laden [guy], because I had more time. I spent maybe at least a month preparing. I mean, I felt like I could have shot bin Laden at [that] point."

Wish List of Guests

Berger admitted that Michael Jordan could be one of the funniest guests on the channel. "After seeing LeBron on there, I think that would be absolutely hysterical. A guy that I've wanted a while to come on the show… I like guys who you haven't seen too much on YouTube, and I want Jordan Spieth so bad on the channel. I think he would be such a fun get. So, him. Rory. But Michael Jordan coming on would, I think, be the funniest thing of all time."

The Secret to Success: Authenticity

Summing up how a star like LeBron James ended up playing golf on their channel, Berger emphasized, "I think we're just very authentic to ourselves, and people can see us having a good time. What you see is what you get with the channel, and I think LeBron appreciated that and just wanted to go out and have a good time. If you're being somebody you're not, it just doesn't have a ton of longevity. And I hope we do have longevity because of who we are. So I think if we just keep being ourselves, keep having fun and showcasing that in a good light, really anything's possible. And, hopefully, people want to keep tuning in."

The full interview is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.