Gabby Golf Girl Beat Steph Curry, Now She’s Pioneering A New Format

She also isn’t just playing matches, she’s producing them. Her content has evolved into something much closer to episodic television, where the outcomes still matter but the cart banter and chemistry between her and her opponents drive engagement.

That evolution reflects a broader shift on the platform itself. YouTube’s share of total TV viewing reached roughly 12% in 2025, according to Nielsen—higher than any individual network or streaming service—as it increasingly functions like a destination for long-form, episodic content alongside short clips.

Instead of challenging other influencers to golf duels—still de rigueur on YouTube—she’s leaned into unpredictability, approaching strangers on driving ranges and sizing up both their swings and their on-camera presence in her “random golfer” series.

The result is a fresh one-on-one format for YouTube Golf blending competition with human connection. As she puts it, it’s no longer about “just straight up watching golf,” but about surfacing personalities that might otherwise go unnoticed, like a Texas A&M fraternity cheering on their chapter’s lowest handicapper as he takes on Gabby.

“I think it’s important to show that I’m really going up to regular people who are just out playing golf, and showing that they can be on YouTube too—that they have character as well, rather than just playing golf with other influencers.”

That shift has been guided as much by instinct as by data. DeGasperis pores over her analytics obsessively, “every single day,” she says to improve her content but she’s just as concerned with pacing and narrative tension.

What keeps viewers from clicking away isn’t just shot-making, but the emotional stakes layered into each interaction. “Tension,” she explains, is the key variable, whether it’s competitive friction, unexpected chemistry, or the reveal of a personality that defies expectations. At times, that dynamic can resemble the awkward, get-to-know-you energy of a first date—two strangers sizing each other up in real time, with the outcome of the match only half of the appeal. Those insights have pushed her content beyond pure sport and into a hybrid format that mirrors broader trends across digital media sports channels, where audience retention, in the end, comes down to storytelling as much as skill showcasing.

The dual focus of performance and production also defines how she views her role. DeGasperis still approaches her craft like an athlete, adhering to a strict daily routine built around practice and recovery, but she’s equally conscious of the business she’s building around it. “I see myself as both,” she says when asked about balancing hours on the course with a growing operation that includes family and employees.

That hybrid identity is also increasingly attractive to brands. Last month, premium hydration brand Electrolit signed DeGasperis to its athlete roster, betting that her combination of competitive credibility and creator reach can help the brand connect with golf audiences, an area they’d yet to explore.

For DeGasperis, who has consumed the product for years, the partnership fits naturally into the athlete side of her routine, which revolves around regimented practice sessions in the Florida heat, recovery and content production on a steady rinse and repeat cycle.

As brand partnerships scale in lockstep with her audience growth, she’s become more selective, prioritizing deals where she can “spearhead” a category, as is the case with this one, rather than simply join an ambassador roster already chock full of golfers.

The long-term vision remains open-ended, but the ambition is bright-eyed and clear: to scale what she calls her “little business” into something much larger. It’s a trajectory powered as much by gumption and resilience as it is momentum—and with Gabby’s track record, the smart money would not bet against her.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com