What goes into creating the biggest YouTube golf tournament in history? Golf.com just released a video talking about the insane production demands and requirements needed to pull off the 2026 Internet Invitational. It’s almost hard to believe, and the numbers are staggering.
They started by saying the Internet Invitational is the wildest thing in golf, but the story behind what fans aren’t seeing might be even crazier.
The Numbers for the Production Are Wild
They noted that Barstool Sports — the company run by Dave Portnoy that came up with the idea for the series — hired more than 100 people just to help produce the 2026 series.
That group includes six security guards to help ensure spoilers don’t leak. They used 82 different cameras to capture all the footage. That’s more than twice the cameras used in a typical NFL game to capture the action. “Those cameras shot more than 28 TB of footage,” and it took five days just to sync the audio to the video.
By the time filming wrapped, the crew had to review more than 800 hours of footage. That will equal more than 20 hours of content uploaded to YouTube.
How the Production Crew Was Broken Up
Four different editing teams were working simultaneously to get the footage ready for upload to YouTube.
Team one cut the matches into YouTube-style edits and created plot points that would entertain fans.
Team two shot the off-course content, making sure the narratives around the players and their interactions—including all the additional drama—would keep viewers engaged.
Team three cut opening teasers to make sure the YouTube algorithm was on point.
Team four was the final editors who brought everything together.
The Early Results Are More Than Worth The Effort
So far, the four videos posted to the Bob Does Sports and Barstool YouTube channels have garnered over 25 million total views. That kind of viewership, along with the sponsorship the series generated, is worth big money.
Pegged as the Survivor of golf content, fans can’t seem to get enough. Episode 2 was labeled the best, most dramatic golf content ever uploaded, and the series’ views have rivaled some of the biggest events in sports.
The Internet Invitational has certainly outperformed the now-bankrupt LIV Golf tour, which did only a fraction of the numbers this series is pulling.
There is no doubt that Portnoy has stumbled onto a winning idea. However, the work behind the scenes is anything but accidental. His crew is working tirelessly to create a series that golf fans on YouTube can’t wait to watch. It’s the kind of content that has the biggest names in golf content creation wanting in and fans on the edge of their seats.
Unbelievable Production Details Behind 2026 Internet Invitational Revealed