A detailed presentation from Olytico at the Golf Ireland Season Launch in Carton House on Monday, led by Stephen O’Leary and Carla Reynolds, has underlined the scale of online engagement around golf and the evolving digital opportunities for the sport.
Reviewing 2025, the analysis showed that golf generated significant global conversation, with major spikes linked to key events including The Masters, the Walker Cup and the Irish Open.
One of the standout findings was the continued importance of different platforms serving distinct roles. Facebook remains central to club-level engagement, while X continues to dominate live sports conversation. However, TikTok is emerging as a major growth platform, particularly for pre- and post-event storytelling.
Content from The Masters on TikTok, for example, is expected to generate over 100 million views during tournament week, highlighting the scale of opportunity for rights holders and organisers.
The analysis also pointed to the growing importance of LinkedIn as a commercial channel. Increasingly, it is where senior decision-makers and sponsors engage with sports content, making it a key platform for rights holders seeking to demonstrate value and build partnerships.
Several practical lessons were highlighted for sports organisations:
Content should be platform-agnostic, with the same assets distributed across multiple channels to maximise reach and return on investment
Behind-the-scenes storytelling continues to resonate strongly with audiences, offering an accessible way to engage fans beyond live competition
Viral moments are often unpredictable, but organisations that are prepared can maximise their impact commercially and reputationally
Long-form content remains relevant, particularly when it offers depth or unique access
The presentation also reinforced the importance of planning content around events well in advance, with audience engagement beginning weeks before tournaments rather than at the point of competition.
The findings underline a shift towards more strategic, data-led content planning, where digital engagement is increasingly central to fan development, sponsorship value and overall growth.
The convergence of live sport, digital platforms and data analytics continues to reshape how sports organisations connect with audiences and commercial partners alike, even if we thought that social media’s best days were behind it.
And the most viewed content during Masters Week last year. It featured Rory but it wasn’t his shot.
@rtenews ⛳️❤️Rory McIlroy’s four-year-old daughter Poppy showed her dad how it’s done with a monster putt on the eve of the 89th Masters. It came at the start of the Par-3 contest which tees up the action at Augusta. 📲#rténews #golf #rorymcilroy #themasters #augusta #rte #ireland #news #irishnews ♬ original sound – RTÉ News
Watch out in the coming weeks for our Monthly Report on Irish Sport on Social media, produced by Olytico.
Image Credit: Sport for Business
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