‘I Felt Uninspired’ – Paige Spiranac On Overcoming Burnout To Build A New Media Empire With The Creator Of Full Swing

This isn’t just another content partnership; it is the moment one of golf’s most influential disruptors stops being an island and starts to scale her vision. I sat down with Paige Spiranac and Chad Mumm, the visionary behind Full Swing and co-founder and president of Pro Shop, to discuss their new joint venture: Paige Co.

A long-term partnership centred on original IP, media production, and commerce, the company marks Spiranac’s transition from a solo creator to an equity partner and a leading creative voice in the industry.

What stood out to me immediately was the pragmatism behind the move. A former professional golfer who pivoted a viral moment into a global brand, Spiranac now has a staggering 11.6 million combined followers. Her 4 million on Instagram alone surpasses even Tiger Woods.

For a decade, she has embraced a glamorous, unapologetically bold aesthetic, not just challenging the status quo, but giving the internet exactly what it wants to see. While the gatekeepers fixated on her revealing outfits, Spiranac focused on the millions of eyes they attracted, building a massive, loyal community. The traditional golf world didn't have to like it, but they could no longer afford to ignore it.

End Of The Solo Era

Despite that outward success, the internal reality was exhausting. Spiranac spoke with refreshing frankness about the burnout of managing her own empire with often little more than a phone and her mother’s help behind the camera.

After years of shooting, producing, and editing every piece of content herself, she admitted to reaching a point where she felt uninspired. "I’ve been on an island alone by myself for so many years," she shared, saying that the solitude of the creator path can eventually take its toll.

In Pro Shop, she has found a partner that doesn’t want to sanitise her brand, but rather provide the infrastructure to help her realise her own vision. "I’ve always had people tell me, 'You have to do this, you need to be this way, you need to wear this.' With Chad, it was, 'We want you to be yourself... we’ll just help you do it.'"

More than just support for her own channels, Spiranac is excited about the collaborative potential of a full production team. “I know my brand inside and out, but I also have a lot of ideas that might not be great for me, but I do want to see in the golf space,” she explained. By stepping into a broader role, she aims to source new talent and develop creative concepts that shake up the industry.

Scaling The Disruption

Mumm is no stranger to shaking up the status quo, having played a massive role in bringing golf to a global Netflix audience. He sees a significant gap between the traditional industry and a consumer interest that is "ripe for disruption."

"I think the consumer interest in golf has grown way faster than maybe the industry was even ready for," Mumm says. He pointed to the explosion of the game on social media, highlighting that golf is now the fastest-growing category in all of sports on YouTube, "I mean, imagine 10 years ago saying that," he added.

With the tools and infrastructure already in place at Pro Shop, Mumm saw a chance to do something new. “The thought became, ‘Okay, well, what if we could just put all those tools behind a singular creator?’” Mumm explained. “We wanted to make sure that the first time we did that, it was with someone who had a really big vision, and honestly, someone who had a big vision that hadn’t really been able to realise it.”

I tried my best to get them to reveal exactly what is in the immediate pipeline, but despite my prodding, neither would give away too much. Mumm did hint, however, at the scale they are aiming for.

"It’s early days," he said with a smile. "We obviously have great relationships with all the streamers, but Paige also has this incredible audience that she can talk directly to. We want to find the balance of the right place to debut the first big creative expression of this partnership, but that’s meant to just be the first, not the only." For now, they are letting the creative lead the way toward new shows and consumer products.

It is easy for critics to dismiss Spiranac’s success as luck or aesthetics, but her journey began out of pure necessity. Coming out of college in a difficult financial position, she leveraged social media to finance her professional golf dreams.

"I realised that I had a knack for connecting with my audience," she said, reflecting on the transition. "The growth came from cultivating this community and these relationships. Sometimes that can look quite messy, because I am a flawed individual, but it was those moments that were good and bad, the ups and downs that created this community who have been following me for such a long time."

Now, as an equity partner, she is clear that her business success is the result of discipline, not just digital trends. “Every decision I make is for a reason,” she says. “I think a lot of people would chalk that up, or at least the success in my career, to just kind of luck or physical attributes, but there are a lot of better-looking people than me out there that are better at golf and funnier.

"But if you show up every single day and you work really hard and care about your community, and you're constantly feeding your community, that's the most important thing when it comes to social.”

So, how does Paige Co. intend to represent women’s golf in a way that differs from the industry’s past? Mumm believes the media side, in terms of the coverage of pro golf and the way the LPGA gets its product out there, is poised to be the next great wave. It is a major reason why Pro Shop is investing in the LPGA Tour and already thinking about different ways to showcase their athletes.

“From a Paige Co. view, we see it more as the golf entertainment ecosystem... what we are trying to do is bring something new to that and push it in a slightly different direction," Mumm says. "We want to make it more fun and accessible so it appeals to a much broader audience than just people who are watching scrambles and matches on YouTube."

For Spiranac, this isn't a new goal, it has been her intention from day one. Making the game feel as inclusive as possible starts with returning to the public range where she began. "I think for so many years, people have seen it as this stuffy, conservative sport," she says. "I grew up just hitting golf balls at a range for $5 and that's how I love the game. It’s about showing all these different sides of golf."

Ultimately, Paige Co. represents a shift from influencing to helping shape the future of the game. Spiranac isn't just showing us how she plays golf anymore, she’s building the world she wants golf to be. As our chat wrapped up, her excitement was palpable. She no longer feels alone, and she’s ready to show the world exactly what she can offer when she has a powerhouse team behind her.

What are your thoughts on Spiranac's new venture and her position in the golf creator landscape? Let us know in the comments below