2 SC YouTubers have bought a Columbia-area golf course. Here’s what they’re doing with it

One thing is clear — making videos about golfing has become far less complicated for Wesley and George Bryan IV.

The Columbia-based brothers have operated their own successful YouTube channel for years called Bryan Bros Golf. With more than 200,000 subscribers, the channel has typically posted videos that highlight tournament play, challenges and trick shots.

But lately the channel has shifted to a different golf-themed topic; highlighting the golf course the brothers obtained and their plans for its future.

“Welcome to our golf course. The condition is questionable. It needs work,” Wesley Bryan said in a video.

The pair recently bought the Indian River Golf Club in West Columbia in partnership with Greg Middleton, a Columbia entrepreneur who owns a brewery and several restaurants, according to Forbes. Wesley Bryan said they could have bought the facility outright, but then would not have had enough money left over to do what they wanted with it.

And while Middleton brings business sense and experience to the table, the Bryans bring a wealth of golf knowledge and skill.

Wesley Bryan has won a PGA Tour and currently competes, while George Bryan IV is a three-time All-American. Their love of the game came from their father, George Bryan III, a PGA professional. Also, their father actually worked at the golf course in question back when it was new in the early 90s before he started the George Bryan Golf Academy, the brothers said in one of their videos.

“This is where our dad was head pro,” Wesley Bryan said of the golf course. “This was the happening spot in Columbia 30-35 years ago.”

Plans for the SC golf course

The 30-year-old public golf course has fallen into disrepair, so the two brothers’ first priority is to get the site up to standards.

“We are going to be completely redoing this golf course from start to finish. This is a dream for us,” George Bryan IV said, adding that the plan is to open in the next year.

Wesley Bryan noted that the vision is for the site to be a private golf course.

“We plan on hosting some events periodically,” he said. “That’s obviously down the road.”

A more recent video shows the brothers riding through parts of the golf course, highlighting some of its issues while describing a few of the changes and upgrades they want to make.

“So just a little rundown of what we’re working with, we’re gonna have five par threes, three par fives, par 70, that’s the initial plan idea subject to change, but that’s kind of the rundown of the whole property,” Wesley Bryan said.

They also want to have a nice restaurant open onsite.

Another goal the brothers have is to open their own golf academy at the facility.

We’re going to build a state of the art learning facility, we’re going to be running our academy,” Wesley Bryan said. “We’re going to turn this into a place where you can learn the game, get better at the game, a place where you can play an elite level golf course.”