Baseball hall of famer Ken Griffey Jr. will co-host a new unscripted golf series alongside his real-life friend, the golf caddie-turned ESPN analyst Michael Collins.
The duo will host Caddie & The Kid, co-produced by content studio Bark Bark and Kevin Hart’s entertainment company Hartbeat. The show, which will debut new episodes on Hartbeat’s LOL Network on YouTube, will see Griffey and Collins tee off with celebrity guests, including Thursday Night Football analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick, Seattle Mariners stars and legends like Julio Rodriguez, Logan Gilbert, and Ichiro Suzuki, Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl champion Cooper DeJean, former LPGA pro Cheyenne Woods, former MLB outfielder Aaron Hicks, and YouTube golf creator Micah Morris, and others.
State Farm is the sponsor of the launch episode (yes, Jake from State Farm makes an appearance) though other brands will be featured in future episodes. The first episode will be released May 15.
“Mike and I became friends through golf and photography,” Griffey said in a statement. “We always talked about doing a show, and this is a great way for everyone to see my new retirement quest… beating Michael at golf all over the country and world. It’s gonna be a fun ride letting y’all into our circle one trip at a time.”
“We have been excited to do this for a long time – Caddie & The Kid is just a peek into what our everyday friendship is like,” Collins added. “The biggest compliment we get from people is, ‘you’re both the exact same off camera as on camera!’ Golf is such a ‘let your guard down, can’t hide who you are’ sport, so getting to hang out with athletes and celebrities at amazing bucket list venues… this show is the ultimate real life buddies trip where we can be ourselves. I’m just the lucky knucklehead who everyone gets to live vicariously through!”