Made Ya Laugh

It's become a daily ritual for millions of Americans: scrolling through the silly, cringeworthy and unbelievable videos that are regularly published on social media. Golf enthusiasts have easy access to countless clips of trick shots, highlights from the professional game and plenty of the lowlights of struggling amateurs.

But perhaps one of the most popular golf channels on social media over the last year and a half is St. André Golf (@standregolf), a series of comedy sketches which poke fun at the relatable and everyday episodes on the golf course, such as the ranger who takes their job too seriously or getting paired up with the dreaded single.

A critical component behind St. André Golf's rising success has been Hannah Aslesen, an Edina, Minnesota, native who got her start at Interlachen Country Club—not on the course, but inside the storied clubhouse.

“That was my first introduction to golf,” says Aslesen, a former pole vaulter and basketball player who graduated from Edina High School in 2009. “I worked there in high school and then after college, I moved back home and started serving full-time in the dining room and in the Bobby Jones Room.”

It was at the University of Wisconsin where Aslesen first performed on stage, and upon graduating, found herself unsatisfied with a job in sales. She then dove into improv and comedy in Minneapolis.

“Comedy was always such a unique way to bond with people. It's such a great diffuser, and improv is unique because it's so in-the-moment,” she says. “Is there a way to translate what I think is funny on a universal wavelength so that everyone is laughing at a collective thing? That always felt so connected and inspiring. If I can do anything with people, I'd love to make them laugh with me.”

It didn't take long before she began eyeing something bigger and more fulfilling, so she packed up her car and moved to Atlanta.

“I've had this mantra of when a city stops surprising me or I'm no longer interested, then it's time to move,” Aslesen says. “That curiosity led me [to Atlanta], where I was fortunate to get involved with some improv within a couple of days—and within a couple of months, I was performing regularly.”

In August of 2022, Aslesen's friend Aaron Chewning contacted her to gauge her interest in the prospect of comedy sketches depicting the tales of the ordinary golfer.

“Aaron has a degree in production, so he's always been behind a camera. He's also written a number of commercials. He hired me on a couple of projects previously, and the chemistry was always really good,” Aslesen says. “He asked if I liked golf and what my relationship to it was. Then one day he went to a coffee shop to write a sketch about golf and ended up writing 15 of them.”

Early on, Aslesen says the goal was to amass more than 10,000 followers in six months.