Paige Spiranac is walking into 2026 with fresh energy, firmer boundaries, and zero interest in performing emotional labor for the comment section.
In a New Year’s Q&A posted to YouTube, the golf media personality recapped a 2025 she described as “interesting,” “not necessarily a good year,” and “literally like a roller coaster up and down the entire time,” with extreme highs quickly followed by life-altering lows.
“It was kind of like something amazing would happen, and then something absolutely soul heartbreaking would happen to me,” Spiranac said.
Happy Gilmore 2 Glitz, Then Nico’s Death
Spiranac said one of her best moments of 2025 came in Hollywood.
“One of the highlights was that I was in a movie. I was in Happy Gilmore 2. I got to shoot my scene with Adam Sandler himself,” she said. “It was such an incredible experience. I got to go to a real-life movie premiere.”
Then she described the loss that anchored the year’s darkest stretch: the death of her dog, Nico.
“My dog died, Nico, which was truly one of the worst experiences of my entire life,” she said.
“This Year Was the Worst. It Sucked.” Then She Looked Back and Changed Her Mind
Spiranac said the chaos of 2025 made it difficult to recognize the good while she was living it.
“I didn’t really get to focus on any of the true positives,” she said. “So I walked away from 2025 being like, ‘This year was the worst. It sucked.'”
With time, she said her perspective shifted.
“Upon reflection, I was able to be like, ‘Oh, OK. ” Here are all the good things, and here are all the things I learned and can take into 2026,” Spiranac said. “I feel like 2025 for me was a big growth year.”
The Highlight Reel Lie: Paige Calls Out Social Media’s “Everyone’s Winning” Trap
Spiranac said celebrating accomplishments online can make a challenging year feel even worse, especially when your feed is a constant stream of other people’s “best of” moments.
“It’s a trend on social media to post all of your highlights and everything that you’ve accomplished,” she said. “And it makes you feel like you are just so far behind everyone else.”
She said she had to separate from that noise and focus on what her year actually was.
“I’m going to walk away with it, saying that it was a learning experience for me,” Spiranac said. “A learning year, a growth year.”
The 2026 Tease: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” or She’s Saying Nothing
Spiranac hinted at a new project she is hoping to lock in this year, but refused to reveal details.
“I am working on something right now. I can’t tell you about it,” she said. “I always say, don’t mention anything unless the deal is done and signed, sealed, and delivered. But I’m manifesting this. I really want this to happen.”
She asked viewers for “good juju” and prayers, saying she is “super, super excited” and hopes it all comes together.
Paige vs. Fear: “I Say No Because I Don’t Want to Look Silly”
Spiranac said one of her goals this year is to stop rejecting opportunities simply because they scare her.
“I have this nasty habit of saying no to things that I’m scared of because I don’t want to look silly. I don’t want people to make fun of me,” she said. “So I end up saying no to things that I could potentially fail at.”
This year, she said, she wants to say yes anyway.
“I want to say yes to more opportunities that scare me,” Spiranac said.
Burnout Confession: “I’ve Been Running as Fast as I Possibly Can for 10 Years”
Spiranac also spoke frankly about losing passion after years of constant output.
“I’ve been running as fast as I possibly can for the last 10 years,” she said. “There’s also this panic inside of you, I think, especially as a woman, where it’s like, ‘OK, you’re getting older, you’ve got to plan your life.'”
She said that pace led to burnout.
“I’ve had a little bit of burnout, and I’ve lost my passion for creating content,” she said. “When you do it for such a long time, and you have this pressure and being perceived constantly, it can start to wear down.”
Her response was a complete stop reset.
“I took a good amount of time off. I haven’t actually touched my golf clubs in a very long time,” Spiranac said. “I just totally reset, and it was the best thing that I could have ever done.”
Golf Isn’t the Villain, But It’s Been a Messy Relationship
Spiranac said she is excited to return to golf, but she is ditching the pressure-cooker mindset.
“Last year, I was like,’ I want to be nasty at golf ‘ “. I want to get my handicap as low as possible,’ she said. “And this year, I just want to enjoy it.”
She acknowledged how intense she can become around the sport.
“I am my worst version of myself when I’m in that mindset,” Spiranac said. “I have a very unhealthy relationship with the game of golf that I’ve continued to work through over the years.”
She said her 2026 focus is nurturing that relationship, continuing swing progress, and finding a healthier mental approach.
Why She Keeps Her Personal Life Off the Timeline: “I Signed Up for This. They Didn’t.”
Spiranac said she avoids posting friends, family, and romantic partners not because it would hurt her following, but because she wants to keep part of her life for herself and protect people close to her.
“I am so vulnerable,e and I share so much of my life online that I do like to keep a section of it to myself,” she said. “And a lot of people who are close to me in my life aren’t involved in social media.”
She also pointed out that public relationships come with expectations and demands.
“Once you share those pieces of yourself, you owe explanations if something changes,” Spiranac said.
And she said experience made the decision easy.
“In the past, I have been open about a romantic partner, and there was no good that really came from it,” she said. “It didn’t add any value to my life, to their life, to the relationship.”
The Big Boundary: “I’m Fully Done Explaining Who I Am”
Spiranac said being “polarizing” online has triggered an impulse to overexplain herself, but she is done feeding that cycle.
“I have this deep burning desire to defend my character and overexplain things,” she said. “And what happens is then people say, ‘Oh, you’re just playing the victim again.’ And then I defend myself again.”
Her conclusion was blunt.
“At the end of the day, no one actually cares,” she said. “The people who dislike me will always dislike me.”
Instead of defending, she said she will show.
“I am fully done defending myself, explaining who I am,” Spiranac said. “Instead of that, I’m just going to continue to show who I am.”
“Why Do You Cry All the Time?” Paige Explains the Tears, the Brain, and the Work
Spiranac said she has struggled for years with emotional regulation and cries in many situations, especially when overstimulated.
“I am a crier through and through,” she said. “I hate it. I hate it so much. It is so embarrassing.”
She said she has worked with professionals and described it as a nervous-system response in which tears serve as a release.
“When I was doing biofeedback with a doctor … I needed a release and my release is tears,” she said. “As soon as I release, my nervous system will start to regulate again.”
She said she has tried different forms of therapy and is currently doing CBT.
“I am such an advocate for therapy,” Spiranac said. “Everyone should go to therapy.”
The Swag Putter Flex: “Nothing More Embarrassing Than Three-Putting With a Sick Putter”
Spiranac also talked about her custom “oil cam” putter, crediting Swag for making it and praising the brand’s accessories.
“I have the coolest putter of all time,” she said, describing how she spotted it at their headquarters and felt like it was “calling my name.”
She joked that the only downside is the expectations that come with having elite gear.
“You have to be nasty, nasty at putting if you have a putter that looks like that,” Spiranac said. “There’s nothing more embarrassing than having this sick, sick putter and then three-putting.”
Winter Golf Advice That’s Actually Useful: Simulators, Shadow Swings, and No Pressure
For golfers trying not to lose progress in colder months, Spiranac said winter is ideal for making changes that feel impossible during the summer season.
“Winter is an amazing time to make those stubborn changes in your golf swing,” she said, recommending indoor putting mats, simulators for data and video, lessons with a swing professional, and”shadow swings” to ingrain feel.
“Shadow swings are one of the best ways to get better,” Spiranac said.
The Community Love Letter: “It Doesn’t Go Unnoticed”
Spiranac ended the Q&A by thanking viewers and crediting her audience for supporting her through challenging moments.
“It doesn’t go unnoticed,” she said. “I wouldn’t have stuck through doing this as long as I have without you by my side.”
She said she feels “refreshed” and “passionate” as she enters the new year and urged viewers to join her in setting the tone.
“We can manifest this together,” Spiranac said. “And we’re going to make it great.”
