The siblings from small-town South Carolina sailed on the emerald waters around Richard Branson’s private island, zip-lined through palm trees and played pool with the famous British billionaire. A year earlier, the Bryan brothers were broke and playing in golf’s minor leagues. Now they were hanging out with the eccentric Virgin founder at his exclusive retreat in the British Virgin Islands.

The Bryans earned the invitation because of a skill they’d inadvertently discovered in early 2014. Turns out Wesley Bryan, always crafty with a wedge in his hand, was pretty good at hitting a golf ball out of mid-air. That specialty, combined with a savvy showmanship seasoned with Southern accents, helped Wesley and his older brother, George IV, quickly gain attention in a sport seeking unconventional ways to appeal to new audiences.

The Bryans had dreamt of winning majors at St. Andrews and Pebble Beach; instead, they were invited to those hallowed grounds to perform as the Bryan Bros, the duo whose videos have been viewed millions of times on YouTube. It’s the reason they were at Branson’s Necker Island, except actor Chevy Chase was the emcee of this show in August 2015.

Wesley’s most impressive trick wasn’t made for social media, though. He performed it on the Web.com Tour. Wesley, 26, had never competed in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned tournament before 2016. He needed just 13 starts as a Web.com Tour rookie to win three times and earn an immediate promotion to the PGA TOUR.

That success overshadows even the Bryan Bros’ most entertaining video.

“I didn’t dream of being a trick shot artist on YouTube,” Wesley says. “I wanted to be a PGA TOUR player.”

The Bryans didn’t stumble across a golf club one day and wonder how they could use this foreign implement to achieve Internet fame. They’ve been on a golf course since they started following their father to work as toddlers.

Their upbringing contributed to their success on the course and on social media.

Their father, George III, is a golf instructor who turned the family’s backyard into a golf academy. Growing up with uninhibited access to a practice facility allowed them to exercise their creativity. They had daily competitions, challenging each other with any shot their minds could conjure. The brothers’ energetic, extroverted nature, which they inherited from George III, made them natural-born entertainers.

“I would never be shocked if you said the Bryan brothers wouldn’t take the road most traveled,” says Bill McDonald, their coach at the University of South Carolina. “They’ve always sort of done it their own way.”

This is their tale.