Nominations are open until October 30, 2026

The Business in Golf 100 is now accepting nominations from across the global golf industry. You can nominate yourself, a colleague, a peer, a friend, or anyone you believe is doing great work to grow the game and inspire others.

The five criteria they'll be judging against will be impact, innovation, inspiration, contribution to the future of the industry, and then character and values.

➡️ Nominate at: businessingolf.com/the100list

It's free to nominate, open to anyone, anywhere in the world, and the final 100 is decided by a fully independent judging panel chaired by Martin Slumbers (former CEO of the R&A).

The 10 Categories Open for Nomination

1. Founders & Entrepreneurs
2. Executives & Business Leaders
3. Operators & Course Management
4. Investors & Deal Makers
5. Innovators & Technology Leaders
6. Designers & Creatives
7. Brand Builders
8. Creators
9. Catalysts
10. Rising Stars & Next-Generation Talent

Categories are guides, not quotas. If someone is making an impact, nominate them!

Are you more of a watcher than a listener? Then check out our extended bonus segment with David on The ModGolf YouTube channel. Click on this link or the image below to watch.

3 Key Takeaways from This Episode

1. Golf's New Consumer Isn't Being Measured Properly – David argues the industry's reliance on "rounds played" misses the bigger picture. Many new golf consumers never play 18 holes—they play simulators, short-form courses, watch YouTube golf, and buy apparel. Understanding this new consumer is essential for long-term growth.

2. Outside Perspectives Are a Superpower, Not a Weakness – Neither David nor his co-founder Leanne came from the golf industry. Rather than being a credibility gap, their 20+ years of external commercial and innovation experience lets them ask different questions and bring a fresh lens to golf business news.

3. The 100 List Democratizes Recognition – Unlike traditional power lists that celebrate the usual suspects, The Business in Golf 100 is about contribution, not profile. It's open to anyone, at any level, anywhere in the world - and women are especially encouraged to nominate and be nominated.

Inspiring Quotes from David Hyland

"We apply our external macro experience to the news that's happening within the golf industry and bring a slightly different perspective to the story. We may ask slightly different questions than what questions would be asked within the golf industry."

"It's not about their position or their job title or the company that they work for. It's about the individual and the work that they're doing. It's the impact. It's not their profile, it's about their contribution."

"Golf is attracting people from outside the industry both at a professional level, but also from a playing level as well. Both need to work together to help the industry keep on growing. You need people to come in with outside perspectives and with outside opinions and questions."

"We're looking for founders, we're looking for innovators, creators, operators, executives, community leaders and brand builders, rising stars, people who are having a global or local impact. Anyone can nominate themselves a colleague, a peer, a friend, whoever that might be who they believe is making a difference and helping to inspire others to make a difference to the industry. I think what makes this different maybe from other award programs or recognition programs is this is about the people."

"It's not about who they work for or their job title, it's about the impact that they're having not their profile. So it doesn't matter if they're really well known or not known at all, it's about what they're doing that really matters. It's their contribution as opposed to their popularity."

➡️ Nominate at: businessingolf.com/the100list

We want to thank Golf Genius Software for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!
Are you a golf course owner, manager or operator looking to increase both your profit margins and on-course experience?

Golf Genius powers tournament management at over 10,000 private clubs, public courses, resorts, golf associations, and tours in over 60 countries. So if you’re a golf professional or course operator who wants to save time, deliver exceptional golfer experiences, and generate more revenue, check them out online at golfgenius.com.

Episode Chapters

00:00 - Welcome to The ModGolf Podcast – Bonus Episode with David Hyland
01:22 - Meet David Hyland, Co-Founder of Business in Golf
02:08 - The Why: Filling a Gap in Golf Business Coverage
04:34 - The Ryder Cup Catalyst: Why the Industry Needed a New Voice
06:20 - Curating the Weekly Newsletter: Process, Perspective & the LIV/Rahm Story
09:34 - Outside the Industry: How Not Coming from Golf Became a Superpower
12:26 - Overhyped vs. Ready to Take Off: David's Take on Golf Business Trends
14:38 - YouTube Golf & the New Entry Point for Young Players
19:23 - Introducing The Business in Golf 100
22:20 - The Judging Panel: Martin Slumbers, Rick Shiels, Katrina Matthew & More
25:52 - Democratizing Recognition: Contribution Over Profile
28:32 - How to Nominate – Deadline October 30, 2026
30:23 - Encouraging Women to Nominate & Be Nominated
32:31 - Connect with Business in Golf & The 100 List
33:09 - Closing Thoughts & YouTube Bonus Conversation

Connect with David Hyland & Business in Golf

• Website: businessingolf.com
• The 100 List Nominations: businessingolf.com/the100list
• Instagram: @businessingolf
• LinkedIn: Business in Golf
• Newsletter: Free weekly newsletter every Friday
• Founding Partner of The 100 List: RepSpark

Special Guest: David Hyland - Co-Founder, Business in Golf.

Support The ModGolf Podcast

Nextgengolf originated as a Boston-based affordable golf membership program for recreational college students called CollegeGolfPass, which helped make golf more affordable for college students. The company expanded nationwide after merging with The National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA) in 2013. In the first year of the merger, the company started 100+ new club golf programs and supported over 10,000 student golfers.

Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

As the creator and host of The ModGolf Podcast and YouTube channel I've been telling golf entrepreneurship and innovation stories since May 2017 and I love the community of ModGolfers that we are building.

I'm excited to announce that I just launched our ModGolf Patreon page to bring together our close-knit community of golf-loving people! As my Patron you will get access to exclusive live monthly interactive shows where you can participate, ask-me-anything video events, bonus content, golf product discounts and entry in members-only ModGolf Giveaway contests.

I'm offering two monthly membership tiers at $5 and $15 USD, but you can also join for free. Your subscription will ensure that The ModGolf Podcast continues to grow so that I can focus on creating unique and impactful stories that support and celebrate the future of golf.

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I look forward to seeing you during an upcoming live show!... Colin

Over the next two years college golfers kept coming to them saying “thanks for all the help in college”, but kept asking “what do I do now?” after graduating. CollegeGolfPass and NCCGA rebranded as Nextgengolf in January 2014, knowing they could help graduating college golfers. As a result, in 2014 they developed the Nextgengolf City Tour which provides team-based golfing opportunities for young adults in their 20’s and 30’s near major cities.

Between the NCCGA and City Tour, Nextgengolf is the leading entity for golfers in their 20’s and 30’s in the US. At the core of their organization they run great golf tournaments and are in the golf experience business. Beyond running great events, they work hard to provide meaningful content and information to young adults and the golf industry at large. Nextgengolf does not focus on the best golfers, rather they support “the rest” and care about the future sustainability of golf.

This YouTube video explains what Nextgengolf does and why they do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB-tC6B3hBE

In this episode we discuss how in six years Nextgengolf has created a solution that responds to the pain points facing young golfers and their desire to get involved in an engaging, inclusive, team-based golf tournament format. Topics include:

• The history behind and the inspiration that motivated Kris Hart to create Nextgengolf.
• The National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA), an event platform to grow and support the college student golf community.

• The creation of CityTour, summer golf tournament team events for 20-39 year olds. https://nextgengolf.org/city-tour/

• The power of strategic partnerships the help move your startup forward. Nextgengolf national partner Srixon http://www.srixon.com/ and Cleveland Golf http://www.clevelandgolf.com/ along with supporting partners 18 Birdies https://18birdies.com/ Oxford https://www.oxford.co/ and Golf Channel http://www.golfchannel.com/ help provide the resources and promotional reach to grow their audience.

• Kris' desire to give back to the game he loves by taking personal responsibility to help grow golf. Kris co-chairs the Millennial Task Force for the golf industry, along with speaking engagements at the PGA Merchandise Show each January and providing thought leadership through the Nextgengolf blog. http://blog.nextgengolf.org/

• Nextgengolf's mandate to create the future of golf by innovating to align with contemporary lifestyles while respecting the proud traditions of the game.

Golf Digest wrote a very informative article on the NCCGA called "The laid-back, but competitive world of college club golf". http://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-laidback-but-competitive-world-of-college-club-golf

You can find out more about Nextgengolf and be part of the conversation on social media. Twitter https://twitter.com/nextgolfer Instagram @nextgengolfclub and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nextgengolfclub/

Special Guest: Kris Hart - Co-Founder & CEO, Nextgengolf.

Support The ModGolf Podcast