Independent judging panel chaired by Martin Slumbers OBE, former Chief Executive of The R&A; Nominations are open now and close Oct. 30
DUBLIN, Ireland – Business in Golf, the newsletter media company covering the business of the global golf industry, has announced the launch of the Business in Golf 100. The new annual list will recognize 100 of the most inspiring individuals shaping the future of the game.
Golf already has many ways to measure success. Players are ranked weekly, courses are ranked annually, products win awards, and companies are judged on revenue and growth. But many of the people driving the industry forward don’t fit any of those measures.
They include founders building businesses from scratch, executives transforming major organizations from within, creators reaching new audiences, and operators whose daily decisions shape how golf is experienced. The Business in Golf 100 has been created to recognize them.
Nominations are open to individuals working in every part of the golf industry, worldwide. There are ten categories: Founders, Executives, Operators, Investors & Dealmakers, Innovators, Designers & Creatives, Brand Builders, Creators, Catalysts, and Rising Stars. Entry is free, and self-nominations are given the same weight as nominations from others. Applications take around five minutes.
Founding Partners
RepSpark is a Founding Partner of the Business in Golf 100. The RepSpark platform connects 250 brands with 100,000 retailers, including the pro shops and specialty golf stores that keep the game stocked and growing.
An Independent Panel of Industry Leaders
Every nomination will be assessed by an independent panel of senior figures from governing bodies, player management, media, technology, operations and investment. The panel is chaired by Martin Slumbers OBE, who was Chief Executive of The R&A from 2015 to 2024. The other judges are:
- Catriona Matthew OBE, Major champion and two-time winning Solheim Cup Captain
- Rick Shiels, Founder, Rick Shiels Media
- Vicky Cuming, VP & Head of Golf Clients, EMEA, IMG
- Sal Syed, CEO & Co-Founder, Arccos Golf
- Elisa Gaudet, Founder, Women’s Golf Day
- Steve Skinner, CEO, KemperSports
- Jared Solomon, Co-Founder & CEO, Five Iron Golf
Nominees will be judged on five criteria:
- Impact on the business of golf
- Innovation in ideas, models or products
- Inspiration to others across the industry
- Future, meaning their contribution to golf’s future
- Character in keeping with the values of the game
The panel will focus on achievements from the past 12 to 18 months. Places on the list cannot be bought, and the number of nominations an individual receives has no bearing on selection.
Martin Slumbers OBE, Chair of the Business in Golf 100 Judging Panel, said:
“Golf’s future is being built by people across every part of the industry, and many of them never appear on a leaderboard or in a ranking. This list is a chance to recognise that work properly, on merit, and I’m delighted to chair a panel with such breadth of experience across the game.”
Lee-Ann Hyland, Co-Founder of Business in Golf, said:
“Golf is a $100 billion-plus global industry, yet so much of the talent behind it goes unrecognized. We built the Business in Golf 100 to celebrate the founders, operators, creators and leaders who are actually shaping where the game goes next, whether they are household names or not. Having an independent panel of this calibre means that recognition carries real weight.”
David Hyland, Co-Founder of Business in Golf, said:
“The best nominations will come from people who know the work up close: colleagues, business partners, even competitors. If someone in your world is quietly changing how golf does business, this is the moment to put their name forward. It takes five minutes, and it could put their work in front of some of the most respected people in the game.”
Meghann Butcher, Founder and CEO, RepSpark, said:
“The people who move golf forward are the reps who know every account by name, the buyers who plan a shop’s whole season, and the PGA Professionals who make the pro shop the heart of the club. We’re proud to be a Founding Partner of the Business in Golf 100, and we hope every brand takes a moment to nominate the people who make their business possible.”
A Single, Coordinated Reveal
Nominations close on Oct. 30. The full Business in Golf 100 will be revealed in January 2027. It will launch across the Business in Golf newsletter, LinkedIn and Instagram on the same day, with no teasers or staggered announcements. No nominee will learn whether they have made the list before publication day.
Nominations can be submitted at businessingolf.com/the100list.