Changing the Business of Golf

In this episode of Changing the Business of Golf, host Gary Firkins sits down with Matt Pringle, Managing Director of the USGA Green Section and one of the most influential voices shaping the future of golf course management. With a foundation in mechanical engineering, Matt has spent his career bridging innovation and the game – from inventing the pendulum test for spring effect in drivers to dev...

Welcome back to the Changing the Business of Golf podcast. In this special edition, host Gary Firkins is joined by three of the industry's leading sustainability experts, fresh from a landmark Syngenta-hosted discussion at the Golf Business Technology Conference in Belfast. Joining Gary in this episode: - Simon Elsworth – Global Head of Professional Solutions, Syngenta - Gina Rizzi – President, Ra...

Welcome to Syngenta Golf’s Changing the Business of Golf podcast. In this episode, host Gary Firkins is joined by Dr. Thomas Nikolai, popularly known as the "Doctor of Green Speed." Thom is a Senior Turfgrass Academic Specialist at Michigan State University, specializing in putting green mechanical and cultural practices. He earned his nickname through groundbreaking research into the relationship...

Welcome to the Changing the Business of Golf podcast from Syngenta Golf. In this episode, host Gary Firkins sits down with Christine Kane, CEO of Audubon International – a leading non-profit dedicated to environmental stewardship and sustainable practices in golf. Christine has spent her entire career in the non-profit and environmental world. Now, with golf experiencing a significant boom and a n...

Welcome to Syngenta Golf’s Changing the Business of Golf podcast. In this episode, host Gary Firkins is joined by Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). For more than 15 years, Rhett has led the association’s 22,000 members in elevating the voice of superintendents across the industry, advancing environmental progress and helping facilities strengthen t...

Welcome to the Changing the Business of Golf podcast from Syngenta Golf. Each episode, we speak to industry leaders, sustainability experts and superintendents to identify three actionable changes to shape golf’s future. In this episode, we’re joined by Renate Roeleveld, CEO of the Golf Course Association Europe (GCAE). Renate’s journey into the game has been far from traditional — first picking u...

Welcome to another episode of Syngenta Golf’s Changing the Business of Golf podcast. In this episode, host Gary Firkins is joined by Henry DeLozier, Principal at GGA Partners, to explore a key question for today’s industry: what does a well-run golf club really look like? Drawing on Henry’s vast experience across golf club leadership, strategy, and industry insight, this conversation looks at why...

Welcome to the Changing the Business of Golf podcast from Syngenta Golf. Each episode, we speak to industry leaders, sustainability experts and superintendents to identify three actionable changes to shape golf’s future. In this episode, we’re joined by Mike O’Keeffe, Program Manager at the Ohio State University International Intern Program (TOP). Mike shares insights from his decades of experienc...

Welcome back to the Changing the Business of Golf podcast. In this episode, host Gary Firkins is joined by Dr. Stacy Stellflug, Associate Professor at the University of Montana-Bozeman, and Kee Dunning, Clinical Professional Counselor based in Billings, Montana. Both specialize in mental health and wellbeing and have supported superintendents and course leaders for a number of years. In 2021, Syng...

Welcome to the Changing the Business of Golf podcast. In this episode, host Gary Firkins is joined by Ed Pettit, Managing Director at Carr Golf Services. A former PGA Professional turned golf business leader, Ed draws on more than two decades of experience to share his practical strategies for building long-term business success in golf. Ed reveals findings from a survey, conducted by Carr Golf Se...

Welcome to the Changing the Business of Golf podcast. In this episode, Jay Karen, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), joins host Gary Firkins to share his vision for the future of golf. Named among the top 25 most powerful people in golf by Golf. Inc Magazine, Jay leads the golf industry’s trade association and initiatives, supporting over 4,000 golf course businesses acros...

Join host Gary Firkins and Sandy Reid, Director of Greenkeeping at St Andrews Links Trust, in this episode of the Changing the Business of Golf Podcast. With over three decades of experience, including managing the historic 150th Open Championship, Sandy shares valuable insights into how the industry can build a sustainable future. Join host Gary Firkins and Sandy Reid, Director of Greenkeeping at...

In this episode of the Changing the Business of Golf Podcast, host Gary Firkins is joined by Beth Guertal, Ph. D, Project Director of the Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL) at Kansas State University. From growing up on her childhood family farm to becoming one of the leading researchers in the turfgrass field with more than three decades of expertise, Beth reveals the ways in which...

Welcome to the Changing the Business of Golf podcast from Syngenta Golf. Each episode, we speak to industry leaders, sustainability experts and superintendents to identify three actionable changes to shape golf’s future. In this episode we are joined by Keith Wood, Director of Greens and Grounds at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Keith speaks with us in the run up to hosting the 20...

Welcome back to Syngenta’s Changing the Business of Golf podcast, now with a new name and refreshed format. Each episode, we speak to industry leaders, sustainability experts and superintendents to identify three actionable changes to shape golf’s future. In this episode, Greg Nathan, President & CEO of the National Golf Foundation (NGF), sits down with host Gary Firkins to discuss the critical ch...

In the latest episode of the Growing Golf podcast, we welcome Jonathan Smith, Founder and Executive Director of the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf. Jonathan’s journey in golf began at a young age, where he experienced firsthand how the game could positively impact mental, physical, and social well-being. After later earning a degree in Geography and Sustainable Development from the University...

In this episode of the Growing Golf podcast, host Gary Firkins sits down with John Clarkin, founder of international agronomy consultancy, Turfgrass. With a career spanning five decades, John has established a strong reputation as one of Europe’s leading golf course development and management advisors, blending his lifelong passion for golf with a commitment to environmental stewardship. The pair...

In this episode, we welcome Bri Kenny, Manager of Environmental Science at Troon Golf, to the show. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Bri is a Biologist and Naturalist, and a leading voice on golf and sustainability. Host Gary Firkins sits down with Bri to explore the meaning of sustainability in today's world and discuss whether the sport of golf can truly embrace sustainable practices. Bri shares a...

In this episode, Chief Executive of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) Jim Croxton, joins host to Gary Firkins to discuss the evolving challenges faced by turf professionals. They discuss the golfing boom during the pandemic and how more people playing the game more often is impacting greenkeepers. Jim outlines the urgent challenges golf courses face when it comes...

In today's episode, we are joined by Gina Rizzi, President of Radius Sports Group, a sustainability consulting firm based in Reno, Nevada. Gina advises golf courses, organizations and governing bodies on how to manage their environmental, social, and economic impacts. She has also played a key role in developing numerous Best Management Practices (BMPs) guides across various states in the US, prov...

In this episode of Growing Golf, we sit down with Karen Proctor, Sales Director - Head of APAC for Textron Specialized Vehicles in Asia. Karen shares her inspiring journey from growing up in Saudi Arabia to becoming a vocal advocate for women leaders in the golf industry. Now based in Singapore, she brings a wealth of international experience and a passion for leadership and diversity. We discuss:...

What’s it really like to be a female golf coach in a world where 93% of coaches are men? We asked Amy Millward, Molly Moore and Jamie Taylor, three leading teaching professionals on three different continents, in this no-holds-barred roundtable discussion. Hosted by Sarah Gwynn, the trio talk through the challenges they have faced, the omnipresence of stereotypes, and how the industry can attract...

Miranda Robinson used to be regularly mistaken for a drinks cart girl when she was a golf course superintendent. But, as her name nickname ‘The Smiling Superintendent’ suggests, she would always laugh it off and focus instead on “showing them why I belonged there and why I was a leader”. “It’s very easy to be sensitive to other people’s perceptions of you, but you can’t control how someone else th...

Jim Beatty had little interest in golf growing up in his native Chicago. That was until a visit to Nebraska and a meeting with the state's first African American PGA of America Golf Professional, Steve Hogan, changed all that. Hogan, who ran a par 3 course in Omaha at the time, introduced Beatty to the game and from there, he was hooked. This proved to be the catalyst for a decorated career in whi...

Mahaley Nemtuda has turned her life around. From a troubled upbringing in which she left home early, faced expulsion from school and became a mother at a young age, she is now forging a career as a trailblazing turf professional. The assistant superintendent from Mansfield, Ohio is juggling life, work and studies but wouldn’t have it any other way, as she puts it “you can only be as successful as...