The 100 Most Influential People In Golf 2022
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Welcome to The 100 Most Influential People in Golf 2022, a ranking of the men and women who made the biggest difference to the game in 2022…
Check out the updated list of The Most Influential People in Golf 2023
Influence Noun; The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.
According to the R&A, there are around 66.6 million golfers in the world – and every single one of them has, in some way, been influenced by people on this list – the first ranking of its kind.
Whether you’ve bought a dozen balls, a new driver, watched a clip on YouTube, shared a Tweet, liked an Instagram post or played a top course, the reach of the 100 people on the following pages is simply staggering.
Of course, the word ‘influencer’ has evolved in the last decade; it’s no longer the sole preserve of men in suits who make decisions behind closed doors to have an ‘influence’. Social media has given everyone a voice; but some are more influential than others.
When we started planning this list back in the summer, we spent hours and hours discussing what merits influence. Is it a massive YouTube following? Is it setting trends in equipment design? Is it endless wealth, having a Major to your name, or running a TV company, or having a million-plus Instagram followers? It’s all of those things and more.
We also debated what our sphere of influence would encompass. Just social media? Just tour players? Just the UK? In the end, we opened it up to anyone, anywhere – this is a global list open to anyone whose decisions, designs, money or content affects the way you enjoy and consume the game.
Finally, we scored every person who made the final shortlist (more than 540 names in all) and split them according to their influence over YOUR game (governance, media, rules, equipment design) and THE game (players, tour bosses, rights holders).
How we ranked the 100 most influential people in golf
Measuring individual influence in the golf industry isn’t easy. Sifting through hundreds of worthy candidates is even harder. This list is based on how these people influenced ‘your game’ and ‘the game’ over the last 12 months; other years will be different.
You will recognise many of the people – Bob Vokey, Jay Monaghan, Greg Norman (including an incredible exclusive interview!), Tiger Woods are all in there. There are some you will not have heard of; and others who may not be household names, but play a crucial role in your enjoyment of the game. There are people from the world of equipment and course design, from social media, the tours, the governing bodies, tech firms and broadcast media.
We measured their influence across seven categories, which were then marked by a panel of golf industry experts:
YOUR GAME
Equipment design (max 10 marks) | Course architecture (max 10) | Instruction (max 10) | Inspiration (max 15)
THE GAME
Financial Influence (max 25 marks) | Voice (max 15) | Innovation (max 15)
THE WRITERS
A project like this requires vast golf knowledge and a pool of talented writers. A big thank you to Michael Catling, Keith Jackson, Rob Jerram, Chris Jones, Simon Daddow, Nick Harper, Rob McGarr, Chris Bertram, Duncan Lennard and Kevin Brown for their hours of work.
The 100 Most Influential People In Golf 2022
100 DAVID SPENCER
Commissioner of the MENA Tour, based in the Middle East and North Africa
The MENA Tour was launched in 2011 and features a number of 54-hole tournaments. Sound familiar? Earlier this year, the Tour was thrust into the spotlight after its commissioner agreed a “strategic alliance” with LIV Golf, meaning Greg Norman’s men may yet earn World Ranking points from events co-sanctioned by the Tour.
99 NO LAYING UP
Global online golf behemoth
Friends Phil Landes, Chris Solomon, and brothers Todd and Neil Schuster launched NLU as a website in 2014, previewing tournaments and covering big golf stories. Then it exploded.
Today, they have close to a million followers across their social platforms and have produced almost 1,000 episodes of one of the best golf podcasts, listened to by hundreds of thousands of people, with guests including Tiger and Rory.
They’ve also signed major partnerships with Callaway and BMW, and launched a global merchandise line.
98 SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER
Golf’s silent assassin who went from winless to World No.1 and then Major winner in record time
Losing the No.1 spot affects his ranking somewhat, but Scheffler still won four times and a Green Jacket in an incredible 57-day stretch. Those Tiger levels of domination proved unsustainable, but he was still crowned PGA Tour Player of the Year after pocketing a record $14 million in on-course earnings.
See what equipment he uses with our WITB Scottie Scheffler WITB.
97 DARIC ASHFORD
Newly-named President of Nike Golf
They might not make clubs anymore, but Nike’s golf apparel still sells in phenomenal numbers, as do their shoes. Ashford also has two of the most marketable players in the game on his books, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, plus plenty of other tour stars and hundreds of other influencers.
96 LUKE DONALD
Former World No.1 and the current European Ryder Cup captain
No one likes to be second choice, but Donald will lead Europe into battle against Team USA with a point to prove after replacing LIV defector Henrik Stenson this summer. His playing career is starting to fizzle out – he lost his PGA Tour card for this season – but over three days next September, he’ll carry the hopes of almost 50 nations on his shoulders. No pressure, then!
95 ZACH JOHNSON
Two-time Major champion and the current US Ryder Cup captain
Like his opposite number, Zach Johnson was revered for his consistency and sublime short-game skills during a stellar career which – unlike Donald – yielded two Major titles, the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open.
The 46-year-old will be responsible for Team USA’s defence of the Ryder Cup next year, but in post-LIV times, his selection plans have taken a huge hit.
94 MARK CROSSFIELD
A pioneer of online golf coaching
Crossfield was the YouTube coach, dominating subscription numbers and views. He continues to churn out course vlogs, golf instruction and honest equipment reviews for the 381,000 subscribers to his channel and loves to debate with his followers on social media.
He also co-hosts the Hack It Out Golf podcast with Arccos expert Lou Stagner, discussing golf’s hottest topics and helping to improve your game.
93 BOB ROTELLA
The godfather of golf psychology
Rotella is golf’s equivalent of a fixer, a confidence guru and advisor to many of the world’s greatest athletes. He is credited with helping his male and female clients to claim more than 75 Major titles while in his care.
Rory McIlroy has attributed his recent revival to Rotella’s methods, which are laid bare across dozens of self-help books. Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect remains one of the greatest of all time.
92 TONY FINAU
The 14th-best golfer in the world right now. But he represents much more than just a number
A black face in a sea of white men, Finau represents golf’s ongoing push for equality. Finau is Polynesian by birth and the highest-ranked black player at the time of writing. As such, he represents possibility and hope for the next generation of minority golfers, that they too can make it in a still all too white-dominated sport.
This year has seen the Ryder Cup star take his game to a new level, winning three times on the PGA Tour in seven starts to completely shake off the ‘nearly man’ reputation he’d gained after taking more than five years to add to his maiden win.
See the equipment he uses with our Tony Finau WITB.
91 PETER DAWSON
Chairman of the Official World Golf Ranking
Despite retiring from his role as Chief Executive of the R&A in 2015, Dawson is still relevant in shaping the future of the game. As chairman of the OWGR, he has already changed how the system is calculated to improve its relevancy.
Next in his in-tray – with the input of a seven-strong board of directors – is deciding whether to grant LIV Golf ranking points, which could have a big say in how many more players join the breakaway league.
90 DUDE PERFECT
An American sports and comedy group with more than 58 million subscribers on YouTube and 11.6 million followers on Instagram
Former college roommates Tyler Toney, Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert and Cody Jones are the stars of the second biggest sports channel on YouTube (behind WWE), combining humor, trick shots, challenges and world record attempts… they’ve even been into space!
In April, Dude Perfect were granted access to Augusta National to film an ‘All Sports Golf Battle’ video with Bryson DeChambeau. More than 12 million people have watched the group tackle Amen Corner using hockey sticks, American footballs, frisbees and more, as well as taking on the famous skip shot on 16, complete with a voiceover from legendary broadcaster Jim Nantz.
Their videos always gain huge views, with some even approaching half a billion!
89 JON RAHM
One of the finest, fieriest, and most outspoken golfers in the world
Rahm has firmly established himself among the game’s elite, having been a mainstay in the OWGR’s top 10 since 2017, and clearly feels he’s earned the right to an opinion. He’s been one of the highest-profile and staunchest supporters of golf’s two traditional tours – at a time when they need it most.
See the equipment he uses with our Jon Rahm WITB.
88 SCOTTY CAMERON
The world’s best-known putter maker
Since 1993, more than 500 tour events and about a third of all Majors (including almost half of Tiger’s) have been won by a player using a Scotty Cameron putter. He continues to design putters using innovative methods, new materials, modern shapes and concepts.
87 BOB VOKEY
The legendary craftsman behind Titleist’s wedge brand
Still going strong in his 80s, Vokey has designed wedges for and been a short-game advisor to many of the world’s best players. The wedges that bear his name still make up close to 40 percent of all sand, lob, and approach wedges in play every week on tour.
86 DONALD TRUMP
45th President of the United States, a real estate billionaire who owns a number of A-list golf resorts
Trump’s global influence has waned since his removal from office, but his influence in golf remains strong. He owns a number of high-end resorts, including Trump Turnberry, Trump Doonbeg and Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, and LIV Golf staged events at two of his resorts this year.
We investigated: Is Donald Trump an honest golfer?
85 ALEXANDRA ARMAS
Former player turned CEO of the Ladies European Tour
Armas hasn’t had it easy as the leader of the LET. Two months into her reign, the pandemic hit and 13 tournaments were canceled. The Tour was in danger of going bust until she struck vital alliances with the LPGA and Golf Saudi, safeguarding the immediate future of the Tour.
Members are now benefitting from more big-money events, including the Aramco Series, while Armas’ growing influence has seen her named among the ‘Top Women in Sports’ by the Women’s Sports Institute.
84 SAL SYED
CEO and Co-founder of Arccos Golf
More than half a billion shots have now been tracked by Arccos’ grip tags, giving users a whole new AI-driven insight into their game. Their app has been credited with helping members cut their handicap by 5.78 shots in the first year, by allowing them to make better decisions on the course.
83 CHRIS RYAN
TG elite coach and rising star of online instruction
While YouTube has become bloated with instructional videos in recent years, Ryan’s channel stands out for his engaging delivery, his gift for demonstration, and his uncanny knack of addressing the very element that seems to be plaguing your game.
His tips have racked up more than 75 million views since he joined YouTube in 2011 and he has 600,000 subscribers across all digital platforms.
82 LYDIA KO
The erstwhile teenage phenom who made Tiger look like a slow starter, now back to her best after a couple of uncharacteristically quiet years
We had to double-check the fact that Lydia Ko is only 25, as it seems like she’s been a dominant force in women’s golf for an age.
It’s been almost eight years since the New Zealander became the youngest player of either gender to be crowned World No.1. She was the youngest to win a professional event (at 14), an LPGA Tour title (15), a Major (18), and two Majors (still 18).
She was listed among Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World at just 17, inspired a generation of girls to take up the game, and continues to do so today.
We spoke to Lydia Ko about her career and being a role model.
81 CAMERON SMITH
Reigning Open Champion and LIV Golf’s biggest catch
LIV Golf detractors had pointed to the tour’s recruits coming from two camps: players in the twilight years of their careers or those who could be called also-rans. Cam Smith’s switch changed all that.
He was a player at the peak of his powers, poised to challenge for more Majors and top spot in the World Ranking. He is potentially giving it all up by joining golf’s big-money league. Greg Norman’s best bit of business yet.
See the equipment he uses in our Cameron Smith WITB.
80 JORDAN SPIETH
Three-time Major winner and the most unpredictable golfer in the world
A marketer’s dream, Spieth has gone from golf’s golden boy to struggling artist to comeback kid – and all before the age of 30. It’s been a long road back but a perfect 5-0 record in the Presidents Cup has got us believing again. His partnership with Justin Thomas is the US equivalent of Seve and Ollie.
See the equipment he uses in our Jordan Spieth WITB.
79 MIKE CLAYTON
Former European Tour winner, now part of the Clayton, DeVries & Pont architectural firm
The Australian had a fine playing career but may have surpassed his achievements since retiring. He partnered with Tom Doak at Barnbougle Dunes and restored Victoria before joining CDP. He is now renovating The Addington, among others. A wonderful writer on architecture and a big presence on social media.
78 ALAN SHIPNUCK
Professional golf writer, author, and feather-ruffler
Shipnuck is one of the foremost writers in golf, having previously worked for Sports Illustrated and, more recently, Golf magazine. He’s since become a partner and editor at the Fire Pit Collective, producing golf stories, podcasts, and videos. But he’s perhaps best known for his books, including a warts-and-all biography of Phil Mickelson, featuring a now infamous ‘off-the-record’ telephone call between the two and covering stories like caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay quitting because Phil owed him $900,000.
77 TOM FAZIO
A household name in the world of golf architecture – and an advisor to Augusta National since the late 1990s
After collaborating with his uncle George in the 1960s, Fazio forged his own path in the 1980s and has sculptured more than 200 courses, many of which feature in our Top 100 lists. His fingerprints can be found on Ireland’s Waterville and Adare Manor, as well as Shadow Creek and PGA Tour stop Quail Hollow.
76 PETE COWEN
Full-time tour coach shaping the swings and careers of some of the game’s top players, including Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Lee Westwood
The sheer depth, breadth and success of his pupils make Cowen a legendary name in coaching circles. Nine of his students are Major winners, while many more have gone on to forge successful tour careers, racking up more than 250 PGA Tour wins in the process.
Cowen commands the respect of the best through the clarity of his approach, his understanding of the tour pro psyche and his own, not-inconsiderable skills with a golf club.
75 GUY KINNINGS
Deputy CEO of the DP World Tour and Director of Ryder Cup Europe
A long-time manager of Colin Montgomerie, Kinnings became one of the most prominent agents at IMG, rising to the rank of Head of Golf. His reputation alerted Keith Pelley, who installed Kinnings as his right-hand man and tasked him with overseeing all operations relating to the Ryder Cup.
He has had a tricky start to say the least. A record defeat at Whistling Straits and an enforced change of captain this year were unfortunate, yet he is still considered to be the natural successor to Pelley.
74 CHRIS LINDNER
President of FootJoy
FootJoy have been the No.1 shoe on the PGA Tour since 1945, and there isn’t a golf course on the planet that hasn’t been walked upon by a pair. Along with its apparel and gloves, FJ now contribute $600 million to Acushnet’s annual sales. Among Lindner’s many contributions include signing Justin Thomas and Jessica Korda as brand ambassadors at the start of the year.
Check out our pick of the best FootJoy golf shoes.
73 GOLF WITH AIMEE
Aimee Cho, a tour player turned instructor with 440,000+ YouTube subscribers
A huge hit in Asia, Aimee Cho’s YouTube channel is among the world’s most popular thanks to its simple and enjoyable content, including tips and lessons with celebrities.
She also has her own website, MPswing.com, where you can sign up to video coaching courses and book one-to-one sessions.
72 JIN YOUNG KO
Two-time Major winner and serial record breaker
Without question the biggest star in Asian golf right now. Victory at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March delivered Ko’s sixth title in 10 starts and saw her set an LPGA record for the most consecutive rounds in the 60s (16).
At one point she was on a run of hitting 66 greens in regulation in a row, another record on the PGA and LPGA Tours. Only a niggling injury stopped her from holding onto top spot in the World Rankings for the whole of this year. She represents the vast potential of the next generation of golfers in South Korea.
71 GEORGE GANKAS
One of the world’s most watched and quoted coaches
Gankas is the world’s most revolutionary golf instructor. Famed for arguing against traditional methods and his ability to add speed to anyone’s game, the 52-year-old coaches Matt Wolff, who possesses one of the most unusual but effective swings in golf. He’s even given a lesson to the great Butch Harmon. The American commands up to $1,000 for lessons and runs a fascinating online teaching programme.
70 JAMES LEDFORD
President of Golf Pride, the No.1 grip on tour
Every week, around 80 percent of tour pros use Golf Pride grips without being paid a penny; and their dominance is at a similar level in clubs all over the world.
Ledford leads a team of researchers and innovators in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where they’ve just opened a new retail lab in their Global Innovation Centre, giving club golfers a tour-like, inside-the-ropes fitting experience for the first time.
Check out our pick of the best Golf Pride grips.
69 CHO MINN THANT
Commissioner and CEO of the Asian Tour
A 15-year veteran across a number of roles for the Asian Tour, Thant’s tenure as CEO has been thrust into the limelight after he linked up with LIV Golf boss Greg Norman. The partnership with the Saudi-backed investment fund is worth more than $300 million to the Asian Tour over the next decade and includes the promise of a new, 10-tournament International Series each year.
68 MARTIN EBERT
One half of the Mackenzie & Ebert firm, working on eight of the 10 Open venues
Martin Ebert is the R&A’s go-to man. He works on some of Britain’s best links golf courses like Lytham, St George’s, Troon, Hoylake, Birkdale and Carnoustie to help revamp them before they host The Open, with bigger projects at Portrush (two new holes), and the complete overhaul of the Ailsa course at Turnberry.
67 CLAUDE HARMON III
Son of Butch, grandson of Claude, but now making his own name as an innovative and sought-after tour coach and commentator
A self-confessed technophile, Harmon III is well-positioned to align a data-led coaching philosophy with the old-school approach of his distinguished relatives.
He stepped out of his dad’s shadow in 2017 by guiding Brooks Koepka to the 2017 US Open and has gone on to coach the likes of Dustin Johnson, Si-Woo Kim and Adam Scott. His podcast series and TV commentary stints have enhanced his reputation.
66 DAVID PILLSBURY
CEO of Invited (formerly ClubCorp), the largest owner and operator of private clubs in the US
A major player in the American golf scene, Invited own and operate 161 golf and country clubs, serving 430,000 members across 30 states and two countries. Pillsbury is also in charge of seven BigShots Golf locations, Invited’s answer to TopGolf, which is set to grow to 20 ranges by 2024.
65 PHIL KENYON
Britain’s most sought-after putting coach
A modern-day legend in his field, Kenyon is the man to go to for all things putting, with a star-studded client list featuring Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa and Justin Rose, among others.
He has an online academy, as well as a range of Visio Putting training aids which are used by several tour stars. He is also the Director of a high-tech putting school bearing the name of his mentor, Harold Swash, at Formby Hall Golf Resort.
See how Phil Kenyon’s best putting tips can save you six shots.
64 DUSTIN JOHNSON
Two-time Major champion, now plying his trade on the controversial LIV Golf tour
The former World No.1’s career seemed to be petering out, but he’s been revived after defecting to LIV. DJ has won $35,637,767 in five months since making the switch, not to mention a reported $100 million signing bonus. He’s been the dominant force on the new tour and the biggest case for the OWGR to include LIV players.
63 PETER FINCH
Golf pro turned content creator with 510,000+ subscribers on YouTube
Almost a decade on from starting his YouTube channel with a host of instructional videos from Trafford Golf Centre, the Manchester-based PGA pro is now an internationally recognised golf content creator whose videos have been watched for more than 2.5 million hours in 2022.
The 36-year-old’s Finch Golf Media network has grown by 40% annually across all platforms since 2020 and he has more than one million followers across all social platforms
Alongside his instruction, equipment, and challenge videos, Finch has filmed with players including Billy Horschel, Rafa Cabrera Bello, and Luke Donald. His success has led to partnerships with a host of brands, including BMW, and saw him co-host ‘Live at the Range’ for the R&A and Sky Sports at The 150th Open.
62 NELLY KORDA
Women’s World No.1, Major champion and Olympic gold medallist
Still only 24, Nelly has overtaken Lexi Thompson as the face of women’s golf in America. She hasn’t reached the heights of last season when she won four times, including the Women’s PGA Championship, but she’s still pocketed $5.9 million this year, making her the ninth highest-paid female athlete, according to Forbes.
She is also part of one of the greatest athletic families: sister Jessica is a multiple LPGA winner, while her parents, Petr and Regina, were pro tennis stars, as is her brother Sebastian.
See the equipment she uses with our Nelly Korda WITB.
61 STEVE OTTO
Ex NASA employee, now Chief Technology Officer at the R&A
Otto is golf’s very own rocket scientist and an unsung star of the pandemic. He kept us all entertained when The Open was cancelled in 2020, using a combination of data and archived footage to create a virtual replacement, known as The Open For The Ages, that included golfing greats from the past 50 years.
More recently he’s played a major role in improving fan engagement at R&A Championships, as well as the creation of the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
However, his greatest influence can be linked to the Distance Insights project. He currently heads up the R&A’s equipment standards department at a new testing centre at Kingsbarns Links, where they are using robots, cannons and even missile tracking technology to test and analyse thousands of balls and clubs every year.
His research is likely to have a big say on the proposed changes to the equipment rules.
60 HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
The man LIV Golf want above almost all others, a key piece in their global puzzle.
The Japanese star spent the summer just passed surrounded by rumours that he would jump ship to join LIV Golf’s gravy train. A suggested $400 million sign-on may not be accurate but the number of noughts reflects his strategic importance to LIV.
Sign Japan’s highest profile star and LIV would truly tap into a very lucrative Far Eastern market, another step on the road to (insert your own evil laugh here) global domination. The 2021 Masters champion didn’t sign, and eventually moved to pledge his allegiance to the PGA Tour, but he also didn’t close the door completely…
“The players who left (for LIV) did so because they thought it was the right thing to do,” he said. “I can’t say anything about them. But I am playing on the PGA Tour and I want to continue doing my best.”
59 J.P. MCMANUS
An introverted Irish bookmaker turned billionaire businessman who has the game’s biggest stars on speed dial
Already the owner of Sandy Lane in the Bahamas, McManus’ golfing influence has grown in tandem with his annual pro-am. It’s become an eve of The Open Championship tradition, packed full of big-name PGA Tour stars – including Tiger. When J.P. calls, the stars align. That the modern-day King Midas also brought the 2027 Ryder Cup to Adare Manor was no great surprise.
58 MATT FITZPATRICK
Reigning US Open champion and poster boy of British Golf
An inspiration for golfers who are short and slight in stature. Fitzpatrick has gained 4mph in clubhead speed and added 10 yards in distance off the tee this year thanks to a speed training system called The Stack. His obsession with stat tracking convinced him to chip cack-handed from 30 yards and in for the first time this season, gaining 0.4 strokes around the green compared to 2021 on the PGA Tour. He’s reminded everyone that the outcome is far more important than how it looks.
We got Matt Fitzpatrick to explain how he transformed his putting.
57 SEAN TOULON
SVP at Callaway, GM at Odyssey, and Founder of Toulon Design
A golf industry veteran who spent 15 years at TaylorMade (where he brought us the first adjustable driver), Toulon came out of retirement to head up the world’s largest putter company, where he’s brought us ground-breaking innovations including Triple Track alignment and Stroke Lab shafts.
56 MOLLIE MARCOUX SAMAAN
Commissioner of the LPGA
Replacing Mike Whan as head of the LPGA was never going to be an easy task, but Marcoux Samaan got her tenure off to a popular start – strengthening relationships with the Ladies European Tour while also securing further investment from Golf Saudi, backers of the Aramco Series. That partnership has attracted plenty of headlines for the LPGA and Marcoux Samaan, who admitted in the summer that she would consider a deal with Greg Norman and the controversial LIV Golf.
“It’s my responsibility to evaluate every opportunity”, she said. “Women in golf have always struggled to get anywhere close to matching the earning power of their male counterparts, so a deal with LIV would make financial sense and create long-term security.” But at what cost? That’s for Marcoux Samaan to decide…
55 MARK STEINBERG
The most powerful agent on the planet.
You could argue that Tiger Woods doesn’t need an agent, but in Steinberg he has a man cut from a similar cloth. Possessing the same cold-eyed characteristics as his star client, Steinberg made his name at IMG, notably on the back of signing Annika Sorenstam before she landed the first of 10 Majors.
He’s now one of four partners at Excel Sports Management.
54 RAJ SUBRAMANIAM
CEO of FedEx, sponsor of the PGA Tour
With the PGA Tour in crisis as LIV lures its top players, the FedEx millions signed off by new boss Subramaniam have never been more important. The FedEx Cup, with its $75 million end-of-season playoffs pot, remains one of the biggest sponsorship deals in golf and was extended for 10 years in 2017 to continue one of the longest-running endorsement partnerships in sports.
53 MIKE KEISER
The game’s pre-eminent developer who fell in love with GB&I links and wanted to recreate them in the US
Keiser started with Dunes Club but Bandon Dunes’ success led to Barnbougle Dunes, Sand Valley, Cabot in Canada and, imminently, Cabot St Lucia.
His creations make up a good chunk of our World Top 100 list and we ranked Bandon Dunes the World’s Best Golf Resort. He’s bucked the trend by building courses on remote sites that encourage walking over buggies and aren’t overlooked by properties.
52 BILL COORE
The driving force behind the C-C partnership, doing much of the work on site
Coore is the quiet man of architecture but does his talking on the ground. It’s no exaggeration to say that giving your land to Coore is virtually guaranteeing a compelling result.
He began his design career in 1972 with Pete Dye before the spotlight fell on him through the partnership with Ben Crenshaw.
51 DANNY MAUDE
One of the world’s most-watched online golf coaches, with more than 850,000 YouTube subscribers
Maude doesn’t get the attention that some other YouTubers receive, perhaps because he doesn’t produce challenges or course vlogs – but his content is of the highest quality and will do wonders for your game.
He’s built a reputation for providing simple, easy-to-implement golf advice and has amassed a following of more than one million golfers around the world thanks to his methods, which he says can improve any golfer, no matter their age, ability or time constraints.
Alongside his YouTube channel, packed with free advice, he offers a host of coaching plans, both pre-produced, virtual, and in-person, on his excellent website.
50 GIL HANSE
A Doak disciple, Hanse’s own designs are lauded but he is almost as revered as a masterful restorer
Along with Coore-Crenshaw and Tom Doak, Hanse is the driver in the ‘minimalist’ philosophy and the creator of the Rio Olympic Course.
Castle Stuart, Les Bordes (New) and Streamsong (Black) feature among his standout designs, though he has also renovated numerous classics, from Pinehurst (No.4) to Narin & Portnoo to Fisher’s Island.
49 BRANDEL CHAMBLEE
Former PGA Tour star turned analyst for the Golf Channel.
Chamblee is far out in front as the most outspoken TV personality in golf. He comes from the Roy Keane school of punditry and has history of rubbing people up the wrong way, most notably Patrick Reed.
He’s just authored his second book: The Short Game: Lessons from Inside 100 Yards by the Best Golfers in History, though architectural buffs are more interested in his new design partnership with Agustin Piza, which is focused on pushing the creativity boundaries of multi-purpose golf. Their first project is set to debut in Mexico, featuring four quadrangles of six-hole loops known as the ‘Butterfly Effect’. It could be a game-changer.
48 TIM SCHANTZ
The President and CEO of Troon
Since succeeding founder Dana Garmany three years ago, Schantz has overseen a period of incredible growth, cementing Troon’s status as the largest third-party manager of golf clubs. They service more than 725 courses in 32 countries, up from 280 courses in April 2019.
The Troon Golf portfolio includes The Grove, Trump Turnberry and Centurion, which gives you an idea as to the quality of service they provide.
47 KLAUS ELDRUP-JORGENSEN
Co-founder and CEO of TrackMan
Teachers, fitters, designers and even the PGA Tour (where there’s now 40 at every event) rely on TrackMan’s ball-tracking data, which provides real-time insight on ball speed, launch, flight, and landing… and lets us see the trajectory on TV. Indeed, so good is it that more than 1,000 tour players have invested in TrackMan tech for their own personal use.
46 JON WATTERS
Co-President of Foresight Sports
The company that brought us the GC2 launch monitor have revolutionised club fitting under Watters’ leadership.
The little grey box, which uses cameras rather than radar to track a ball, is a common sight in fitting rooms and now at Toptracer driving ranges.
We use the GCQuad for all our golf club testing, as do dozens of pros and coaches on tour.
45 JONATHAN SMITH
Founder and Executive Director of the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf
Golf is slowly moving towards a greener future – and Smith and his team have been leading the charge to inspire, educate, and reward sustainability. They hosted the first-ever Sustainable Golf Week in October and continue to report year-on-year growth with golf facilities becoming GEO certified in recognition of their environmental and social responsibility.
Smith is currently collaborating with several big-name partners, including the R&A, LPGA and around 50 federations and associations across 25 countries, to accelerate change in the industry.
He also directly advises some of golf’s largest events, including The Open, Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup and Olympics.
44 GOOD GOOD
America’s biggest golf YouTube channel
Only the second golf YouTube channel to reach one million subscribers (after Rick Shiels), Good Good was founded by friends Garrett Clark, Matt Scharff, Stephen Castaneda, Micah ‘Tig’ Morris, and Tom ‘Bubby’ Broders and launched in July 2020.
Each a scratch or single figure golfer, Good Good’s videos have production qualities to match thanks to the teams videographers and editors Colin Ross and Max Putnam. The group are filmed travelling the globe, playing in Pro-ams, trying to break world records and taking on matches and challenges.
They’ve welcomed Bryson DeChambeau, long-drive star Kyle Berkshire among others, and spent time in the UK this summer to film loads of content, including a huge collaboration with Shiels.
The guys have an insightful podcast and full range of merch, along with 750,000 subscribers across their other social media platforms… and that’s before we even start on their individual followings. We’re also expecting some huge news from them in 2023, so watch this space.
If you only watch one of their videos, join 3.5 million others by taking in ‘The Greatest Golf Shot in YouTube History’.
43 TOM DOAK
The world’s best-known and most charismatic course designer
The man behind World Top 100 fixtures Pacific Dunes at Bandon Dunes, Ballyneal, Barnbougle Dunes, Cape Kidnappers and the brand-new Rosapenna (St Patrick’s), Doak is now grooming the next generation of architects, with Gil Hanse and Mike DeVries among his pupils.
The American’s pithy Confidential Guide to Golf Courses book will be lauded for centuries.
42 JUSTIN THOMAS
Two-time US PGA Champion and one of the most vocal defenders of the PGA Tour
Unfairly cast as a supporting actor behind Rory and Tiger, JT has stepped back into the spotlight his year, becoming the sixth man since World War II to win 15 times, including two Majors, before turning 30.
He has almost certainly replaced Patrick Reed as Captain America, winning 12 times and losing only four from 19 matches across two Ryder Cups and two Presidents Cups.
His swagger and joggers-and-hoodie combo make him one of the most popular players among the younger generation. He’s also not immune to the occasional shank or top, which makes him relatable to everyone else.
41 BRYSON DECHAMBEAU
A Major-winning, long-driving, equipment-revolutionising, opinion-dividing LIV Golf star
The Mad Scientist of Golf has never been afraid to do things his own way. From one-length clubs and one-plane swings, to gaining 40lbs in a quest for increased swing speed, it’s Bryson’s world and we’re all just trying to understand it.
Love or loathe him, LIV Golf shelled out more than $125 million for Bryson’s signature because his influence stretches far beyond the course. Not content with being one of the world’s best players, the 29-year-old finished second in this year’s World Long Drive Championship and is chronicling his life on YouTube to 324,000 subscribers.
The 2020 US Open champion is now looking to grow the game at home in Dallas and in California, with plans for
a multi-sports complex and the development of junior golf tours through his own foundation.
40 BEN CRENSHAW
Two-time Masters champion, Ryder Cup-winning captain and now one-half of the Coore-Crenshaw design firm
Crenshaw had a stellar legacy even before he partnered with Bill Coore to create one of the most revered course design firms in the world.
He will always be remembered for his Masters wins but his part in the trend towards less penal, more strategic courses might be his most enduring legacy.
39 DAVID RICKMAN
Executive Director – Governance and Chief of Staff – at the R&A
Rickman affects your game in a big way – perhaps more so than anyone on this list. Over the last 25 years, he has been responsible for the Rules of Golf, Amateur Status, Equipment Standards and Handicapping in conjunction with the USGA.
He’s also the chief referee at the men’s and Women’s Open – so a man players like to keep on side.
38 STEVE PELISEK
President of Titleist golf clubs
Pelisek joined Acushnet in 1993 and was made President of Titleist’s clubs in early 2016. When much of the industry has gone to annual product cycles, he’s stuck behind a tried and trusted launch formula; Titleist fans know when it’s coming, they know it will be better than what came before, and they know it will be used by lots of tour players and accomplished amateurs.
37 JOE ASSELL
President, CEO and Co-founder of GOLFTEC
Over the past 27 years, Assell has built GOLFTEC into a global brand that’s shaped instruction and club fitting at 240+ centres in six countries.
They have just acquired SkyTrak and Assell is hopeful of expanding the GOLFTEC business to 350 locations in the US, as well as 400 international sites in the future.
36 MARTY JERTSON
Vice President for Fitting & Performance at Ping
If you’ve played any new Ping golf club over the last 15 years, it’s likely Jertson played a part in its design. An engineer at heart, he is now responsible for Ping’s ‘fitting science’.
He’s also a hell of a player, appearing in his sixth Major in 2020.
35 ANNIKA SORENSTAM
President of the International Golf Federation (IGF) and the greatest female player of her generation
Her on-course achievements are legendary (10 Majors, 89 wins worldwide) but the Swede is playing an even greater role as an ambassador, lending her name to tournaments and programmes and donating almost $8 million to junior golf through her foundation. She even committed $50,000 to support Symetra Tour players during the pandemic.
This year she hosted the Scandinavian Mixed for a second time alongside Henrik Stenson, and next November she’ll be getting her own LPGA event; The Annika Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.
34 PAIGE SPIRANAC
Golf star turned online coach, model and social media sensation
Unless your weekly golf fix doesn’t include scouring social media for tips and tricks, there’s a very good chance you’ve stumbled across Paige Spiranac before. She is, in many ways, exceptionally hard to miss. With 3.7 million followers on Instagram and more than 11 million across her social media channels, she operates in a different world to most professional golfers.
It’s easy to judge and typecast her as ‘just another influencer’, but Spiranac is bold, feisty and the most prominent woman in golf. She has built an enviable network of partners and followers because she plays the social media game better than most.
It helps that she was named the ‘Sexiest Woman Alive’ by Maxim magazine, though the 29-year-old has succeeded where others have failed because of her relatability, work ethic and willingness to disrupt golf’s status quo. She likes to joke that “men like golf and boobs” in response to being listed as the most followed golfer on Instagram, but there remains a seriousness which underpins a lot of what she puts out.
This year she has used her Playing a Round with Paige Renee podcast to express herself, speaking out against body shaming, outdated dress codes and sexism in the sport.
Now she is about to launch a new subscription platform which aims to break down one of golf’s biggest barriers to entry. It’s time we all put some respect against her name.
33 THOMAS PAGEL
Chief Governance Officer for the USGA
Before LIV Golf was even a thing, the biggest headache for the sport’s authorities was the long-running debate on technology.
Amid continued calls for some restriction on the huge distances achieved by modern professionals, Pagel is a key player as he and the R&A debate the findings of various distance-related investigations.
He also oversees the World Handicap System in the States.
32 ROBERT MAXFIELD
Chief Executive of the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA)
One of the busiest men in golf, serving 8,000+ members and presiding over almost 1,000 golf events annually.
Together with his team, he’s won praise for increasing prize funds by 30% this year and for introducing an unrivalled PGA training programme with three routes to qualifications. It has now never been easier to get a job in the industry.
31 GARY PLAYER
A nine-time Major champion and ultra-fit octogenarian
Despite being into his 87th year, the Black Knight remains one of the game’s biggest influencers, mainly on account of his off-course endeavours.
He’s authored almost 40 books on the game and is always happy to voice his opinion, but it’s his course design arm, Gary Player Design, that will leave the biggest mark long after he’s departed.
30 ME AND MY GOLF
A pair of PGA pros – Piers Ward and Andy Proudman – who have created a global instruction business based on their YouTube teaching videos (202 million views and counting)
There are hundreds of golf coaches on YouTube. But Andy and Piers have taken their teaching to the next level, developing coaching plans, subscription-based lessons, a range of training aids and sponsorship deals with the likes of TaylorMade and Audi.
We asked Me and My Golf to share their best-ever tips.
They also coach PGA Tour star Aaron Rai and have their own podcast, featuring more than 125 episodes with some big-name guests.
29 BOB PARSONS
Billionaire Founder of Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG), an equipment brand pushing boundaries
It’s hard not to like PXG’s ethos of trying to make the world’s best golf equipment, with no cost or time restraints. And they back themselves with a no-questions-asked, 60-day, 100 percent money-back guarantee, which is impressive.
They’re also the only brand to describe their clubs as “the duck’s nuts”.
28 MARY LOU BOHN
President of Titleist Golf Balls – and the highest-ranked female on our list
The Pro V1 is the most successful equipment franchise in the history of the game, and one of the most lucrative. Acushnet’s net sales topped $2 billion in 2021, and balls accounted for the majority of that.
Their latest stats show that 69% of pros play a Titleist golf ball on the PGA Tour, which is some endorsement for Bohn.
27 KEITH PELLEY
Canadian sports executive and CEO of the DP World Tour for the last seven years
Pelley had plenty of early wins, bringing back the British Masters and introducing the Rolex Series, but he has found it tough going since the pandemic hit. This year he’s had to deal with the threat of LIV Golf, impending court cases, and regular rumours that the Tour’s finances are in peril.
An extension to their ‘strategic alliance’ with the PGA Tour until 2035 has offered some security, but the long-term repercussions may be felt as early as next year when the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai earn a PGA Tour card for the following season. It’s very hard to see how the DP World Tour can stay relevant if that happens year after year.
26 YASIR AL-RUMAYYAN
Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and one of the most powerful men in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Football fans may recognise him as the Chairman of Newcastle United, but his Excellency is obsessed with golf and a major player in its rapid growth in the Middle East as part of Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s social and economic reform project.
As a trusted member of the Crown Prince’s inner circle, Al-Rumayyan’s influence is far-reaching. He is the current Chairman of LIV Golf, a role he has performed to great effect at Aramco, Golf Saudi, the Saudi Golf Federation and the Arab Golf Federation.
He also fronts the Saudi-backed PIF – valued at roughly $620 billion – which is financing LIV Golf and the Asian Tour. You will have your own opinion about whether it is helping or hurting the game, but without Al Rumayyan’s support and Aramco’s investment in the women’s game with the Aramco Team Series, it is unlikely we would still have the Ladies European Tour.
His greatest contribution to our sport may be yet to come, however.
He remains committed to opening at least 16 new courses in Saudi Arabia and growing the number of female golfers to 100,000 by 2030. Green-lighting a Ladies First Club and doling out 1,000 complimentary golf memberships to women has been an encouraging start.
25 GREG MCLAUGHLIN
Highly respected executive with links to Tiger and the PGA Tour
A former CEO of the Tiger Woods Foundation, McLaughlin is an industry veteran of 30 years and holds a raft of high-profile and hugely influential roles. He had been in charge of the PGA Champions Tour prior to being asked to take on executive roles at the PGA Tour First Tee Foundation and World Golf Foundation.
He is also responsible for managing the World Golf Hall of Fame, into which Tiger was a recent inductee.
Over the years he has helped raise millions through various charitable initiatives in golf and now he is heading up the First Tee program, which works with 1,400 golf courses, 10,000 schools and 1,700 youth centres to introduce golf and life skills to 2.2 million kids across six countries each year.
He is one of golf’s unsung heroes and a man to have on your side in a crisis.
24 RICK SHIELS
The man behind the world’s No.1 golf YouTube channel, co-host of the Rick Shiels Golf Show Podcast and owner of Rick Shiels Media Ltd
Has anyone done as much to attract a new generation to the game as Rick Shiels? In 2020, eight years after uploading his first video on YouTube, he became the first golf creator to smash through the one million subscribers barrier. That figure now stands at 2.4 million after another blistering year. He has built a multi-million-pound brand, relationships with some of golf’s best-known companies, a team of staff and even a hit podcast.
The mix of challenges, big-name collaborations, reviews, instruction and high production values has seen Shiels’ 2022 videos gain more than 50 million views to date.
Countless golfers credit Shiels with fixing their game, while the 36-year-old’s influence over golfers’ buying decisions was highlighted when a positive review of Callaway’s Hex ball saw it sell out within hours.
He now boasts 2.3 million followers across his other social media platforms and attracted national headlines in June when he carried his golf bag 150 miles from Prestwick to St Andrews, raising more than £120,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. He is, in many ways, one of golf’s good guys.
23 BRIAN BAZZEL
VP of Global Product Creation at TaylorMade
A TaylorMade veteran who’s worked in every product department, Bazzel is now responsible for all of them. He also runs the company’s secretive weekly Global Product Strategy meeting – where the equipment we’ll be using in five years is discussed.
22 ALAN HOCKNELL
Senior VP for Research & Development at Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp
Spurred on by his boss Chip Brewer, Hocknell – a Brit now in California – has been at the forefront of Callaway’s product renaissance.
He was responsible for the relaunch of the Big Bertha in 2013, a club he says “meant we weren’t always playing for second in the driver market, which was significant.”
Now he’s at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence in golf equipment design.
21 JASON WESSELY
Head of Golf at Sky Sports
A silent star of broadcasting, Wessely oversees live golf coverage 50 weeks a year, including the men’s and women’s Majors.
Sky has become the ‘Home of Golf’ for viewers, who have been treated to ground-breaking innovations such as the 360 Augmented Reality Player Swings.
A vast increase in live women’s and amateur golf has been most welcome and a new rights deal means they’ll continue to show the DP World Tour until 2024.
20 MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
Crown Prince and PM of Saudi Arabia – and the man funding LIV Golf
LIV may boast of being ‘Golf, but louder’, but the man with the keys to a war chest reshaping the professional game has his volume set very low. Bin Salman prefers his “finger puppet” Greg Norman to answer accusations of sportswashing, but the Crown Prince is signing off cheques that turn the heads of a growing number of PGA and DP World Tour defectors.
He is the silent Chairman of the PIF, the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, which is dedicating $2 billion towards an expanded schedule of LIV Golf events over the next three years. The first season reportedly cost around $784 million in total, but they still need to strike a TV deal.
19 JOHN K. SOLHEIM
President of Ping and the third generation Solheim to run the company
When Karsten set up Ping more than 60 years ago, it was because he could not find a decent putter. But in the last 30 years, Ping have firmly established themselves as an iconic driver brand and a leader in custom fitting.
The G425 Max was named the most forgiving driver of 2022 in our testing, while the new G430 LST was the most-played model in the season opener on the PGA Tour.
The Solheim family were also behind the introduction of the Solheim Cup, which will precede next year’s Ryder Cup by a week and take centre stage at Finca Cortesin for the first time.
18 JACK NICKLAUS
One of the two greatest golfers of all time, now owner of one of the biggest golf course design and construction companies
Whether you’re Camp Tiger or Camp Jack probably depends on your age and whether you believe Major titles trump all else. Either way, it should be no surprise that everything the Golden Bear has touched since hanging up his MacGregor sticks has turned to, well, gold.
Nicklaus Design have 425 golf courses open for play, meaning around one percent of the world’s courses were designed or redesigned by Jack and his company. Some of the standouts include Gleneagles, Hilton Head, Harbour Town, Killeen Castle, and Muirfield Village, where Jack hosts the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament every year.
One of his latest developments is the Ury Estate in Stonehaven, near Aberdeen, set to open in 2024. It’s the first Nicklaus-branded residential golf community in Europe and looks absolutely stunning, with a top-drawer course wrapped around Ury Castle.
Jack’s instruction book, Golf My Way, is one of the classics of golf instruction and has sold more than two million copies and its influence shows no sign of fading. He has his own apparel line, as well as partnerships with countless leading brands, including Miura, E-Z-GO, and Golf Magazine.
Jack was even approached to become LIV Golf CEO, with an offer in excess of $100 million, but turned it down twice due to his loyalties with the PGA Tour.
As one of the most revered statesmen in golf, the 82-year-old’s opinion carries serious weight. It’s good news, then, that he feels golf is in a strong spot.
“There are more good players in the game than we’ve ever had,” he insists. “From a television standpoint, good gracious. You can watch almost any golf tournament in the world today on television. You can turn it on and say, ‘I’m going to watch something in Africa or I want to watch something in Europe’. No matter where you are, you’re going to be able to watch it. That will continue to popularise the game of golf.
“Covid has really seen people flock to the game. I think golf is probably in as good a state as it’s ever been as far as the growth of the game and seeing the number of good players that there are today. I think it’s really fantastic.”
Jack was kind enough to join us for a fantastic exclusive interview.
17 NIALL HORAN
Popstar and self-confessed golf fanatic who set up a management company, Modest! Golf, in 2016
The 29-year-old has gone from being part of One Direction to revolutionising how golf is perceived by minority groups.
Besides managing a wealth of stars, including Tyrrell Hatton, Leona Maguire and disability golfer Brendan Lawlor, Horan has set out to change the face of golf by making it more diverse and inclusive.
He was instrumental in the birth of the ISPS HANDA World Invitational, presented by Modest! Golf, which sees men and women compete side by side for equal money. The event broke ground as the first event of its kind in the Northern Hemisphere and is now tri-sanctioned by the DP World, LPGA and Ladies European Tours.
His stock is so great that his agency have been appointed by the R&A to help develop a series of grassroots programmes aimed at getting young people into golf.
It probably helps that he has 41.1 million followers on Twitter and 30.7 million on Instagram as well.
16 JUSTIN ROSE
Major winner, Olympic gold medallist and force for good
At a time when the morals of his former Ryder Cup teammates are being questioned, Justin Rose has emerged as one of the biggest advocates for equality and inclusivity in golf, breaking down barriers and becoming a force for good in a sport which desperately needs it.
While the rest of the industry were in caretaker mode during the pandemic, Justin and wife Kate put their name and money behind the Rose Ladies Series and offered eight playing opportunities for stars of the LET. It was such a success that the series extended to 11 events last year, and even filled a four-week gap in this year’s LET schedule with five more tournaments.
Their attention has since turned to hosting the first-ever Rose Ladies Open on the LET Access Series and promoting a new Justin Rose Academy, spread across six American Golf sites in the UK.
It’s early days but the Roses hope to bring 18,000 young people onto the Justin Rose junior programme in the first five years.
He already has his name attached to the Telegraph Junior Golf Championship, and last year he was presented with the PGA Tour’s Payne Stewart Award in recognition of his character, sportsmanship and commitment to charitable giving.
So far, the Justin and Kate Rose Foundation have raised more than £3 million since 2009, providing more than 500,000 hunger-free weekends, and over 300,000 books to 29,000 children in Central Florida.
See the equipment he uses in our Justin Rose WITB.
15 PHIL MICKELSON
The most polarising figure in our sport; golf’s greatest showman and its master manipulator
Since becoming the oldest man to win a Major, aged 50, Phil has done his best to tarnish a legacy which has (so far) delivered six Majors, 12 Ryder Cup appearances and Hall of Fame status.
This year he’s been banned – and then stripped of his lifetime membership – from the PGA Tour, joined LIV Golf for a reported $200 million, and given up the chance to ever captain the US Ryder Cup team.
His licence to thrill has fallen in line with his Twitter game and reputation, yet Forbes still named him as the highest-paid golfer of 2022 after he crossed the $1 billion mark in career earnings. And that’s despite three sponsors dropping him over his criticism of the PGA Tour and his “scary motherf***ers” outburst about the Saudis.
He remains one of golf’s greatest enigmas.
14 FRED RIDLEY
The most powerful man wearing a Green Jacket
You can’t so much as set foot on the property at Augusta National without Ridley’s say so, which may yet be a problem for LIV golfers with ambitions of playing at next year’s Masters.
Since succeeding Billy Payne in 2017, he has dragged Augusta National out of the Dark Ages and into the 21st century. He’s made some big calls, most notably announcing an Augusta National Women’s Amateur and honouring Lee Elder with two scholarships in his name at Paine College.
More recently he’s given the green light for Augusta’s re-entry into the video game space with EA Sports, and overseen major alterations to the 11th and 15th. The par-5 13th is rumoured to be next.
13 SETH WAUGH
CEO of the PGA of America, which serves almost 30,000 professionals
A mentor to PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan and a former colleague of Martin Slumbers, Waugh is well-connected and well-respected as the leader of the PGA of America.
It is his job to oversee more than 30 tournaments for their members, while also controlling operations for Team USA in the Ryder Cup.
He has a seat on the board of the OGWR and won praise for stripping Trump Bedminster of hosting duties for this year’s PGA Championship and taking it to Southern Hills.
He has just overseen another seismic move after relocating the PGA of America HQ to a new $600 million estate, dubbed the ‘Silicon Valley of Golf’. The 600-acre campus in Dallas aims to be a “first-of-its-kind golf laboratory”, with two golf courses, a 510-room resort, a practice area totalling 45 holes, and a PGA District, featuring indoor and outdoor golf entertainment areas.
From the start of next year, the site will host 26 championships up until 2034, including the men’s, Women’s and Senior PGA Championships.
12 DAVID MAHER
President and CEO of Acushnet, which owns Titleist, FootJoy, Scotty Cameron and Vokey, among others
Valued at over $3.1 billion, Maher’s Acushnet Holdings Corp is the largest manufacturer of golf equipment in the world and posted a record 33% increase in net sales in 2021. A pure ‘golf’ company – clubs, balls, shoes, gloves, apparel – with half its sales coming from outside the USA, Acushnet has been well placed to capitalise on the growth of the game since the pandemic.
Last year they opened a Titleist Performance Centre at Woburn, featuring two fitting bays and a bespoke club-building workshop. The 10-acre site replicates most of what is on offer at the advanced Titleist Performance Institute in California and promises the “best fitting experience available in Europe”. Even Adam Scott is a fan. “What Titleist has done here is amazing,” he says.
11 DAVID ABELES
CEO and President of TaylorMade
Once described as “the man with the Midas touch”, David Abeles has turned TaylorMade into a global powerhouse and recruited some of the biggest names in golf as brand ambassadors. Now he’s looking to topple Titleist as the leading golf ball manufacturer.
Stealth drivers, P-Series irons, TP5 balls… just three of the products that have been huge successes under Abeles’ watch. He’s successfully steered TM out of its ownership by adidas, put the focus back on product, and then spent big money on big names (Tiger! Rory! DJ!) to show the world how good it is.
Read our exclusive interview with David Abeles.
10 RORY MCILROY
Four-time Major champion, current World No.1 and PGA Tour Player Advisory Council Chairman.
McIlroy is golf’s biggest superstar since Tiger. OK, so he hasn’t quite lived up to our lofty expectations (Jack Nicklaus once predicted Rory could win 15 or 20 Majors), but the Holywood lad hasn’t done too badly.
He has 30 wins across the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, four Major titles, and recently returned to World No.1 thanks to three victories in 2022, alongside top-10 finishes in all four Majors.
He’s been named among the top three most marketable athletes in the world, awarded an MBE, had a computer game named after him, been crowned PGA Tour Player of the Year on three occasions (only Tiger has more), and spent more than 100 weeks as golf’s top dog
At a tumultuous time for golf, McIlroy has repeatedly made his feelings clear about LIV Golf and, in particular, its CEO Greg Norman. McIlroy celebrated his Canadian Open victory by claiming that his 21st PGA Tour win was “one more than someone else; that gave me a little bit of extra incentive…” in reference to Norman’s 20 PGA Tour titles.
That feud aside, McIlroy has shown maturity and reason in his views on LIV. “I don’t want a fractured game,” he said. “I never have. The game of golf is ripping itself apart right now and that’s no good for anyone. I’ve always said I think there is a time and a place where everyone that’s involved should sit down and try to work together.”
Given his influence on the PGA Tour and beyond, McIlroy could well play a pivotal role in finding a way for LIV Golf to exist in harmony, alongside golf’s traditional tours. If he can manage that and complete the career Grand Slam by finally getting his hands on that elusive Green Jacket, he will cement his position as one of the game’s true greats.
See the equipment he uses in our Rory McIlroy WITB.
9 SEAN MCMANUS
A sports media giant, now Chairman of CBS Sports in America
McManus is better known in the USA for his dealings with the NFL, NCAA and European football coverage, but his passion for golf also shines through in the network’s coverage. Their crown jewel has been The Masters for many years, but McManus beat off plenty of competition in 2020 to secure a nine-year deal to air around 19 PGA Tour and at least seven LPGA Tour events per season.
8 MIKE MCCARLEY
President of Golf for NBC Sports, so effectively Head of the Golf Channel
McCarley has been credited with the transformation and expansion of the Golf Channel over the last 10 years. During that time he has overseen a quadrupling of the workforce, too many technological advances to mention, and the launch of initiatives such as GolfNow – which has become a worldwide operation – and GolfPass in partnership with Rory.
He is set to play an even bigger role in the years to come as the co-founder of tech-based venture TMRW Sports, alongside Tiger and McIlroy. Together they are set to launch a series of Monday night matches, in association with the PGA Tour, that will begin in spring 2024.
7 ANDREW GEORGIOU
Officially, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe President and Managing Director, but you can call him the President of Sports at Discovery
Georgiou is likely to be the highest-placed entry on this list whose name and face you don’t recognise, but his influence on your enjoyment of the game is vast. In 2018, US media giant Discovery signed a $2 billion, 12-year deal for worldwide broadcast rights to all PGA Tour golf tournaments until 2030, ending a deal Sky Sports had held since 2010.
Discovery’s deal made them the ‘strategic partner’ of the PGA Tour and gave them multi-platform live rights to all PGA Tour media properties. In plain English, it bought them around 2,000 hours of content per year, giving them access to the six tours operating under the PGA Tour umbrella. That means around 150 tournaments annually, The Players Championship, the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the Presidents Cup, plus 40 DP World Tour events per year. That’s a lot of golf.
The deal covers 21 markets outside of the US, including Australia, South Korea, Canada and the UK, giving Discovery vast influence over when, where and how so many of the game’s top tier events are watched. Crucially, the deal also allowed Discovery to auction coverage on a territory-by-territory basis. So, when, last June, Sky Sports announced it had signed a new multi-year extension with Warner Bros Discovery to show a minimum of 36 PGA Tour events per year, the signature on the contract read ‘Andrew Georgiou’.
He is one of the most important people in your life. Even if you don’t recognise his name or face.
6 CHIP BREWER
President and CEO of Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp
Back in August, a press release dropped about one of golf’s most famous brands changing its name. It didn’t elicit many headlines for golfers; but it was very big news for the stock market.
Callaway – the golf equipment company founded with a driver – was changing its name to Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. The company’s ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange even changed from ELY to MODG to “reflect the company’s leadership position in the Modern Golf ecosystem.”
It meant the golf equipment company founded by Ely Callaway in 1992 was now an entertainment company. And a tech company. And a clothing company. And a lifestyle brand. The man who’s led this transformation is Chip Brewer; a Texan who used to head up Adams before taking over at Callaway in 2012.
Under his watch, Callaway’s core club and ball business has gone from strength to strength. Between April and June 2022, they made $452 million in revenue, up 13% year-on-year. Its ‘active lifestyle’ segment – made up of TravisMathew, OGIO, Jack Wolfskin, Callaway Apparel and accessory brands – also increased 40% to record sales of $260 million, while Topgolf’s revenue shot up by 24 percent to $404 million in the same period.
“Our business has been really good for the last several years,” says Brewer. “We were a turnaround in 2012, we grew the business and have shown we’re pretty good operators.
“We have a strong brand position. We believe we are No.1 in the club market and the golf ball business has been growing to double-digits. The use of AI will set the stage for further changes and innovations as we apply it to different parts of our product range. AI is like CAD (computer assisted design): it’s a fundamental way of designing a product. If you don’t do that going forwards, you’re not going to be in the game.”
Check out our pick of the Best Callaway Golf Irons.
5 JAY MONAHAN
The Dark Knight in the PGA Tour’s battle with LIV Golf
Jay Monahan has never faced a more tumultuous time as the head of the PGA Tour. He’s had his competency – or apparent lack of – questioned by Phil Mickelson and others. He’s been dragged into legal battles, rushed through mandates, and faced awkward questions about how much money he and the PGA Tour are sitting on after unveiling a $96 million cash injection for this season.
For now, he remains the central figure in golf’s ongoing soap opera, but his standing is far weaker than it was in 2019 when he was widely praised for securing a 70 percent increase on the Tour’s previous media rights deal.
He does deserve credit for how he led the Tour through the pandemic, not to mention how he convinced the DP World Tour to side with them rather than the Saudis. But people in golf have short memories and the consensus on the ground is that Monahan acted too late to stop Greg Norman from poaching the Tour’s top talent.
Ultimately, it took two of the PGA Tour’s most loyal stars, Tiger and Rory, to form a united front and push through changes to the Tour’s structure to fend off another mass exodus of players. That Monahan was initially kept out of those discussions is perhaps indicative of how fragmented the Tour is right now.
He can at least cling to the notion that the PGA Tour still holds all the major cards – literally and figuratively – but the impending legal battle with LIV Golf is likely to have big repercussions for the future of golf and the Tour itself.
Monahan just needs to hope he comes out on the winning side, otherwise he may yet find himself cast as collateral damage.
4 MIKE WHAN
CEO of the USGA and former Commissioner of the LPGA Tour
“Mike is a proven, successful and transformative leader, not only in the golf industry but throughout his entire career”. Those were the words of USGA President, Stu Francis, as he confirmed the appointment of Whan as the successor to Mike Davis at the helm of arguably the most powerful golf authority in the world.
The LPGA had been the chief beneficiary of Whan’s talent for 11 years, where he forged his reputation for success and transformation. When he joined, the Tour was struggling to establish the worldwide presence required to generate investment and keep the talent pool ticking over. But under his leadership, women’s golf in all parts of the globe benefitted. Whan brokered deals with his counterparts in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia, which thrust the LPGA into genuine ‘global brand’ status and ensured significant increases in the number of tournaments, prize money, television coverage and overall membership.
When Whan was finally lured to the USGA 11 years later, the number of registered LPGA pros was almost 50 percent higher than when he took over. LPGA Player President, Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, said: “Mike rebuilt the LPGA Tour, reimagined its future, and he brought new events, new sponsors and a new value proposition around diversity and inclusion to the LPGA. He has that rare ability to get people of all ages and backgrounds excited and on board with his vision.”
But Whan’s record for change did not sit well with some on the USGA committee, his appointment coinciding with a raft of resignations, though he won the players over when he vowed to avoid interfering with course set-ups for the USGA’s 14 national championships, a subject that haunted Davis for much of his tenure. And it didn’t take long for Whan to stamp his authority, securing a title-sponsor deal with ProMedica for the US Women’s Open which effectively doubled the prize fund to $10 million.
Whan’s outlook is to “advance, rather than preserve”, qualities that should ensure a prosperous future for the game at every level.
“What does the USGA actually do?” he was once asked. His answer? “Unify, Showcase, Govern, Advance”.
3 GREG NORMAN
LIV Golf’s Commissioner, a man who has taken a sledgehammer to the game’s current ecosystem
No one has created more headlines this year than Greg Norman – just read our exclusive interview with LIV’s CEO and you’ll see why! He’s been waiting a long time to establish a world tour, almost 30 years in fact, and has seemingly found the perfect partners in the Saudis. He is revelling in his role as the face of LIV Golf, waging a war against the PGA Tour and partnering with the Asian Tour and MENA Tour to upset the status quo.
Like Rory, we didn’t think LIV would ever get off the ground and yet Norman proved us all wrong, poaching 14 Major winners – including the European Ryder Cup captain – and delivering on his promise to make everyone sit up and take notice. Between Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, his recruitment push has exceeded $650 million – and it’s not over yet. He is now plotting to sign seven of the world’s top 20 players ahead of an expanded 14-tournament league next season.
Of course, it’s easy to criticise his involvement in Saudi’s sportwashing campaign as morally unpalatable, but for the purpose of this list we cannot overlook all the good he has done in the game as well. He’s supported a raft of charities, established the QBE Shootout on the PGA Tour, and built a $400 million empire since leaving behind a career which delivered two Claret Jugs and 88 professional victories worldwide. That’s all in the past, of course, but Norman’s portfolio boasts a dozen brands, including a golf course design business and an apparel line bearing his iconic shark logo.
Ultimately, his entire legacy is likely to hinge on the success of LIV Golf and whether it can find a place to exist alongside or instead of more established Tours. For the time being, at least, he has positioned himself as golf’s chief antagonist and a major thorn in the sides of Jay Monahan and Keith Pelley.
Here’s everything you need to know about LIV Golf.
2 MARTIN SLUMBERS
Chief Executive of the R&A and Secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, aka golf’s most powerful man in a suit
Brighton-born, former Deutsche Bank executive Slumbers took over from Peter Dawson as Chairman of the R&A in 2015. Apart from the US and Mexico, the R&A governs golf worldwide, which means they and Slumbers are responsible for more than 41 million golfers in 144 countries with the consent of 159 organisations from amateur and professional golf, plus the running of 28 championships that range from the Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur Championships, right up to The Open Championship.
Almost every aspect of the game, at every level, is presided over by Slumbers. The rules, the changes to your handicap and the pace of play are all within his remit. Likewise, the distribution of world ranking points (as a member of the board for the Official World Golf Ranking), the distance debate and the ongoing technology wars with manufacturers. Little occurs in golf without Slumbers having significant influence. Of course, this entry is more about the position than the specific person, but Slumbers has impressed with the quiet efficiency with which he’s assumed the role.
One of his first big challenges came in 2016, when Muirfield voted against admitting women to the club. Slumbers removed the Honourable Company from The Open rota – then reinstated it when the club had a rethink. Slumbers’ decisive action was illustrative of the direction in which he is steering the R&A and the game as a whole: a refusal to move with the times and focus on the future is at odds with his vision. The 62-year-old has one eye on the past but both fixed firmly on the game’s future.
This was made clear with the publication of a 40-page R&A blueprint for ensuring the game thrives over the next 50 years. “We need to attract more women and children into golf via grassroots, including embracing short and less traditional forms of the game,” he says. “The traditions are important, but we need to look at the wider ecosystem… to broaden the game.” Slumbers by name, then, but tireless by nature, as the role dictates.
1 TIGER WOODS
An icon and inspiration to millions of golfers, young and old
Tiger Woods is more than just a great golfer. He is golf’s greatest ambassador. No one has had a greater impact on your game or the game since he burst onto the scene all those years ago.
He is the PGA Tour. He turned golfers into athletes. He gave Nike the most iconic moment in sports history. He forced the greatest institutions to ‘Tiger-proof’ their golf courses. He broke down barriers by becoming the first African-American to win the Masters. We could go on and on, but above all else, he made golf cool again. He is the single biggest reason why the Saudis want to invest in golf and why they were reportedly prepared to offer in the region of $800 million to get him to defect.
At The 150th Open, people were hanging off fences just to catch a glimpse of the 46-year-old walking up the 18th on the Old Course. The Tiger roar is still unlike anything you will ever hear. And when he speaks, people listen. It would be a stretch to suggest that he saved the PGA Tour, but he stopped other players from leaving by hosting an intervention and presenting a united front.
He remains a flawed genius. The greats often are. But he has transformed golf for his own generation and the generations to follow. Among his many success stories include the TW Foundation, which has reached over two million students and supported more than 260 college scholars through internships and financial support. He has lent his name to various tournaments and junior programmes, built a fledgling course design business, partnered with TaylorMade and PopStroke, to name just two, and delivered 85 TGR Live charity events, raising $113 million for charitable causes.
He was rewarded earlier this year with a long overdue induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, yet another accolade to go with his 15 Major titles and 107 worldwide wins. He’s still searching for a record-breaking 83rd PGA Tour victory to move him ahead of Sam Snead on the all-time list, but we wouldn’t rule it out. He’s done it before on one leg.
Following his untimely injury last year, he’s become the face and Director of the 2K Sports’ golf video game franchise and broadened his empire by co-founding TMRW Sports with Rory McIlroy, which is bringing a virtual golf league called TGL to Monday nights in 2024 to shake up the sport again. An incredible array of celebrities – including Justin Timberlake, Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton and Steph Curry – have already bought into the venture, which shows what kind of pull Tiger still has.
His commitment to leaving golf and sport in a better place than he found it is commendable and befitting of his status as the most influential person on our list. He remains golf’s greatest needle mover, and you don’t need the Player Impact Program to tell you that.
About the author
Michael Catling – Features Editor
Michael Catling is an award-winning journalist who specializes in golf’s Majors and Tours, including DP World, PGA, LPGA, and LIV.
Michael joined Today’s Golfer in 2016 and has traveled the world to attend the game’s biggest events and secure exclusive interviews with the game’s biggest names, including Jack Nicklaus, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Martin Slumbers and Justin Thomas.
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The most influential people in golf 2022.
