Greg Nathan was promoted to president and CEO of the National Golf Foundation in 2024 but to those who know him best he’ll always be the Mayor of Crazy Town.
That is a self-proclaimed title that stuck from his days working at Golf magazine when he admitted to fellow staffers that he is as golf-obsessed as anyone in this business. A golf architecture nerd at heart, he’s likely to give you a red Solo cup golf team, a friendly reminder that this game was meant to be fun. [It was especially fun the day that he aced a par 4 in front of Bill Murray, which Golfweek wrote about here.] Nathan, a Lehigh University graduate, joined the NGF in 2007 and works closely with the CEO’s and leadership teams from companies in every sector.
Given the NGF’s role as the Switzerland of the golf industry, the PGA Merchandise Show seemed like as good a time as any to check in with Nathan on a number of topics pertaining to the golf business and get a sense of what we can expect for the industry in 2025.
GN: Making Joe Beditz proud. Joe deserves legendary status in the industry for essentially inventing the framework used to report the vital signs of the golf business… and for stewarding the NGF for 40 years. On a personal level, he’s been an incredible mentor and friend… and operating side-by-side with him for 18 years prepared me for the position to a level for which I’m forever grateful. Since JB (still my boss as executive chairman) is happy with the job I’m doing, I must be doing a lot of things right, and doing them the right way.
GN: I’m going to break the rules and give you two. First, I wish everyone knew how much we care about the people and companies that work in this industry. We’re inspired by them to do our best work. My second one is a recognition that the data-driven, strategic thinking and insightful golf consulting work we do for our members and partners is comparable (dare I say, even superior in some aspects) to the level of a “Big 3” consulting firm… just a lot less expensive.
GN: Most indicators on our dashboard suggest that this generationally high activity level is sustainable (independent of a serious economic downturn or geo-political event that would hurt all forms of recreation, especially pay-to-play types). Regardless of what people suggest about the future of golf away from the course (Topgolf, gamified/tech-enabled ranges and simulators), golf itself is not a fad. Golf’s intrinsic attractions and benefits won’t soon go out of style and the pandemic reminded people of the social, outdoor, exercise, and other rewarding aspects of participating in this game. Golf has surprised so many people by becoming “cool,” and our customer research doesn’t show that changing in the short term.