Episode 27 | Why Sustainability Needs to Be at the Core of Every Golf Business

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 new generation of players entering the game, she sees an opportunity to reshape how the industry thinks, talks and invests in sustainability – not as a compliance exercise, but as a genuine driver of business growth. Christine shares the three changes she believes every golf business can make today, including: - Why sustainability must be built into every part of a golf business – from course operations and F&B to staffing and culture – and why a dedicated sustainability point person could be the most impactful hire a club makes. - How creating partnerships with non-traditional partners and proactive storytelling through marketing and social media is a major opportunity for golf course businesses. - Why third-party validation is no longer optional, providing golf courses with credibility and resilience when it counts. Is your golf course business ready for the future? Learn how to get ahead of the curve with sustainable practices that drive business growth and long-term stability. __ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 06:25 Change #1: Build sustainability into every operational decision 13:55 Change #2: Create partnerships with non-traditional partners 23:57 Change #3: Seek third-party validation