Articles by Paul Sullivan

October 9th, 2026

Getting In: Hopeful college golfers and their advisors for hire

Max Brown, a senior on DePauw University’s golf team, didn’t think about playing college golf until his sophomore year in high school. That’s late by today’s standards, where many golfers start the process in middle school and are committed to a program by junior year. From Spring Lake, Mich., Brown was the first person in Read more…

October 8th, 2026

Fundraiser or Friend-raiser? How to tell if a charity golf tournament is successful

Imagine showing up at a charity golf tournament and finding Titleist reps standing in bunkers fitting everyone for new wedges, altering grinds on the spot. Or striding up to the swag table and seeing clothiers Alex Holderness and John Bourne discussing the apparel gift set—long-sleeve polo, quarter zip and vest—they created in special colors just Read more…

August 28th, 2026

What really happens with my initiation fee?

Joining a private club in this frothy time of ever-growing waiting lists and initiation fees is not for those who waffle. You need to show your commitment. Reinforce your commitment. Even if you get on that waiting list, you might be at the whim of a membership committee that raises the initiation fee again and Read more…

August 27th, 2026

The bonus years: Understanding the PGA Tour’s retirement reset

Read just the headline and it seems like Brooks Koepka forfeited as much as $US90 million to return to the PGA Tour after three years on LIV Golf. Dig into the details and it reveals something more interesting about the newest addition to the PGA Tour retirement plan: equity grants. These have been awarded to Read more…

June 30th, 2026

Should my club build a short course?

We’re living through a revival for interesting short courses, and the number of holes – six, nine, 12, 13 – doesn’t matter so much as the experience.

June 30th, 2026

The road ahead for LIV Golf: 2 scenarios that will determine its future

LIV Golf officials are seeking $US300 million by September 1 to keep the league going into 2027. What happens if they get the money, and if they don’t?

June 10th, 2026

What does it take for a golf artist to make a living?

In 1982, in the PGA Tour event that was the precursor to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Jerry Pate made a hole-in-one on the iconic 16th hole at Cypress Point Club, which requires a shot that carries 230 yards over the Pacific Ocean. Next to him on the tee were fellow pros Tom Watson, Raymond Read more…

May 5th, 2026

The Bonus Years: Understanding the PGA Tour’s retirement reset

Read just the headlines when Brooks Koepka rejoined the PGA Tour earlier this year and it seems like the five-time major winner forfeited as much as $90 million to comeback after three years playing LIV Golf. Dig into the details and it reveals something more interesting about the newest addition to the PGA Tour retirement Read more…

May 2nd, 2026

How are indoor clubs profiting from the golf boom?

The Toad Valley Golf Course in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, made a radical change when it recently closed its pro shop and converted the space to an indoor golf facility. Gone were shirts, sweaters and assorted swag, and in were simulators. If you need balls or a glove, there’s now a vending machine. The most profitable Read more…

April 15th, 2026

How golf companies that manufacture in the U.S.A. survive

Before the first snap of Super Bowl LX in February, dozens of sewing machines at a fabric plant in Buford, Ga., were ready to go. Whether the Seattle Seahawks or the New England Patriots emerged victorious, the stitchers would be hard at work come 7 a.m. on Monday, making driver, fairway and putter headcovers. Designs for Read more…

March 22nd, 2026

How do private destination clubs survive the next recession?

When he started looking for land in 2001, Jeff Warne thought he’d be a pioneer in what is now the booming Aiken, S.C., golf scene. Now he’s hoping he’s not too late to the party as private destination clubs proliferate in the area. There’s Old Barnwell and Tree Farm, which have garnered significant national acclaim. Read more…

February 11th, 2026

When does golf influencer become a full-time job?

Paige Spiranac and the guys who make up Good Good are raking in the dough with millions of followers. Sure, they had a first-mover advantage as golf influencers. But that’s no different than any other nascent industry, where someone has outsized success before others decide to take a chance on a career that follows a Read more…

September 21st, 2025

Ryder Cup 2025: New approach to authenticating memorabilia from this year at Bethpage

The PGA of America has devised a smart new approach to authenticating Ryder Cup memorabilia from this year at Bethpage.

September 18th, 2025

Ryder Cup 2025: Was $US750 for a ticket greedy or smart?

The PGA of America is hoping to break all sorts of attendance and viewership records with the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, but one shattered early was the ticket price.

August 21st, 2025

Wall Street’s lesson for Bethpage

Was $US750 for Ryder Cup tickets greedy or smart? 

June 9th, 2025

Oakmont in ’94 was the last hurrah for the club pro shop

Bob Ford is a man of many distinctions. The longtime head pro of Oakmont and Seminole has played in three U.S. Opens—making the cut in 1983 when he finished ahead of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman—and 10 PGA Championships. He retired from Oakmont in 2016, and he’s the U.S. Open’s first-tee starter for Read more…

May 28th, 2025

Why it’s taking so long to get into golf clubs these days

Pre-COVID, many golf clubs had no waitlists to join. For those with an extended process, provided you were a decent person or didn’t show any of your indecencies to the admissions committee, you could expect to wait a few years at most. Now some of those membership lists have waits upwards of seven years, with Read more…

May 9th, 2025

The Art of the Collab

It’s not often that James Bond and Steph Curry are uttered in the same sentence. One is a fictional British spy who can navigate his way through any situation with inimitable grace and confidence; the other is a basketball legend and probably the greatest three-point shooter of all time. What brought the two together? Golf Read more…

April 8th, 2025

Golf with a mission works in South Carolina (especially this week)

Apart from what’s on TV, obviously, some of the best golf during Masters week is in the South Carolina Sandhills, an area that radiates out from Aiken, South Carolina and is a manageable drive from Augusta, Ga. Old Barnwell and Tree Farm have received best new course accolades. Broomsedge and The Quixote Club are very Read more…

February 1st, 2025

How could the Trump presidency affect golf?

President Donald Trump, a man who loves golf, was reelected on a platform that calls for a series of substantial changes to policies that will have a broad impact on the economy. Three of them could help or hurt the golf industry depending on how they’re implemented. They relate to immigration, environmental regulation and trade. Read more…