The start of a new decade brings the second installment of the National Golf Foundation’s Top 100 Businesses in Golf initiative, an effort that highlights the vitality, size and diversity of the $84 billion golf industry.

As Troon’s manager of environmental science, Brianne Kenny has brought non-golfers with a negative perception of golf to the course, and turned around their notions about the game. Her efforts, and similar ones around the country, seek to address some existing misconceptions about the game’s environmental and ecological impact.

Almost 1/3 of golfers bought at least one new club last year. The Q’s latest NGF research snapshot takes a closer look at the average age of clubs currently in golfers’ bags.

While golf is an afterthought during a humanitarian crisis, the game plays a vital role in the Bahamas, where more than 60 percent of the gross domestic product is dependent on tourism, the most of any Caribbean nation. And several prominent companies within the golf business are helping deliver financial support through their Abaco 501(c)3 charities to provide relief for the people of the northern Bahamas. Pro golfers are also stepping up to lend support and here’s how you can help as well.

Did you know approximately a quarter of all rounds played in the U.S. are of the nine-hole variety? This month’s NGF research graphic takes a closer look at 9-hole golf.

NGF’s annual update on off-course golf retail store supply tracks the changes in number of doors and square footage of regional/independent and national retailers.

The Internet is changing sales tactics everywhere and as Amazon becomes a bigger force in retail, it is affecting nearly every vertical and category — golf included.

Japan’s global golf ambassador, Isao Aoki attended the NGF’s Golf Business Symposium to share an insider’s look on the state of the game and the business of golf in Japan.