What’s Good for the Game? The Future Business of Sport in Canada with Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum

Golf Canada’s story offers a compelling vision for the future of sport in Canada. With 6 million players, 70 million rounds played annually, and a diversified funding model built on corporate partnerships, major events, and foundation support—underscored by a shift from a “sport of invitation” toward greater accessibility—Golf Canada shows how strategic innovation can drive both growth and resilience. At the same time, many National Sport Organizations are grappling with rising costs, flat government investment, fragmented structures, and heightened expectations around governance, safety, and inclusion—pressures that force difficult choices about how to sustain programs, support athletes, and deliver community value over the long term.On Thursday, May 21st the Empire Club of Canada brought together Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum; Ontario’s Minister of Sport, The Honourable Neil Lumsden and Jacqueline Ryan, CEO, Canadian Olympic Foundation and Chief Brand and Commercial Officer, Canadian Olympic Committee to ask: What’s good for the game?—and what that question reveals about building sport ecosystems that are financially resilient, community‑focused, and aligned with national priorities and public sentiment about Canadian sport in a changing North American landscape. Using golf as a sharp, real‑world case study, NHL Features Reporter for Prime Monday Night Hockey, Christine Simpson moderated the discussion, unpacking the decisions and conditions that have enabled Golf Canada’s success—from evolving its business model to leveraging emerging technologies and shifting consumer behaviours to redefine how people engage with the sport. Attendees left with concrete, transferable insights that leaders across Canadian sport can apply as they design sustainable models and navigate the trade‑offs required to move from short‑term survival to sustained performance and long‑term impact for athletes, organizations, and communities alike.