About Us

Golfdom Mission Statement and History

Golfdom‘s primary readership is superintendents — the people who manage and maintain golf courses. Superintendents are experts in agronomy, the study of soil and turfgrass management. Golf course owners, architects, general managers and pros also read the magazine. Golfdom strives to educate and entertain its readers through content that underscores utility and provides practical information to help them in their careers.

The legendary Herb Graffis founded and published the first Golfdom in 1927, a digest-sized publication known as the “bible” for greenkeepers, club managers and golf professionals in search of technical and professional information.

The old Golfdom was among the first industry publications to promote education and training for greenkeepers and other “revolutionary” concepts. Golfdom introduced many of today’s practices, technologies and products.

Golfdom was a staple on golf courses for more than 50 years before Graffis’ declining health and changes in the magazine marketplace led to its demise in 1981. For 18 years, there was an empty space in the golf industry where Golfdom was supposed to be.

That changed in 1999 when Questex Media’s Group revived the title to launch a new upscale publication designed to fill the niche between the highly technical association journal and the newsy tabloids. In May 2012, Golfdom, along with five other sister publications including Landscape Management and Pest Management Professional, were acquired by North Coast Media LLC. The new company helmed by president & CEO Kevin Stoltman, a former Golfdom associate publisher, focuses on industrial and green industry business-to-business publications. North Coast Media has made major investments to breathe new life into the storied Golfdom Media Network. The move into the future began with the 2012 launch of the Golfdom iPad app and continued with the 2013 unveiling of the print magazine’s first redesign in more than a decade and the redesign and introduction of new features on Golfdom.com.

Editorial Team

s_jonesSeth Jones, Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Director and Associate Publisher
sjones@northcoastmedia.net | (785) 542-2627 | @SethAJones

Seth Jones, a 22-year veteran of the golf industry media, is editor-in-chief of Golfdom magazine, Landscape Management and Athletic Turf. A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Jones began working for Golf Course Management in 1999 as an intern. In his professional career, he has won numerous awards, including a Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) first-place general feature writing award for his profile of World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman and a TOCA first-place photography award for his work covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In his career, Jones has accumulated an impressive list of interviews, including such names as George H.W. Bush, Samuel L. Jackson, Lance Armstrong and Charles Barkley. Jones has also done in-depth interviews with such golfing luminaries as Norman, Gary Player, Nick Price and Lorena Ochoa, to name only a few. Jones has been asked to speak at turf conferences around the nation, most recently serving as keynote speaker at the Rocky Mountain GCSA Annual Conference and emcee of the Anuvia Legends Initiative ceremony, honoring legendary superintendent Ted Horton for his work in the industry. Jones is a member of both the Golf Writers Association of America and TOCA.


Robert DiFranco

Rob DiFranco, Managing Editor
rdifranco@northcoastmedia.net | (216) 675-6001 | @DiFranco_Rob

Rob DiFranco is Golfdom’s managing editor. A 2018 graduate of Kent State University, DiFranco holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Prior to joining Golfdom, DiFranco was a reporter for The Morning Journal in Lorain, Ohio, where he covered several high-level high-school sports programs. DiFranco is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America.

 

 


Scott Hollister

Scott Hollister, Editor
shollister@northcoastmedia.net | (216) 675-6013

Hollister, a graduate of Baker University, previously spent 26 years as the editor-in-chief of Golf Course Management (GCM) magazine, a publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). Prior to his career at GCSAA, he was the sports editor for the Olathe Daily News. Scott is also a past president of the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA), and himself has won numerous TOCA awards over the years. He also serves as a stringer for Major League Baseball and is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America.

 

 


Scott Hollister

Nathan Mader, Associate Editor
nmader@northcoastmedia.net | (216) 675-6012

A native from Olmsted Falls, Ohio, Nathan received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University in 2024. During that time, he worked as a reporter, copy editor and video producer for the student newspaper, The Lantern. While interning at CityScene Media Group as an editorial assistant, Nathan gained valuable experience in pursuing great stories that made him want to continue writing and editing for magazines.

 

 


Sydney Fischer

Sydney Fischer, Digital Media Specialist
sfischer@northcoastmedia.net | (216) 675-6002

Sydney Fischer graduated from Kent State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in public relations with minors in marketing and advertising. While attending KSU, she held multiple internships and was a reporter for the Kent Stater.

 

 


Pete SeltzerPete Seltzer, Art Director
pseltzer@northcoastmedia.net | (216) 706-3737

A graduate of Wittenberg University, Pete Seltzer has more than 20 years of hands-on experience as an art director in all aspects of the design and production of editorial, promotional and marketing creative. Over his career, Pete has garnered numerous national and regional design awards from organizations such as the American Society of Business Press Editors, the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors, Folio and the Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association.


karl_danneberger_140
Karl Danneberger
, Science Editor
danneberger.1@osu.edu | @GlobalTurf

Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at Ohio State University. He is the author of the popular The Turf Doc column that appears monthly in Golfdom. Danneberger writes on topics ranging from Poa annua to pest control.


Photo: Mike Kenna


Mike Kenna, Research Editor

Mike Kenna is the former director of the United States Golf Association’s Green Section Research, a role he held for 30 years. Kenna is the research editor for Golfdom, focusing on managing the Super Science section of the magazine and website. He also contributes his Off the Record column to Golfdom every month.


Sales Team

To learn more about our sales team, click here.


Editorial Advisory Board Members

Mike Bavier, CGCS-Ret.
Barrington, Ill.

Conrad Broussard, CGCS
St. James Plantation, Southport, N.C.

Julio Diaz
Puntacana Beach and Golf Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Damon Di Giorgio
Point Hardy Golf Club, Cabot Saint Lucia

Chris Erickson
Del Mar Country Club, San Diego, Calif.

David Hay, CGCS
Retired

Bill Irving
Wolf Creek Golf Club, Olathe, Kan.

Rees Jones
Rees Jones, Inc., Montclair, N.J.

Tim Kreger
Executive Director, Carolinas GCSA

Tom Lively, CGCS
The Club at Mediterra, Naples, Fla.

Tom Marzolf
Fazio Golf Course Designers, Hendersonville, N.C.

Roger Meier
PGA Frisco, Frisco, Texas

Jeff Plotts
TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Steve Sarro
Pinehurst Country Club, Denver, Colo.

Alex Stuedemann
PGA Tour Network, Silvis, Ill.

Andy Wilson
Bethpage State Park Golf Course, Farmingdale, N.Y.