Impact Leaderboard ranks each team's positive influences throughout the world
Heard about the other LIV Golf Leaderboard?
Majesticks GC are out in front, looking to retain the title they won last season. Smash GC are coming up hard on the rails after a string of strong showings across the US. And then there’s Iron Heads GC, roaring into contention after lighting up Spain and Singapore.
Welcome to the ‘other’ LIV Golf championship, the one that ranks each team on their impact around the world. This is the Impact Leaderboard, and each of our 13 teams has been putting in the hard yards. In fact they’ve all designed their own Impact & Sustainability Strategy, and are now pushing to address causes they and their team members care about.
While the ‘regular’ leaderboard is all about thrilling fans on the course, this one goes even further: using golf as a force for good around the world, and helping to build the sort of game you want to see.
Open, responsible, inclusive.
How the league works
The Impact Leaderboard is now in its second year, having launched in beta version in 2023. Here are the top lines.
There are nine scoring indicators, up from four last year. Some of these indicators (such as the impact a team has on young lives) are reviewed four times a season, while others (such as the way a team runs itself) are reviewed at the end of the season.
Two of these nine indicators are classed as bonus categories. One evaluates how captains and players lead by example in driving their team’s impact strategy. The other assesses how far a team goes above and beyond in making change.
Teams are scored on a sliding scale, from those who aren’t walking the walk to those who are smashing it out the park.
This isn’t just new for LIV Golf. It’s new for the whole of golf, period. In fact, exceptional scores are benchmarked against sports industry best practice, not just what the other teams are doing.
The judges? Well they’ve got a big-game pedigree. Members have worked on the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games and the Commonwealth Games (among a wealth of other projects), and they boast a combined 40 years’ experience in the social impact and sustainability spaces.
And unlike what happens on the field, the teams can actually challenge their scores. There’s a robust dispute resolution mechanism in place, built into each of the season’s four scoring periods. So, if a team thinks the judges have been harsh on their efforts, they can appeal.
The prize
There’s a total prize purse of $150,000, which will be divided between the top four teams at the end of the season, with the No.1 team receiving $75,000.
And here’s the thing: this money isn’t to be spent on golf. Nah-ah. In fact, the teams are duty-bound to funnel the money back into their Impact strategies.
For example, they may use the money to attract a rising talent in the sustainability industry, sign up a new impact partner to be their boots on the ground, or provide a donation to one of their causes. But it has to be pumped back into the future.
Which creates a virtuous circle. The better a team does one season, the more money they’ll have to repeat that success the next.
What’s happened so far
Whichever team you follow, they’re building a highlights reel as we speak. But here are three initiatives that we’ve really loved:
Majesticks GC Little Sticks. The ‘Sticks are known for their innovation off the course (as anyone who’s seen their team room doc, Camp Confidential, can attest) and they’re pushing the envelope with their Impact strategy too. With Little Sticks, they’ve built a life skills program for kids, centring on themes like resilience and teamwork, attributes which Poultz, Westy and Henrik have demonstrated throughout their careers.
The players regularly provide inspirational video content, and they also go on the road to visit kids, as you can see in the pic (yep, that’s Poultz dressed as Captain America).
Smash for Success. Brooks, Goochie and the rest of Team Smash have been busy, establishing a Mentor of the Year award as well as a Junior Golfer Scholarship, whose recipients will be selected by a judging panel including the team’s players and staff. The inaugural winner, Isaac Westbrook, was treated to a VIP experience at LIV Golf Houston in June.
Iron Heads Green Up. Skipper Kevin Na is known as one of the most meticulous men in golf, and Green Up is a project in his image. Na and his Iron Heads colleagues are partnering with junior golf programs at many LIV Golf events, urging them to leave their course greener than they found it. The initiative is focused on municipal courses, something which feels appropriate, given that our Individual Championship in Chicago is going to be played on a muni.
And what’s next
Well, just like what’s happening on the course, we’re going to see all kinds of innovation over the coming months. This is the league that’s brought you shotgun starts, player trades and DJs after play. And our teams are going to follow suit.
LIV Golf is way more than a tournament: it’s a chance to build golf back, bolder, better and fairer. And all our teams are buying in.
To find out what your team is doing toward the Impact Leaderboard, click here