Coloradans Mitch Savage and Josh Troyer included in Global Golf Post’s inaugural class of up-and-comers in American golf industry
By Gary Baines – 11/5/2025
In a stand-alone special issue, Global Golf Post calls them the “GGP Futures”. Essentially, think of them as some of the most notable up-and-comers in the American golf industry.
Global Golf Post recently identified 43 people that make up its inaugural class of GGP Futures, which Jim Nugent, the founder and publisher of the publication, called “a new initiative designed to identify and celebrate the emerging leaders of the game and the golf industry.”
It’s an interesting concept, and some of the people included might ring a bell for the average person with some interest in golf — LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler; Chad Mumm, who came up with the idea that became Netflix’s popular “Full Swing” series; and Scott Langley, the former tour player and now the USGA’s senior director of player relations. Many aren’t as well known, but are also making their mark in a substantial way in one respect or another. Hence, they’re certainly up-and-comers in golf. Or, as GGP puts it in its subtitle for the special issue: “the next generation of leaders in the American golf industry”.
In any case, the inaugural class of “GGP Futures” features two Coloradans — Mitch Savage, the director of agronomy at CGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora; and Josh Troyer, the director of teaching quality at GOLFTEC, headquartered in Englewood.
The section on Savage is entitled, “Advocacy at the heart of his golf-course stewardship”. GGP notes the golf advocacy work Savage has done — often on behalf of the Colorado Golf Coalition — and him serving on the government affairs committee for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, from which he received the national Excellence in Government Affairs Award in early 2024. (Savage also recently accepted a Distinguished Service Award from the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, and in 2024 he was named the Rocky Mountain GCSA’s Superintendent of the Year.)
Over the last two decades, Savage has worked at several courses in Colorado besides CommonGround, including Aspen Glen (an internship), Cherry Hills (another internship, then joining the staff), Denver Country Club, Green Valley Ranch and Broken Tee.
“A golf course is this living, breathing thing,” Savage told GGP. “I hope I work in this industry for a long time, and I know I’ll never stop learning.”
Josh Troyer serves as the director of teaching quality at Colorado-based GOLFTEC.
Global Golf Post headlined Troyer’s section, “Imparting knowledge and inspiring coaches”. Troyer, a University of Colorado Colorado Springs Professional Golf Management alum and former PGA head professional at Greeley Country Club, was recently named one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers in America for 2025-26 — one of 10 Coloradans on that list.
Troyer has worked at GOLFTEC since 2019, initially as a certified personal coach but since 2022 as the organization’s director of teaching quality. In that capacity, he’s responsible for training and educating each coach at GOLFTEC, which adds about 150-200 instructors annually.
“I love helping people,” Troyer told GGP. “Coaches’ successes drive me every day.”
For all of what Global Golf Post wrote about them, click on the following: MITCH SAVAGE and JOSH TROYER.
For the entire GGP Futures special issue, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com