For Chris Word ’08 M.S., drive does not end at the eighteenth hole. Guided by entrepreneurial ambition and a passion to create community for all aspiring golfers, he sees the game as more than a sport. What began as a childhood summer camp experience has evolved into a mission to expand access and transform the golf industry by establishing several golf businesses that empower the next generation of golfers.
Word’s earliest experience on the green began at Grand Marais Golf Course in his hometown of East St. Louis, Illinois. During the Tiger Woods era of the late 90s, Word’s mother registered her two sons in a middle school summer camp. Though Word traded his clubs for high-tops during high school, he was reminded of his interest in the game every time he passed Grand Marais.
Interested in the power of voice, Word enrolled at Illinois State University as a communications major to pursue a career as a radio disc jockey. But, after three semesters, he decided to pause his formal education to intern at Walt Disney World as part of the 2004 Disney College Program.
Following his internship, Word transferred to the University of Missouri-St. Louis and, with an interest in math, was advised to take accounting classes. After excelling early, Word went on to graduate magna cum laude with an accounting degree in 2006, earning recruitment by Ernst & Young (EY).
EY’s Your Master Plan program provided Word the opportunity to attend the University of Notre Dame while still working for the firm. As part of the program, Word earned his master’s of accountancy in 2008 through a hybrid approach: he worked and completed classes online during the traditional academic year and took classes on campus during summer months. Residing in Siegfried Hall, Word would carry his golf clubs across campus to the former nine-hole Burke Golf Course and even played the Warren Golf Course nearby campus after class and on the weekends.
“I used to walk across campus and play the nine-hole golf course all the time! For me, golf represented the lifestyle of an executive. I wanted to be a businessman, and [golf] is part of the identity.”
But while golf first represented a pursuit of a career in corporate America, it grew to mean so much more.
Word began his portfolio career as a CPA at the EY St. Louis office but went on to work for highly regarded companies like the Siegfried Group, Centurylink, Wells Fargo, and XPO Logistics. Between 2013 and 2015, Word contributed to the carve-out of the Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics business unit of Johnson & Johnson that ultimately sold for about $4 billion.
In 2017, XPO Logistics recruited Word as a business unit controller, and he successfully led the transition of the controllership department of its North American Transport division to Charlotte, North Carolina. He eventually left public trading companies to enter the private equity sphere as corporate controller with Consolidated Claims Group, known today as Alpine Intel. Today, Word utilizes his consulting experience as a finance executive to provide fractional controllership support to organizations through his own firm, Word & CO PLLC.
Throughout his career, however, Word made time to return to the golf course. As a casual—yet competitive—golfer among friends, family, and colleagues, Word found himself gravitating closer to the green during the COVID-19 pandemic since he could still play and connect with other players outside. The more time he spent on the course, the more his interest deepened into a stronger commitment to not only play the game, but also to grow it.
So, Word established Greenwood Golf in 2020 as a golf lifestyle company in an effort to grow the game from a traditionally exclusive sport that, for decades, restricted access to the Black community and other historically marginalized groups. The name honors the historic thriving, collaborative African American community of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, which became the site of one of America’s deadliest race riots in 1921.
“I started Greenwood Golf because I really wanted to become part of the industry of golf, not just playing it. One night, I stumbled across a social media post that asked: ‘What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? What if you just took a chance?’”
Greenwood Golf offers premium golf balls sold online and, at one time, in major retailers including Walmart and Amazon. The online shop includes stylish apparel and other quality accessories to enhance performance on the green. In January 2025, Word launched Black9 Magazine, which explores the intersection of golf and culture for Black individuals. The publication elevates Black-owned business owners and industry leaders, as well as includes other articles spotlighting initiatives, events, and organizations that empower Black communities.
“What if this Greenwood Golf ball or brand supports this local business, and that business supports the community, [and so forth]?
“Golf is community—asking someone to sit with you for five hours is hard, but playing golf with them for five hours with them is acceptable on a Saturday.”
As the winner of the 2022 African American Golf Expo & Forum’s “Share Your Story” contest, Word proudly presented Greenwood Golf at the 2023 PGA Show—the annual convention that showcases the newest in the global golf industry. There, Word featured his brand’s merchandise and its core mission of expanding the golf community to include individuals of diverse backgrounds, and has since returned to the Show as an attendee.
As the brand grew, so did Word’s vision for its impact. Greenwood Golf Charities became the nonprofit extension that answered Word’s question: “How can I support the younger version of myself back at Grand Marais?” With missions of charity and mentorship, Greenwood Golf Charities aims to inspire and connect young golfers and promote diversity and inclusion within the sport. Through this initiative, Word launched the Greenwood GOLF League in 2024 to bring Black golf groups and clubs throughout the city of Charlotte, North Carolina together to connect and compete.
The nonprofit also launched a fundraising initiative that will support junior golfers and HBCU golf programs. The annual Juneteenth Golf Classic raises funds to support underserved golf programs across the Charlotte community, supporting the next generation of golfers. The showcase has supported local high schools and organizations, and has helped The Golf Fund initiative grow to empower young minority golfers at the highest level at Steph Curry’s Underrated Golf Tour in 2025.
Today, Word appreciates the parallels of life and golf: “Golf is hard and so is life. Golf provides individual, real-time feedback [on] life. When you get used to failing on the golf courses, it makes life easier for me to navigate family, friends, [and] clients.”
The dynamic entrepreneur sees the golf industry swinging in the direction of simulation. He recently opened Golf Links Simulators in Charlotte, North Carolina, in November 2025.
“Golf is a sport of community. If you remove the distance and focus of the connections, you will see what golf is all about. At Golf Links, I see competitive golfers having a good time, dads and their sons interacting and having a good time. …
“For me personally, I think about me as a child when I started swinging a golf club in middle school in East Saint Louis, Illinois. I want him to live a life that is full of fearless possibilities. That is my big why.”
