by Harvey Silverman
Two recent Golf Business WEEKLY articles by colleagues Michael Williams and Doug McPherson highlight what hit me and the attendees of TechCon23 right between the eyes in the first morning session – AI, Artificial Intelligence, is not sneaking up on us. It’s here, and it’s advancing quickly. Williams referred to the speaker, Paul Roetzer, who told us that AI’s computing power and machine-learned intelligence doubles every three months. By comparison, “Moore’s Law” fueled the semiconductor business for decades, stating that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit would double every two years. And they did.
Use any AI engine like Google Bard or ChatGPT and insert the prompt, “Write me a paper on how AI will affect golf course owners.” The responses are similar, gathering data from online sources, possibly including McPherson’s recent article. And if you do it again in three months, the results will likely be somewhat different.
I’m familiar with how some of the technologies you might be using already have AI embedded in the programming that may not be overtly apparent – but working on your behalf. I’m familiar with companies like Priswing, Tagmarshal, Club Caddie, Gallus Golf, ReelGOLF, and Club Prophet. This is far short of an inclusive list – they’re just what I’ve seen. TechCon23 also featured companies in the agronomic space using AI, like Rain Bird and Turf Logic. Again, this is not an inclusive list. However, my observation is that agronomics is where artificial intelligence’s most productive and effective use will first provide course operators with superior results.
NGCOA sponsor Club Caddie sent me a presentation titled “Golf Operations in 2030 – How will GMS advancements change the way your club operates?” It’s an impressive document illustrating a deep dive into where and how AI will benefit course operators with their GMS systems. I don’t know if other GMS providers have researched and produced the abundance of knowledge and suggestions as Club Caddie, but if they have, I’d like to review them, too.
Funny thing is, if we believe Roetzer’s admonition about how fast AI is progressing, I think Club Caddie’s runway is too long. As we near 2024, I’m thinking 2026-2027 will be the breakthrough years for golf GMS systems, if not sooner. Those that aren’t will have a lot of catching up to do, and might fail if they don’t. We could be in a whole other realm by 2030.
So, let’s take a look at how Club Caddie sees AI. It first identifies and defines “Big Data” and how it flows in different forms through its GMS. It has a “Big Data Value” formula, “Massive Amount + Widespread + Real Time + Accurate = Valuable Data.” Next, it illustrates how the neural networks within the software, from input to the unseen middle layers to the output, create an intelligent response or solution. These can include:
~ Automated Customer Profiling and Segmentation
~ Recommendation and Upselling Engines
~ Personalized Promotions & Fully Automated Outreach
~ Inventory Optimization and Supplier Insights
~ Operational Efficiency and Resource Allocation
~ Revenue Optimization and Pricing
~ Feedback Analysis
~ ServiceBots
The list goes on for things like member management, human resources and employee management, grounds and maintenance, and golfer/member experience.
Check back in three months. There will likely be more. To see Club Caddie’s entire presentation, contact Jason Pearsall at jason@clubcaddie.com.
But I have a concern, and it involves the action plan Club Caddie and other sources recommend. I fear that the single course operator, the people I’ve done most of my business with for over 20 years, will be swamped by the MCOs and high-end resorts who already have or can marshal the resources to best learn, understand, and utilize AI faster and with greater deployment capabilities. Google Bard suggests how to prepare for the future of AI in golf, similar to Club Caddie’s:
Golf course owners can prepare for the future of AI by:
~ Investing in AI technology: There are many AI-powered solutions available that can help golf course owners to improve course management, enhance the customer experience, and reduce costs.
~ Training staff on AI: Golf course staff should be trained on how to use AI technology to improve their performance and provide better customer service.
~ Collecting and analyzing data: Golf course owners should collect and analyze data on a variety of factors, such as weather conditions, player traffic, and resource usage. This data can then be used to improve AI-powered systems and make better decisions about course management.
(Note: My Grammarly Pro, which uses AI in several ways, identified five or six ways Google Bard could have written this better. I left it as is, but I’m waiting for the Marvel movie with rival AIs facing off against one another.)
Another source suggests hiring someone with AI knowledge and training to manage the AI data and functions at a course. How many single-course operators can afford to do that? Because I can guarantee you this is not a minimum-wage job.
The key for most golf course operators, particularly those reading this and are NGCOA members, is to find and implement the best technologies that fit their needs and budgets. I don’t think identifying needs will be difficult, and you’ll likely find one or more technologies that do things you never dreamed of that can meet a need or create a reason to make operational changes. However, I fear that for many, money will be an issue. It will take pencil-on-paper intelligence to calculate the costs against the potential savings, revenue enhancements, and return on investment. Those who don’t or can’t will indeed be left behind.
I’ll speak with anyone about AI as I endeavor to learn more. I immediately plan to drive about ten minutes to the Stanford University campus and stand outside the computer science building with a sign, “Need Help With AI.” Because we all will.