By Don Jozwiak, Senior Editor
PGA of America Golf Professionals often find themselves divided between two worlds: One of rewarding in-person interactions with golfers, and another of retreating to an office to complete tedious tasks. Thanks to technology trends rippling throughout the business world today, it is quickly becoming possible for golf professionals to shift the balance significantly in favor of spending more time on the course, in the golf shop or walking the range talking and building relationships with golfers while some of the busy work of running a business is handled by artificial intelligence (AI) agents and other technology tools.
As AI and other emerging technologies become more accessible and integrated into everyday club operations, they’re offering PGA of America Professionals new ways to operate with more efficiency, deliver higher-quality experiences and reclaim something increasingly rare in the business: time. Whether it’s crafting a thoughtful member email in minutes, launching a profitable instruction program in an afternoon or turning programs over to assistants guided by smart prompts instead of years of experience, the tech-infused golf operation is already here – and growing fast.
“This is about golf professionals having better tools so they can do more of what matters,” says Kevin Scott, Chief Technology Officer for the PGA of America. “Technology is not replacing people. Technology is making the people better.”
Kelly Williams, PGA of America Director of Golf at Greenbrier Golf & Country Club in Lexington, Kentucky, sees the first wave of AI adoption in golf as a tool for communication, productivity and creativity. At Greenbrier, Williams and his team are using AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini to draft sensitive emails, build marketing campaigns, streamline event planning and even improve group instruction offerings – all with real financial and personal benefits.
“When we sit as a management team to make plans and communication strategies, we use AI to help write,” says Williams, the 2024 PGA of America Golf Executive of the Year. “It takes so much less emotional energy. You can be blunt and say what you’re trying to get across, and the technology will dress it up for you.”
Williams offers a concrete communications example: a Sunday afternoon complaint from a member about a chicken quesadilla. Rather than spending lots of time crafting the perfect response – or worse, spoil his Monday off worrying about replying to it on Tuesday – he fed the original message into ChatGPT, asked for a professional and thoughtful reply, made a few tweaks to the AI-generated response, then sent it. The result? A reply that impressed the member so much he wrote back twice, and even praised the dish.
“The member was really impressed that I cared enough to respond, and he agreed that the meal wasn’t really that bad, there were just some things that might make it better in the future,” Williams says. “In less than an hour’s time not only have I resolved a complaint, but I’ve gotten some constructive criticism and I’ve exceeded a customer’s expectations.
“Prior to using AI, that might have been a frustrating experience that would have exhausted me emotionally, and I might have risked driving a wedge between our club and the customer. Instead, I have a happy customer and a better product.”
And beyond communication, AI tools are empowering even his newest team members to work more confidently. “Now I have a Level 1 associate who, instead of freezing when I say, ‘Run the July 4th couples scramble,’ can go into AI and get everything from format suggestions to ideas for themed beverages. That’s 20 years of experience in their hands on Day 1,” explains Williams.
