Smarter Professionals, Smarter Operations
The PGA of America’s Kevin Scott says we’re still in “Era One” of AI – primarily using it for writing and organizing. But even there, the impact is huge. “It simplifies writing tasks and takes the anxiety out of it,” he says. “You don’t need to be an engineer. If you can type a sentence, you can use these tools.”
Scott encourages professionals to go deeper, using AI not just for output but for thought partnership: SWOT analyses, business proposals, customer engagement ideas or even coaching outlines. “Combine what you bring with what AI brings. That’s where the real advantage is,” he says.
PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague sees that potential, too. “We’re incorporating AI into PGA Education so every new professional understands how to use it,” he says. “At PGA HQ, everyone is learning it, and we’re seeing improvements in marketing, forecasting and software development.”
Sprague shares a story about a PGA Professional using AI to forecast rounds played. “They were amazed when the AI asked if they wanted to include historical weather data. Adding it changed the forecast by 2,000 rounds. That took seconds. Imagine what that would have taken a few years ago.”
And it’s not just theoretical use. The PGA is leveraging AI internally – from writing tasks to HR, finance and hospitality – helping the Association stay lean, smart and responsive. Rea believes the growing divide between veteran and younger professionals can be a bridge, not a gap.
“There’s a chance for great cross-mentoring between seasoned PGA of America Golf Professionals and the 8,000-plus PGA Associates coming through the program,” Rea says. “Experienced professionals are great at building relationships. Younger professionals are digital natives. They should be learning from each other.”
Scott agrees and says the PGA is actively fostering that exchange through its AI fluency efforts and internal training. “If a PGA of America Member is the first at their facility to use AI, they become the hero,” he says. “That’s how transformation starts, with one person showing what’s possible.”
Scott and other technology experts see the next era of AI use coming soon. That will be when AI is an active part of the apps we already use on our phones and computers instead of a separate app that needs to be engaged. This is referred to as “agentic” use, in that you’ll have more complete behavior from your apps and AI working together as agents for you.
“Instead of going to an AI app and asking it to write you an email, your mail app will have AI in it and will generate draft responses to your unread emails,” Scott offers as an example. “Maybe you’re teaching a lesson, then you check your email at the end. Not only do you see the 10 new emails, but you have 10 responses ready to review and tweak if you want to. Then you just hit send and you’re caught up.”
This sort of agentic AI evolution should help emphasize that golf will always be a human game – and the role of the golf professional, first and foremost, is human connection. AI and other technologies may change the way we work, but they won’t change the person-to-person nature of golf.
“We still need people to walk the range, play nine with a member and say ‘great shot’ on the first tee,” Rea says. “AI doesn’t replace that. It enables more of that.”
AI is also becoming a larger part of the toolbox for the hundreds of PGA of America Golf Professionals who work at GOLFTEC. The coaching franchise’s cornerstone teaching software, OptiMotion, has been updated with AI to help coaches track and measure movement and provide immediate feedback. Each GOLFTEC coaching session using OptiMotion is saved so coaches and students can refer to them as needed.
A key AI upgrade in OptiMotion is the ability to add video overlays to live swings, helping coaches and students connect the feelings of the golf swing with visual feedback. The technology is being used to dissect swings on live tour broadcasts, helping drive students to GOLFTEC locations to experience the same kind of analysis.
“OptiMotion is the first of its kind in motion measurement,” says PGA of America Golf Professional Nick Clearwater, Senior Vice President of Player Development at GOLFTEC. “Golfers don’t ever need to wear a suit or vest – they just swing like they would on the course and coaches receive instant, actionable data.”
OptiMotion is a bespoke GOLFTEC swing analysis tool, and PGA of America Coaches are also using new AI-powered platforms like SwingboxAI and Mustard Golf to augment their instruction approach. Just as golf coaches have learned to add video and launch monitors to their setups, AI is becoming a must-have part of the coaching equation. Far from replacing PGA of America Golf Professionals, AI may actually make them more valuable.
“I can see why a coach might look at AI and think, ‘Wait a minute, this thing can do what I do,’” Rea says. “But I’d tell them this is more like WebMD. Being able to look up some symptoms and get an idea of what’s going on is informative, but it didn’t replace doctors who actually work with you to cure a condition. In fact, after you go to WebMD, you’re probably more likely to go to a doctor in person because they know your history and you have a relationship with them. I think these AI coaching tools are going to create tremendous opportunities for our PGA of America Coaches.”
