You don’t have to be a big baseball fan – or someone who reads best-selling books or watches hit Hollywood movies – to know what “Moneyball” is. The original book, published in 2003 and made into a movie starring Brad Pitt in 2011, followed the attempts by the underdog Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball to use data- driven insights to become more competitive with teams that had more resources and money.
The book and movie are incredibly worthwhile, of course, but the rise of the idea of “Moneyball” itself – that gathering data can help you find advantages you might otherwise have missed – has reverberated throughout the world of business. And that includes the world of PGA of America Golf Professionals, who oversee the intersection of the sport and business of golf.
“PGA of America Golf Professionals are the authority in the business of the game of golf – that’s what we’re known to be, and that’s what we should be,” says Sean Palmer, PGA, the COO and General Manager of The Union League of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) and the 2026 PGA of America Golf Executive of the Year. “But you can’t be an authority in anything if you don’t know your numbers or you don’t have strategic insight into how you arrived at the numbers you have and where you’re going based on your projections.”
By identifying and tracking key performance indicators, which vary by facility type, you’re able to measure the performance of your facility, your staff and even yourself. That data can then be used to benchmark performance over time – identifying trends that may be hiding in plain sight over the course of weeks, months or even years.
Being able to measure and benchmark benefits everyone involved: Golfers at your facility will find programming and amenities tailored to their preferences; owners and operators can feel confident in the performance of their properties; and PGA of America Golf Professionals can use the data to show their value, which can lead to greater job security and better compensation.
“In the golf industry, much of the best work we do is invisible – when things run smoothly, tournaments start on time, rounds move efficiently and the course is conditioned to a high level, people just assume that’s ‘normal,’” says Jim West, PGA, a PGA ExecuSearch and Career Consultant for the Tennessee and Kentucky PGA Sections. “What they don’t see is the planning, leadership and operational expertise behind those outcomes. That’s why documentation isn’t just a nice-to-have skill. It’s a professional discipline that substantiates your worth, strengthens your career and builds credibility for the entire industry.
“The hard truth is this: If you don’t document your accomplishments, you’re leaving your value open to interpretation.”
Golf management companies, like Invited Clubs, have gone all in on data. During a recent conversation, Invited CEO David Pillsbury shared a dashboard with real-time information collected from 125 golf facilities, showing golf retail revenue, payroll vs. rounds, dining capture rates, average member spend and many more metrics. Pillsbury says the data is critically important for PGA of America Golf Professionals, but in a way that is far more straightforward than a bank of numbers on a computer screen.
“We live in a data-driven environment, and you can’t create accountability without information,” Pillsbury says. “But what’s amazing to me is that with all this detail, and all the measurement and benchmarking we do, the magic of the game happens between the golfer and the golf professional. A PGA of America Professional has the ability to flip that switch and enrich someone’s life.
“And when you measure that impact with meaningful data that you can share with your employers, it’s unbelievable the impact that happens on equipment sales, retailing, memberships, retention – all of it – and now they understand how you unlock it.”
Most PGA of America Members don’t need to track dozens of data points, of course, and there’s no one-size-fits all approach. Talking with your PGA Career Consultant can help you determine what others in similar roles are measuring, and over time you’ll compile enough data to benchmark your performance against past months and years to see trends and learn about your customers.
“I like to find the data that explains why people behave the way they do. Or, if we’ve executed a project or program, what the effect of it actually was,” says Palmer, who has used measurements to benchmark The Union League’s performance for programs like complimentary lessons and to make decisions on buying new properties, as well as evaluating his own performance and that of his staff.
“You can evaluate the effectiveness of policies beyond just success or failure by seeing broader impacts on your business. All of these things are insightful.”
The Athletics of the late 1990s and early 2000s depicted in “Moneyball” did not actually win a World Series. But they did win a lot of games and make an outsized impact on sports and business. And, as you’ll see from the case studies of PGA of America Golf Professionals – featured on the following pages – who have made measuring and benchmarking performance a key part of their management style, there’s a quote from the movie that rings true for those who have adopted this data- driven approach:
“We’re going to change the game.”
