I qualified as a PGA Professional in 2009, just two years after the first iPhone was released. I can still remember the excitement I felt at being able to download a coaching app and show my clients their golf swings in slow motion. In the subsequent 16 years the pace of technological change and its impact on our daily lives have been nothing short of transformative.
Every aspect of golf has benefitted from this tech boom. We are truly spoiled by how we can watch golf from the comfort of our own homes. Could you imagine going back to the days of golf coverage, with no shot tracking or full course layout and shot previews? Inconceivable!
Driving ranges with Toptracer or Trackman are now expected and considered the norm. If you were to have a golf lesson without seeing your swing on video you’d feel ripped off, and the thought of buying a golf club without considering tech analysis would be simply unthinkable.
The above technology has been embraced and welcomed by the golfing world. But just as the rise of online shopping once made even the busiest pro shops nervous, it is now the dawn of AI that is causing concern across industries, leaving many worried that their job could soon become obsolete.
Here is where I believe AI already has and could potentially come in to replace traditional lessons for many:
AI Driven Coaching Apps
Always on and always ready, AI never needs a break or a pre-booked appointment to work. Simply set up to record your swing and get instant feedback on what you need to work on with recommended practice drills.
Stats Don’t Lie
Many have already adopted performance shot tracking tech like Arccos, which tracks your whole game and performance with every club. Gaining this type of insight empowers golfers to know exactly what area they need to practice for improved performance. I predict this technology will become more powerful and will offer adjustable advice in real time based on conditions and how well you are hitting the ball that day.
Personalised Practice Plans
Writing practice plans can be very time consuming for coaches. Chat GPT is honestly nothing short of amazing for how quickly it can reply to your request for a detailed practice plan to suit your exact needs. The more specific you are with requirements, the better the plan produced.I know many golfers who have already done this.
AI Wearable Tech
Wearable tech is already here in various forms for golf, from HackMotion’s wrist sensor and accompanying app, to other sensor products that can attach to your glove or club. With Meta having ploughed, literally billions into Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality, I’m excited to see how these products will impact golf and more specifically golf coaching.
Accuracy
No two golf coaches will have the same principles and deliver them in the same way. This can be overwhelming and confusing for amateurs and often leaves them questioning; what is the right way to do things, who or what should they believe? With AI a lot of that potential doubt can be removed by providing clear and consistent analysed advice every time.
Cost
Like everything across the board, golf coaching too has increased in price. Gone are the days of £15 for a thirty minute lesson. If tech savvy people feel they can get all the benefits of coaching through a personalised algorithm on an app for a fraction of the price as and when they want it, they will certainly go down that route.
While I think we are still in the dial-up internet days of AI’s true capabilities,I don’t think I’ll be out of a job just yet. AI can offer so much, but like watching YouTube coaching videos, the one thing it can’t do is actually get individuals to correctly apply or perform the drills and advice given.
Then there is the simple truth that the vast majority of people are terrible, and I mean terrible at golf. I’m a PGA pro that has competed at a fairly decent level and I still think I’m terrible at golf. The only difference is I’m operating at a higher tier of terrible than most.
The reason we are by and large bad at this game, with the occasional flashes of genius that keep us playing, is because golf is extremely difficult. There is a reason it attracts the best sportsmen and women from other sports who are desperate to master it. Golf is complex, full of nuance and tied up in as much psychology as it is technique.
I regularly see players who have wonderful swings but crumble over a pressure tee shot or 3-foot putt for birdie. Data and numbers are great, knowledge is power after all, but unless you have an experienced coach to cut through all the numbers and see the bigger picture of your game and guide you through the highs and lows of learning or improvement, it’s likely they won’t get the same returns a lesson can offer.
A good golf coach offers so much more than highlighting swing faults and fixes, they strive to understand you as a player, from your mindset, habits, goals, why you play golf and what it means to you. Golf is called the game of life and it’s so true because out there on the course we can experience every emotion, it’s a deeply human game.
So yes, AI is definitely coming, and we will certainly keep seeing new technologies introduced that will likely reduce service jobs like those in retail and admin. But when it comes to a game as challenging and emotionally charged as golf, the human touch bridges the gap between swinging well to playing well.
