Cover Stories and Features
AI Can Be A-OK for Course Management
Two letters are changing the way the world works: AI – artificial intelligence. You can think of it as the simulation of human intelligence by machines or software. And AI isn’t just for big business or the ivory towers of academia. Today, AI is making its way into golf course management –– saving lots of time and money by improving operational efficiency, enhancing customer experiences and optimizing maintenance and resource allocation.
Alternative and Green Grass Golf Scope Out Synergies and Common Ground
The more people talk about golf’s current spike in participation, the more it pains them to recall the “Tiger boom” of the 1990s—the one that never got traction. “What’s the difference,” industry veteran Cathy Harbin recently asked, “between 1997, when we had a lot of people who entered the game and didn’t stay, and what is happening now, with all the stickiness we’re seeing?”
Year-end Legislative Wrap-up…the Drama is Now Beginning!
As Congress returns to Washington following its summer break, this is an excellent time to review the 118th Congress and what we might expect during the last month of its 2023 session.
Virtual Technology Changes Golf Course Design
Whether it’s ChatGPT writing college term papers or movie buffs debating the plot of the latest “Mission Impossible” film, the subject of artificial intelligence, or AI, has hit a fever pitch. Some of that is attributable to the world’s richest man. Elon Musk has made some apocalyptic predictions concerning AI, the kind of machines-taking-over-the-world stuff that has been fodder for Sci-Fi novels since the 1800s.
Case Studies
The Future of Golf Sits on Eight Acres at Pebble Beach
You don’t know what to expect until you step on the property. Then it hits you like a blinding light from the sky. Spend 10 minutes at The Hay, the par-3 facility just up the hill from the Inn at Pebble Beach, and you realize you are witnessing the future of the game.
New Tech Opens Doors At Orange Lake Resort
Rarely can anything be called a universal hit. That is especially true of something in golf with a six-figure price tag and the potential to close down a revenue source for weeks or months during construction. As dry-mouth moments go, nothing causes more sleepless nights than betting the business on a capital improvement project.
Residential Golf Revival
In the boom times for golf that were kindled by the Tiger Woods phenomenon, it seemed that everyone wanted to play the game. The demand for golf dovetailed with the housing boom, leading to an explosion of upscale daily fee courses that were the centerpiece for residential communities. Seemingly overnight, residential construction became the driving force in the golf industry.
NGCOA News
Honoring Our Members: 2024 NGCOA Awards
I love playing golf in the fall. I reside and work remotely from Denver, Colorado, and fall is a particularly beautiful time of the year. I hope that this fall is especially successful for you in your golf business. There is no doubt in my mind that The Legends at Orange Lake Resort will enjoy an active final quarter of the year. We were excited to hear about the grand opening of their new Toptracer range in August. You can see more about how the course, which is owned and operated by NGCOA member GreatLife Golf, is investing in and installing this level of golf amenity into a green grass facility. Read the story, from the owner’s perspective, in this issue.