Artificial Intelligence and Golf Already Strongly Connected
With the advent of powerful artificial intelligence (AI) technology like Deep Blue, AlphaGo, Open AI/ChatGPT and dozens of new services that surface every month, our everyday lives are sure to be impacted one way or another. In golf, however, AI has already been making its mark for years in multiple areas of the game.
Here are a few of the major areas in golf already benefitting from the use of this new technology.
Golf Equipment Design
Callaway Golf will widely be known as the leader in the clubhouse in terms of incorporating AI into golf club design. In 2019, Callaway introduced “Flash Face;” a driver club face completely designed by an AI-powered $8 million supercomputer that could generate 15,000 face iterations and hundreds of impact simulations. Since then, Callaway has incorporated AI into the design of future driver, woods, and iron iterations.
This tech drastically shortened lead times for designing a golf club that was arguably years ahead of its time. Competing brands like TaylorMade Golf, Titleist, Mizuno, Srixon and others have dabbled with the use of AI in the years that followed, leaving no doubt that they’ll incorporate the tech into future designs.
Golf Instruction
The use of AI has also been widely used in helping golfers of all levels improve through enhanced instructional techniques guided by AI and data. Companies like Sportsbox AI, for example, have partnered with the best instructors in the world to enable coaches and golfers to access comprehensive 3D motion data to study the golf swing like never before.
Layman golfers are able to bring similar technology to their smartphones through the use of AI-powered apps to record their golf swings and receive instant analysis while on the driving range. Brands like Arccos Golf incorporate the use of sensors installed into the grips of golf clubs that transmit signals to a user’s smartphone where an AI-powered app provides data once never thought possible.
Golf Simulation
Golf is no longer confined to the boundaries of an actual golf course thanks to entertainment centers like TopGolf and launch monitor simulation packages like Trackman Range.
Both incorporate ball launch monitor technology, radar, and AI to offer golfers a powerful “simulated golf experience” that provides real-time shot metrics on every swing. Golfers can even play computer-generated versions of the world’s most famous golf courses and receive data on every shot along the way. AI-incorporated features often serve as a player’s virtual “caddie” that learns a player’s tendencies over time and can make club selection recommendations in real-time.
Golf has only scratched the surface as to how AI can be used to enhance the game’s overall experience in every facet of the sport. As humans — and machines — learn new ways this technology can be used, there’s no ceiling to where golf can climb in this area.
