Artificial intelligence could help golfers make smarter decisions on the course, but it’s unlikely to replicate the experience and knowledge of a seasoned caddie, according to Blue Tees Golf co-founder Drew Koehler.
Technology has become an increasingly important part of top-level sport. Rugby has the TMO, football has VAR and tennis has Hawk-Eye. These systems demonstrate how technology can influence decision-making, but could artificial intelligence bring about an equally significant change in golf?
Golf has never shied away from embracing technology. There have been advances in clubs, golf course design and data-led coaching, but how far could that approach go? How much could it change the way we play the game?
Koehler recently discussed how AI-powered technology is beginning to change the way golfers approach course management on the Your Golf podcast. Blue Tees itself is developing these capabilities through its own Scout AI feature.
It’s designed to learn how individual golfers play and use that information to provide personalised recommendations. It analyses data related to a player’s typical shot shape and dispersion, amongst other things, to help them to make more informed on-course decisions. In other words, an AI caddie.
“It does have the ability to support golfers in the decisions that they’re making,” he said.
“We also have this really cool green heat map feature where we’ve modelled all the greens to see where the heat maps are, and one of our new upcoming releases, it’s going to be able to help effectively inform (golfers).
“It won’t know exactly where the pin is, but it will be able to recommend things like, it plays five yards uphill, it’s a false front, you don’t want to be short, make sure that you club up. So there are nuances to it.”
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Is AI really here to rival caddies?
Caddies have been a fundamental part of both professional and recreational golf for centuries.
Relationships between a player and a caddie go beyond technology in many ways, too. Reading a player’s emotions and understanding how to handle pressure is part of the job. Can artificial intelligence ever replicate that?
Koehler believes AI could have an important role to play in golf. He himself admitted how Scout AI has influenced his own approach to the game.
“It’s got me to think about, how do I avoid hazards differently? How do I take risk out of the situation?” he added.
“So it’s just been a very informative and helpful piece of the overall ecosystem that I quite like, that’s helped me truthfully play a little bit more confident and lower my overall score, and just be smarter as I navigate my way on the golf course.”
Despite this, Koehler believes there are limits to what AI can do. He has reservations over its ability to completely and effectively fill what human caddies have performed for centuries.
“I don’t think there’s any replacement for caddies who have been at these courses forever, who know the ins and outs, nuances and little tricks,” he said.
“I don’t think that’s replaceable. There’s an art to caddying, for lack of a better phrase, that the technology doesn’t have. But the technology itself, the Scout AI caddie, is superb when it comes to helping you play better if you don’t have access to that human.”
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