AI is already being applied to maintenance, with sensors beneath the turf that, for example, tell us how often a green has been diseased. And at the club, it can be used at many levels: in marketing or by streamlining low-value tasks so employees can focus on high-value ones.

In commercial fields there is an interesting element of necessity in the use of AI, while social fields are introducing it without such urgency.

Artificial Intelligence, a technology with increasing implementation in all sectors of society, has also reached the field of Spanish golf, where its gradual implementation can generate interesting benefits according to experts.

David Sánchez, specialist and disseminator in Artificial Intelligence applied to sports management, and Alberto Talavera, Managing Director at the Spanish Association of Golf Managers, acted as speakers at the first event of the Communication and Companies Cup, a set of actions promoted by the RFEG in order to spread the values of golf to the whole of Spanish society.

The first question was obvious and simple: What is Artificial Intelligence? David Sánchez answered: “It’s the ability to solve problems artificially. We usually talk about AI in general, but what has exploded in recent years is generative AI, which is what has led to us all having AI apps on our phones today,” he pointed out.

“The key is to rethink the organization”

David Sánchez, with extensive experience in the field of AI applied to the golf sector, highlighted the key to efficient implementation: “Rethinking the organization—that's the crux of the matter. We must approach it with a genuine interest in understanding it; we have to study it and apply it. We need to know how it works, learn to ask it questions, and master it. The first step is to understand it. We have to do this because it will become increasingly integrated into our lives, in businesses, and therefore in golf clubs and courses.”.

According to David Sánchez, this technology can be used both on and off the golf course, because ultimately, a club is a business. “AI is already being applied to maintenance, with sensors under the turf that, for example, tell us how many times a green has been diseased. And at the club, it can be used at many levels: in marketing or by streamlining low-value tasks so that employees can focus on high-value ones,” he said.

“As a practical example, we can train an AI agent to answer many of the booking confirmation emails so that reception staff can focus on serving customers better and more efficiently,” argued David Sánchez, who says that management and reservations are the areas with the greatest short-term growth potential in golf courses.

In this regard, Alberto Talavera, speaking from experience, asserted that, regarding the management of Spanish golf courses, there's a wide range of approaches, from more innovative to more conservative, when it comes to adopting AI. "But it's worth noting that, especially in commercial courses, there's a significant element of necessity. These courses feel the need to use it more urgently, while social courses are introducing it at a slower pace.".

The clubs are gradually getting involved.

“Changing club culture is a slow process, but progress is being made in our country,” said Alberto Talavera. “Everyone in society needs to understand AI as a support tool that can help us, for example, to answer questions by phone using a chatbot. For more complex issues, there are staff members. It needs to be integrated with a lot of communication, so that all employees understand that it's there to help.”.

David Sánchez echoed this sentiment, stating that Spain is well-positioned in terms of AI implementation on golf courses compared to other countries where golf is also a significant industry. “It’s not about hiring AI, but about rethinking how work is organized. There are increasingly more managers with a plan and the intention to rethink their strategy, including in our sector. We’re behind high-tech countries like South Korea and Japan, but we’re not doing badly,” he noted.

The fields, “more slowly” than they would like

Equally interesting was getting the perspective of the clubs themselves. Ignacio Vidosa, Golf Director of the RACE in Madrid, lamented that many clubs are progressing “more slowly” than they would like in implementing AI for various tasks. “We are creating some bots and moving forward as best we can. In fact, we want to launch several AI services soon,” he revealed.

For his part, Goyo González, General Manager of El Olivar de la Hinojosa, defended the implementation of AI “as a valid tool for reorganizing and optimizing work within the organization. To this end, it is very important to clearly communicate the purpose of this implementation to employees, ensuring they understand its benefits, so that the process does not generate any kind of fear. We are implementing it in different areas, primarily in marketing, and no employees have left.”.

Finally, Alberto Cobos, Director of Operations at the National Golf Center, indicated that his course is clearly committed to AI, training employees in this field. “In fact, in recent months, thanks to AI, we have been able to move staff from the administrative area to accounting to attend to more pressing tasks,” he stated.

Support for the 2031 Ryder Cup, International Women's Golf Day, sustainability, the Spanish 9-hole Cup…

As in previous editions, the Communication and Business Cup promoted by the RFEG will focus its activities on disseminating the values of golf, this time through specific events that will highlight support for the 2031 Ryder Cup; the inclusivity of this sport; the importance of women in golf; the growing presence of content creators in this field; sustainability as a firm environmental commitment of Spanish golf as a whole; golf and health…

All these initiatives also take place under the umbrella of a common motto, We Are Golf, with the complementary objective of promoting golf as a family activity, the enhancement of Pitch & Putt as a good introductory element to this sport, as well as the enhancement of golf destinations both in courses near the coast and inland courses, in a more challenging location, which hardly receive relevant championships that help to promote golf in their areas of influence.

The promotion of the so-called 9-hole Spanish Cup, as a satellite activity, is also part of the actions promoted by the Communication and Companies Cup, a novel game modality that affects the playing handicap, designed especially for golfers who do not have enough time to play a full course and attend, at the same time, to family commitments.

The XVIII Communication and Business Cup is promoted by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation and has the collaboration of the Spanish Professional Association of Journalists (APEI).

Its development is made possible thanks to the support of the RFEG's main sponsors: Allianz, Aon, Iberdrola, Volvo, Mahou – Solán de Cabras, Revel, Halcón Viajes, Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and Kyocera.