The Algorithm on the Fairway: How AI Is Quietly Transforming Golf

The First AI-Enabled Ryder Cup

Bethpage Black was loud.

Over 250,000 fans filled the Long Island air with that particular brand of golf tension, polite silence before the swing, collective exhale after impact. But behind the fairways and grandstands, an entirely different rhythm played out.

For the first time in the tournament's 98-year history, AI systems powered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise helped run the event's digital infrastructure.

Generative AI tools automatically compiled video highlights within seconds of each match's end, a process that once took editors hours. Vision analytics tracked volunteer coverage and crowd density across 1,500 acres. Machine-learning algorithms predicted bottlenecks in Wi-Fi traffic before they occurred.

The Ryder Cup, the sport's most traditional stage, had subtly become its proving ground for artificial intelligence. And while the players may not have noticed, the message to the broader golf world was unmistakable: technology is no longer a side act. Rather, it's become an integral part of course design.

Tradition Meets Transformation

Golf has resisted modernization longer than most sports. It prizes ritual (the dress code, the etiquette, the unspoken hierarchy of who plays where). For decades, any hint of "tech" was perhaps viewed as a shortcut. But the stats shows that attitudes have shifted.

According to Statista (2025), the number of golf technology users is expected to amount to 188.2m users by 2030. The pandemic-era surge in simulator golf and off-course play expanded the audience dramatically. Topgolf Callaway Brands reported record participation in 2024, with more than 30 million people engaging in off-course formats ( CNBC, 2024).

The sport's center of gravity has shifted from exclusive greens to digital ecosystems. Sensors, wearables, and data platforms now collect thousands of swing metrics in seconds. But as Richard Sams, co-CEO of MOHARA, observed during a recent discussion on golf innovation, "The question is no longer about how much data we can gather, it's how much meaning we can draw from it."

That distinction defines golf's technological moment.

The Intelligence Layer

In its earliest form, golf technology focused on hardware: titanium drivers, GPS rangefinders, laser measuring tools. Now, the frontier is software, adaptive intelligence that learns from players over time.

Spencer Dennis, exited founder of CoachNow, a digital platform used by coaches in 140 countries, has seen this shift firsthand. "AI should enhance the coaching relationship, not replace it," he said. "You're still dealing with humans. You'll never see a PGA Tour winner thank their AI coach."

Dennis believes that the real opportunity lies in making coaching continuous, giving players personalized insights between lessons, connecting biomechanics with psychology. The future of golf coaching is less about automating judgment and more about expanding empathy through data.

Where the Game Gets Smarter

The most intriguing innovations in golf tech today blur the line between practice and play.

Chip'd Inc, founded by Josh Marris, has developed what he calls "an Apple Watch in a golf ball", a smart sphere that captures putting data and syncs it with a mobile app. Putting, often neglected in training, represents nearly 40% of total strokes for the average player ( Putting World, 2025). Marris wants to turn that neglected part of the game into a global competition.

"Nobody practices putting enough," he said. "If we can make it measurable and fun, we can grow the game."

The Chip'd system uses sensors and AI to translate micro-movements into feedback, creating leaderboards that allow players worldwide to compare performance under identical conditions. It's gamification applied to precision.

Meanwhile, AI's reach extends far beyond individual skill. Course-management platforms like Tagmarshal and Eagle Club Systems use machine learning to optimize tee-sheet scheduling, predict pace-of-play slowdowns, and even reduce energy consumption by tracking cart routes. In 2024, Pebble Beach implemented an AI-based irrigation system that cut water use by 12% without affecting course quality ( Golf Course Industry, 2024).

What emerges is a picture of golf quietly becoming self-aware, a sport built on feel now learning to understand itself through data.

The Psychology of Performance

Every golfer knows that mastery begins long before the swing. The real game happens in the mind, in the ability to stay calm, recover quickly, and visualize success. Now, artificial intelligence is beginning to map that invisible terrain.

A wave of startups is using biometric data, heart-rate variability, eye movement, posture, to read subtle shifts in focus and fatigue. Systems such as NeuroPeak Pro monitor breathing patterns to help players steady themselves under pressure, while new AI models are being trained to recognize signs of mental drift in real time.

Spencer Dennis believes this convergence of neuroscience and data will redefine how golfers prepare. "If you can visualize it clearly enough, your body reacts," he said. In his view, AI-guided visualization tools could one day allow golfers to mentally simulate entire rounds, adjusting performance based on stress, recovery, and confidence markers.

According to Deloitte's 2025 Sports Innovation Outlook, the global mental-performance technology market is projected to exceed $3.2 billion by 2028 ( Deloitte, 2025). For a sport where a millimeter can decide a championship, the ability to quantify composure may become one of golf's most valuable frontiers.

Where AI Belongs (and Where It Doesn't)

The promise of AI in golf is extraordinary, but its pitfalls are real.

Sams cautions against letting AI overshadow intuition. "Golf is a human puzzle," he said. "Too much assistance can erode the joy of figuring it out."

Experts warn that hyper-automation, predictive shot selection, auto-generated swing fixes, risks turning practice into compliance. The best AI systems, they argue, are those that encourage curiosity rather than dictate solutions.

There's also the question of fairness. Should AI-driven rangefinders or shot-prediction tools be allowed in competition? Governing bodies like the USGA and R&A are still defining those boundaries, balancing progress with the sport's integrity ( USGA, 2025).

As technology advances, golf faces a paradox unique among sports: how to innovate without losing the patience that defines its soul.

Designing for Everyone

During MOHARA's recent industry conversation, Gianna Rojas from The Adaptive Golf Channel raised a vital point: most AI systems are trained on able-bodied models. "Include all golfers," she said. "Have us in your datasets, your advisory boards, your training models."

Her plea highlights a broader opportunity for AI in sport, building inclusive datasets that reflect the full spectrum of human movement. As adaptive golf grows globally, ensuring accessibility in data and design isn't just ethical; it's strategic.

Signals to Watch

1. AI-Enabled Equipment – Embedded sensors in balls, clubs, and gloves capturing biomechanical data in real time.
2. Cognitive Coaching – AI tools that merge psychology with performance analytics for individualized feedback.
3. Operational Automation – Intelligent course-management systems optimizing pace of play and sustainability.
4. Inclusivity Frameworks – New datasets incorporating adaptive and diverse athletes to train fairer AI models.

The Future Fairway

Golf has always been a conversation between discipline and discovery. AI doesn't rewrite that dialogue; it expands it.

The 2025 Ryder Cup showed that even the sport's oldest traditions can embrace intelligence without losing identity. As algorithms learn the contours of courses and the subtleties of human performance, golf finds itself at an inflection point, one where every swing, every breath, and every decision carries the potential for insight.

The future of golf may still unfold one shot at a time, but now, each shot teaches the game something in return.