The NGCOA Conference and the PGA Show once again brought together a buzzing mix of golfcourse owners, operators, suppliers, professionals and industry partners. Fun busy days, full floors and lots of great conversations & exhibitors.
Two themes stood out this year: pricing & positioning, and technology.
1. Pricing: from discounts to decisions and software
For years, the pricing discussion in golf revolved around discounts, coupons and short-term incentives. The idea was simple: lower the price and people will come to my facility. But they did not.
People do not start playing golf because it is cheap. They start because of the experience. Or they do not start at all.
That pricing conversation has clearly shifted. Today, much of the discussion is about dynamic pricing and how far it can go.
Across many markets, owners now operate in an environment with high demand and more limited availability. In that context, golfers are currently willing to pay for two things: time and access: a specific tee time and the certainty that they can play.
Raising prices works in some of today’s busy markets.
But scarcity on its own is not a strategy. It is a condition and conditions change.
That is why the more interesting conversations during the conference moved beyond price. They were about value, experience and long-term relationships. The visit to Walt Disney World golf – click HERE to read – was a good example of how a clear strategy is translated throughout an organisation — from the offer to the operation to the experience on the course.
It underlined an important question every facility needs to ask itself:
Who do I want to welcome at my course, and what experience will make them choose us again?
Pricing increasingly follows that positioning, not the other way around.
That shift in thinking inevitably changes how tee times are managed and how course software is used.
As demand becomes more diverse and expectations change, the traditional “one programme fits all” approach no longer works. Owners and operators are increasingly looking for tee time management systems that allow more flexibility: different products for different players, different moments of the day, different objectives for the course.
That shift is clearly visible in the market. Tee sheet / Course management software is evolving, moving away from rigid set-ups towards systems that better reflect how golfers actually want to play and how courses want to operate. The number of new operators in this space is growing fast, driven by the need for more versatile solutions and the conversation on how to offer the teetimes to the market.
2. Technology: no longer a question of “if”
Technology was everywhere at the PGA Show. Next to all the caps, clothing and accessories – unbelievable amount or brands! – tech keeps growing year after year. What stood out this time was not just the number of solutions, but how connected they are becoming.
Partnerships between technology providers are increasingly common. Putting labs integrated into indoor environments, allowing players to swing and putt in one flow – Indoor bays with direct AI analysis and feedback – Advanced moving platforms that replicate course positions and lies with growing precision – Indoor ranges with long, immersive screens — straight or curved — replacing separate bays. Playing together, against each other, or alongside each other on the same course. The possibilities are endless and the interest is very high.
At the same time, a clearer distinction is emerging between indoor training concepts and indoor entertainment formats. Different audiences, different expectations, different business models.
Interestingly, when talking to owners, many still describe technology as something they are “considering”. When asked how many facilities they expect to have some form of range or indoor technology in ten years’ time, the answer was always the same: everyone.
That says enough. There is no way back.
The question is no longer if, but when — and how.
How it fits your location, your climate, your market and your long-term positioning. Not everything needs to be implemented at once, but having a clear roadmap is becoming essential.
3. From reacting to shaping
Taken together, these conversations, observations and the overall atmosphere point to a broader shift in golf. The industry feels more mature again. More confident. And with that comes the opportunity to move away from short-term reactions towards more deliberate choices.
Choices about:
- who you want to be relevant for in the future
- which experiences support that ambition
- and how pricing and technology serve that position
It is a good time to be in golf.
There is energy, investment and innovation everywhere.