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Grow Golf Smarter: Data's Role in AI
Published 6 months ago • 6 min read
Let's get started...
This week, we're back with Part 2 of Grow Golf's Series about AI. If you missed Part 1, you can catch up here. Today, I wanted to focus on using AI (specifically a custom GPT for your club or business) effectively. The best way to ensure this is done is to ensure that your data is accurate and organized. Think of data as the fuel for your AI engine. Without quality data, even the most sophisticated AI tools will give you poor results.
Do you have questions about data preparation? Reply to this newsletter— research and data is what I do - and I'm happy to help you figure out what you have and what you need.
To make this even easier, I've also created this checklist for you to download. It lists all the data you may want to collect in preparation for creating your custom GPT.
In the coming weeks, we'll build custom GPTs for marketing, membership, and merchandising pros. But first, let's delve into some of the more important information you'll want to start collecting. I've broken this down by marketing, membership, and merchandising. Feel free to skip down to the section that interests you!
Grab your pen and pad, let's Grow Golf.
-Rich
Part 2: Using AI Effectively - Your Data Preparation Checklist
Let me ask you two questions:
1) Do you have access to data to clean, updated data to make decisions?
2) Do you use data in your decision-making?
If you answered "No" to any of these questions, that's pretty common amongst professionals today. I want to start out this week's newsletter with breaking down what you need and how you can get it. Let's start with marketing...
Marketing Professionals: Know Your Audience
1. Member Communication History
What it is: A record of all emails, newsletters, and promotional messages sent to members over the past 12-24 months, including open rates, click rates, and responses.
Why it's important: AI learns from what's worked and what hasn't. Your communication history shows which topics, timing, and messaging styles resonate with your members. Without this, AI is guessing blind.
How to get it if you don't have it:
If you use email marketing software (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, etc.): Export your campaign reports showing subject lines, send dates, open rates, and click rates
If you haven't been tracking: Start now with basic metrics. Most email platforms track this automatically—you just need to start paying attention
If you send mostly manual emails: Create a simple spreadsheet tracking what you send, when, and any responses you receive
2. Event Participation Data
What it is: A record of who attends which events, including member tournaments, social gatherings, clinics, and special promotions.
Why it's important: Event participation reveals member interests and engagement levels. AI can identify patterns like "members who attend wine tastings also sign up for couples tournaments" or "clinic attendees become lesson customers."
How to get it if you don't have it:
Check your event management system: Most golf management software tracks this automatically
Look at registration lists: Even paper sign-up sheets contain valuable data—digitize them
Start simple: Create a basic spreadsheet with columns for Event Name, Date, Member Name, and Member ID for future events
3. Member Demographic and Preference Data
What it is: Basic information about your members including age ranges, family status, handicap levels, playing frequency, and stated interests or preferences.
Why it's important: Demographics help AI understand different member segments and tailor communications accordingly. A retiree who plays daily needs different messaging than a young parent who plays monthly.
How to get it if you don't have it:
Check your membership application forms: This data might already exist in your files
Send a simple member survey: Ask 5-10 basic questions about preferences and interests
Use your golf management system: Most systems track handicaps and playing frequency automatically
Membership Professionals: Track the Member Journey
1. Member Retention History
What it is: A record of when members joined, renewed, cancelled, or went inactive, along with any notes about why they left or what retention efforts were made.
Why it's important: AI needs to understand your churn patterns to predict future retention risks. Knowing that members typically cancel after 18 months, or that certain demographics are more likely to leave, helps AI identify at-risk members early.
How to get it if you don't have it:
Review your membership database: Look for join dates, renewal dates, and cancellation dates
Check old files: Even handwritten notes about why members left contain valuable insights
Start tracking now: Create a simple system to record member status changes and reasons
2. Member Engagement Patterns
What it is: Data showing how actively members use your facilities—tee times booked, lessons taken, events attended, pro shop purchases, and dining visits.
Why it's important: Engagement patterns are early warning signs. Members who stop booking tee times or attending events are often considering leaving. AI can spot these patterns before they become obvious.
How to get it if you don't have it:
Your golf management system likely tracks this: Pull reports on member activity by month
Combine multiple data sources: Link tee sheet data with POS data and event attendance
Create a simple tracking system: Even a monthly count of member visits provides valuable insight
3. Prospect and Lead Information
What it is: Data about potential members including how they found you, what information they requested, tours taken, trial rounds played, and their ultimate decision (joined or didn't join).
Why it's important: AI can identify characteristics of prospects most likely to convert, helping you focus efforts on the highest-probability leads and improve your conversion process.
How to get it if you don't have it:
Review your prospect files: Look for inquiry sources, contact dates, and outcomes
Track going forward: Create a simple form to record prospect interactions
Use basic CRM tools: Even a spreadsheet with Prospect Name, Source, Contact Dates, and Outcome provides valuable data
Merchandising Professionals: Follow the Money
1. Sales Transaction History
What it is: Detailed records of what products were sold, when, to whom, and at what price over the past 12-24 months.
Why it's important: Sales patterns reveal seasonal trends, popular product combinations, and customer preferences. AI uses this to predict demand, suggest inventory levels, and recommend products to specific customers.
How to get it if you don't have it:
Export data from your POS system: Most systems can generate detailed sales reports
Include member IDs when possible: Linking purchases to specific members enables personalized recommendations
Don't forget cash sales: Even manual records of cash transactions provide valuable trend data
2. Inventory Movement Data
What it is: Records of what products you ordered, when they arrived, how quickly they sold, and what didn't sell well enough (clearance items, dead inventory).
Why it's important: AI needs to understand your inventory cycles to make accurate demand predictions. Knowing that certain items sell quickly in spring but sit on shelves in fall helps optimize ordering.
How to get it if you don't have it:
Check your purchasing records: Look for order dates, delivery dates, and quantities
Review clearance sale history: Items you've had to discount reveal demand prediction mistakes
Start tracking turnover rates: Simple calculations of how long items sit before selling
3. Member Purchase Patterns
What it is: Information about who buys what, how often, and in what combinations. This includes gift purchases, seasonal buying habits, and spending levels.
Why it's important: Purchase patterns enable personalized recommendations and targeted promotions. Knowing that John always buys new golf shoes in March helps you time promotions and stock decisions.
How to get it if you don't have it:
Link POS data to member accounts: Even retroactively adding member IDs to past purchases helps
Track gift purchases separately: Note when purchases are gifts vs. personal use
Observe buying behavior: Start noting patterns you see—even informal observations are valuable data
Getting Started: The Simple Approach
If you're feeling overwhelmed, start here:
Pick one area from your department's list above
Download our brand new data checklist as a guide
Spend 30 minutes gathering what data you already have
Create a simple spreadsheet to organize it
Start tracking new data going forward, even if it's basic
Remember: Perfect data isn't required to get started with AI. Clean, consistent data—even if limited—is better than comprehensive but messy data.
SOON: Building Your Custom GPT
With your data prepared, we'll create practical AI assistants that can:
Marketing: Generate targeted member communications and analyze campaign performance
Membership: Identify retention risks and optimize prospect conversion
Merchandising: Predict demand and suggest personalized product recommendations
Be prepared with at least one dataset from your area, if not, I'll have a sample dataset for you, and we'll build something useful together. We'll see you next week for another Ask the Shop presented by Tee Commerce.
Let's Grow Golf.
ICYMI
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