Blog
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What’s Next? The Age of Agency
Congratulations to the MGCA on its 50th anniversary! That’s a milestone to celebrate — with reflection and a look ahead. And because Handicomp has evolved alongside technology, if you think the last 50 years have been transformative, you haven’t seen anything yet. My memories of the summer of 1976 center around Mark “The Bird” Fidrych.…
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The Most Honest Match in Golf
You compete against par, against your handicap, against other golfers, or sometimes just against your last good round. What’s missing is a consistent, fair benchmark that reflects how you’re actually expected to play on a given day on a given course and tee. That’s where playing a match against your AI self comes in. Inside…
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More Than a Novelty – AI Score Predictions
Every golfer has asked the same question on the way to the first tee:“What am I going to shoot today?” For decades, that question lived somewhere between hope, guesswork, and superstition. Today, AI offers something different — an answer grounded in data. If AI is good at anything, it’s making predictions. Nearly everything you experience…
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AI Ghost (AI Sub)
After another break focused on product development, it’s time to return to one of the most practical benefits of AI score prediction — solving the long-standing problem of league no-shows. For decades, golf leagues have struggled with how to handle a missing golfer who doesn’t show up and can’t secure a substitute. The usual solutions…
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The AI Divide: Two Paths, Two Futures
A Defining Force in Business and Golf Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant concept — it’s a defining force reshaping industries, communities, and even the game of golf. Across every sector, a clear divide is emerging: those who embrace AI to elevate their operations and experiences, and those who resist. That divide is…
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Trend and Course/Tee Bias
In my previous post, “Understanding Bias in Handicapping,” I used a league example to compare four handicap formulas and explain why some perform better than others. That analysis showed AI and a Custom average (middle 3 of last 5 scores) as the best options for that particular league. In this post, we’ll go deeper —…
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Understanding Bias in Handicapping
When golfers talk about handicaps, the conversation usually centers on accuracy (how close the numbers are to reality) or precision (how consistently the results hold up). Both are valuable — but the real foundation of fairness lies in something deeper: bias elimination. A handicap system can be accurate on average and precise in its calculations,…
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What is the Best Handicap Formula for my Golf League?
One of the core questions we’re tackling at golfhandicap.ai is this: Does a single handicap formula work for every situation, or do different formulas serve different purposes? We at Handicomp have served golf handicaps for nearly 60 years, whether they be USGA (now WHS), single event, custom, HGHS (for 20 years), or more recently our…
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Average of Last X Scores
Finding the Optimal Number of Scores for an Average-Based Handicap When golfers are first asked their handicap, the common response is to say they average a certain score — for example: “I usually shoot 90 for 18 holes, so subtract par 72 and that gives me a handicap of 18.” In their mind, that makes…
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We didn’t just Talk about It, We did It!
Two years ago, I started a blog to share my thoughts on A.I. and the business of golf. What began as opinion pieces quickly grew into something bigger. As I wrote, I realized I was sitting on something far more valuable than just ideas: nearly two decades of hole-by-hole golf league data. That discovery changed…
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1000 yard Drive
S: I’m momentarily interrupting my pause (It’s already by us…) to offer a golf analogy that might illuminate AI’s impact in more tangible terms. Imagine golf clubs and balls being reinvented, enabling golfers to drive a ball 1,000 yards, precisely hit the center of greens from 500 yards away, and guarantee a one-putt on every…
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It’s already by us…
S: When choosing topics for this blog, my thoughts invariably drift to today’s youth. The swift advancement of AI may instill in them the belief that they can’t aspire to be the best or the brightest, as AI will always be a step ahead. It’s disheartening to think they could forever feel like runners-up in…
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A.I. and the Governance of Golf
S: Industry governance can be described as the set of rules and standards that businesses within a specific field must adhere to. Such rules influence factors like the ease of starting a business, competition dynamics, compliance costs, and avenues for innovation. This holds true in the golf industry, which I often refer to as the…
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A.I. the Disruptor
S: My company (Handicomp) has been a sponsor of the Michigan Golf Course Association for years and as part of that sponsorship I write an article for their Tee-Off Times publication. I mention this because the article I wrote for their upcoming issue is about AI and plays off my article from last year (2022),…
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Will the Empire Strike Back?
S: The golf industry is an empire! Factors such as central authority, infrastructure, intermingling, economic benefits, shared threats, tradition, and a powerful and often unspoken ‘allegiance’ have sustained its status for many years. And though there have been many challenges to this dominance, the empire has remained resilient. However, it is soon to face unprecedented…
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Is A.I. Smarter than a 5th Grader?
Ongoing concerns for all industries and the professions they support are skills replenishment and the retention of institutional knowledge. Golf is no exception. As children, we’re frequently asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” But how will kids looking to develop skills in an age of AI answer this question? Not…
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The Jury is still Out!
S: Before diving into the heart of this blog, I continue to set the stage by using basic examples of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will influence the business of golf. So far, my blog posts have been clear and direct, giving examples from diverse sectors of the golf industry such as PGA professionals, amateur associations,…
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Formula at Risk! A.I. doesn’t care!
S: In the United States, around three million golfers pay an average of $33 each to maintain a World Handicap Index through a United States Golf Association (USGA) certified golf club. This amounts to an annual revenue of roughly $100 million—a sizable sum that essentially powers the operations of Allied Amateur Golf Associations (AGAs). While…
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OK, I’m beginning to Understand (I think)!
S: In discussing this blog with others, one common point of confusion often arises: understanding the difference between automation and AI. Getting a handle on this distinction is key to fully grasping how AI will impact the landscape of the golf industry. Therefore, I’ll start by having a chatbot detail what sets the two apart,…
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Lessons for the Jetson’s!
S: The potential impact of AI on an industry raises important questions about how it will affect individuals who rely on that industry for employment. Building upon AI’s previous answers, it becomes evident that PGA Professionals, particularly those who specialize in providing golf lessons, should pay attention to the advancements. However, it’s not just the…
