Concurrent Breakout Sessions

What makes a partnership between a golf course and a content creator work for both sides? Moderated by Colin Weston of the ModGolf Podcast, this panel brings together golf influencers and a course operator to explore what creators hope to achieve, what courses can gain, and how to align their goals.

From introducing your course to new audiences to creating content that inspires golfers to book, the conversation will explore the opportunities, address common concerns, and share lessons from both sides of the partnership. Whether you're hesitant about working with influencers or ready to get started, you'll leave with practical ideas for choosing the right partners, setting clear expectations, and measuring value beyond likes and views.

Decisions made at every level of government can influence your golf operation, from land use and water access to taxation and employment policies. Understanding how to engage with decision-makers can help ensure the needs of your business and the golf industry are part of the conversation.

This session will explore the value of government relations and practical ways to get involved. Learn how to build relationships with elected officials, communicate your course's economic and community contributions, and raise concerns with a clear, constructive message. Whether you're facing a specific issue or looking to establish connections before you need them, you'll leave with ideas to help make your voice heard.

Your golf operation generates valuable data every day, from tee time bookings and spending patterns to labour costs and weather impacts. The opportunity lies in turning that information into insights that help you make better decisions and improve financial performance.

This panel will explore how to identify meaningful measures, recognize trends, and connect the numbers across your operation. Hear practical perspectives on using data to guide pricing, staffing, marketing, and resource planning, while looking beyond total rounds and revenue to understand profitability. You'll leave with ideas for building a useful business scorecard and putting your data to work with greater confidence.

Addressing employee performance concerns is one of the more challenging responsibilities of managing a golf operation. Clear expectations, timely conversations, and consistent follow-through can help managers address issues early and support employees in making meaningful improvements.

This session will explore practical approaches to performance management, including when progressive discipline may be appropriate and how to document concerns, conversations, and next steps. Learn how to navigate difficult discussions, distinguish performance gaps from misconduct, and recognize situations that may require additional guidance. You'll leave with tools to approach employee issues more confidently, support fair and consistent decisions, and reduce avoidable risk.

An interactive AI leadership lab where senior golf operators surface real-world advanced AI uses they are putting into practice, and then work together to unpack how those ideas can apply across the industry. No panels, no lectures. Just structured peer exchange.

An interactive AI leadership lab where senior golf operators surface real-world advanced AI uses they are putting into practice, and then work together to unpack how those ideas can apply across the industry. No panels, no lectures. Just structured peer exchange.

Autonomous mowing technology has arrived and continues to evolve rapidly, but every golf facility operates with unique financial priorities, layout complexities, and operational goals. The question facing course owners isn't about blindly following a trend, but rather asking: Is autonomous technology right for our course, when is the ideal time to adopt, and how do we do it smartly?

This session provides an objective, engineering-backed roadmap to evaluate course automation on your own terms. Break down the current technological landscape, explore best practices for matching hardware to real-world topography, and unpack the multi-variable ROI that considers financial returns, labour reallocation, and player experience. Discover how to navigate the transition thoughtfully; evaluate facility readiness, adapt crew workflows, de-risk your investment, and implement best practices that deliver lasting value.

Everyone is talking about AI, but most of the conversation stays conceptual. This session is different. Through live, step-by-step demonstrations, we'll walk through real ways golf course owners and operators can put AI to work today, no technical background or coding required. Along the way, you'll get to Claude and some of the surprisingly powerful things it can do, no matter your skill level. Whether you've barely used AI or already experiment with it, you'll leave with practical ideas and a clear starting point you can put to work right away.