HEATHROW, FL – Proponent Group’s traditional three-day educational gathering of member coaches will take place October 26-28 at Heathrow Country Club in Lake Mary, Florida. This year’s Summit will provide an immersion into business success for coaches at the crossroads where AI-powered efficiencies meet the indispensable human element.
“Thanks to the high quality of our speakers and presentations, we’re ready to catch AI in a bottle and lift our attendees to new levels of practical knowledge and understanding,” said Proponent Group founder Lorin Anderson.
The gathering, titled “The Future of Coaching: AI Tools + Human Skills,” begins with a live instruction demo by one of the game’s top coaches, Terry Rowles, who will blend AI-enhanced pattern recognition and performance data into coachable insights. Rowles, whose session is powered by Sportsbox AI, is an example of the early-mover phenomenon rippling through golf instruction.
“Throughout the U.S. economy, professionals who stand out in their fields are responding proactively and productively to the arrival of AI,” comments Anderson. “That’s true in golf coaching as well—and it’s true in part because the human skills and qualities found among these top performers are difference-makers. They will always be in demand.”
Sessions on the Proponent agenda will include “AI Case Study—Getting Your Time Back While Becoming More Effective,” led by member coach Brad Pluth, a coach who’s already compiled a long, impressive list of AI-powered business projects. “Eliminate the Admin Bottleneck and Create Stronger Student Connections” is a presentation to be led by a British-bred and Harvard-trained Proponent member, Iain Highfield. The most recent addition to the agenda might also be the most compelling, “A Personal Assistant Designed for Golf Coaches,” led by member coach Bryan Jackson and Drew Casey, a long-time Google employee.
Underlying this forum and its content is a belief that artificial intelligence won’t replace the human golf instructor, but the human golf coach will need to adjust their skill set and lean into their person-to-person skills to continue to prosper and excel. That’s certainly the viewpoint of Vision54’s Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson, who’ll be on hand to describe in detail “The Coaching Edge that Machines Can’t Match.”
Dr. Jim Suttie, 2000 PGA of America National Coach of the Year and a pioneer in the use of technology in coaching, will similarly speak on how he has balanced 50 years of technological advances with the critical human skills in his own coaching with his presentation: “Teaching Golf: Build the Skills that Machines Can’t Replace.” These presentations offer a strong one-two punch to help Proponent member coaches better understand how to protect their careers in an AI-driven tech world.
About Proponent Group
Proponent Group is the only organization solely focused on helping golf’s dedicated, full-time instructors grow their businesses and build their careers. Founded in 2007, Proponent Group recognizes that even accomplished teaching professionals need a unique array of professional services to build their teaching brand, create job security and grow compensation. If you are a full-time coach and would like access to this or other company-provided support tools, you can join Proponent Group at proponent-group.com.
