AI Test Booklet
Cut Costs, and Elevate Service
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Presented by
Clayton Elliott
Co-Founder & CEO, AceCall.ai
Brad Milligan, PGA
Co-Founder, AceCall.ai · Class "A" Member, PGA of Canada
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PGA of Canada
Professional Golfers' Association of Canada
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Table of Contents
Intro About This Guide & The Presenters Ch. 1 What Is AI — And Why Does It Matter for Golf? Ch. 2 Getting Started in 20 Minutes Ch. 3 AI for General Managers & Club Operations Ch. 4 AI for PGA of Canada Golf Professionals Ch. 5 AI for Food & Beverage Operations Ch. 6 Voice AI, Agentic AI & the Road Ahead Ch. 7 The Golf Professional's AI Prompt Library Ch. 8 Your 30-Day Action Plan Closing Key Takeaways, Resources & Further Learning
8Chapters |
25+Prompts |
$20Monthly to Start |
20minTo First Result |
Read cover to cover for the full picture, or jump to the chapter most relevant to your role. Every chapter includes real-world golf club scenarios, ready-to-use prompts, and practical action steps. Prompts can be copied and pasted directly into ChatGPT or Claude.
About This Guide
You don't need a tech background. You need curiosity, a willingness to experiment, and about 20 minutes.
This learning guide was developed by the PGA of Canada Education Department to accompany the Tee Talks Live webinar "Win With AI: How Golf Clubs Can Save Time, Cut Costs, and Elevate Service." It is a practical, plain-language resource for PGA of Canada Members and Apprentices at every level of their career.
Whether you are a Head Professional at a busy private club, a teaching professional running a lesson program, a first-year Apprentice, or a General Manager juggling every department at once — this guide will show you how AI tools can make your daily work faster, smarter, and more enjoyable.
The Presenters
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Clayton Elliott
Co-Founder & CEO, AceCall.ai
An entrepreneur with a deep background in AI, automation, and business strategy. Clayton built AceCall.ai to solve the communication and efficiency gaps holding golf clubs back. He brings the technical "what's possible" perspective — translated into plain language that any club operator can act on immediately. |
Brad Milligan, PGA
Co-Founder · Class "A" Member, PGA of Canada · 23-Year Veteran
A 23-year veteran of the golf industry who has worked at some of Canada's most prestigious private clubs. Brad ensures every AI concept is grounded in the practical realities of tee sheet management, member relations, staffing pressures, and F&B operations that PGA Professionals face every day. |
AceCall.ai offers Voice AI receptionist systems, an AI advisory program, and a podcast specifically built for golf club management. Their free resource — the Golf Club AI Amplifier™ — is available by calling 1-866-838-8581.
Artificial Intelligence, Explained Simply
Artificial Intelligence — specifically the tools most relevant to golf clubs today — is software that understands natural language, generates written content, answers questions, analyzes data, and holds conversations, all at remarkable speed. The most well-known tools are ChatGPT (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), and Google Gemini.
Think of AI like a calculator. It doesn't replace your mathematical ability — it speeds up the work. AI doesn't replace your professional judgment, your relationships, or your golf knowledge. It speeds up the writing, the planning, the communication, and the analysis.
What AI Is — And What It Isn't
| AI IS… | AI IS NOT… |
|---|---|
| A tireless writing and editing assistant | A replacement for your professional judgment |
| A fast researcher and summarizer | Always 100% accurate — always review output |
| A content creation engine for marketing | A sentient robot with its own agenda |
| Available 24/7 at very low cost (~$20/mo) | Going to replace the best club professionals |
| A tool for handling repetitive communication drafts | Able to take action without a human in the loop |
AI tools are powerful but they will make mistakes. A human must always review AI-generated content before it goes to a member, is posted publicly, or informs a business decision. AI handles the heavy lifting of the first draft. You bring the professional judgment to the final version.
The Gap Most Clubs Are Missing
The majority of golf facilities in Canada are using AI in one of two ways: not at all, or only at the most basic level. The professionals who attend this webinar — and read this guide — are stepping into a genuine competitive advantage.
AI capabilities are evolving rapidly. Clubs that build even basic AI literacy and habits today will be significantly better positioned than those that wait. The learning curve now is gentle. The learning curve in two years will be steeper.
Step 1: Choose Your Tool
Start with one of the following. Both offer free tiers more than sufficient to explore:
- ChatGPT (chatgpt.com) — the most widely used, excellent all-rounder
- Claude (claude.ai) — known for thoughtful, nuanced, longer-form responses
- Google Gemini (gemini.google.com) — integrates well with Google Workspace
Step 2: Your Four-Week Ramp
Pick one tool. Use it exclusively for a full week. Challenge it. Ask it to write one email, one social post, one FAQ answer. See what it can do.
Use it every single day for at least one real task. Build the muscle memory. AI only becomes truly valuable once it becomes habitual.
Bring your team in. Run a 15-minute demo at a staff meeting. Find the person who lights up about it — that person becomes your club's AI champion.
Automate one thing. Set up one workflow that produces results with minimal ongoing effort: an email template, a review response process, a batch of social posts.
The Art of the Prompt
The quality of your AI output is directly tied to the quality of your prompt. Here's the formula:
"You are [role]. I need you to [task] for [audience]. The tone should be [professional / friendly / urgent]. Here are the details: [specifics]. Please produce [format / length]."
| Weak Prompt | Strong Prompt |
|---|---|
| "Write me a member email." | "You are the Head Professional at a semi-private Ontario club. Write a friendly but professional email announcing a 3-week greens closure starting June 1. Reassure members about practice facility access, invite them to a members evening May 28. Under 200 words." |
Invest 90 seconds writing a better prompt and save 30 minutes of editing.
1. Member Communications at Scale
Drafting newsletters, policy updates, event invitations, and complaint responses eats hours every week. AI can produce a polished first draft in seconds based on bullet points you provide.
"You are the General Manager of a private golf club in Ontario. Write a warm, member-focused monthly newsletter covering: (1) opening weekend recap, (2) Member-Guest tournament on July 12, (3) new breakfast menu in the grille room, (4) cart path rules update. Tone: professional but friendly. Max 300 words."
2. Staff Training & Onboarding
AI can generate role-specific training materials, employee handbooks, SOPs, onboarding checklists, and customer service scripts. Feed it your existing materials and ask it to improve, reorganize, or expand them.
"Create a customer service training guide for a new golf shop attendant at a private club. Cover: greeting members, handling tee time inquiries, managing pace of play conversations, pro shop sales etiquette, and escalation procedures. Format as a step-by-step guide."
3. Financial Analysis & Board Reporting
Export your quarterly financial data and upload it directly to ChatGPT or Claude. Ask it to summarize trends, flag anomalies, compare year-over-year, or prepare a board summary. What takes an afternoon can be ready in minutes.
"I am uploading our Q1 financial report. Please summarize key revenue trends, highlight categories with significant variance from prior year, and flag the top three areas I should discuss with my board. Format as an executive summary under 200 words."
4. Social Media & Marketing Content
Many clubs underutilize social media because consistent, high-quality content feels overwhelming. AI removes that friction entirely. Generate a month of posts, a promotional email campaign, and website copy in a single session.
"Generate 10 social media posts for a private club's Instagram and Facebook for July. Mix of: tournament promotion, F&B specials, member spotlight (generic), course conditions update, staff appreciation, junior golf program. Include relevant emojis. Tone: warm, welcoming, premium."
5. Event Planning & Run-of-Show
AI can draft detailed run-of-show documents, staff assignment schedules, vendor communication templates, and post-event follow-up emails for every event on your calendar.
"Create a complete run-of-show for a 72-player Club Championship Day 1 shotgun start at 8:00am. Include: staff assignments, cart staging timeline, scoring collection, lunch service window, and prizing ceremony at 3:30pm. Format as a time-blocked schedule."
1. Personalized Lesson Plans & Student Follow-Up
Use AI to build individualized lesson frameworks, drill progressions, practice routines, and post-lesson summary emails. You provide the coaching expertise and student observations — AI does the document drafting.
"I am a PGA of Canada Class A Professional. Create a 6-week beginner golf lesson plan for a 45-year-old adult who has never played. Goals: establish a repeatable grip and setup, basic course etiquette, consistent 7-iron shots. Include drills, practice homework, and success metrics for each week."
2. Junior Golf Curriculum Development
AI excels at building junior programming content — curriculum outlines, game formats, parent communications, and seasonal schedules — giving you the infrastructure for a world-class junior program without the administrative burden.
"Design a 6-week summer junior golf camp curriculum for ages 8–12 at a private club. Mix of on-course, range, and short game stations. Include weekly themes, fun competitions, parent update email templates, and a graduation ceremony outline. Capacity: 20 juniors."
3. Post-Fitting Summary Emails
Describe a golfer's swing characteristics and fitting results, and ask AI to draft a member-friendly follow-up with clear explanations of each recommendation.
"Write a post-fitting summary email for a 14-handicap member fitted for new irons. Swing speed: 87mph, out-to-in path. Recommendation: True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 S300, +¼ inch, 2° upright. Explain each recommendation in friendly, non-technical language."
4. Pro Shop Promotions & Rules Content
"Write a promotional email to members for a pro shop end-of-season sale: 30% off all FootJoy and Titleist clothing, September 15–30. Include a subject line, short hook, product highlights, and a clear call to action. Tone: excited but premium."
"Write a 150-word golf tip for a member newsletter from a PGA Professional. Topic: handling first-tee nerves. Include one practical pre-shot routine tip, one mental strategy, and an encouraging closing line."
1. Seasonal Menu Development
Describe your concept, key ingredients, dietary considerations, and service style — and ask AI to develop a polished, seasonally appropriate menu with descriptions. Use it as a framework your culinary team then refines and prices.
"Help develop a summer patio lunch menu for a private golf club grille room. 8–10 items. Style: elevated casual, locally-sourced where possible, one vegetarian feature, one premium protein feature. Include a name and one-sentence description per item. Appetizing but not pretentious."
2. Event Catering Run Sheets
AI can produce detailed catering run sheets, serve timing schedules, dietary accommodation frameworks, and staff briefing documents for every event — saving hours of planning and reducing day-of surprises.
"Create a catering run sheet for a 100-person Member-Guest dinner. Cocktail hour 6:00–7:00pm, seated dinner 7:15pm, three-course plated. Include: staff assignments, kitchen timeline, service flow per course, dietary flag checkpoints, and bar closing protocol."
3. Responding to Member Feedback & Online Reviews
This is one of the highest-value and most underused AI applications in club operations. AI removes the emotion from difficult feedback, produces consistently professional responses, and dramatically speeds up the process — turning 20 minutes of agonizing into 3 minutes of reviewing and approving.
"A member left a review saying the grille room service was slow and staff seemed indifferent. Write a thoughtful, empathetic, and professional response from club management. Acknowledge the concern, avoid being defensive, and end with an invitation to connect personally. Under 100 words."
4. F&B Staff Training Materials
"Create a fine dining service training guide for new FOH staff at a private golf club. Cover: greeting and seating, menu knowledge, order taking, service sequence, member recognition protocol, complaint handling, and closing procedures. Step-by-step format."
Voice AI: The AI Receptionist
Voice AI is a system that can answer phone calls, engage callers in natural conversation, respond to questions, take messages, and route calls — all without a human on the other end of the line.
For golf clubs, this directly addresses one of the most persistent frustrations: the front desk phone. During peak season, calls pile up, staff are split between serving members in person and answering phones, and voicemail accumulates. A Voice AI Receptionist handles the majority of inbound calls automatically — questions about tee times, hours, dress code, and events — and escalates to a human for anything requiring personal attention. Response time collapses from hours to seconds.
AceCall.ai has a demo Voice AI Receptionist specifically built for golf clubs. Call toll-free 1-866-838-8581 and ask questions as if you were a caller to a semi-private golf club. Ask about tee times, greens fees, membership, the restaurant. See firsthand what this technology can do today.
Agentic AI: AI That Takes Action
Agentic AI represents the next frontier. Where today's tools respond to your questions and produce content, agentic AI systems can take autonomous actions — browsing the web, sending emails, updating spreadsheets, executing multi-step workflows without requiring your input for each individual step.
| Today's AI (2026) | Agentic AI (2–3 Years) |
|---|---|
| Drafts an email for you to review and send | Sends the email automatically when triggered |
| Summarizes a document you upload | Monitors your inbox and surfaces priority items |
| Generates a social post you approve and post | Schedules and publishes content automatically |
| Answers questions when you ask them | Proactively flags operational issues before you ask |
Clubs that build AI literacy today will be far better positioned to adopt agentic tools as they become mainstream. Those who have never used AI will be starting from scratch while competitors are already optimizing. The time to start is now.
General Manager Prompts
"Summarize the attached monthly operations report into a 250-word board executive summary. Highlight key financial results, membership stats, F&B performance, and one strategic recommendation. Use a formal, professional tone."
"A long-standing member emailed to complain about slow pace of play on Saturday mornings. Write a thoughtful, empathetic response from the GM that acknowledges the concern, explains what is being done, and invites a follow-up conversation. Under 150 words."
"I manage a semi-private golf club in [city]. Help me create a competitive analysis framework for the 5 closest competing facilities. Include: membership pricing, key amenities, marketing messaging, and gaps I might exploit. Format as a table I can fill in."
Golf Professional Prompts
"Write a post-lesson summary email from a PGA of Canada professional to a member following a one-hour putting lesson. Key findings: grip pressure too tight, alignment consistently right of target. Homework: 10-minute daily routine with specific drills. Friendly, encouraging tone."
"Write compelling membership brochure copy for a semi-private golf club in Ontario. Highlight: 18-hole championship layout, private member tee times, renovated clubhouse, social events calendar, junior program, and year-round fitness access. Tone: aspirational, welcoming, premium. Approx 200 words."
"Write a 200-word tournament recap post for our club's Facebook. Annual Club Championship: winner -4 over 36 holes, runner-up by two shots, 85 participants, great weather both days. Congratulate participants, highlight the competition, thank volunteers and staff. Enthusiastic tone."
Food & Beverage Prompts
"Write menu descriptions for five wines for a private club's summer wine list. Two sentences each: (1) flavour profile, (2) food pairing suggestion. Audience: members who enjoy wine but aren't sommeliers. Tone: approachable, not pretentious."
"Create a 30-minute pre-service staff meeting agenda for the F&B team before a 120-person Member-Guest Dinner. Include: service overview and timeline, dietary flag review, station assignments, communication protocol during service, and a 3-minute motivational close."
"A guest left a glowing Google review praising the food quality and friendly service during their round. Write a warm, genuine response from club management that thanks the guest, mentions a specific detail, and invites them back. Under 75 words."
| Period | Your Mission |
|---|---|
| Days 1–3 | Sign up for ChatGPT or Claude (free tier). Use one prompt from Chapter 7 for something you actually need this week. Review the output, edit it, and send it. |
| Days 4–7 | Use AI for one real task every day — an email draft, a social post, a staff communication, a rules explanation. Track the time you save. |
| Days 8–14 | Identify your top 3 time-draining writing tasks. Build a custom prompt for each and save them in a shared document. Share at least one with a colleague. |
| Days 15–21 | Run a 15-minute AI demo for your team. Show one practical use case. Assign one AI task to a team member and review what they produce. |
| Days 22–30 | Automate one repeating task completely — a newsletter template, a review response workflow, or a batch of social posts scheduled months in advance. Let the results speak. |
"You are an AI consultant. I am a PGA of Canada Golf Professional at a [public/private/semi-private] golf club. I want to start using AI to save time and improve my operation. What are the three highest-impact areas where I should start? Give me a specific first step for each."
Measuring Your Success
| Metric | How to Track It |
|---|---|
| Time saved per week | Note how long tasks took before vs. after AI assistance |
| Content volume | Count social posts, newsletters, emails produced per month |
| Team adoption | How many staff are using AI tools by end of month 1? |
| Member response | Any positive comments on communication quality or speed? |
| Review response time | How quickly are member inquiries and reviews being addressed? |
Five Things to Remember
The question isn't whether AI will impact your industry — it already is. The question is whether you'll be the one shaping how it's used at your club.
Good luck. And good golfing.
Resources & Further Learning
AI Tools to Try
| Tool | Best For | Access |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) | All-purpose writing, analysis, planning | chatgpt.com — Free & paid |
| Claude (Anthropic) | Long-form content, nuanced responses | claude.ai — Free & paid |
| Google Gemini | Google Workspace integration, research | gemini.google.com — Free & paid |
| Perplexity AI | Research with sourced references | perplexity.ai — Free & paid |
| AceCall.ai | Voice AI receptionist for golf clubs | acecall.ai — Golf-specific |
PGA of Canada Resources
- Watch the full Tee Talks Live webinar: youtube.com/watch?v=aLlUVcmNepk
- Tee Talks Live Conference: pgaofcanada.com/education/national-conference
- PGA of Canada Education Hub: pgaofcanada.com/education
AceCall.ai Resources
- Free AI Strategy Session: acecall.ai/demo-cal
- Golf Club AI Amplifier Guide (free): Call 1-866-838-8581
- The AceCall.ai Podcast: available on all major podcast platforms
- Ace AI Newsletter: acecall.ai/newsletter
This guide will be updated as AI tools and best practices evolve. We encourage you to bring your AI wins, questions, and ideas to your Zone's professional development channels and to the Tee Talks community. We are all learning together — and that has always been the spirit of the PGA of Canada.
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Developed in partnership with AceCall.ai · All rights reserved