Before I co-founded SWEE, I covered healthcare companies at an investment management firm. Part of that gig was attending industry conferences. There is one company that faced a similar to challenge to the one we are facing at SWEE. Stick with me here (I know health is more important than golf...for most people).
Intuitive Surgical markets itself as a biotech company that develops robotic systems designed to improve outcomes of patients through minimally invasive surgery, most notably with their da Vinci robot. If you don't know this already, the Da Vinci robot has arms and tooling above the operating table, but is controlled by surgeons from a console (sort of like a video game).
At the time, Intuitive was expanding into gynecology, so I decided to attend a conference with 100s of gyns to get smarter on the pace of adoption of robots for surgeries such as hysterectomies, oophorectomies, etc. One of the panels got heated.
Some surgeons and early adopters were promoting the use of the Da Vinci for these procedures. Unsurprisingly, some doctors (typically older ones) were resistant - claiming they could do the procedures better or just as well with their hands (open surgery) or with a laparoscope, so "why would we use a $2-4M robot?" The younger surgeons response: "Why wouldn't you use it?!"
The fact was the Da Vinci had the ability to be more precise than the human hand or the laparoscope. The benefits to the patients were obvious - more precision, smaller incisions, faster recovery time, less trauma, etc.
How does that apply here? We often hear from golf instructors that "AI can't do as good a job as me" or from the players "I know what I need to work on." As with the robot, the truth is it's not one or the other. The robot was a tool that benefitted the surgeon as much as it benefitted the patient. Today, it is estimated that 50% of all hysterectomies in the USA are performed with robotic-assistance.
At SWEE, we believe AI in golf will follow a similar journey:
1. Innovation/Introduction ✅
2. Early Adoption ✅
3. Resistance ✅
4. Normalization
5. Tipping Point
6. Mainstream Adoption
7. Saturation
8. Maturity
The truth of the matter is, our machine can see more and provide more information in 20-30 seconds than a coach ever could see (while the human eye doesn't see in FPS, it can only perceive changes between 30-60 FPS). And it can provide more information than a player could ever feel ("feel vs. real" need not be explained). AI can serve as a powerful tool, not just in enhancing coaching but also in streamlining operations and automating everyday tasks in business.
As a company, we are philosophically opposed to and do not believe this technology will replace the coach. Coaches and players will be able to tailor how they use this technology and benefit from it together.
Just as the Da Vinci robot made doctors better surgeons and provided patients better outcomes, AI will only help make coaches better teachers and players better golfers. By leveraging this technology, we can unlock new levels of understanding and performance, empowering players to reach their full potential. Ultimately, this partnership will redefine the coaching landscape, creating a more effective and insightful training experience for everyone involved.