AI isn’t just rewriting how people search for answers. It’s also rewriting how people decide where to play golf. I saw that shift firsthand at Sugarbush.
The Breakthrough
A few weeks ago, I was looking through our WooCommerce records and noticed something unusual: two transactions where the source was listed as ChatGPT.com.
That means these golfers didn’t Google us. They didn’t stumble across an ad. They asked an AI where to play, and the AI pointed them to Sugarbush.
What surprised me most is that they weren’t searching for stay-and-play packages — they were looking for night golf. That’s how they found us. And they booked.
Why It Stuck With Me
Golfers on road trips don’t always know where to stop or what experiences are nearby. In the past, they’d pull up Google Maps, type “golf near me,” and scroll through. Now? They’re just asking AI. And if the AI includes you in its answers, you win new customers.
That’s exactly what happened to us.
Why It Matters
This moment reminded me of something bigger: the ground is shifting under our feet. Search isn’t just keywords and clicks anymore. It’s conversations. AI-driven recommendations are becoming the first stop for many travelers and golfers.
If a course doesn’t show up in those conversations — “best public golf in Michigan,” “night golf near Flint,” “stay and play up north” — it risks being invisible.
My Ongoing Experiment
For the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with AI visibility:
- Writing structured blog posts.
- Updating sites with schema markup so AI can read them better.
- Testing prompts to see where we show up.
- Tracking conversions like the ones I just shared.
It’s early days, but the direction is clear. AI isn’t replacing Google overnight, but it’s quietly becoming the layer golfers trust.
Closing Thought
For me, this isn’t about chasing every tech trend. It’s about awareness — seeing where attention is moving and making sure we’re not left behind.
At Sugarbush, it means making sure every golfer, whether they’re coming from two miles away or two states over, has a chance to discover the maple groves and the game we love.
And at a personal level, it’s a reminder of the bigger theme I keep circling back to: improvement starts with awareness.