Is the 2027 PGA Show the Time to Switch Golf Course Technology Vendors?

Updated for the 2027 PGA Show. Originally published January 2024.

The PGA Show returns to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando January 26–29, 2027. Demo Day at Orange County National opens the week on Tuesday, January 26, and the exhibit hall runs Wednesday through Friday, January 27–29. The 2026 show drew more than 34,000 industry professionals and roughly 1,200 brands, its biggest crowd in 16 years. If you own or operate a golf course, it is still the one week of the year when nearly every technology vendor you might buy from is in the same building.

For many operators the question hasn't changed: is this the year to switch technology vendors? What has changed is what you need to measure before you answer. Late January is also still a smart time to negotiate price and term. Vendors want signed contracts to start the year, and you have competing demos a few aisles apart.

Why the 2027 PGA Show is different

In 2024, the pitch was "modern, cloud-based, integrated." That is table stakes now. The bigger shift is where golfers book. At Google I/O 2026, Google introduced Search agents that can watch for and book reservations on a golfer's behalf, with U.S. rollout targeted for the end of summer 2026. We broke down what that means for your tee sheet here. Primo Tee Times has already brought live tee time search inside ChatGPT, and Reserve with Google keeps sending golfers straight from Search and Maps to your tee sheet.

That means the booking engine you choose in 2027 has to work well for golfers, for your staff, and for the AI agents and Google surfaces that now sit between them.

Reasons to consider a switch

• Outdated systems: Clunky point of sale, tee sheet or booking tools slow your staff and frustrate golfers. Modern platforms are faster and easier to learn.
• Lack of integration: Systems that don't talk to each other create data silos and double entry. Look for tee sheet, POS, F&B and marketing that share one golfer record, or that integrate cleanly through an open API.
• You can't measure performance: If your booking engine can't send e-commerce revenue to your own Google Analytics 4 property, you can't tell which marketing is filling tee times.
• Not ready for Google and AI booking: If you aren't live on Reserve with Google, or your vendor has no plan for AI agents, you are handing that demand to someone else.
• Limited customer support: Responsive, knowledgeable support is still one of the biggest reasons operators stay with, or leave, a vendor.
• Missing features: Waitlists, dynamic pricing, memberships and passes, loyalty, and racquet sports scheduling are now expected features, not extras.
• You don't control your data: Know who owns your golfer data and how easily you can export it before you sign.

Questions to ask every tee sheet and booking engine vendor at the show

• Is your booking engine live on Reserve with Google, and does the Google booking flow run on your engine or on a third party's?
• Can you send purchase and revenue events to our own GA4 property? Can you show us a live example?
• How will your platform work with AI booking agents from Google, ChatGPT and others?
• Is a waitlist built in, or do you integrate with a partner such as Noteefy?
• Do you support dynamic pricing, and who controls the pricing rules?
• Who owns our golfer data? In what format can we export it, and is there a fee?
• Do you have an open API or integrations marketplace? Which integrations are live today, not on the roadmap?
• What are the contract term, auto-renewal, price escalators and exit terms?
• What do support hours, response times and onboarding look like in our first 90 days?

Vendors worth putting on your list

Check the exhibitor list on pgashow.com as the show gets closer, and book demos in advance. These are vendors covered on Golf Course Technology Reviews, with verified operator reviews where available:

• Tee sheet, booking engine and POS: Club Caddie, Club Unity, Easy Tee Golf, foreUP, Golf Geek Software, Lightspeed Golf, MemberSports, Sagacity Golf and TeeWire.
• Private clubs: ForeTees and Jonas Club Software.
• Waitlist and demand: Noteefy.
• Mobile apps: Gallus.
• Tournaments and events: Golf Genius.
• Pace of play and course intelligence: Tagmarshal.

Making the right decision

Switching vendors is a big investment, and the PGA Show is only one step. Before you sign anything:

• Define your needs: List your biggest pain points and the features you must have, ranked.
• Read operator reviews before the show: Our verified vendor reviews come from golf course operators, not paid placements.
• Book demos in advance: The best time slots fill up. Bring the questions above and ask each vendor to show, not tell.
• Talk to colleagues: Ask operators with a similar course type what they use and what they would change.
• Don't sign on the show floor: Take the proposal home, compare it with the others, and negotiate. Late January leverage lasts past the show.

The right technology partner can change how your course runs. The 2027 PGA Show is the best chance all year to compare your options side by side, as long as you walk in knowing what to measure.

Want to hear directly from the people building golf technology before you go? Listen to The Tech Caddie Podcast, and browse our buying guides.

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