Daily Inspiration: “The future? It has a habit of rudely disrupting tradition!”

“The future? It has a habit of rudely disrupting tradition!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

In golf, as in every industry, the disruptors are coming.

They’ve got innovative ideas, some bold goals, some audacious plans – and in some cases, a proposition of change that worries the purists and and infuriates the traditionalists.

It’s not like we didn’t know it was going to happen. Back in 2010, @PGA invited me in to address their annual general meeting with a wide ranging talk on the future of golf, the disruptors it would face, and more importantly, the opportunities the future might present.

It remains as one of the most wonderful opportunities I’ve had in a 25 year speaking career.

And looking back – I’ve just cut a highlight video of that talk and a followup I gave at the annual @pgagolfshows PGA Merchandise Show – I can see I was pretty much spot on. Social media, technology driven change, disruptors like TopGolf and DriveShack – we are seeing an incredible amount of change beginning to impact the world’s oldest, most traditional sport.

Innovators view these trends as opportunities to grow what has been a game in decline; naysayers view them as threats to tradition, barriers to their need to cling to the past.

The future usually wins in this case.

This morning, I’m off for a keynote for @pgaofontario , with a talk that will revise these trends and much more. I continue to be amazed at the food of new ideas and new disruptors coming into the world of golf, and look forward to continued evolution of a game founded on tradition, but influenced by innovation!