Troon Agronomy Conference 2026: Never stop learning in the era of AI  03:39, 06/11/2026

A beautiful golf course can make an immediate impression. Sustaining its playing quality through successive seasons takes a team able to observe, understand causes and choose an appropriate response. Golfers rarely see that work, but they experience it in every shot.

The Troon International Agronomy Conference 2026, at the Ocean Clubhouse, The Els Club Malaysia, Desaru Coast, will put those practitioners in the foreground. For readers interested in course quality and the future of golf operations, it offers an opportunity to follow how specialist knowledge is exchanged within an international course-management organisation.

A gathering built around people

A professional conference earns its value by bringing different kinds of experience into the same discussion. At Desaru Coast, research expertise will sit alongside practical course experience and management perspectives. An analytical result, a problem encountered on a course or an established maintenance practice can each become a starting point for learning.

“At Troon, we believe exceptional golf course conditions begin with investing in exceptional people. Our International Agronomy Conference brings together some of the world’s leading experts alongside our own teams to share knowledge, challenge conventional thinking and continuously raise standards across our portfolio,” says DJ Flanders, Executive Vice President, Troon International.

The specialist line-up includes Dr Luke Baker of Brookside Laboratories, Dr Bill Kreuser, Co-Founder of GreenKeeper, and Dr Zac Reicher of Envu. Alongside Troon’s professionals, they provide a scientific foundation for the gathering, with backgrounds spanning soil science, growth management and turf health.

Wisdom in the era of AI

The conference theme gives this year’s gathering a timely focus. As information becomes more abundant, the ability to assess the basis of a recommendation, recognise its limits and place it in the circumstances of a particular course deserves close attention. Technology also makes continuing professional education an ongoing commitment.

The programme includes “Building a Team: A.I. Meets A.I” – a clever play on acronyms where Agronomic Intelligence meets Artificial Intelligence. The session highlights an intriguing question: how can human expertise and emerging technology complement each other in modern golf course management? Round-table discussions and regional exchanges will offer further opportunities to explore these ideas.

Value beyond the playing surface

For owners, course quality is connected to the customer experience, operating resources and the long-term value of the property. Developing the people responsible for its care is therefore a business consideration.

“For golf course owners, the value of this investment goes far beyond the presentation of the playing surfaces. Strong agronomic leadership supports operational efficiency, responsible resource management, a consistently high-quality golfer experience and, ultimately, the long-term performance and value of their assets,” Flanders says.

That connection also gives the conference relevance for Vietnam’s golf community: the expertise within a team influences both the quality golfers experience and a facility’s ability to sustain it over time.

Vietnam Golf & Leisure will be in Desaru Coast to follow the discussions, meet specialists and bring readers perspectives from the conference. Ahead of the opening, we will also explore the professional questions worth watching behind a well-conditioned golf course.