Case study · Golf

On the list, rarely the choice

We looked at how AI assistants answer a golfer asking which golf company to choose: who they name, what they say about one golf company by name, and whether the things it is known for are credited to it.

CategoryGolf

The questionWhich golf company to choose

Where we lookedAI assistants, from memory and after a web search

Fieldwork2026

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90%of answers named them when a golfer asked which company to chooseOthers were named more often

10%of those answers named them firstFirst place almost always went elsewhere

50%of answers to a golfer about to choose them said to compare other companies firstAnd named a competitor to check

01What we found

Named almost every time.
First almost never.
And what is theirs, given to someone else.

Finding 1

When a golfer asked which company to choose, they were in 90% of the answers, and named first in 10%. The assistants know the company and put it on the list. They rarely put it at the top, in any kind of question we asked.

Named, and named first

Share of answers to the same question

Named90%

Named first10%

An answer can name several companies.

Source: study data, 2026

65%

of the rankings placed the company second of four

The company's one first place came on one narrow question.

Finding 2

Asked to rank four companies, the assistants put them in the middle. 65% of the rankings put the company second and 5% put it first. We asked the assistants to rank the four companies for different needs and on different measures; the one first place came on one narrow question.

Where the company was placed, out of four

Share of rankings placing the company in each position

5% First65% Second20% Third10% Fourth

A few rankings declined to place the company at all.

Source: study data, 2026

Finding 3

Asked about the company by name, 75% of the answers raised a criticism. The same two points each came up in half of all answers, across every assistant, from memory and after a search. One of the company's own claims was repeated in 30% of the answers.

The criticisms, and how often each appeared

Share of answers about the company by name that raised each point

wocpkkljko50%

hzxhbdrhat50%

qhmfljjirk35%

zgumxlnsxi30%

An answer can raise more than one point. The subject of each criticism is withheld.

Source: study data, 2026

Finding 4

Several things the company is known for were credited to someone else from memory. Asked about each without naming anyone, most answers from memory named a competitor. A search usually, but not always, brought the answer back to the company. One answer from memory went further and got the company itself wrong. Described without its name, the company was found in 30% of answers from memory and 70% after a search.

Found from a description alone

Share of answers that named the company when given only a description of it

From memory30%

After a search70%

What the assistants remember and what they find are two different companies.

Source: study data, 2026

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On the list, rarely the choice

Named almost every time. First almost never. And what is theirs, given to someone else.

What do the assistants say about you?

Named almost every time.
First almost never.
And what is theirs, given to someone else.