With the amount of technology available these days, there really isn’t an excuse for not knowing distances on the course. You have a range of options to pick from based on your budget and what you’re looking for, whether that’s rangefinders, watches, or golf apps.
Rangefinders and watches cost money, so they won’t be for everyone. The good news though is that a lot of the golf apps are free to use, so you’re still covered. I prefer using a GPS watch for the advanced features, but it’s not necessary, especially for beginners or people who don’t golf much.
Since I don’t use an app myself, I decided to poll our readers to find out what they’re using. Here were the most popular golf apps:
- 18Birdies (25% of the votes)
- TheGrint (23% of the votes)
- Arccos Caddie (17% of the votes)
- Golfshot (13% of the votes)
- SwingU (13% of the votes)
- Other (9% of the votes)
You can click on one of the links above to jump to that specific app. You can also click here to jump below and see what you should consider when picking an app to use.
Best Paid App: Arccos Caddie
If you’re looking for a GPS with the most advanced features and also performance tracking, this will be the one to go with. It’s one of the best shot tracking devices on the market and also offers some pretty cool info for the course.
You can use your phone or Apple watch to see the distance to different parts of the course. It’ll also give you elevation and wind adjusted distances.
The club sensors that come with it will track all of your shots and tell you how far you hit each of your clubs. It’ll then recommend what club to hit based on your stats. You’ll also be able to see strokes gained stats for driving, approach, short game, and putting shots.
The main downside is that you have to buy the club sensors and then pay an annual fee (first year free), so it’s a bit pricey.
- Read Our Review: Arccos Caddie Smart Sensors
- Where To Buy: Check Price At PlayBetter Or Amazon
Best Free App: 18 Birdies
This is one of the most popular golf apps that will give you GPS data on the course and will also track stats about your game. The best part, it’s free for the basic features.
You’ll be able to see the distance to different parts of the course (I think it’s the most accurate app). It can also be used as a scorecard and will keep track of your handicap.
The free version will have some basic stat and shot tracking, so you’ll be able to see how far you hit the ball.
The paid version ($19.99/month) will give you more advanced stat and shot tracking features. It’ll give you elevation and wind adjusted distances, club recommendations, and 3D green maps.
What I like about this app is that it’s easy to use and the app is quick and responsive. It also works well on an Apple watch. Out of all the free apps, it probably offers the most useful features.
Download Here: 18Birdies
TheGrint
If you’re looking for a GPS app that can also track your official handicap and keep up to date with your friends stats, this will be the one to go with.
The basic features are free to use. What I like about this app is that the premium subscription is cheaper than 18Birdies and it tracks everything you’d want to know.
It’s also a good app to use if your golf friends also use it. You can setup different games (skins, best ball, etc) and everyone can upload their rounds and see each others stats.
With the free version, you’ll get GPS data, basic stat tracking, scorecard, and a few other things. With the paid version ($7.99/month), you’ll get advanced stats, green maps, and better GPS data for watches.
What I don’t like as much with this app is that it can sometimes be slow to update the front, middle, and back of the green distances. There is also a lot going on in the app so it takes some time.
It also doesn’t have automatic tracking so you’ll have to input a lot of your stats manually. If you’re willing to do it, you’ll get a bunch of useful data.
Download Here: TheGrint
Golfshot
If you have an Apple watch and want automatic shot tracking, this is the best one to go with. It doesn’t have club sensors but it uses the sensors in your watch to track your data.
It also offers driving range features that are pretty cool. You’ll be able to see flag distances, shot dispersions, and shot distances. It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s pretty good.
The free version comes with everything above as well as GPS data on the course. Pretty much the same as any other app.
The paid version ($69.99/year), comes with club recommendations, course previews, and handicap tracking. It’ll also show more distances when you’re on the course.
Download Here: Golfshot
SwingU
This is another option that offers free and paid memberships. You can use it on your phone as well as your smartwatch.
The free version offers green/hazard distances, handicap tracking, scorecard, and shot tracking.
The paid plan ($49.99/year), offers elevation/wind adjusted distances, club recommendations, green maps, and more advanced stats.
They also have another plan ($99.99/year) that has strokes gained analysis, stats comparisons, and will tell you what you need to work on.
The reason I don’t like this as much is that the user-experience isn’t quite as good as the others. The shot tracking also isn’t up to par compared to the others.
Download Here: SwingU
How To Pick The Right Golf App
There are a lot of apps to pick from but they’re all slightly different. All of the apps we talked about are good options and you can’t go wrong with any of them. If you’re curious, you can read our comparison of golf apps to rangefinders and watches HERE.
Here are some things you should consider before picking a golf app.
Features
Most apps have the same basic features. Things like green/hazard distances, scorecard, and handicap tracking are common on most golf apps.
If you’re looking for a more specific feature, you might find that one app is better than another. If tracking your official handicap is important or you want an app you and your friends can use, TheGrint might be the way to go. If you prefer shot tracking on your Apple watch, Golfshot or Arccos is a good option.
Ease Of Use
This is one of the most important factors for a lot of golfers. Having a clean app that is quick and responsive is a key thing to look for.
I think this is one of the reasons 18Birdies is so popular. TheGrint offers a lot of features and tracking, but I don’t find it as clean and seamless.
Device
If you’re wanting to use your smartwatch, not all apps are created equal. 18Birdies, Golfshot, and Arccos all work well on Apple Watches.
Some apps work well on Android, but a lot of them don’t. If you’ll be using a watch, it’s probably a good idea to try a few and see which one works the best.
GPS Maps
This is one of the most important things to check before you download an app, especially if you’re upgrading to a premium plan.
Certain apps have more courses than others. You’ll want to double check that the courses you normally play are actually mapped and ready to go. Most websites list the courses they have available.
Let’s Hear From You
In the comments below, let us know if you’ve used any of these apps and what you thought of them. Also let us know if you use something different.
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