If you play golf, then it’s likely you live and breathe golf, and like everyone else, you’re probably always looking to improve your game. Hiring a coach and other methods are great ways to improve, but have you considered starting out by downloading an app? Golfing apps are some of the most advanced applications out there and make heavy use of artificial intelligence and GPS to both track your movements and analyze your swing. Golf apps can track an enormous amount of data about the way you play and can help you to turn those bogeys into birdies. Here are the best golf apps for iPhones and Android phones.
Looking for more useful apps? Check out our lists of the best Android apps and best iPhone apps you can download today.
Golf Pad prides itself in offering features for free that most charge for, which puts it at the top of our list for golf apps. Free features include (but are not limited to) a GPS rangefinder, availability on over 40,000 courses around the world, scorecards for up to four golfers, aerial maps, stats, and social media sharing. Just about the only features locked behind a $30 per year subscription are extended stats, Apple Watch sync, and “Plays Like” distances with club recommendations. There’s no denying Golf Pad has a broad range of features for free users, and with an annual subscription coming in at less than $3 per month, it’s hard to argue against downloading this app if you’re a golfer.
If you’re a member of a golf association, then you probably keep a pretty close eye on your handicap. If your association uses GHIN services, then the GHIN app is a must-download. It keeps track of all of your stats that inform your handicap, including your scores, number of putts, and accuracy, but also offers a number of other handy features as well. You can access course maps and GPS, keep track of group scores, and look up the stats for individual golfers as well. There’s a one-time upgrade cost for enhanced GPS for $50, but nothing else in the app needs to be paid for, making this a real bargain. Keep in mind you can only use this if your association uses GHIN, though.
Alright, so this won’t help you with your swing or keep track of your scorecard, but if you want to stay abreast of the rest of the world of golf, then the official USGA app is the way to go. The USGA app keeps track of the latest news and action from every 2023 USGA championship, including the U.S. Open and amateur championships. Create customized leaderboards, watch live tournaments, keep your e-tickets, and stay updated with the latest tee times.
You can use this app as a GPS rangefinder, digital scorecard, and stat tracker. It also offers side games, rewards, and news about the golfing world. You can even share rounds and compete for a spot on the leaderboard or find out about local events to compete in. It also supports both the Apple Watch and Wear OS smartwatches. The free app is abundant in features, but if you spring for the premium membership at $5/month, you can access 3D green maps, advanced course data and stats, live weather information, and video lessons. It’s also easier to get feedback from the app’s AI swing coach with the auto-capture tool. Just press Record, take a couple of swings, and the AI coach does the rest. Scorecards are now even better integrated into your post-round summary for a quicker view of your scores.
This app is designed to help you to record your strokes and improve your golf swing. You can record swings, create highlight videos with tracer overlays and voiceovers, and share them. There is also coaching to help you improve and a library of pro swings to show you how it’s done. With the iOS version, your Apple Watch can give the app information on your tempo, hand path, and hand speed, but for the full range of metrics, you need to spring for the Zepp sensor at $150. The free app is worth using, though, and it also has score tracking with GPS. This app is still great but hasn’t been updated since 2020, so don’t expect any new features any time soon.
This free app is a solid GPS rangefinder with thousands of golf courses in its database. It will help you with distances to the green on every hole and highlight obstacles to avoid with satellite imagery. It also works as a digital scorecard and keeps track of your handicap. If you want extras like wind speed and club recommendations, you can subscribe for $10/month, with the Premium subscription starting at $14/month.
There’s also support for the Apple Watch, allowing you to check distances, pars, and scores on your wrist. SwingU Versus, an integrated strokes gained analysis system available to Premium subscribers only, tracks and analyzes every facet of your game. The app also makes tour-level stats available to Premium subscribers. It’s also now easier to see your rounds and handicap in a single view in the Performance Tab. You can now enter scores with the Versus scorecard, while an added graph displays your average distance to the hole for every approach shot for a single round.
The 19th hole is usually a bar you retire to after a round of golf, but in this case, it’s a handy free app packed with useful features. There is a solid GPS rangefinder, digital scorecard, performance statistics tracking, and the option to check out tee times, find discounts, and book a round on many courses. With a nice, clean interface, the ability to chart your progress, and a lively community, this is a golf app that’s worth checking out. It also supports the Apple Watch, and you can subscribe to unlock more features.
It features a shot tracker for premium pro members, so you can now track individual shots throughout your round to gain advanced club statistics. Golf news is now included in the app, while a new home screen serves as a front page for the latest headlines from the Tour and content from the best instructors. The Handicap Calculator helps you calculate and receive a more accurate handicap that enables competition with all skill levels.
If you just want a relatively no-frills digital scorecard that calculates scores, handicaps, and stats for up to five players, then this app will suit you. It offers satellite images and GPS to help you calculate distances, and it supports side games, but mainly it’s about tracking your strokes. You can also use it to analyze stats or rounds and share them with friends. It supports the new World Handicap System, gross scores in the stats, the ability to view full-round stats in the premium version, a modified Stableford side game, a Pars side game, and the ability to import rounds recorded by friends to your own account. Slope and course ratings are also displayed when selecting tees.
Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app fanatic, her specialties include cross-platform hardware and software, art, design, photography, video, and a wide range of creative and productivity apps and systems. Formerly senior editor at Macworld and creativity editor at The Next Web, Jackie now writes for a variety of consumer tech publications.
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient & Medieval History, which obviously makes him a shoo-in to write about technology for a living. He currently contributes to the Mobile section on Digital Trends, with a particular emphasis and expertise on exploring the weirder side of smartphones, from tiny rugged phones to massive gaming phones. You'll most often find him seeking out leaks and rumors on upcoming devices, and playing with a variety of new apps for both Android and iOS.
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