What is the best FREE GPS golf app?

[MocGolfer]

I searched and if this is already a thread, I didn't find it. So, I ask.

 

What are the good free GPS apps out there? I have android if that matters.

 

Thanks and stay safe.

[Duck Dodgers]

I use SwingU, it also works as a scorecard as well. The GPS ranges are pretty accurate and you can pay for extras like handicap tracking, instructions, more shot data input. 

 

You can save scorecards to go back and review. If you end up paying I believe it can help aid you in determining what club to hit once you add in enough info over a few rounds.

 

But the Free version is good enough for me. 

[damnisuck]

I use MyRoundPro. Totally free. Works with smart watches too. Great on my galaxy active 2.

[Bubbtubbs]

On 8/21/2020 at 8:24 AM, Duck Dodgers said:

I use SwingU, it also works as a scorecard as well. The GPS ranges are pretty accurate and you can pay for extras like handicap tracking, instructions, more shot data input. 

 

You can save scorecards to go back and review. If you end up paying I believe it can help aid you in determining what club to hit once you add in enough info over a few rounds.

 

But the Free version is good enough for me. 

As an example, when viewed in the explore part of the app, the blue tees on one of my local courses read 210 for hole #4, but using the line measurement to the center of the green gives 180 and just past the back edge is 197. 

 

The actual hole measurement to green center is 207 with laser, so what gives? Just GPS inaccuracy?

 

I like the interface but I just want to know it's somewhat reliable before I use it. My guess is I'm somehow doing something wrong.

 

Edit: figured it out. It's measuring to the furthest point away on the fringe and the tee box is probably off by a few yards.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Bubbtubbs

[brew4eagle]

I've tried SkyDroid.  Good interface, but had too many odd yardages which I believe is due to phone vs dedicated GPS differences.  I don't trust the phone apps anymore. 

[nfogle]

18Birdies is great. The free features are better than most the other apps. 

[dubbelbogey]

For pure distances - not scorecard or stroke tracking, I like iGolf Mobile as being the best for the simple, but very important fact that the display of each hole is done with high contrast graphics instead of just an image from  a satellite. When playing during the bright daytime sun, this makes a huge difference. The satellite images are basically just subtle shades of green and brown which are very hard to discern on a phone screen in the sun. This is useful because having the hole displayed can show distances to objects other than the usual front/middle/back green distances. 

 

At least on my Android (a Pixel 2), the distances are quite close to what I get with my rangefinder, so accuracy isn't a problem for me.

 

I don't use the app for score tracking. I prefer a paper scorecard for that, still.

 

Edited September 5, 2020 by dubbelbogey

[Long_Left]

On 8/21/2020 at 6:24 AM, Duck Dodgers said:

I use SwingU, it also works as a scorecard as well. The GPS ranges are pretty accurate and you can pay for extras like handicap tracking, instructions, more shot data input. 

 

You can save scorecards to go back and review. If you end up paying I believe it can help aid you in determining what club to hit once you add in enough info over a few rounds.

 

But the Free version is good enough for me. 

I use the paid SwingU and have since 2017, the developer pays attention to it and updates it regularly. Solid if you like to look at stats trends. Easy to use. Announced yesterday a Strokes Gained interface coming in October...

[chas521]

Hole19 is pretty good.

[Greenie]

I just installed GolfPad last week on my Android. I don't have anything to compare it with but Ilked it. It has a lot of stuff you can input. I'd rather play instead of spend all my time keeping track of everything though.

 

What I liked about it was yardages were spot on to the green. You can bring up the hole and tap on a hazard or spot and it will give you the yardage to that spot and tell you what you have left to the green. It also has a score card to keep your score. It will keep track of all your rounds. The only thing I noticed that wasn't right was time for our round said 3hr 3 mins and my walking ap said 3:48 which was accurate so Golf Pad lost 45 mins somewhere.

[sshadow2]

Believe it or not, Golfnow's GPS is very good. One stop shop for tee times, score cards, and GPS.

 

For GPS with stats, I use "The Grint" on my iPhone. For quick distances, I use Smart Caddie on my smart watch.

Edited October 28, 2020 by sshadow2

[Curmudg3on]

I have a paid subscription to TheGrint and really like it.  The free version is pretty good too.

[lefthack]

I just installed hole 19 and will try it Saturday. I have 18 birdies installed, but have only tried the video swing analysis and that's pretty cool.

[Moby]

18birdies

[leftylama]

Used Hole19 for the first time today, very happy

[ILove2Golf123]

A bunch of my local courses use YamaTrack and it has been really good for me. I don't think it's as big as some of the other apps like 18birdies, but I'd check it out because they seem to have good coverage of smaller local courses.

[scott406]

iGolf

 

Been using it on m IPhone for years

Not sure about Android

Not the fanciest but it works

 

 

 

[NCDuffer]

Golf Pad

[LeoLeo99]

On 10/28/2020 at 9:49 PM, lefthack said:

I just installed hole 19 and will try it Saturday. I have 18 birdies installed, but have only tried the video swing analysis and that's pretty cool.

 

I put my swing and Tony Finau's swing into 18 Birdies swing analysis.  I won.  But it is very cool how it works and rates your swing.

Edited December 6, 2020 by LeoLeo99

[swagee]

On 8/20/2020 at 10:43 AM, MocGolfer said:

I searched and if this is already a thread, I didn't find it. So, I ask.

 

What are the good free GPS apps out there? I have android if that matters.

 

Thanks and stay safe.

I vouch for The Grint.

It’s an all in one app, free to use:

Score keeping

Handicap

GPS, with distance tracking for each club

Community

 

Cheers

Edited December 6, 2020 by swagee

[lefthack]

So I think the club is in a GPS hole. 18birdies has a tough time seeing where I am for the shot tracking. It might just be the app, so I will try another and see if I get better results.

[Mike_Honcho]

use the grint primarily (pro version) but really liked taylormade's myroundpro as well...for some reason, my phone gps and it didn't get along that well, tho 

[bsmithphoto13]

Another for 18Birdies, I have used it on both android and Iphone. Their support is fantastic as well, I have a small muni near my house that was in there but they didnt have all of the tee boxes. I took a picture of the score card, sent them a quick note and within 2 hours they had the course updated and had replied to my note. Highly suggest.

[Sons_of_Pitches]

I have heard good things about the v1 Game App.  I have not personally had a chance to try it yet but I am definitely looking forward to it. 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Sons_of_Pitches

[jordan2240]

Recently installed 18 birdies just to see if I'd like GPS, rangefinder, or nothing, so don't have much experience with it, but have been able to use it twice now, and like it.  Not sure if I'm using it correctly, as I find I have to manually forward to the next hole rather than it automatically knowing where I am, but maybe I'm just not waiting long enough.  On a course I played recently, they rearranged the back nine sometime in 2020, and my buddy's GPS watch got confused, but 18 birdies identified the holes correctly.  And I still had plenty of phone battery left at the end, though we played in about 2.5-3 hours both times.

[Hertsjoatmon]

Another vote for golf pad here. Think I used 18 birdies before, but I have a Galaxy watch and wanted to have the yardages on my wrist. Links perfects (its a paid option but I think golf pad has one of the cheapest pro options as well), I get yardages and i can tap my screen and it records where i took each shot from so I can see my yardages later. Its easy to assign clubs to each shot after as well if you want to keep track of how you are hitting each club.

[TeeJeff]

I've been using InfoTalk Golf GPS on my iphone but it is pretty dodgy (which led me to buy a rangefinder recently).  It freezes intermittently and I get periodic messages telling me I need to upgrade (so much for a free app...).  Not worth the hassle.  In the future, I'll just use it for blind shots over hillcrests.