Phone apps are ruining the game

[TeeJeff]

On 8/2/2021 at 11:09 AM, PhilsFanDrew said:

IMO unless you are legit breaking 100 with consistency, you don't need GPS, rangefinder, etc.  I would even say you could lower that to 90 for most people.  It's not lack of knowing the yardage that is causing them to shoot so high it's just lack of skill/consistency of shot shape, hitting OB or hazards, etc).   The other issue beyond being able to hit consistent distances in clubs they are not honest with themselves on what their true carry distance is.  They will go to the range and hit a 7 iron about 10 times and maybe two times actually hit it 150 but consider that their 150 carry club when they go to play.  What good is knowing the yardage if you aren't honest with your ability and picking the right club based on your tendencies?

I think a pro would argue the same thing if you are not breaking 80.  Apps and rangefinders are not the problem.  People are the problem with delays.

[sui generis]

On 6/23/2021 at 8:53 AM, jordan2240 said:

I golf with several people who have apps on their phones for determining distances.  Some also use them to keep score and other stats.  After every hole, they are taking time to poke around on the keypad to enter information, and upon arriving at their ball they are poking around to get the phone to show the distance.  Often, they seem to have some difficulty seeing the screen because of the sunlight.  Then they ponder over club choice (some of them do anyway) and proceed to send the ball rolling along the ground or off in some direction or distance totally off kilter.  All of this poking and pondering slows down the pace of play, and likely provides them with no benefit.  I suspect the same for most hackers out there using phone apps.  I tried '18 birdies' for a couple of rounds, and decided it wasn't for me.  I have a rangefinder that takes me about 10 seconds to use when I find it necessary, and can usually tell my playing partners what distances they have well before they can read it from their phones.  Anyone else find it frustrating to see phones becoming a significant part of the game?

 

Is there ANYTHING about other players which doesn't annoy you? 🙄

[PhilsFanDrew]

11 hours ago, TeeJeff said:

I think a pro would argue the same thing if you are not breaking 80.  Apps and rangefinders are not the problem.  People are the problem with delays.

 My comment about apps/rangefinders wasn't so much regarding it taking too much time as much as it was that I just don't find them to be super beneficial to higher handicaps.  It's certainly not what is keeping them from lowering their handicap.  To me the biggest time wasters are improper use of golf carts (ie waiting for your buddy to hit rather than dropping him off with a club or two and then driving to your ball), looking for errant tee shots, and drinking/shenanigans.