A GPS receiver in your device listens for these signals and when 4 or more of these satellites provide information to your device, it can calculate your current position. The detail of the course is preloaded on your device with the locations of the relevant greens, hazards, and other points of interest.
Most free golf GPS apps are extremely simple and easy to use. All you need to do is enter information relevant to the golf course you are playing at, and it will be displayed on your phone. They are quick and will provide you with clear satellite images of the course. That gives you an advantage and allows you to manage your round more efficiently.
Best Overall: Garmin Approach G80 Golf Course GPS at Amazon. "A full-color handheld GPS device that is perfect for any golfer.". Best App: Arccos 360 Golf Performance Tracking System at Amazon. "Your Accos tracker can let you see a bird’s eye view of the golf course.". Best Voice: GolfBuddy Voice 2 GPS at Amazon.
There are golf apps that allow s you to down the GPS rangefinder feature even on the free version. However, you can upgrade it if you wish. If you want to upgrade it for later and still want to stay on your budget.
Golf GPS allows you to track your location, calculate the distance of your position and the nearest hole. If you are a casual golfer and don't have a caddie with you that knows the course like the back of their hand, then the golf GPS app is your buddy.
In fact, it covers various golf courses that you will not have to worry about searching for compatibility before visiting a golf course. In total, it offers 43,000 courses spread across 200 countries. If you're looking for a global golf app, this one certainly meets all the requirements.
If you prefer that, you should take a look at 18 Birdies. In total, the app covers over 6,000 golf courses for your next tee times. The app stands out due to its crystal-clear satellite view. Additionally, it provides you with yardage information. The clean design and social networking is another reason why you should go for it. With the confluence of all these features, it is undoubtedly one of the best golf apps on offer.
The best way to amalgamate technology into golf sports is to use golfing apps. We're not just speaking about any golfing app but rather GPS app. These allow you to monitor your position on the course consistently. Additionally, the GPS app alerts you to the nearby holes as well.
With over 8000 courses on offer, finding a compatible golf course near you is not going to be difficult. The list of courses is ever-expanding.
Most of the apps are free. There are golf apps that allow s you to down the GPS rangefinder feature even on the free version. However, you can upgrade it if you wish. If you want to upgrade it for later and still want to stay on your budget. You can also check its upgraded price before downloading. And upgraded features provide you more options than the free one.
Compatibility. Golf GPS apps are different from one another. It offers different kinds of features that can best be suited for different player profiles. Aside from looking at the various features, the app you choose should be compatible with android and iOS smartphones at the minimum.
Golf GPS apps provide course insights at a fraction of the price of working with a caddy. By knowing your precise location on the course, including the distance to the green and the hazards in the way, you can select the best club for the shot and better plan your strategy to the green.
In contrast to the typical 2D bird’s eye cartoon or satellite view found on even the best apps, the FunGolf GPS app delivers a more detailed rendering with 3D qualities and true depth. With your Apple Watch or iPhone, you can use the app to view detailed images of the golf course you’re playing, as if you were viewing from a helicopter hovering above the fairway.
Best Overall: Golfshot . The Golfshot app is easily one of the best golf apps out there whether you’re a casual links lover or a serious golfer. The app, which is available for Android, Apple, Apple Watch, and Android Wear, has both free and Pro features.
Hole19 also has a great scorecard function that looks professional and fun, more at home on a professional sports app than a free golf one. You can book times and tie your game into social media with ease as well. It’s simply fun, free, and can help your game.
TheGrint is a fun and easy-to-use golf GPS app that makes keeping track of your handicap simple. Built into the app is a free Golf Handicap Tracker that provides you with valid handicaps for USGA-registered golf clubs. This means you can quickly find your or your friends' handicaps and set a concrete goal for yourselves.
Available for Apple and Android mobile devices, including watches, Hole19 provides a high-quality golf GPS app for free. There is a wide range of golf GPS apps that are free or at least partially free, and Hole19 is no exception with a premium stat-tracking function, but what sets this app apart from the rest is the excellent user-interface and intuitive, stylish design.
While most golf GPS apps simply use the phone as the proxy for the ball's location, finding your location and tracking the shots based off of the phone, there are also outside devices that can be used for improved accuracy.
It comes with 40,000 pre-loaded courses from around the world and quickly tells you your location and distance to the green. The battery can last up to 10 hours as a golf GPS device and 10 days as a simple watch. Additionally, the screen is made for use in bright, sunny conditions.
Simple and efficient, the best audio GPS for golf on the market is the GolfBuddy Voice 2 G PS. This GPS is a small electronic device that can tell you how far you have to the pin in 11 different languages, as well as display the information on the small black and white screen. This small device can be kept in a bag, pocket or cart and tells golfers what their distance is to the front, middle and back of the green is.
If you don’t want to carry a GPS in your hand or on your wrist, use the Bushnell Phantom Golf GPS. Designed to be left attached to a cart via its attached clip, the Bushnell device lets you keep your hands free. This GPS unit has almost 40,000 courses pre-loaded and a 10-hour battery life.
With an eagle-eye view, this device lets you zoom in, so you know the distance you need for a birdie. You can update this GPS wirelessly via WiFi.
There are a lot of watches out there that work great for golf, but the Garmin Approach S60 GPS watch is the best. This sporty Garmin watch has a high-quality touchscreen display to show you the green, water hazards, bunkers and fairway, all in full color.
This compact device is pre-loaded with more than 38,000 courses and can hold up to 40,000. There are no fees for any aspect of the Golf Buddy Voice 2. It's a great tool for senior golfers as well as multilingual foursomes. You can play multiple rounds of golf on a single charge.
Based on our own testing, research, and experience, here are our top selections:
There are many golf GPS apps available for Android, and because they all essentially do the same thing, knowing which one to choose isn’t always easy. This guide will provide you with the education you need in that regard.
Merely estimating the distance to the green, hazards and other locations on the golf course will only get you so far.
Most free golf GPS apps are extremely simple and easy to use. All you need to do is enter information relevant to the golf course you are playing at, and it will be displayed on your phone. They are quick and will provide you with clear satellite images of the course. That gives you an advantage and allows you to manage your round more efficiently.
Another excellent free golf GPS app is 18 Birdies. It provides you with crystal clear satellite images of the golf course and works fast. The app displays information on distances from the front, middle, and back of the green, and you can also adjust the target to attain key distance information. The app’s design is intuitive, and you won’t experience any lag or bugs on the course.
You get an abundance of useful features from free golf GPS apps, including letting you book tee times, setting up your scorecard, sharing your scores, and keeping tabs on your shot distances. That is a massive help to you on the golf course and can be the difference between a good score and a poor one. The best part is that these free golf GPS apps help improve your game.
The 3 Best Free Golf GPS Apps. 1. The Grint. 2. 18 Birdies. 3. Golf Logix. Our Final Thoughts. The market for free golf GPS apps is enormous, and it can take you hours to search for the best free golf GPS app. They are popular among players of all skill levels as they provide you with accurate information regarding your distances on the green.
The app works brilliantly as a GPS device on the golf course , but they offer graphical representations rather than using satellite images. You can also alter your target easily and get displayed information for all points to the green.
Some free golf GPS apps have locked features for premium users, meaning you would have to pay to access them. While that isn’t a deal-breaker, it is not ideal for players who don’t want to spend extra money on golf apps. Therefore, we selected the apps that offered the best value for money when it comes to their free features.
The types of devices allowed are both standalone devices (laser rangefinder, GPS watch, handheld GPS) and multi-functional devices ( mobile phones, tablets).
USGA rule 4.3 states a player may use a device that is capable of operating a prohibited function, provided these specific functions are not accessed by the player during the round. "Access" is interpreted to mean that the player has viewed or otherwise used the information generated by a prohibited function, or the player uses a device where such out put is displayed.
For the longest time USGA rule 14.3 deemed it illegal to use laser or GPS rangefinders during tournament play or rounds posted to your handicap. There were a few revisions throughout the years that allowed devices under certain conditions or local rules. In 2006 the rule was adjusted to allow for distance devices only. In 2016 the device in addition to distance could measure slope, wind speed, and other plays like features. These additional features must be disabled or turned off during competition play. This rule still holds true today.
If you're playing in a tournament or posting a round, the Golf Pad GPS app features that do not conform to the USGA rules can be turned off using Golf Pad's Regulation mode.
The ExpertGPS help file has complete details about preparing and geo-referencing your maps for use within the program. The Tracking feature in ExpertGPS uses your GPS receiver as an antenna, and turns your laptop into a moving-map GPS display. This would allow you to view your current location over all of your engineering drawings.
That’s probably an easier path, and you can do all of this using ExpertGPS Pro and your GPS receiver. ExpertGPS can import (and export) all of your CAD and KML files, and you can use the JPEG files with the scanned maps feature. You can use the Scanned Maps feature in ExpertGPS to display digital charts, USGS DRGs, or your own scanned paper maps.