The last time I checked the app store for a golf app to track my game it was a bit overwhelming. There’s such a choice! So I decided to review some and share my thoughts with you here.
So which to choose? I personally prefer Golfshot as it has some really useful additional features like coaching and you can also submit scores from the app to have your official handicap calculated. Both apps will serve you well though if you just want to use it to track scores and get yardages on holes and club recommendations.
Below I’ve gone into more depth on all the pros and cons, hopefully this helps make your decision easier – there’s nothing worse than investing time and effort in one app only to find there’s a more useful one you should be using!
What Are The Main Features of Golfshot and Hole 19?
A lot of the features are shared across both apps. These features are pretty standard in the Golf GPS spaceso it’s no surprise to see them here. Both apps allow you to measure distance to the hole/hazards using your phones GPS tracker. They help with club selection, based on historic data (assuming you’ve chosen to enter it!)
They also track scoring and statistics for your game allowing you to know where your strengths are and what you need to work on. These statistics include fairways hit, green in regulation, recovery percentage, number of putts and scoring averages for different par holes.
Golfshot also allows you to track your scores with a combination of different scoring methods. You can choose stableford or stroke play. Hole 19 does better in this category though – if your friends have the app you can challenge them to a round and keep track using the matchplay scoring format, the app takes care of all that for you!
If you’re using an iPad or iPhone running iOS 11 or later you’ll also have access to an augmented reality feature on both apps. This is pretty cool, you can use your phone as a viewfinder and the app will automatically point out where all the various hazards are on the hole with distances to each one. Pretty neat! Check out what it looks like in this picture below…
One area where the two apps diverge is in the treatment of handicaps. Golfshot links up with the Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN), which is the official system of the United States Golf Association. This means that any round that you play can be automatically submitted via the app and update your handicap! Obviously this feature only works in the United States.
Hole 19 works slightly differently. It doesn’t have any automated intergration but it does have a feature it calls it’s “Handicap Simulator”. This lets you enter your scores and lets you know what your handicap would be going forward. For some reason this only works in the UK and Europe. I’m not really sure of the reasons but if you’re not in either of those places then it won’t be much use to you!
Golfshot also comes with it’s “Golfplan Instruction” feature. This is an extra add on that’ll cost you $19.99 a year (as of Feb 2021). It gives you access to 400 videos from Revolution Golf that focus on 9 different areas of the game including driving, putting, bunker play etc. Hole 19 doesn’t have anything like this but to be honest, is that what you want from a golf scoring app? I’m not sure I do – you can find hundreds of videos with golf tips on Youtube for free!
Both apps work work on wearables like the Apple Watch and both come pre-loaded with 45,000 courses! Good luck playing them all…!
Which Golf GPS App Is Best?
I personally prefer Golfshot for it’s handicap scoring but as that only works in the US then that might be a bit of a non-issue for some. If you’re in the UK or Europe the handicap features are better on Hole 19. One area Hole 19 definitely excels is the matchplay feature, if you like this scoring system and challenging your friends you should definitely look at that!
Does Hole 19 Calculate Your Handicap?
Hole 19 has a handicap simulator. This works out what your handicap will be for your next round based on the scores you’ve submitted. It doesn’t allow you to submit scores for your official calculation though which makes it a bit less useful than Golfshot.
What’s the Difference Between Golfshot and Golfshot Plus?
Golfshot Plus is the premium features version of Golfshot. It costs $39.99 a year (as of Feb 2021) and lets you see distances to all hazards/targets on teh course (unlike the free version which only shows you distances to the center of the green). It also offers on the spot club recommendations based on your previous performance. Basically, if you’re at all serious about golf I’d highly recommend the plus version of Golfshot over the regular version.
Is Hole 19 Premium Worth It?
Hole 19 Premium costs £39.99 a year (that’s about $55 as of Feb 2021) so it’s a bit more expensive than Golfshot Plus. It’s very UK/Europe centric so if you live in either of those places then yes, I’d probably say it’s worth it when compared to Golfshot Plus. Aside from that the two are very close in performance, it really comes down to where you live!
What Are The Reviews Like?
Hole 19 currently has a rating of 4.3 stars out of 5 on the app store with over 2,100 reviews. Some of the feedback indicates that there have been problems with the app crashing although most of the recent reviews are very positive.
Golfshot has a 4.7 star rating with over 19,100 reviews so you can see it’s far more popular. There are a lot of reviews on the front page indicating people have had issues however. The good news is that the developers are very active in the comments and seem to sort out issues pretty quickly, customer service is so important!
Are These The Only Golf Apps?
No, golf tracking apps are hugely popular and there are many others such as My Online Golf Club, 18 Birdies, Arccos Golf caddie system, not to mention offerings from dedicated golf watches like the Garmins and Shotscopes of the world. The good thing is golf technology is constantly evolving and these systems are continually being updated. In a few years time I’m sure there will be features we never thought we needed.
I’ll still not be hitting the ball straight though!