Best Golf Apps 2024: Buyer's guide and things you need to know
With thousands of golf apps on the market, the GolfMagic team has picked out seven of the best for 2024.
From shot tracking to handicap registering, there is seemingly a golf app for everything these days. With thousands of options to choose from, the GolfMagic editorial team has combed through the app store to select six of the best golf apps of 2024.
Ranging from free downloads to more substantial investments, we've selected something for everyone, and the best thing is, you don't even have to wait; you can download these all as soon as you've finished reading the guide.
So, without further ado, let's get into the best golf apps of 2024.
Best Golf Apps 2024
Motocaddy GPS App
Key Features:
- GPS information on 40,000 pre-loaded courses
- Offer digital scorecard and stat tracking
- CPR instructions available
Price: Free
Free to use and offering GPS information for over 40,000 courses, the Motocaddy App is by far one of the best apps you can download today.
Featuring key GPS information like front/middle/back pin yardages, hazard information and hole flyovers, it's an ideal tool to help you successfully navigate your way around the course.
The app also allows you to track stats, including fairways hit, greens in regulation and total putts, so you can really dive into how you played after your round.
The user experience on the app is top-notch, and the graphics and overall display are a joy to use.
Proudly supported by Heart Research UK, the app can also indicate the availability and location of on-course defibrillators and provide golfers with Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) instructions to administer to anyone suffering a cardiac arrest whilst playing golf.
So not only can it help shave a few shots off your scorecard, but it could also save your or someone you know's life.
VPAR
Key Features:
- GPS mapping of 40,000 courses worldwide
- Live leaderboard functionality
- Statistical performance analysis
Price: Free - Premium £49.99 per year
VPAR is an excellent app that's packed full of features, including GPS mapping of over 40,000 courses, live interactive leaderboards and statistical analysis with the premium membership.
The GPS mode allows you to navigate thousands of course, with distances to hazards, front, middle and back, and anything else you want to know right at your fingertips. With a premium package the app will also suggest which club to use based on previous performance.
Perhaps our favourite function VPAR offers is the live leaderboard, which allows you to play tournament style matches with your friends and have a single leaderboard which everyone can monitor. The function comes in particularly handy if playing a Ryder Cup style event with numerous groups.
You can also join challenges and and accomplish achievements as well as tracking your stats for every round.
With a premium membership you can also utilise the app on an smartwatch, giving you all of the information you need while your phone is still in your bag.
Arccos Caddie App
Key Features:
- Tour-level performance analytics
- Seamless shot tracking
- Rangefinder capabilities
Price: £229 (With sensors)
One of the industry leaders in shot tracking and performance analysis, Arccos offers tour-level analytics thanks to the use of its app and smart sensors.
The app seamlessly synchronises with Arccos Caddie sensors, offering an incredible combination of features that include automatic shot tracking, rangefinder capabilities, and insights, all powered by cutting-edge A.I.
With over 40,000 pre-loaded courses, getting started couldn't be easier, and once your round is underway, you can leave your phone in your pocket and let the sensors work their magic.
Once you've finished your round, there may be the need for a bit of tweaking of your shots, but on the whole, the app and sensors work seamlessly together to map out every shot you've hit.
Once you're happy that everything looks right, you can really get into the finer details of your game, with a vast range of analytics to pour over, from all of the different strokes gained categories to how far each club in your bag goes, and which ones might be helping or hindering your performance.
If you consider yourself a performance geek and like to really drill down into how and where you can improve, then this really is the app for you.
Remarkably, new users of Arccos improved their handicap on average by 5.7 strokes in the first year of using it. Now, those are some results we can really get behind.
Hole19
Key Features:
- GPS mapping of over 42,000 courses
- Track on-course stats
- Live leaderboards
Price: Free
One of the most popular golf apps on the market, Hole19 offers a staggering amount of features and best of all, it's absolutely free.
Featuring precise GPS mapping of over 42,000 courses, the app can provide the user with accurate yardages to greens, hazards, dog legs, or anywhere you wish to place your marker pin.
The app also allows you to track your on-course stats, including club-by-club distances and even trend analysis to help you better gauge your performance and learn which areas may need more practice than others.
In-app scoring will also allow you to leave your pencil at home. With Hole19's intuitive online scorecard, you can quickly and easily keep score for yourself and your group, without wondering if you wrote down a three or a five when you're checking the scores in the clubhouse.
One of the best features of the app is the live leaderboards. We're all competitive by nature, and with Hole19's live leaderboards, you can track your own game, but also those who may be playing ahead or behind you. An ideal tool for your classic Ryder Cup-style golf weekend, the leaderboards are also shareable, so your friends and family can track how you're getting on during your round.
Hole19 also offers excellent smart watch compatibility, so you can leave your phone in your bag or buggy if you want to.
WHOOP
Key Features:
- Monitors sleep, strain and recovery
- Provides detailed analysis of bodily function
- Coaches you how to better look after yourself
Price: £229 (Annual membership)
If you haven't heard of WHOOP, you probably have seen it. Worn by Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and many other high-profile Tour players, the wearable performance tracker monitors your sleep, strain, recovery and overall health to provide you with an in-depth and personal analysis of how best to train and live to optimise your bodily functions.
With an annual subscription, you will receive a waterproof wearable that can be worn on the wrist or bicep to track biometrics that are key indicators of your health and well-being.
Based on the data collected, WHOOP will coach you how to train and recover more effectively.
Providing a whole host of training and sleep recommendations through the intuitive and easy-to-use app, WHOOP allows you to better understand how your body works and how you should train and recover to optimise your bodily function.
So, if you're a golfer who really wants to ensure you are getting the most out of your body but also your game, WHOOP could be an excellent tool to help you do so.
Golf Now
Key Features:
- Quick and easy way to find a tee time
- Can adjust parameters for price and distance
Price: Free
The perfect tool for finding a course nearby to play, Golf Now is effectively the Airbnb of the golf world.
Simply put in your postcode, price range, and how far you're willing to travel, and Golf Now will show you all the available tee times.
We've lost count of the number of times we've used GolfNow to book a tee time, and once it's linked up with your credit card details, paying for your round is as straightforward as a simple click on a screen.
Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best, and GolfNow is a perfect example of that. Hassle-free tee time booking in the palm of your hand couldn't be easier.
With over 1,700 courses to choose from in the UK and Ireland, it's an ideal tool for those who haven't yet joined a club but want to get out every weekend with their mates.
My EG
Key Features:
- Access your handicap from your phone
- Enter handicap rounds
- Allows cross-border scoring
Price: Free
Introduced by England Golf to allow golfers to access their handicap index on the go, My EG also lets golfers enter rounds to keep their index updated and track their overall playing record on a regular basis.
An essential app for anyone who has a handicap, it's incredibly easy to use and quick and easy to set up.
The app now also allows cross-border scoring, so any rounds played in either Ireland, Scotland or Wales can be uploaded.
For those golfers who aren't members of a course, a handicap is also now available through iGolf for an annual fee of £44. This system allows anyone in England to keep a handicap without having to join a club, and it's a genius way of getting more people into competitive golf.
More Golf Equipment Guides
Johnny joined GolfMagic as Reviews Editor in 2023 having worked for Sports Impact for two years as Head of Social Media, working alongside prominent golf brands including Galvin Green, Motocaddy and Wilson.
