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Range finders have been used for awhile to help golfers determine distance to the hole, choose which club to pull out of the bag and decide whether to go for the green or play it safe around bunkers or water hazards. But it’s no longer necessary to carry a separate piece of equipment for the job. Now, smartphones can do the same thing – and most golfers already carry a cell phone to the course. One less thing in the golf bag to worry about.

Finding Courses With Apps

Smartphones like Android phones give golfers access to apps that can instantly find the distance to the hole. But there are many other ways golfers can benefit from carrying a smartphone to the course. GPS systems can help golfers find those hidden gems while on vacation and looking for a great place to take a shot. Also, apps are available, such as Golf Logix, that help you find top rated courses, inexpensive courses, courses with driving ranges or putting greens and courses off the beaten path.

Booking Courses With Apps

Many courses around the country are posting discounts for online users, allowing you to receive emails via the smartphone and book tee times for as little as 40 to 50-percent off regular rates. Some courses also offer a virtual tour of the course online, and many also post par scores and details about the yardage and conditions you can expect to face at each hole. With this information on hand, you can always get the best prices for the best courses, and often can get hard-to-find tee times at popular courses.

This takes the guesswork out of choosing where to play and when, especially when you’re on the road for a business trip or vacation. Get the best deals, choose ideal tee times, have reservations booked ahead of time and get to know the course – all from the convenience of the smartphone. Many courses allow golfers to pay for the round online, speeding the process when you arrive and are ready to check in and tee off. Try U.S. Golf Courses app, among others.

Preparing for Golf With Apps

For golfers who are also concerned with the conditioning it requires to stay competitive, apps are available to help keep up with training goals and achievements. Get apps to aid with workout sessions, track progress and help you determine how much the program is helping your golf game – which is the important part. There are also apps to help you determine what equipment best suits your game. Take a look at Golf Genie Practice Drills Pro, among others.

Keeping Up With the Pros

Also from the smartphone, keep up with pro golf events, find local tournaments to watch or participate in and get all the news on your favorite players. Smartphone shopping allows you to get the best deals on the newest golf merchandise, as well. And all this while keeping you in touch with the office and family.

Smartphones also help you keep track of practice lessons and tee times. Just as the phone became the go-to device for managing work and juggling family responsibilities, it is quickly becoming indispensable on the course. A recent informal survey turned up that there are no golf courses in the U.S. that disallow cell phone use on the course. However, it’s good etiquette to keep the phone on vibrate, especially when around tee boxes. While technology marches on, rules of etiquette still remain the same.

Wouldn’t it be nice to just pull out your smartphone on the golf course and quickly know how far you are from the cup? Who needs caddies when you have a great golf app?

The App industry has already teed off. GolfLogix is the leading app producer in golf. They just signed seven-time PGA tour winner Zach Johnson. He will wear their logo and market their golf App. The App finds courses and measures distances. As Johnson says, “knowing the exact distance to a pin and other locations from tee to green drastically improves my course management and, in turn, my ability to score.” But of course, the App is not limiting its functionality. Johnson says GolfLogix offers an “amazing array of free services” so that ordinary golfers are beamed tour-quality information.

Golfers cannot escape this alluring opportunity by just changing smart phones. The GolfLogix GPS App is compatible with over 60 smart phone models. It provides imagery of each hole, keeps score, and includes statistical tracking. There is already the ability to examine each pin placement, hazard locations, and landing zones. The statistical analysis will probably soon track who was closest to the pin on a par 3, who had the longest drive, and who was closest to the middle of the fairway. It will probably soon allow you to count strokes of others in your foursome. Then somebody is going to storm off the course when past suspicions are now confirmed. Increased acrimony is just a download away.

If you read the whole article, you’ll see that not everyone is pleased about apps on the golf course. It slows down play. But if this can help you pick the right club, who care – right?