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By Scott Stallings, PGA Tour rookie
Even PGA Tour pros can use a little help sometimes. I've tried, well, pretty much all of the golf apps out there for iPhones. Here are my top five picks – the ones I use every week – to track my stats, improve my swing, and stay connected to the game.
The app: The Rules of Golf
What it promises: All the rules and regulations you need to know to play the game.
Cost: $3.99
What I like about it: Every golfer needs this. I play in a ton of pro-amateur events every year and see countless amateurs make mistake after mistake, simply because they don't know the rules. I like that the app gives you the ability to click on certain key terms to get a better understanding of the rule.
What I don't like about it: The search function isn't always reliable.
The app: The official PGA Tour app
What it promises: Stay up to date with everything that is going on in professional golf, from players' scores to tee times to stats.
Cost: Free
What I like about it: Very simple to use. You can make your own leaderboard and track only the players that you care to know about. I use it everyday to track myself.
What I don't like about it: The shot tracker feature, which lets you follow every shot as it's made, is only available on a computer, not on a mobile device.
The app: V1 Golf
What it promises: Capture your swing on video to analyze it and compare it to PGA Tour players' swings.
Cost: $4.99
What I like about it: The app gives you help from an instructor's perspective. It gives you tools like plane lines so you can see where your swing goes wrong, and super slow motion so that you can fix flaws easily. The app also allows you to send your swing video to any device (with the same software) and view it instantly.
What I don't like about it: The app on the phone is great, but the screen is a little small. I use it with my coach but we take the advice with a grain of salt. The results completely depend on how accurate your video is and the correct positioning of your camera. If you don't get those right, your swing may look different than it really is.
The app: myGolfStats
What it promises: Record your game stats just like the pros.
Cost: $2.99
What I like about it: The app is great for keeping all your stats (drives, putts, etc.) along with your score on each hole during a round. It keeps a record of all your shots and gives you a running total as well as a final number after play. Stats are a huge part of improving your game. My coach and I use this app every week to help find where my game needs work. (The numbers never lie.)
What I don't like about it: MyGolfStats won't store information for more than one round at a time. After you complete a round and you get your final stats, when you exit the app that round is gone. The ability to store more data would make this app a must-have, but right now you have to do some of the work.
The app: Golfshot GPS
What it promises: Track your shots with real-time GPS navigation on any course.
Cost: $29.99
What I like about it: The GPS is pretty cool. You can add courses in a matter of seconds, keep running stats of your round, and see the hole layout right in front of you with all of the numbers that a PGA tour caddie would give you. There's no annual fee and you can upgrade the app at no additional charge. The price seems high but it's cheap compared to buying a handheld GPS device.
What I don't like about it: You can't move the flag location on the greens – it always defaults to the center of the green. Also, be careful! This one will drain your battery.
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