January 2012 – unbiased reviews, ratings and rankings of iPhone golf GPS applications. Our editors test and compare the best iPhone golf GPS applications for 2012 head-to-head. We focus on applications that provide access to a professionally-mapped database of courses, as well as some that require users to map the courses themselves, apps that use the oobgolf course database (which is based on user-generated mapping). We do not review those iPhone golf apps that are limited to tracking scoring only. One note of caution: all iPhone golf GPS applications will burn through battery life QUICKLY, and it is possible to drain a fully charged iPhone battery during the course of a round. So make sure you show up with a fully charged battery, and take a few minutes to modify your iPhone settings to preserve battery life – read our intro to iPhone golf GPS applications for more tips on how to conserve battery life. We highly recommend picking up an iPhone battery pack – check out our reviews of iPhone battery packs (you will see that we are partial to the Mophie Juice Pack
Golfshot sets itself apart from competitors with its satellite images and exceptional user interface and statistics capabilities (viewable both on the iPhone and online). Without a doubt, this application holds a clear edge on all others.
Price: $29.99
Download Golfshot from iTunes
Score
93
Grade
A-
A great overview of holes, with all hazard distances viewable on the satellite image, solid statistics tracking and a sweet price point ($9.99!) make this application difficult to resist – just make sure the courses you play are available before purchasing.
Price: $9.99
Download AirVue from iTunes
Score
89
Grade
B+
A very polished interface and a perfect score in our course coverage test are the strengths of the GolfLogix application. But lack of ability to control the view displayed and a steep price tag temper our enthusiasm.
Price: Free 24-hour trial, $39.95 yearly thereafter
Download GolfLogix from iTunes
Score
87
Grade
B+
The GolfLink iPhone app is a recent release from the online golf portal of the same name. While it seems with this introduction that GolfLink is trying to grow beyond being a mere content provider, the level of quality of the app tells us that this might just be, like Steve Jobs would say about the AppleTV, “a hobby.”
Download Golflink from iTunes
Score
85
Grade
B
Covers the basics of satellite images and distances to targeted points, but has a terrible interface for tracking statistics. Adds features other apps don’t have, but ViewTi 2010 needs to fix the core functionality first.
Price: $29.99
Download ViewTi 2010 from iTunes
Score
83
Grade
B-
Satellite images and statistics tracking make ViewTi worth checking out. But the loading time required for each new view, combined with a confusing variation in hole orientations during play, kept us from rating it higher.
Price: $28.99
Download ViewTi from iTunes
Score
80
Grade
B-
An augmented reality iPhone golf GPS app?! Yup, it’s true. The good news is when it’s working it’s a pretty nifty app to show off to your friends. The bad news is that the current version is riddled with bugs. We would love to spend more time, but we’ll wait until the app is more stable.
Price: $19.99
Download Golfscape from iTunes
As hard as we tried, we never could get this app to launch successfully, receiving a variety of error messages upon launch. At least there is a 24-hour trial so players can see if the app works for them before purchase. And if you succeed, you get the pleasure of paying a blistering $50 yearly to access the iGolf GPS database, the highest-priced iPhone golf GPS app tested.
Price: Free for the basics, $50 per year for GPS functionality
Download iGolf Golf GPS for iPhone from iTunes
With a combination of extremely sparse course coverage and an interface that isn’t quite as polished as others, Orrie Golf is going to struggle against both paid and free competition. We mapped a course in our area via the Orrie Golf website, but were unable to access it for play. Sad to say, we can’t even get this app started.
Price: $9.99
Download Orrie Golf from iTunes
We attempted a number of times to test Sonocaddie for the iPhone, only to find that it does not work on the new iPhone OS4.0. Most iPhone golf GPS app companies have been quick to make this transition to the latest operating system, and we take this as a bad sign of how the Sonocaddie app was developed. We’re going to wait for availability o the latest OS arrives before reviewing.
Price: $34.99
Download Sonocaddie from iTunes
TeeDroid lacks the satellite or hole graphics that all other paid apps reviewed by Critical Golf provide, and has consistently been one of the least stable apps tested. The good news is that you have 45 days to demo the app for free before deciding not to pay the annual fee.
Price: $19.95 per year
Download TeeDroid from iTunes
