The Best Golf Apps: All the tech you need to know about right now
Whether you want to get better, get a read or get a tee time, GolfMagic breaks down the essential apps you should be downloading right now.
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.
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 currently out there, starting with our very favourite of the lot.
The best golf app of 2025
Arccos Caddie
Key Features:
- Tour-level performance analytics
- Seamless shot tracking
- GPS capabilities
Price: £224.99 (Includes a one-year membership to the app)
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's sensors, offering an incredible combination of features that include automatic shot tracking, rangefinder capabilities, and insights, all powered by cutting-edge A.I.
Arccos also boasts a GPS feature with 40,000 pre-loaded courses. Once your round is underway, you can leave your phone in your pocket and let the sensors work their magic, while for an even more seamless experience, the optional Arccos Link Pro can do all the hard graft while you leave your phone in your bag.
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. Remarkably, new users of Arccos improved their handicap on average by 5.7 strokes in the first year of using it.
As an all-encompassing experience inclusive of coaching, feedback and all the on-course help you need from an app, there's no doubt Arccos sets the benchmark right now.
The best golf GPS apps
Hole19
Key Features:
- GPS mapping of over 42,000 courses
- Track on-course stats
- Live leaderboards
Price: Free (premium £59.99/year)
Long one of the most popular golf apps on the market, Hole19 offers a staggering amount of features even in its free version.
Featuring precise GPS mapping of over 42,000 courses, the app provides accurate yardages just about anywhere you have phone signal, while the free app also provides digital scoring and live, real-time leaderboards for those golfing with a larger group of mates.
For those more serious about their game, the fairly reasonable premium subscription allows you to dive deeper on your analytics, providing club-by-club distances, trend analysis, an in-built caddie with club recommendations and even its own (unofficial) handicap calculator.
Fully smartwatch-compatible, the free version provides yardages and scoring direct on your wrist meaning you can leave your phone in your bag without any worries. There's no wonder it's beloved by almost 5 million golfers worldwide.
18Birdies
Key Features:
- GPS mapping of over 42,000 courses
- In-built analytics, coaching plans and practice tips
- Free in-app handicapping
Price: Free (premium $99.99/year)
Built with the express intention of being the world's smartest digital caddy, 18Birdies has evolved over the years from a simple GPS app to something so much more. In addition to its core functions as a digital rangefinder and scorecard app, 18Birdies harnesses the power of AI and analytics to provide feedback and devise coaching plans taylored to your specific needs.
It also offers a unofficial in-app handicap as a free service, which is a nice bonus
Those who upgrade to the premium service will get even more insights to drill into the specifics of their game, as well as an arsenal of tools to help you on the course including 3D green mapping, pro tips on making specific shot types, and real-time club recommendations.
VPAR
Key Features:
- GPS mapping of 40,000 courses worldwide
- Live leaderboard functionality
- Statistical performance analysis
Price: Free (premium £49.99/year)
Billed as the original GPS app, 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.
While the VPAR app is amply equipped at its free spec, the premium service allows even more fun, with live club recommendations, an array of further game settings, scoring modes and side games, and smartwatch integration.
The best golf apps for coaching and feedback
CORE
Key Features:
- Effective, accessible coaching plans for everyone
- In-built practice sessions to make every range session worthwhile
Price: £26.49/year
Developed by the same team that brought us Hole19, CORE is designed to make proper golf coaching simple, affordable and more accessible for those who might not have the time or money to invest in a proper coach.
Coming out of the box with more than 15 different coaching plans to help improve a variety of different game types, CORE also learns about your game as it goes to provide personalised coaching plans and practice sessions. Golfers can also hand select from over 100 different drills to build their own plan from scratch, and use the app's built in analysis software to provide real-time feedback on videos taken on your phone's camera.
Considering you get all this for under a fiver a month, we're hard pressed to think of many better investments you can make in your game right now.
Me and My Golf
Key Features:
- An array of coaching plans
- Golf-centric strength and fitness programs
- Plans address a range of swing types
- Library of coaching videos and pro tips
Price: From £99/year
Far be it from us to sound like fanboys, but the Me and My Golf app, built to house the coaching plans devised by the ever-popular YouTube PGA Pros Andy Proudman and Piers Ward, really works.
Having started from humble beginnings as an online space housing Andy and Piers' Break 100, 90 and 80 coaching plans, it has since evolved to become perhaps the most comprehensive library of coaching content anywhere on the internet.
Subscription to the app provides access to almost 20 long-term coaching plans centred around different goals, swing types and fault fixes, with expert tips and tailored practice sessions aimed at helping you become a better golfer, quicker.
Focusing as much on the physical and mental side of the game as the technical stuff, it also includes golf-oriented fitness plans based around improving strength and flexibility to get you feeling better and hitting it further.
For those wanting to really invest in their game, the app's upper subscription tiers provide access to Arccos sensors, VIP groups, private swing analyses and even a personal in-person coaching clinic with Andy and Piers themselves.
iGolf
Key Features:
- A simple, easy way to get and maintain an official handicap
- Detailed scoring and up-to-date course handicaps wherever you're playing
- Partner score tracking
Price: £46/year
For UK-based players, iGolf introduces a new and easy-to-manage service that allows anyone, regardless of whether they're a member of a club or not, receive an official WHS handicap, certified for use both by the R&A and USGA.
The service costs just £46/year and includes access to the MyEG app, making managing your official handicap a breeze— you simply nominate your chosen rounds, input your scores and let England Golf do the rest. A detailed chart keeps track of your score history and handicap as it (hopefully) comes down, while you can follow your friends to keep track of their own play.
The app also allows for detailed shot scoring, with in-built analysis to help you dial in on where you can improve next time out.
WHOOP
Key Features:
- Monitors sleep, strain and recovery
- Provides detailed analysis of bodily function
- Coaches you how to better look after yourself
Price: From £169/year
If you haven't heard of WHOOP, you've probably 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 provides real-time feedback on how your body is operating there and then, giving you the insights you need on whether to push your training harder, stay the course or get some R&R.
Now available in three different subscriptions, all three tiers of the WHOOP membership offer the strain and recovery analysis the service is known for, while the recently introduced WHOOP Life subscription beefs up the band's capabilities to provide real-time readings on heartbeat, blood pressure and ECG—great for older golfers wanting to keep on top of their health.
The best golf apps for finding tee times
GolfNow
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, GolfNow is effectively the Airbnb of the golf world.
Simply put in your postcode, price range, and how far you're willing to travel, and GolfNow 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 and great discounts, placed free and directly in your palm of your hand.
With thousands of courses to book in the US, UK, Ireland and further abroad, it's an ideal tool for those who haven't yet joined a club but want to get out every weekend with their mates.
Brad Nash is Reviews Editor at GolfMagic, having joined the team in June 2025 to look after all things reviews, soft goods testing and equipment alongside Equipment Editor Tom. Primarily a writer, you may see him pop up in videos or on the GolfMagic socials from time to time.
