The best golf GPS apps for Android phones and watches can make the devices designed and built specifically for golf seem unnecessary — especially for casual players who don’t play the game often enough to warrant the purchase of a laser rangefinder or GPS golf watch.
From tracking shots and providing distance feedback to analyzing the hole before you, the suite of available golf GPS apps for Android provides more than gimmickry to make a round more enjoyable and effective.
While there are exceptions, most golf GPS apps for Android devices are free to download and use on a basic level, with more advanced functions and on-course GPS features available for a monthly or yearly subscription fee.
The following collection of the best golf GPS apps for Android takes the rivals in the market and looks to break them down into categories for specific needs. If there are additional costs or subscription levels, we make that clear.
Top 10 golf GPS apps for Android
Best for friendly betting: Skins App
Best for green reading: GolfLogix
Best budget: Shot Tracer
Best for shot tracking: Arccos Caddie
Best for performance tracking: Hole19
Best for affordable launch monitoring: Rapsodo MLM2PRO
Best for golf watch users: Garmin Golf app
Best for Samsung Galaxy users: GolfBuddy
Best for the social golfer: VPAR
Best for the gaming golfer: 18Birdies
Best for USGA handicap: TheGrint
How we chose the best Android golf GPS apps
Though smartphones are now such an expected and established part of our life, it can still be surprising how long some apps have been on the market. For example, the GPS app from Arccos hit the market in 2017 and has undergone upgrades since then. Garmin produced its original GPS golf watch in 2010, adding and refining the accompanying Garmin Golf app to adjust to new technology.
As a result of such history, we’ve had years to study and play with these golf GPS apps over the years. As technology evolves, these apps grow, too, finding new ways to aid the play and enjoyment of a game that’s existed for hundreds of years.
Best for friendly betting: Skins App
Skins App
Benefits
— Track bets and friendly matchplay
— Offers national social interaction
— Chance to win monthly prizes and money
Named after the golf betting game we all know and love… Skins. You know, where you bet money to win the hole and the winner gets the whole pot? This app takes friendly betting on the course to a whole new level.
And with the Skins App, not only can you keep up with your betting game, but it also provides a list of betting games along with their rules and allows for each player in the match to keep up with the game from the palm of their hand.
Simply download the game on your phone to begin playing with your friends. You’ll need to first make a profile that lists your handicap and your home course, and it only takes about 30 seconds to get started.
It uses GPS to locate nearby players and courses, guides you through wagers, and simplifies scorekeeping for the group. You can even invite friends who aren’t with you to watch your round unfold. This app is revolutionizing friendly golf betting. You can download the app at www.skinsapp.com for free. Enjoy winning that money!
Capabilities: Friendly betting, list of betting games + instuctions, peer/player interaction | Subscription fee: No | Additional equipment: No
Best for green reading: GolfLogix
Best for green reading: GolfLogix
Benefits
— Vibrant and intuitive user interface
— Satellite imagery options
— Additional wellness features included
Drawbacks
— $59.99 annual fee
Featuring a bright, colorful, and intuitive user interface, GolfLogix takes the top spot here because it offers the most complete suite of functions of any Android golf GPS app we looked at.
A free download with an annual fee to unlock its total capacity, the GolfLogix app offers accurate GPS shot tracking with slope ratings, a 3D flyover of every hole, club tracking with distance ranging, green putt line reading, scorekeeping, and satellite imaging of golf holes. All of that capability is easily managed via vibrant graphics.
The only real drawback we could find with GolfLogix is the burden of its $59.99 yearly membership fee. In fairness, even that’s nitpicking, as other golf GPS apps have fees running up to around $100.
Capabilities: Visual course coverage, stat tracking to the cloud, satellite imaging | Subscription fee: $12.99/month, $59.99/year | Additional equipment: No
Best budget: Shot Tracer
Best budget: Shot Tracer
Benefits
— Affordable one-time fee
— Effective shot tracing
Drawbacks
— Awkward user interface
In a bit of an ironic twist, Shot Tracer takes home our best budget award — not because it’s free, but because it only requires a low one-time fee of $5.99. Most golf apps, whether for Android or iOS, arrive as free downloads with limited functions, and if you want an app’s complete suite of features, you often have to pay a monthly or annual subscription fee. However, a one-time purchase price of $5.99 gives you full access to Shot Tracer for life.
The Shot Tracer app provides GPS distance to the pin, ball flight tracking on active swings, swing and putt analysis, and 3D golf hole map overlays. The interface is easy to master, making it simple enough to record a video using the app or upload a prerecorded video.
It’s best to keep the camera steady with a tripod or other setup to get the best tracking results when shooting your video. For the clearest videos, position the camera slightly off to the side rather than straight down the target line to ensure the camera maintains a clear view of the ball flight.
Capabilities: Ball flight tracking, swing and putt tracing, 3D map overlays | Subscription fee: $5.99 (one-time fee) | Additional equipment: No
Best for shot tracking: Arccos Caddie
Best for shot tracking: Arccos Caddie
Benefits
— Accurate shot tracking
— Useful for club ranging
Drawbacks
— Requires Arccos Smart Grips or Sensors for best results
— Expensive overall package
The Arccos Caddie app works hand in glove with the Arccos Smart Grips or Sensors — devices attached to your golf clubs that track which club you hit with. The GPS capability of the Arccos Caddie reads the distance of that shot, helping you to range in every club in your bag.
In short, you end up with a clearer idea of how far and how well you strike with every stick you own. In fact, that’s the first priority function of the Arccos system — whether using Smart Grips or Sensors — club ranging and helping you know how far you hit the ball with each stick.
A complete set of Smart Grips costs $300, while individual club sensors cost about $18 each. Even with that expense, you don’t get full app access for free. A one-year membership comes your way as a one-time gift before taking on a $12.99 monthly charge.
Capabilities: Smart Grip club ranging, GPS shot tracking, caddie advisor | Subscription fee: Free for 1 year with purchase, then $12.99 monthly | Additional equipment: Arccos Smart Grips or Sensors
Best for performance tracking: Hole19
Best for performance tracking: Hole19
Benefits
— Accurate GPS and shot tracking
— Stat storage and analysis
— Bright, colorful interface
Drawbacks
— Needs good weather for best function
— Relies on cellphone capability
A free download that requires an annual $49.99 for full function, Hole19 provides highly accurate shot tracking and course layout via GPS. The app is easy to use and navigate, keeps track of your scores, and assembles data to educate you on your game and where you need improvement.
Hole19 stores on-course distance stats and club-by-club ranges — cooking that data down into trend analysis. You can study that data to see how you hit the ball and where you can save lost strokes.
Since many golfers are competitive, Hole19’s Live Leaderboards feature allows you to compete against friends and rivals more easily. You can also share the leaderboard with spectators (or if you’re honest, family members who might care).
Capabilities: GPS shot tracking, live leaderboards, fly overview | Subscription fee: $49.99 per year | Additional equipment: No
Best for affordable launch monitoring: Rapsodo MLM2PRO
Best for affordable launch monitoring: Rapsodo MLM2PRO
Benefits
— Launch monitor function
— Animated shot tracking
— Voice data
Drawbacks
— Requires Rapsodo MLM2PRO launch monitor
There’s good news and bad news with the Rapsodo golf app. Good news first: The free download serves up a bright, intuitive program that tracks every individual shot visually.
The shot data goes into full analysis, with the app presenting multiple reports on various aspects of your game. The app will also talk to you as you practice, announcing your carry, launch angle, and other data as you work it out on the range.
The bad news is for your budget: You need a Rapsodo MLM2PRO launch monitor to make use of the app’s $199.99 annual subscription. Fortunately, the monitor is on the more affordable end of the scale for such devices, costing around $300, and you’ll receive a one-year premium membership to the app with purchase.
Capabilities: Offers swing analysis and coaching, records multiple golf stats | Subscription fee: $199.99/year | Additional equipment: Rapsodo MLM2PRO launch monitor
Best for golf watch users: Garmin Golf app
Best for golf watch users: Garmin Golf app
Benefits
— Works with Garmin Golf watches to record club distances and individual shots
— Records and saves scores for individual use and network competition
— Offers clear course overviews and hole layouts
Drawbacks
— Must own a Garmin Golf watch for the best effect
Garmin’s GPS golf watches tap into the same network planes and marine vessels use to navigate the planet, providing some of the golf world’s most accurate hole lengths and club distances. While a given Garmin watch model will tell how far you are from the pin, the Garmin Golf app stands in to record and save your scores for individual analysis and network sharing.
Obviously, you need to be using a Garmin device to use the Garmin Golf app most effectively. But that’s not exactly a burden, considering Garmin makes some of the best, most cutting-edge GPS golf watches on the market.
Capabilities: Golf watch enhancement, track course position, scorekeeping | Subscription fee: No | Additional equipment: Garmin Golf watch
Best for Samsung Galaxy users: GolfBuddy
Best for Samsung Galaxy users: GolfBuddy
Benefits
— Provides GPS tracking developed for GolfBuddy’s own devices
— Designed specifically for the Galaxy and the Galaxy Watch 4, 5, and 5 Pro
— Works as a set with Android smartwatch app
Drawbacks
— Not universally ideal for all Android devices
GolfBuddy makes its own line of GPS devices that put the company’s golf tracking tech to use. However, it’s an Android app designed ideally for the Samsung Galaxy suite of smartphones, with the Galaxy Watch 4, 5, and 5 Pro offering the same functionality.
Once loaded for the Samsung Galaxy, GolfBuddy tracks your distance to the pin, the length of your shot, and your overall score round to round. Though the GPS was developed for in-house devices, an intuitive interface brings it comfortably into the smartphone and smartwatch worlds.
Capabilities: GPS tracking, smartwatch-friendly | Subscription fee: No | Additional equipment: Ideally for Samsung Galaxy, Galaxy Watch 4, 5, and 5 Pro
Best for the social golfer: VPAR
Best for the social golfer: VPAR
Benefits
— Tournament scoring and tracking
— Built-in social network
Drawbacks
— Overkill for the lone golfer
VPAR separates itself from other golf GPS apps for Android by building its own active and vibrant social network. Beyond tracking every shot and the scores of every round from course to course, VPAR records your scores in an index so you can compare and compete with other contacts in your network.
There are other apps that offer score sharing for friendly competitive or amateur tournament use, but the VPAR community features encourage you to throw a wider net and make golf friends anywhere.
If you’re a more private golfer — the type who enjoys playing alone or just with close friends, lacking the desire to expand your social golf world — there are simpler GPS golf apps for individual users that’ll perform GPS shot tracking just as admirably.
Capabilities: In-app social network, groups, and tournament scoring | Subscription fee: $4.99 per month | Additional equipment: No
Best for the gaming golfer: 18Birdies
Best for the gaming golfer: 18Birdies
Benefits
— GPS tracking and scorekeeping
— Tournament management and in-round games
— AI coaching available
Drawbacks
— Expensive premium fee
— Relies on gambling as an attraction
The designers behind 18Birdies wanted to add some flashy bangs and whistles to its GPS golf app, propelling it past just GPS shot tracking. Once you enter the app, you can add skins to your online identity while making golfing friends worldwide.
You can compete against those friends in person or anywhere in the world through online scoring. If you need a little help in those competitions, 18Birdies also offers AI swing coaching.
In an age where sports gambling runs rampant, 18Birdies nods to the trend with a special function that tracks bets and skins between players in a given foursome or tournament.
Capabilities: In-round games, AI coaching, in-game scorekeeping | Subscription fee: $99.99 per year (for premium) | Additional equipment: No
Best for USGA handicap: TheGrint
Best for USGA handicap: TheGrint
Benefits
— GPS shot tracking and recording
— Calculates USGA handicap
— Affordable annual fee
Drawbacks
— Complicated user interface between smartphone and smartwatch
Available as a free download with a very friendly $19.99 annual subscription fee to unlock all of its features, TheGrint is a golf GPS app for the serious golfer who wants serious and useful features.
In addition to the GPS rangefinder function, TheGrint tracks your scores, statistics, and game improvements. You can also keep your in-round score in real-time, saving that score for later reference with the rest of your 18-hole campaigns.
One uniquely useful feature of even the free version of TheGrint is its ability to calculate and record your official USGA Handicap via your scores the app records. That handicap can then be used at any club or amateur tournament.
Capabilities: GPS shot tracking, records golf rounds to cloud, calculates handicap | Subscription fee: $19.99 per year | Additional equipment: No
The virtual world of golf
In this evolving world of golf technology, it’s interesting to watch how these golf GPS apps for Android build around the essential capability of tracking your distance to the flagstick on a golf hole. Some look to grow your social media family with other golfers, while others introduce coaching and playing tips. The competition between features and intent makes for a healthy variance in function, presenting you with options.
How to pick the right golf GPS apps for you
In most cases, you can enter the golf GPS app for Android market with an expectation to pay some sort of an unlock or subscription fee to enjoy full access and complete functionality. Beyond that and deciding what you want to spend, you need a clear concept of what you want to gain from a golf app aside from the GPS functions. With that in mind, we guarantee an option out there to fit your needs in such a competitive app category.
