Golf app comparisons
Grassy unusually combines course rankings, friend-led discovery, and full-round Course GPS, currently in beta. Other apps focus on watch tracking, handicap administration, games, or deep performance analysis. These guides show where each product fits.
The Grassy access model
Most major apps reviewed keep at least one of plays-like guidance, club recommendations, in-round planning tools, or green-reading maps in a paid tier. All current Grassy Course GPS Beta planning tools are included for everyone: hazard and layup targets, both-leg distances, adaptive arcs, plays-like guidance, club suggestions, scoring, and supported-course 3D terrain and LiDAR Green Books.
Grassy Course GPS is in beta and currently on iPhone. Course eligibility, conditions, terrain, and green detail vary. Competitor entries summarize the official sources linked below; confirm current tiers with each developer.
| App | Basic GPS and scoring | Hazard and layup planning | Plays-like and club guidance | Green and 3D maps | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GrassyOfficial evidence | Included for everyone: live front, middle, and back yardages plus scoring. | Included: draggable hazard and layup targets, both-leg distances, and adaptive arcs. | Included: available wind, elevation, temperature, and altitude, plus club suggestions. | Supported-course 3D hole terrain and LiDAR Green Books are included for everyone. | Ranking-first course identity, social discovery, and advanced GPS on iPhone. |
| 18BirdiesOfficial evidence | Free GPS, scoring, hazards, layups, carries, and targets. | Hazards, layups, carries, and targets are free; distance arcs are in Premium. | Plays Like distances and club recommendations are listed in Premium. | 3D Green Maps are listed in Premium. | Games, practice, digital-caddie guidance, and a broad improvement suite. |
| TheGrintOfficial evidence | Free front, center, and back GPS, hazards, layup markers, arcs, tracking, and scorecard. | Hazards, layup markers, and distance arcs are part of the rebuilt free GPS. | No current official weather or elevation Plays Like app claim was found. | Green Maps have limited free trials before Pro. | Existing official Index workflows, mature stats, watches, groups, games, and rankings. |
| GolfshotOfficial evidence | Free center-green distance, scoring, manual tracking, stats, and 3D previews. | Hazard and target distances plus pan and zoom are listed in Pro. | Club recommendations are listed in Pro; this guide makes no plays-like claim. | 3D previews are free; Green Maps are listed in Pro. | Pro watch-led tracking, swing analysis, and post-round performance tools. |
| Arccos CaddieOfficial evidence | AI GPS Rangefinder and mapped-shot experience within the Arccos hardware and membership ecosystem. | AI Strategy promotes personalized club recommendations and precise targets based on tracked performance. | Arccos promotes adjusted yardage using wind, slope, temperature, humidity, altitude, and related conditions. | Green Maps are promoted alongside shot maps and tracked-round analytics; confirm current membership and hardware access. | Automatic shot tracking, AI strategy, smart club distances, and strokes-gained analysis. |
| Garmin GolfOfficial evidence | Phone scoring and stats are available without a Garmin golf device; on-course distances vary by compatible device. | Approach watches range from green and hazard distances to higher-level PlaysLike and club guidance. | Available on selected Approach watches and listed for specified compatible watches with Golf Membership. | Green Contours and Premium CourseView Maps are listed with membership for compatible products. | Garmin watches, handhelds, rangefinders, tracking sensors, and launch-monitor workflows. |
| Bushnell GolfOfficial evidence | Free front, middle, and back yardages plus hazards, layups, doglegs, scoring, and manual shot marking. | Free hazard and layup references; Golf Plus lists tap-to-point slope GPS and 3D flyovers. | Golf Plus lists slope-adjusted GPS, while conditions-based features vary by connected Bushnell device. | 3D virtual views, approach heat maps, putt breaks, flyovers, and daily pins are listed in Golf Plus. | Golfers whose rangefinder, GPS watch, handheld, or speaker anchors their course setup. |
| Blue Tees GAMEOfficial evidence | Front, center, and back yardages plus dynamic hazards are documented for 42,000+ courses; confirm Guest and Member access in-app. | Dynamic hazards, flyover maps, one-tap shot tracking, and AI approach assistance are promoted; the official tier table is ambiguous. | True Distance uses slope, wind, temperature, humidity, and elevation; confirm current membership access. | Flyover maps, 3D round playback, shot dispersion, and analytics are promoted within the complete-experience membership page. | Apple Watch, USGA score posting, performance analytics, and connected Blue Tees gear. |
| Hole19Official evidence | Free GPS yardages, scorecard, community features, and draggable target measuring. | Free map measuring shows target and target-to-green distance; labeled hazards and in-round arcs are listed in Premium. | Plays Like distances and club recommendations are listed in Premium. | Free aerial Flyover preview; no green-contour or true 3D terrain claim. | Multi-platform phone and watch use plus downloaded-course offline access. |
| SwingUOfficial evidence | Free GPS rangefinder, scorecard, and basic stats; the product page also promotes green and hazard distances plus shot tracking. | Advanced caddie and planning guidance are listed in Plus. | Wind, elevation, Plays Like distances, and club recommendations are in Plus. | Green Maps are listed in Plus. | Coaching, strokes-gained analysis, devices, and game improvement. |
| GolfLogixOfficial evidence | Free slope-adjusted GPS yardage, basic measuring, and four-player scorecards. | Immersive 3D and flyover planning are listed in Premium Membership. | Slope-adjusted yardage is free; this guide makes no wind or temperature claim. | 3D, approach heat, green, and putt-line tools are listed in Premium Membership. | Immersive course views, green reading, tracking, and Apple Watch. |
| Golf PadOfficial evidence | Free aerial maps, basic GPS, scoring, manual tracking, stats, and leaderboards. | Free any-point measuring covers bunkers and water; fuller watch tools are Premium. | Plays Like distance and club recommendations are listed in Premium. | Green contour maps are listed in Premium. | Flexible tracking, multi-platform use, leaderboards, and integrations. |
| GHINOfficial evidence | Standard GPS for eligible members has 3D color maps, touchpoint, and center distance. | The paid Enhanced GPS add-on adds front and back distance and a movable hole. | No current official weather or elevation Plays Like claim was found. | The paid Enhanced GPS add-on adds approach heat and putt-break maps. | Official Handicap Index, score posting, statistics, games, and groups. |
| ForeFunOfficial evidence | Free front, center, and back yardages, score tracking, targets, and hazards. | Target planning plus bunker and hazard distances are free. | The pricing section lists Play Like elevation and wind guidance in Premium; hero copy calls it free. Confirm in-app. | The pricing section lists AI green contours in Premium; hero copy calls them free. Confirm in-app. | Broad free GPS planning, phone and Apple Watch access, and optional analytics. |
Primary GPS and scoring set
These products compete most directly across GPS, scoring, planning, tracking, handicap, performance, or wearable workflows.
Grassy vs. 18Birdies
18Birdies presents a broad game-improvement platform with free basic GPS and scoring plus advanced caddie, map, practice, game, and wearable tools across its tiers. Grassy combines Course GPS Beta and scoring with course ranking, discovery, and a social record of the places you play.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. TheGrint
TheGrint now overlaps broadly with Grassy across GPS, scoring, course discovery, golfer-built rankings, and social play, while adding linking and score posting for an existing official Handicap Index, mature statistics, games, groups, and watches. Obtaining or maintaining that Index membership is separate. Grassy remains ranking-first and includes advanced Course GPS Beta planning and supported-course LiDAR and 3D tools for everyone.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. Golfshot
Golfshot emphasizes GPS, scoring, statistics, wearable features, Pro automatic shot tracking with a compatible watch, and swing analysis across its tiers. Grassy centers course ranking and discovery while bringing Course GPS Beta, advanced planning, and scoring into the round.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. Hole19
Hole19 presents a mature multi-platform round companion with free GPS, yardages, scoring, and community features, plus advanced tools in Premium. Grassy combines Course GPS Beta with course ranking, discovery, and friend activity on iPhone.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. SwingU
SwingU centers GPS, scoring, performance analysis, coaching, and game improvement across phones and watches. Grassy connects Course GPS Beta and scoring to a ranked, social record of the courses an iPhone golfer plays.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. GolfLogix
GolfLogix emphasizes immersive 3D and VR course views, slope-adjusted GPS, green-reading tools, tracking, and Apple Watch use through its membership offering. Grassy connects Course GPS Beta and scoring to course ranking, discovery, and friends on iPhone.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. Golf Pad
Golf Pad offers broad free basic GPS, scoring, manual shot tracking, statistics, and live leaderboards across iOS and Android, with advanced guidance and integrations in Premium. Grassy connects Course GPS Beta to course rankings, discovery, scoring, and friends on iPhone.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. GHIN
GHIN is the USGA’s official Golf Handicap Information Network service for participating golf associations and combines score posting, statistics, games, group scoring, and GPS tiers. Grassy connects Course GPS Beta and scoring to personal course rankings, discovery, and friends on iPhone.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. ForeFun
ForeFun offers a broad free GPS foundation with green yardages, target and hazard planning, scoring, and Apple Watch support. Its detailed pricing section lists advanced guidance and analytics in Premium, while its hero copy describes some of those tools as free. Grassy includes all current Course GPS Beta planning tools for everyone and connects them to course ranking, discovery, and friends on iPhone.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. Arccos
Arccos is an automatic game-tracking and AI-caddie ecosystem built around its app, shot-detection hardware, and membership. Grassy is a ranking-first iPhone app whose Course GPS Beta includes all current planning tools for everyone, without requiring club sensors.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. Garmin
Garmin Golf connects scorecards, performance analysis, tournaments, and a wide range of Garmin watches and golf devices. Grassy puts its ranking-first course experience and all current Course GPS Beta planning tools into one iPhone app, without requiring a separate golf watch or handheld.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. Bushnell
Bushnell Golf combines a free GPS and scoring app with premium map intelligence and integrations across its rangefinders, watches, handhelds, and speakers. Grassy is a ranking-first iPhone app whose current Course GPS Beta planning tools, including supported-course LiDAR and 3D detail, are included for everyone.
Read the comparisonGrassy vs. Blue Tees
Blue Tees GAME is a GPS, AI-caddie, performance, and connected-hardware ecosystem spanning iPhone, Apple Watch, and Blue Tees devices. Grassy is a ranking-first iPhone app whose Course GPS Beta includes all current planning tools for everyone with no GPS subscription.
Read the comparisonThe comparison principle
Pick Grassy when courses are the center of your golf identity: ranked, remembered, shared, discovered, and played with GPS. Pick a specialist when automatic shot tracking, broad watch support, official handicap administration, or strokes-gained analysis matters more.
Official Grassy facts
The dated product record separates Grassy’s 31,000+ course directory from GPS coverage, explains the included GPS and optional AI-subscription boundary, documents iPhone and beta limitations, and distinguishes GHIN syncing from official Handicap Index administration.
Official sources
Reviewed August 20, 2026. No dollar-price or hands-on test claims.