OT Golf Thu - Golf Apps/Training Aids
Topic for this week in time for the new Mario Golf game that is out - do you have a favorite app/game or training aids that you use?
I used to use laser range finder, but I find phone yardage apps to be much more convenient as you can see the hole layout and figure out distances to hazards and corners much easier.
I have used a few apps and find SwingU does a fairly decent job even in its free mode. However, it's shot tracking mode (extra $) is not very user friendly. I have tried 18 Birdies app and while it is quite good, especially with shot tracking, it just tries to do too much to justify its hefty fees ($99/year). I just don't play enough to justify that cost.
I played a ton of PC golf including Jack Nicklaus and Links, but these days, golf sims are just on another level. There is a golf simulator place nearby with TrackMan setup and I think that is just fantastic. It really is very accurate and does a ton of shot analysis for you including videos. Playing sim courses on it is the closest to the real thing I have ever seen. I very much enjoy playing a full round with my daughter at the simulator since we don't have to be paired with strangers and we can go slow as we want while still play a full 18 holes in 2 hours. I think it is a fantastic way to introduce a new player to the sport. USGA should really push this to expand their base.
My senior engineering project was a putting green that you could program contours into but still walk on top of. We published all our documents online as part of the course and while I don't *know* someone found it and ripped it off, I do know this was patented several years after we made our functional prototype:
Must have been a decent market for them, because they start at $70,000.
I'm saving up now for a golf simulator to put in my garage. It seems like more and more companies are starting to see there's a market for them so hopefully prices continue to come down. If money was no object, I'd buy a Uneekor EyeXO system right now.
If anyone in West Michigan is looking for simulator or putting green installation the guy in the commercial condo next to us does a fantastic job. Let me know and I'd be happy to connect
I have used Game Golf Live for a few years and I'm a big fan of it. Sometimes the app can be a little glitchy, but it's great to see insights of each round and see how you improve over time (hopefully).
Not to highjack the thread, but my buddies and I are planning a golf trip to Northern Michigan for late summer/early fall and I'm looking for some recommendations on courses. We went last year and played the courses at the Traverse City Resort then hit up Forest Dunes on our drive home. Any recommendations from fellow MgoGolfers?
Same area ... Arcadia Bluffs, A-Ga-Ming, Kingsley Club, Manitou Passage, Shanty Creek and Lochenheath.
Then of course there's Boyne.
Thanks for the recs! Arcadia is essentially booked for the rest of the summer, Kingsley Club/Lockenheath are fully private, and we've golfed Shanty Creek before. I'll take a look into A-Ga-Ming, Manitou Passage, and the Boyne courses, though.
The Links/Quarry combo at Bay Harbor is fantastic. I think Hidden River is a hidden gem. On the way up (or back), I think Bucks Run is solid too.
Strongly recommend Bay Harbor and Forest Dunes. Lockenheath is really nice too, as other poster mentions.
Acaida is a must play, but it didn't impress me as I'd expected it to...
Random cool story bro:
Playing front side at Acadia, my buddy and I are paired up. We get talking, one guy is a venture capitalist, the other "invented theinfomercial". What??? Turns out, he was involved with Shark Tank (was on the show as an investor in season 1), and is worth about $480mm.
Back 9, these two guys want in our betting for snakes and skins, etc. Except, our "pot" of $10 is too expensive for them. They want $2 and $3 per snake/skin. OK, fine. Well, I own snakes after 15th hole. These two guys are intentionally missing greens to not pay out. My buddy holes out from 140 yds on 18, so I'm stuck with snakes. I owe each guy $18.
I have no cash (was just setting up with buddy end of round), and I'm not gonna ask mr $500mm for his Venmo. So I tell them I'll go to ATM in clubhouse. Except, it's out of service. I come back and explain ... Mr $500mm tells me I should go back into clubhouse, buy a glove or something, use my debit card, overdraw for cash, and settle up.
I guess there's a reason why he's worth that much...
I just got back from our yearly trip to Treetops. It’s nice and convenient to play that many quality courses within a short distance of one another. We’ve done it for 7 years. I think the golf is a little overpriced but the staff are very friendly.
Swings like an unfolding lawn chair!
I've been using The Grint for GPS yardage and score/stat tracking over the past few years and have really liked it. They have a smartwatch app too, but I find the phone interface (much larger screen) easier to use.
I've tried many of them but I can't do it. I don't care enough. I golf for fun. By the third hole I'm already down 2 beers, a shot of Johnny, and a few puffs on the MJ.
I'm in my 40s, I'm not getting much better without investing more time than I'm willing to so fuck it, listen to some tunes and have fun with the wife/friends.
You know what I think is pretty cool? Watching the super slow mo of golf shots. I wish that would have been around when I was a kid
I think the email I got from the GAM today with the bi-monthly handicap update said they are integrating GPS functionality into the USGA GHIN mobile app. I'll be interested to try it (unless there is an additional charge) since I've exclusively been a rangefinder user.
Could be a nice perk for belonging to the GAM.
Measured golf off stadium has a track man set up and incredible facility in the Ann Arbor area. The guys are super knowledgeable as well.
i use SwingU (free version). it does most things i want and the price is right. some of the courses i play at dont have yardage markers, so that's really nice to have in my pocket. the ability to see distances to water/bunker/etc is nice to when laying up. I also keep track of all my scores and putts, and it's nice to see if i'm improving any.
i may get a laser range finder at some point, but would like the price to come down on those more. also a simulator would be awesome... more working on a friend to get one of those since i just dont have the space.
I use GolfPad on the course and the OptiShot2 simulator in the garage.
Why on earth would anyone want to integrate something as invasive as a cell phone into the game of golf? I avoid mine like the plague when I am out there. They long ago made an app that lets you track your score - it's that little card they hand you (and some even come with a small pencil).
Ok, boomer.
/s
Not a boomer. Just respect the game and myself too much to use it as a time to get away from that horrid device.
Looking up the yardage on the phone is FAR quicker than fumbling with a laser or even stepping off of yardage markers. I wish MORE people would use them, it would make the round to quicker.
It’s only invasive if you allow it to be. My league uses an app and we can check on other group scores while we are playing. It’s fun to see the live scores.
In between holes, I take the phone out, enter them, maybe check other scores, put it back.
I don't know if the Top Golf Swing Suite at MGM Grand helps a golf game, but my wife surprised me by taking the family (me + 5 children) to a Top Golf in Louisiana for Father's Day. Now, all my kids are ready to go back and take some swings.
EDIT: Anyone paying attention to the drama at the Rocket Mortgage Classic? DeChambeau's caddie quit on him before play today and Mickelson tweeted during a rain delay that he's not returning to Detroit because of an article in the DetNews about how he got swindled out of $500K. Considering it's only Thursday, I can't wait to see what unfolds the rest of the weekend.
I use the GolfShot app for distance on the course. Has a nice app for your iWatch so just need to look at your wrist. Also now has a shot tracker to track your entire round which is kind of cool.
Blast Golf - take it to the range to video my swings. Feel aint real bro.
Best investment? - for those who are mediocre like myself, chek out RotarySwing program. It is awesome. I've already seen a huge difference in my swing and for all us northerners, you can do 90% of the drills in your house without a club.
Foresight GC2. Being able to own your spin and actual carry numbers has taken me from 80s/90s to 70s/80s.