Comparison
Best Golf App Without Sensors
A golf app without sensors runs on the phone in your pocket, and the good ones give you more than sensors do: PinFlag logs a shot in two taps, prices any target before you swing with your own dispersion and the lie read from the course, draws your shots on the hole with Shot Cloud, and breaks the round down shot by shot afterwards, for $14.99 a month with nothing to buy.
PinFlag is best for
Golfers who want the number before the swing, their own dispersion in it, and a full breakdown afterwards, with nothing to buy or charge.
The field is best for
Golfers who want a free scorecard and GPS distances (Golfshot, 18Birdies), or a target named for them (WhyGolf).
| App | How you log a shot | Number before the shot | Your own dispersion | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PinFlag | Two taps on the map: target, then result, with club and lie | Yes, on any target you pick, with the lie read from the course | Yes, from launch monitor imports and logged rounds, drawn on the hole | $14.99 a month, $99.99 a year |
| WhyGolf | In the app | Yes, and it names a target for you | Not stated | Free to use, PRO $8.33 a month or $99.99 a year |
| UpGame | Map-based shot entry | After the round | Trackman import | $9.99 a month, Pro $29.99 |
| Golfshot | Scorecard and shot tracking | After the round | Not stated | Free to use, with a paid Pro upgrade |
| 18Birdies | Scorecard and shot tracking | After the round | Not stated | Not shown on the page checked |
What sensors buy
Sensors buy the logging. They add $210 to $350 before the app, and the number still arrives after the round.
A sensor system captures the shot without a tap, which is a real convenience. It costs $249.99 or $349.99 for Arccos hardware and $209.99 for a Shot Scope V5, plus a membership in Arccos’s case, and it reports strokes gained after the round. A phone-only app asks for a tap and gives back something sensors cannot: the target placed before the swing, which is what lets the app price the shot before you hit it.
What PinFlag does with two taps
Target, then result. Every shot priced before and after, and your dispersion measured from real rounds.
The first tap places the target you are playing to. PinFlag prices it there and then, with your own dispersion around the aim and the lie read from the course map, and Shot Cloud draws your launch monitor shots and past shots around it. The second tap places where the ball finished, with the club and lie confirmed in one sheet. Because each shot carries both points, your dispersion is measured from real rounds as well as from the range, and the round adds up to a scorecard that scores itself.
Everything is stored on the phone as you play, so a dead zone never interrupts a round, and any tap can be undone. Afterwards, Insights breaks the round down shot by shot: strokes gained by category, proximity by distance band and by club, Score Killers, heat maps, landing zones, hole trails and benchmark lenses.
The other phone-only apps
Two of them price a shot before the swing; two are scorecards with GPS.
WhyGolf gives strokes gained away at no cost and names the target it thinks you should play to. UpGame uses map-based shot entry and analyses the round afterwards, with Trackman import and a team view for coaches at $9.99 a month. Golfshot and 18Birdies are GPS scorecards with shot tracking and stats after the round.
Frequently asked questions
Which golf app works without sensors?
Can a phone-only golf app show strokes gained?
How does PinFlag know my dispersion without sensors?
Is there a free golf app without sensors?
Sources
By The PinFlag Team.
See it on your own course
PinFlag prices the target you pick on the hole you are playing, before you swing.
Get the app