Lie Detection

iOS app

PinFlag reads the lie from the course itself. Every hole ships as a course map of tee, fairway, rough, sand, fringe, green and hazards, and the app prices where you are and where you are aiming from the matching table: from 150 yards that is 2.945 strokes in the fairway, 3.190 in the rough and 3.250 in the sand.

The same yardage is a different shot from a different lie, and the published tables say by how much. PinFlag carries every hole as a course map and reads two points off it: where your ball lies, and where your aim point sits. The number you see before the swing is priced from the lie you are actually on to the lie you are actually aiming at, and the shot you log afterwards is scored the same way.

The differences are large. From 150 yards the tour average needs 2.945 strokes from the fairway, 3.190 from the rough and 3.250 from a fairway bunker. From 25 yards it is 2.450, 2.638 and 2.603. A target on the fringe, on the green, in greenside sand or in a hazard is priced from its own table, and a hazard carries the penalty stroke, so the aggressive line shows its real cost.

You confirm the lie in one tap when you log a shot, and the app reads the map for you. Because the lie sits inside the number rather than beside it, strokes gained by category, proximity by lie and the start-position table in Insights are all built on the ground the ball was really on.

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What it does

Tee, fairway, rough, sand, fringe, green and hazards mapped for every hole
Your position and your target both read off the map and priced from the matching table
A target in water or out of bounds priced with the penalty stroke and the drop included
The lie confirmed in one tap when you log the shot, with the map read for you
Recovery and penalty lies priced from their own tables plus the stroke itself
Insights built on the recorded lie: strokes gained by category, proximity by lie, start position by lie

Why it matters

From 150 yards the rough costs 0.25 of a stroke against the fairway before the club is drawn. A number that ignores that is a number about a different shot.
The target’s lie matters as much as yours. Aiming at a spot that is fringe, sand or hazard is priced as that spot, so the fat side of the green and the flag are compared on real ground.
A drive that gives up twenty yards to stay in the fairway is, on the published table, the better drive, and PinFlag prices it that way on the tee.
Because the lie is recorded with every shot, the start-position table in Insights shows your strokes gained from fairway against rough at every distance band.

How it works

1
The course is mapped
Every hole ships as a course map: tee, fairway, rough, bunkers, fringe, green and hazards, on your phone so it works with no signal.
2
Two points are read
Where your ball lies and where your aim sits are each matched to a surface on the map and priced from that surface’s table.
3
The lie is kept with the shot
Confirm it in one tap when you log the shot. Every stat afterwards is built on the recorded lie.

What is different

The lie is read from the course and priced into the number, before the swing and after it.
The target’s lie is priced too, so a tucked pin over a bunker and the middle of the green are compared honestly.
Hazards carry the penalty stroke in the price, so the aggressive line shows its real cost.

Frequently asked questions

How does PinFlag know my lie?

From the course itself. Each hole ships as a course map of tee, fairway, rough, sand, fringe, green and hazards, and the app reads your position and your target off it. You confirm the lie in one tap when you log the shot.

How much does the lie change the number?

From 150 yards the published baseline is 2.945 strokes from the fairway, 3.190 from the rough and 3.250 from sand, so the same yardage is priced as three different shots. From 25 yards it is 2.450, 2.638 and 2.603.

Is the lie at my target priced as well as my own lie?

Yes. The aim point is read off the same map, so a target on the fringe, in a bunker or over water is priced as that spot, and a hazard carries the penalty stroke and the drop in the price.

Does lie detection work without a signal?

Yes. The course maps live on your phone, so the lie is read and priced whether or not there is coverage.

See the number before you swing

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