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The GolfLogix GPS app has been updated with improved graphics and user experience plus mapped greens. The best value in golf GPS.
Introduction
Anyone with a smart phone knows that apps update on an almost daily basis. With that in mind, we thought it was time to take another look at GolfLogix, one of the most popular GPS apps available. Since our initial review (HERE) they’ve added numerous features, the most impressive being break maps of the greens.
Ease of Use & Set Up
The look of the GolfLogix app has been massively improved since our initial review. Upon opening the app, you’ll see five options across the bottom of the screen: Stats, Tee Times, Play Golf, Upgrade, and More. The first four are self-explanatory; under “More” you have the ability to enter your clubs, add photos, and change your settings.
When you tap “Play Golf,” you can either search for courses manually or use your location to create a list of courses near you. GolfLogix has over 35,000 golf courses mapped and over 12,000 of those have the 3D mapped greens. Once you make a selection, that course gets downloaded to your phone and you’re ready to go. The whole process takes less than a minute.
If you want to make the most of the Plus features, you can load in your club distances. This doesn’t take long and is a one-time thing.
Accuracy & Performance
During my first round with GolfLogix, I was primarily evaluating speed and accuracy. On the latter, GolfLogix was solid – always within two yards of the sprinkler heads and my laser. With regard to speed, it’s good but not great. So as not to kill my battery, I let my phone shut off between shots. When I got to the ball, I had to unlock the phone and then give GolfLogix a few seconds to figure out where I was. While this isn’t bad, there are other GPS units that are faster.
On each hole, GolfLogix provides up to four different distance displays. You can see a list of distances, a bird’s eye view of the hole with a movable target, Approach View, and Putt Break. One nice feature of the hole overview is that as you move your target, GolfLogix indicates what clubs you’ll need to get to that target and from the target to the green.
The most notable new features – Approach View and Putt Break – are both very impressive. While Putt Break has gotten more attention, I find Approach View to be more helpful. By letting you see the contours of the green and surround from the fairway, GolfLogix eliminates the frustration of hitting a shot exactly how you planned only to watch your ball roll away from the hole, or worse, off the green.
Putt Break is a cool feature, but is only as useful as your ability to precisely locate your ball and the hole on the green map. Also, though the app works quickly, if you pull out your phone before every putt, you’re likely to lose friends. I would suggest using the contour maps most of the time and Putt Break only on really long, tricky putts.
Like most GPS apps, GolfLogix has a score and stat tracking feature. Where they improve on this feature is by allowing you to customize what stats you keep. If you only want your score, you can do that. You can also take it to the max with putt, greens in reg, fairways, driving distance, fairway bunkers, greenside bunkers, pitches, chips, penalties, and missed putts. Whether you keep a simple score or the full load of stats, inputting your data is quick and easy.
Though I’m not an Apple Watch user, it’s worth mentioning that GolfLogix does work with that device. Users can get yardages, green images, score tracking, and hole selection on their watch without pulling out their phone.
Value
The GolfLogix app is free to download, but there are numerous benefits for upgrading to the Plus membership. Two big features are Approach View – the ability to see the breaks on the green from the fairway – and Putt Break Maps when you’re on the green. Plus membership also gets rid of ads and allows you to set the pin position on each green before or during the round. Finally, Plus members get exact distances to every hazard and the ability to track their club distances.
You get a taste of Plus when you download the app, but it only lasts for two rounds if you don’t choose to buy a membership. Plus membership costs $10 a month or $50 for the year. If you prefer the simplicity of carrying fewer devices and don’t mind having your phone out on the course, the value of GolfLogix is tremendous.
Conclusion
GolfLogix, whether you upgrade to Plus or not, is a tremendous value. As a free app, it gives you all the basics at no cost. For the more serious player, $50/year to have access to mapped greens and more is a steal. GolfLogix has done a tremendous job improving their app, and I’m excited to see how this industry leader continues to push the envelope in the years to come.
