Best Golf Apps To Track Your Handicap In 2023

Best Golf Apps to Track Your Handicap in 2023

In the old days, you needed to be fairly good at math just to pin down your own golf handicap.

On top of that, in 2020 the formula for calculating your handicap changed! Now you have to multiply your handicap index by your slope rating/113 and then add that figure to your course rating minus par.

Simply put, you needed some considerable math skills to calculate your handicap. But that is not the case any more. For better or worse, machines and apps can do all the calculations for us.

The benefits of using an app to track your handicap are many. For one thing, they help you keep a keener eye on how your game is improving (or degrading). But perhaps the most important benefit that these apps bring to the table is freedom.

You no longer have to spend time calculating your handicap. You are more free to enjoy the game and spend more time actually practicing. But not all handicap tracking apps are made equal.

So in the following list, we are going to be highlighting only the best golf handicap tracking apps currently available. Let’s take a look…

1. Diablo

Quick Facts:

• Full Facebook integration
• Course score history access
• GPS capabilities

At first, we were a little wary of Diablo. When we downloaded it, the app looked a bit jumbled and confusing. But we got the hang of it after about 5 minutes. We deciphered all of the important features.

First and foremost, the Diablo app can calculate your handicap after you post just 5 scores. It is also a great social app. You can compare your round scores to those of your friends and automatically post scores and stats to Facebook.

Diablo is available for both Android and iOS. Possibly the most convenient thing about this app is that it eliminates the need for a physical handicap card. It saves your scores and handicap right on your smartphone.

Pros:

• Holds info for 18000 golf courses
• Shows you nearby courses
• You can invite contacts to use Diablo

Cons:

• The app is a bit confusing at first

Overall Rating: 96/100

2. GHIN Mobile

Quick Facts:

• Stat tracking feature
• Official USGA app
• Golfer lookup feature

For users of USGA’s GHIN service, the GHIN mobile app will be a very familiar upgrade. This is an official USGA app and it simplifies the GHIN service. It is very easy to track your handicap with this app and it is very accurate.

What we liked right away about the app was that it was crisp, ran smooth and looked great on both Android and iOS devices. You get hole view, green view, par information and much more.

You can also look up other players who are registered with GHIN and see how you stack up against the competition. The stat tracking was a nice touch too. It helps you track drive accuracy, putts, GIR’s and more.

Pros:

• Very accurate
• App operates smoothly
• Officially licensed app

Cons:

• Limited sharing capabilities

Overall Rating: 96/100

3. Simple Handicap

Quick Facts:

• Uses the World Handicap system
• Free download
• Multiple courses

Simple handicap is perhaps the easiest way to calculate your handicap. What we liked about it was how fast and easy it calculated our handicaps. All you need is your 18-hole score at your home course and it will calculate your handicap immediately.

We also liked that the app in general was easy to use and to navigate. It’s available on both iOS and android devices and runs very smoothly. It’s intuitive, user-friendly and won’t take up much storage space on your phone.

While it lacks some premium features that some of the other apps on our list have, it was really designed more for casual and amateur golfers. Plus it’s free so we can forgive  the lack of periphery features.

Pros:

• Very user-friendly
• Light app
• Makes it easy to understand your handicap index

Cons:

• Lacks additional features

Overall Rating: 95/100

4. Golf Handicap Calculator

Quick Facts:

• Large course library
• 9-hole handicap calculation
• Manual rating and slope input

Our first impression of Golf Handicap Calculator was that it was very straightforward. The app makes it very easy to locate your course, input the information it needs to calculate your handicap and track your progress.

One of the cool things about Golf Handicap Calculator is that it keeps all your old handicaps so you can see how you have progressed (or regressed) on certain courses. It also allows for 9-hole handicap calculation.

Of course, this is not a USGA regulated app. But it’s still a great one for beginners and high handicappers. It’s available on iOS and Android devices too. Golf Handicap Calculator also allows you to share your handicap with friends on the platform.

Pros:

• Very user-friendly
• Great for casual golfers
• Easy handicap calculation

Cons:

• Not USGA approved

Overall Rating: 94/100

5. Golf Handicap Group & League

Quick Facts:

• Group handicap calculation
• Tee input
• Supports the latest handicap rules

First and foremost, Golf Handicap Group & League is not intended to calculate individual handicaps. It is therefore a great choice for anyone who manages leagues or anyone who consistently plays in groups, hence the name.

One of the best things about this app is there is no limit to the amount of players you can track handicaps for. It also provides rating and slope data for a wide range of courses.

We were a little overwhelmed at first because there is a lot of data you have to input. And be aware that setting up your round will take some time with  this app. But it does make calculating handicaps of your group very easy and it stores handicap information.

Pros:

• Great for groups
• Great for tournaments
• Great for leagues

Cons:

• Takes time to set up

Overall Rating: 94/100

6. Handicap Tracker

Quick Facts:

• Uses the World Handicap system
• Data stores on phone storage
• Differential data

Our first impression of Handicap Tracker was how easy and simple the interface was. Even if you aren’t handy with apps, Handicap Tracker won’t take you very long to figure out.

It tracks a wealth of helpful data too including slope, score, course name and differential. All the data stores on your phone’s storage which is good and bad. It’s good because you’ll have access to your data any time and anywhere you have your phone.

The bad news is that it will eat up your storage if you play a lot. But the data files aren’t very large. Handicap Tracker is only available for iOS devices but it is a free download.

Pros:

• Great interface
• Runs quickly
• Stores important course data

Cons:

• Not available for Android devices

Overall Rating: 93/100

7. The Grint

Quick Facts:

• USGA approved
• 40,000+ mapped courses
• Uses the World Handicap system

So how easy is it to use TheGrint to calculate your handicap? All you need to do is take a picture of your scorecard when your round is done and send it in for verification through the app. TheGrint is USGA approved so you can use the handicap calculations you get to enter tournaments if you were inclined to do so.

What we liked first about The Grint was that it tracked a wealth of data including iron accuracy, putts and even scrambling. TheGrint is available on iOS and Android devices. This app also has options for handicap tracking for groups.

Be aware that to unlock some of the more advanced stat tracking options, you will have to pay for the “Pro” version of the app. Overall though, TheGrint provides a very easy method of calculating, tracking and even submitting your handicap.

Pros:

• Group scoring options
• Great for tournament competitors
• Very insightful stat tracking

Cons:

• Advanced features are locked behind a paywall

Overall Rating: 95/100

8. mScorecard

Quick Facts:

• Golf GPS capabilities
• Detailed stat tracking
• Target distances

The first thing that struck us about the mScorecard app was that it also functioned as a golf GPS. In fact, the data it provided was comparable to some of our standalone golf GPS devices. It provides aerial course maps, distances to the hole and even bunker distances.

mScorecard stores your swing data so you can start to see how you are performing with individual clubs as time goes on. The mScorecard app uses the World Handicap system and is available on both Android and iOS devices.

This app also supports scoring for games like Skins, Stableford, Eagles and Birdies. It also allows you to keep score for up to 5 people. As a handicap calculator, it’s almost automatic.

Pros:

• Supports multi-player scoring
• Supports scoring for different games
• Easy handicap calculating

Cons:

• The app can be buggy

Overall Rating: 94/100

9.  SwingU

Quick Facts:

• Rangefinder capabilities
• Digital scorecard
• Calculates handicap after 3 rounds

What we liked right away about SwingU was that it was easy to use. The developers haven’t abandoned this app either. It is a very popular and widely used scorecard/GPS/handicap calculator app so it is being updated all the time.

SwingU even has a feature that shares daily tips from instructors to help you improve your game. You can even send the data from the app to your smartwatch so you don’t even need to turn your phone on.

This is a very convenient app and it’s very easy to see why it has so many downloads across both Android and iOS devices. You can calculate your handicap after posting scores for three rounds at a single course.

Pros:

• It’s updated regularly
• Great for players who are trying to get better

Cons:

• Takes a lot of storage

Overall Rating: 97/100

10. MOGC

Quick Facts:

• Tracks weather stats
• Tracks par stats
• Unlimited scorecard support

What we liked about this app immediately was how many stats it tracks. The stats that this app tracks puts some devices to shame as it keeps data for par 3’s and 5’s, weather stats round stats and even provides a handy progress chart for your courses.

Plus, you can submit an unlimited number of scorecards so you can really keep track of your progress as the seasons pass. MOGC is available for both Android and iOS devices but it will eat into your storage space.

Oh and did we mention that it’s a very easy handicap calculator? All you have to do is input your course and score and it takes care of the rest. It’s not USGA approved; but it would still be a great option for casual golfers who are serious about improving their games.

Pros:

• Operates as a very capable scorecard
• You can track penalties too
• Supports multiple game scoring

Cons:

• Not USGA approved

Overall Rating: 95/100

10. MyScorecard

Quick Facts:

• USGA scoring and handicap compliant
• Hole by hole scoring information
• Tracks club stats

Last on our list is MyScoreCard which is a great app for comparing your scores, handicap, progress and even hole by hole performance with others. Through this app, you can see individual player and performance stats of players at your local club.

It provides you with an easy handicap calculator and how it has progressed over time. The more you use this app, the more stats it will store and the more you will be able to see the evolution of your game. This app is available for both Android and iOS devices as well.

MyScoreCard will also keep track of your round history and there are thousands of courses preloaded into the app. It works really well as a simple digital scorecard and handicap calculator. Plus, it uses USGA approved handicap indexing.

This would be a great choice for both casual golfers and those who compete in tournaments on a regular basis. Oh yeah, and this app is free to download!

Pros:

• The scorecard is very easy to use
• Includes detailed aerial maps of thousands of courses
• Gives distances to center, back and front of th green

Cons:

• The app can get laggy

Overall Rating: 95/100