Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2021 - 9

Golf on the Go
The proliferation of mobile golf apps has
enhanced the playing experience in real time.
G
olf is centuries old, rich with tradition and frankly, has
long been considered " analog " -play a hole, write down
the score with a stubby pencil and then play the next one.
But the advent of smart phones changed that; the game has now
become downright digital. Golf apps are ubiquitous, and the numbers
show a clientele moving into a new age.
A recent National Golf Foundation survey
revealed that 78% of core golfers (who
play eight or more rounds a year) carry at
least one golf-specifi c app on their smart
phones. This number is up from 37% in
2011 and 56% in 2018. While rounds played
in general got a boost from new golfers playing
during the pandemic in 2020, the NGF
numbers refl ect core golfers, who have likely
been playing the game longer, so the jump
to more than three-quarters having mobile
golf apps this season is signifi cant.
In fact, among the core golfers with one
app, more than half have three or more
golf-specifi c apps, which can include everything
from posting scores (58%), a GPS app
(46%) and scorekeeping/stat tracking (42%)
on the highest end of use to swing analysis
(13%), golf podcasts (7%), and social golf
engagement (6%) on the low end.
Golfers in the survey use smart phone
apps to reserve third-party tee times (39%),
play games (14%), download golf instruction
(14%) and check tournament leaderboards
(37%) when not golfi ng. But 43%
always use at least one app during play, while
71% say they are actively engaged with golf
apps while playing. It appears that with the
increase of mobile device ownership (nearly
eight billion worldwide) and hundreds of
apps available, mobile golf app usage is
trending upward.
" It's just the way the world is heading, "
says Stacy Sazama, MGA member services
director. " We're all on the go. "
* BY JOSEPH OBERLE *
" Golfers in the survey
use smart phone apps
to reserve third-party
tee times (39%), play
In Minnesota, Sazama has tracked a precipitous rise in use of
the USGA's GHIN Mobile app that was introduced in 2012. Use
has grown from 24% in 2016 to 66% in 2020. And thus far in
2021, the trend continues.
" Every month, so far, we have surpassed last year's monthly
usage, " Sazama says. " So we are on track to
have another record year for score posting. "
Internet score posting, as an alternative
games (14%), download
golf instruction (14%)
and check tournament
leaderboards (37%)
when not golfing. "
to posting on kiosks at golf clubs, was fi rst
allowed in 2002. At the time, golfers were
limited to posting less than 50% of their
scores online, but in 2006 that restriction
was lifted, and internet posting has been
growing ever since, with the mobile app
accelerating it.
According to Sazama, the ease of posting
on a smart phone has ignited this
growth, but app versatility has fueled
the fi re. The GHIN Mobile app features
include score posting, stats tracking, a
course handicap calculator and golfer
lookup. As of mid-July, there were more
than fi ve million page views in Minnesota,
and that number is expected to climb.
In July, the GHIN Mobile app added
a GPS feature (which was the most
requested from users) that includes 3D
color map imagery, touch-point GPS distances
and distance measured to the center
of the green on the free app (enhanced
features are available for a fee).
Still, score posting is the most favored
featured of golf apps, and with the USGA
introducing its daily handicap updates in
2020, the act of walking off the course and
posting your score has only increased in
value. It's time to go digital.
This is the USGA GHIN MOBILE app,
available to all MGA members for free.
mngolf.org
Fall 2021 MINNESOTAGOLFER
9
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2021

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