Comparison

CORE Golf vs Golf Journal

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CORE Golf

This app provides structured practice plans and performance drills for golfers looking to improve their game. It helps users track progress and schedule practice sessions effectively, moving beyond random ball striking to purposeful improvement.

Highlights
  • Structured practice plans
  • Performance drills
  • Progress tracking
  • Practice scheduling
  • Driving range companion
Features
Read full description

GIVE THOSE RANGE BALLS A PURPOSE! Your practice partner that won't laugh at your shanks (that's what friends are for)! Ever find yourself at the range, mindlessly burning through a bucket of balls while scrolling through midnight YouTube golf tips? Yeah, we've been there. CORE Golf is the practice companion for golfers ready to graduate from the "hit and hope" method. What makes CORE different? - Structured practice plans that make more sense than your current strategy of "hit until frustrated" - Easy-to-follow performance drills that actually have a purpose - Progress tracking that's more reliable than your buddy's "yeah, that looked better" - Practice schedules that fit your real life (because we know you're sneaking out to the range during lunch) Perfect for: - 10-20 handicappers who know just enough to be dangerous - Golfers who want to stop treating the range like a buffet (all you can "hit" while you're there) - Players whose bag has more alignment sticks than actual clubs - Anyone who's ever blamed their clubs, the wind, or the ball for their misses Not another golf app promising miraculous results – CORE helps you structure your practice time so you can stop randomly flailing at balls and start making actual progress. Because throwing your club in the lake isn't a practice plan. Download now and transform from "random ball whacker" to "purposeful practice person" (we're still working on the name). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Payment: Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by you and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings, after purchase. If you upgrade your subscription during your free trial any remaining time left on your trial will be forfeited. Other notes: - help@coregolf.app - Technical questions and more - CORE Golf works with iOS version 17 or above. - The App is optimised for iPhone 7 and above and includes compatibility with Apple’s Health app. - CORE Golf is not optimised for iPad. - CORE Golf Privacy Policy - https://www.coregolf.app/privacy-policy - Terms of Use - https://www.coregolf.app/terms-and-conditions

About

Golf Journal

Track your golf performance with this app, logging rounds, practice sessions, scores, and media. Analyze your game with performance graphs and iCloud syncing. Ideal for golfers of all levels aiming to improve.

Highlights
  • Round diary and score tracking
  • Practice session documentation
  • Photo and video gallery
  • Performance graphs
  • iCloud syncing
Features
Read full description

Golf Journal is a golf diary for your rounds, your practice and your handicap. Log a round from its total in about 20 seconds, or hole by hole, and watch your handicap estimate move as you play. ROUNDS • Log the total, or score hole by hole: strokes, putts, fairways, greens in regulation and penalties. • Out and In totals, and a scorecard with your birdies, bogeys and doubles marked. • Notes, a feel rating, photos and videos for every round. • Scan a paper scorecard: take a photo and the hole scores are read on your iPhone for you to check. • Golf workouts recorded with the Workout app on Apple Watch show up ready to become rounds, with the date filled in. HANDICAP ESTIMATE • Uses the World Handicap System formula: the best 8 of your last 20 rounds, with nine-hole rounds paired. • See your trend, which rounds count, which one drops out next and what score would bring your estimate down. • Course handicap for each set of tees, net score and Stableford points. • Have an official Handicap Index from your club? Enter it and Golf Journal uses it for course handicap, net and Stableford. It's an estimate to follow your game, not an official Handicap Index. COURSES • Tees with course rating, slope, par and yardage, and a scorecard with par and stroke index for every hole. • Look up courses near you or by name. Course data comes from OpenStreetMap. • Your average and best score at each course. PRACTICE • Log practice sessions: range, putting, chipping, bunker, on course, lessons and more, with time, balls and notes. • Keep your swing cues and drills from one session to the next. • Start the practice timer and fill in the rest when you finish. • Turn a round's notes into a plan for your next session. INSIGHTS • How often you make birdie, par, bogey and worse, and how you score on par 3s, 4s and 5s. • Your hardest holes, your scoring by course and by month, and where your practice time goes. • Set a goal, such as breaking 90 or getting down to 15, and see how far off it you are. ON ALL YOUR DEVICES • iCloud sync between your devices. No account to create; your diary stays on your devices and in your iCloud. • Widgets for your handicap estimate and your last round. • Siri and Shortcuts: "Log round", "Log practice", "What's my handicap". • A reminder when you haven't logged a round for a while. • Yards or meters. GOLF JOURNAL PRO Golf Journal is free for up to 3 rounds, 3 practice sessions and 2 courses. Golf Journal Pro removes the limits and adds export: your rounds as a spreadsheet (CSV) and a printable season report (PDF). Pro is available as a subscription or a one-time purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.mygolfjournal.app/posts/privacy

Screenshots

CORE Golf4 screens
Golf Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Golf Journal at 4.8 against CORE Golf's 4.3. Golf Journal also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). CORE Golf's advantage is ratings volume (82 vs 12) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. CORE Golf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Golf Journal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Golf Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CORE Golf has 82 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CORE Golf ships an update monthly, Golf Journal weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
CORE Golf versus Golf Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCORE GolfGolf Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (82 ratings)4.8 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings82 — better12
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStat Track Technologies Lda.Gruffydd Johnston

Customer experience

CORE Golf

All ratings80 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral11.3%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive69.4%
Neutral8.1%
Negative22.6%

Golf Journal

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

CORE Golf

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Connectivity issues prevent saving exercises
  • Charged after cancellation
  • Free trial issues

Requested features

12 requests
  • Add quick drills (5-15 minutes)
  • Include drills for indoor/sim use
  • Allow users to scale drill difficulty or adjust scoring windows
  • Develop a central dashboard for performance trends
  • Enable editing of logged scores
Show 7 more
  • Allow users to create or modify drills
  • Filter drills based on user facilities or physical condition
  • Add a notes section for practice sessions
  • Include a place to record round scores/notes
  • Implement a skills test at the beginning for better drill setup
  • Offer an iPad version of the app
  • Provide a basic free version

Golf Journal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

CORE Golf

Subscriptions2
  • CORE Golf Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • CORE Golf Annual7 Days trial$27.491 Year
5 purchases

Golf Journal

Subscriptions4
  • Pro7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Pro7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Pro7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pro7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is CORE Golf free?
CORE Golf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Golf Journal free?
Golf Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CORE Golf or Golf Journal?
Golf Journal is rated higher. CORE Golf averages 4.3 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while Golf Journal averages 4.8 from 12 ratings.
Do CORE Golf or Golf Journal have ads?
Neither CORE Golf nor Golf Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CORE Golf or Golf Journal?
CORE Golf ships an update monthly, and Golf Journal weekly. Most recently, CORE Golf was updated on November 3, 2026 and Golf Journal on October 30, 2026.

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