The Official Rules of Golf vs GolfSoftware.com
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Official Rules of Golf
Access the official Rules of Golf, including clarifications and committee procedures. This app offers instant access to all rules, definitions, and videos, with a powerful search tool for quick information retrieval. It's designed for golfers and officials seeking accurate and up-to-date guidance.
- Instant access to all Rules, Definitions, and Clarifications
- Rules videos and topic overviews
- Powerful search tool
- Intuitive navigation
- Hyperlinking to definitions and related documents
- Expert Mode for referees and administrators
Read full descriptionHide full description
The USGA’s official app for the Rules of Golf, which is always kept up to date with the latest Rules content. The following documents are included in this app: • The Rules of Golf • The Official Guide to the Rules of Golf (includes Clarifications, Committee Procedures, and Model Local Rules) • Note – The Official Guide is designed for referees and tournament administrators, and is available after enabling Expert Mode within the app’s Settings. App features include: • Every Rule, Definition and Clarification available instantly • Rules videos, FAQs, topic overviews, and quizzes • A powerful search tool to quickly locate information on any Rules topic • Simple, fast, and intuitive navigation • Quick hyperlinking to all definitions, Rule number references, and related Rules documents Additional resources on the Rules of Golf are available at www.usga.org/Rules. Have a question? Feel free to reach out to us anytime at rules@usga.org or 908-326-1850!
GolfSoftware.com
Manage golf leagues and tournaments with this comprehensive app. Features include online score input, automated reporting, player registration, and live leaderboard tracking. Simplify event setup and enhance player enjoyment.
- League management console
- Tournament management
- Online score input
- Live leaderboard
- Automated reporting
- Online player registration
- Course database
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Golf Software app serves as your golfers’ companion golf apps to League Manager (golf league), Tournament Manager (golf tournament software), and Handicap System (golf handicap) for groups, clubs and golf courses by GolfSoftware.com. In addition, the Golf Software app provides live golf leaderboard capability during golf league and golf tournament play. League Manager: Our cloud-based League Manager provides an administrator’s console for managing a league and a dedicated league website for players. League Manager enables league secretaries and league golfers to save time and effort running and participating in a golf league and increases the enjoyment factor for all. What does League Manager do for you and your golf group? ► simplifies your league management tasks ► allows you to set up your league with minimal effort ► reduces your time spent on league management to a minimum ► lowers the hurdle for your group to recruit subsequent league secretaries ► provides your league information automatically to players via a dedicated website ► enables online score input by your players, designated league officials or one league secretary ► equips your group with the capacity for online league membership registration ► provides an option for online collection of league dues Easy pre-season setup puts you on near auto-pilot for rest of season ► create a new season’s league by importing your players, scores, point and handicap settings from last season, or create new season’s league from scratch ► select your league’s results report(s) which will automatically appear on your league website once scores are posted and an event finalized ► select your league’s course(s) from a course database or manually input course(s) ► set your league schedule ► add multiple league secretaries (administrators) to take over when you’re absent, or to share duties Simple, 3 recurring event-related steps ► Pre-event – manage pairings and substitutes; print scorecards and pairings sheet; etc. ► Play – input scores during or after play ► Post-event – close and finalize event to trigger automatic reports on league website Tournament Manager: With Tournament Manager your group can run any kind of golf tournament: ► Individual, team or both types of competition ► Scrambles ► Best ball ► Eclectic ► Stableford ► Gross and net ► and many more… Features for Tournament Manager include… ► Select courses from 20,000+ course database ► Send your members to included tournament website ► Provide online registration / sign up ► Build randomized pairings automatically (foursomes, threesomes, etc.) ► Automatically flight players ► Set tee times for regular start or start hole for shotgun ► Print scorecards ► Post scores in a variety of ways including by golfers on smartphones ► Watch competition progress on live leaderboard from any device ► Select a results report appropriate to your play format ► Determine and post results to your group’s Tournament Manager website ► Include any tournament on season leaderboard for cumulative statistics ► Manage tournaments from any device connected to Internet ► Integrates with Handicap System Handicap System: Handicap System includes three golf handicap modes: USGA, RCGA and Custom. The program stores and computes handicaps on whatever schedule you would like or that is stipulated by the handicap type. ► Post scores by administrator or player ► Transfer scores from Tournament Manager ► Create roster(s) of players ► Select a handicap mode for each roster ► Auto schedule handicap update (“revision”) ► View exactly how a player’s handicap is calculated ► Assign multiple administrators ► Auto post reports to your group’s included handicap/tournament mobile friendly website ► Most improved golfer report ► Integrates with Tournament Manager
Screenshots
Verdict
The Official Rules of Golf and GolfSoftware.com both sit at 3.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of GolfSoftware.com's written reviews are positive against 50% of The Official Rules of Golf's. GolfSoftware.com also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). The Official Rules of Golf's advantage is ratings volume (206 vs 27). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
GolfSoftware.com holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Official Rules of Golf has 206 ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of The Official Rules of Golf's written reviews are positive against 80% of GolfSoftware.com's.
The Official Rules of Golf ships an update every 4 months, GolfSoftware.com every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Official Rules of Golf | GolfSoftware.com |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (206 ratings) | 3.9 (27 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 206 — better | 27 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | United States Golf Association | GolfSoftware.com |
Customer experience
The Official Rules of Golf
GolfSoftware.com
In-app purchases
The Official Rules of Golf
No in-app purchases
GolfSoftware.com
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Official Rules of Golf free?
Is GolfSoftware.com free?
Which has better reviews, The Official Rules of Golf or GolfSoftware.com?
Do The Official Rules of Golf or GolfSoftware.com have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Official Rules of Golf or GolfSoftware.com?
Other comparisons
