Comparison

Golf Course Architecture vs Course Vaults

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

Head to head
About

Golf Course Architecture

This publication offers in-depth exploration of golf course design and development. It features articles on agronomy, technology, environmental impact, and interviews with industry leaders. Essential reading for those involved in golf course development or improvement.

Highlights
  • In-depth golf design articles
  • Development insights
  • Industry commentary
  • Agronomy and technology coverage
  • Environmental impact discussions
  • Profiles of historic figures
Features
Read full description

This quarterly publication explores golf design and development in depth, with feature articles that give accurate, consistent and articulate insights into the subject, and commentary from both our in-house editorial staff and the industry’s most respected and authoritative sources. Golf Course Architecture brings news of golf developments throughout the world, feature articles that examine specific subjects related to golf architecture and development, profiles of some of golf architecture’s historic figures, insights from some of the leading figures in the industry, interviews, reports direct from golf course developments, and much more. Course development involves far more than just design, so the magazine covers subjects such as agronomy, the use of technology and wider issues such as the environmental impact of golf courses. If you are involved with the development or improvement of golf courses, Golf Course Architecture is essential reading. -------------------- This is a free app download with paid content within. The current issue, back issues and future issues can be purchased within the app. Subscriptions are also available within the application. When a recurring subscription is purchased the latest issue will become available to download immediately. Available subscriptions are: 12 months: £5.99/ US$8.99 (4 issues) -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. Bundles of single issues can be also be bought within the application. To use purchased credits, simply click on the issue price and select ‘use credit’. This allows you to purchase back issues at reduced prices. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

About

Course Vaults

Track, rate, and rank every golf course you've played. Discover top courses through honest player reviews and build personalized lists of your favorites. This app serves as a digital golf passport for serious players.

Highlights
  • Log every golf course played
  • Rate and rank courses personally
  • Discover courses via player ratings
  • Build bucket lists and collections
  • Follow other golfers' rankings
  • No ads or paid placements
Features
Read full description

Course Vaults is a golf course tracking and discovery app for golfers who want to log every course they’ve played, rate and rank their favorites, build a golf passport, and discover where to play next. As seen in MyGolfSpy, Course Vaults brings golf course tracking, community ratings, rankings, reviews, lists and discovery into one place. Build your passport. Rank the courses you’ve played. See what thousands of other golfers think. Find the next course worth the trip. YOUR GOLF PASSPORT Track every golf course you’ve played and build a personal record of your golf history. See your played courses on a map, revisit where you’ve been, and watch your golf passport grow as you play new places around the world. RATE & RANK GOLF COURSES Rate every course you’ve played from 0–10 and create your own personal golf course ranking. Compare your ratings with the Course Vaults community, see how other golfers rate each course, and find out where your favorites stack up. DISCOVER WHERE TO PLAY Find golf courses around the world using community ratings, rankings and filters. Explore courses by location, architect, public or private access, rating and more. Discover nearby golf courses, browse top-ranked courses, and find places worth adding to your next golf trip. BUILD YOUR GOLF BUCKET LIST Create lists for anything: bucket-list courses, upcoming golf trips, favorite public courses, regional rankings or your own Top 100. Sort and filter your lists by location, access, Course Vaults rating or your personal rating. SEE WHAT OTHER GOLFERS THINK Follow friends and other golfers whose opinions you trust. See what they’re playing, discover courses through their ratings and reviews, and get a better sense of what a golf course is actually like from people who have played it. COURSE VAULTS PRO Upgrade to Course Vaults Pro for unlimited course logging and lists, expanded rankings, advanced map filters, course insights, partner perks and more. BUILT FOR GOLF COURSES, NOT GOLF SHOTS Course Vaults isn’t a GPS, rangefinder, scorecard or shot-tracking app. It’s a golf course tracker for the places themselves — a home for your golf passport, course ratings, personal rankings, bucket lists and golf course discoveries. Track where you’ve played. Remember what you loved. Discover what’s next. Terms of Use: https://www.coursevaults.com/terms

Screenshots

Golf Course Architecture4 screens
Course Vaults4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Course Vaults at 4.8 against Golf Course Architecture's 4.1. Course Vaults also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 14 months) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Golf Course Architecture's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.1). 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. Golf Course Architecture sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $12.49 per year and Course Vaults sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Course Vaults holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Course Vaults has 151 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Golf Course Architecture's written reviews are positive against 90% of Course Vaults's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Golf Course Architecture ships an update every 14 months, Course Vaults weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Golf Course Architecture versus Course Vaults: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGolf Course ArchitectureCourse Vaults
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (8 ratings)4.8 (151 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews90.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8151 — better
Update frequencyEvery 14 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB124 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperJellyfish Connect LimitedAndreoni-Group LLC

Customer experience

Golf Course Architecture

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Course Vaults

All ratings151 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative5.8%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Golf Course Architecture

Subscriptions1
  • Golf Course Architecture2 Months trial$12.491 Year
One-time9
  • Oct-16$1.99
  • Golf Course Architecture January 2012 issue$2.99
  • Golf Course Architecture April 2012 issue$2.99
Show 6 more
  • Golf Course Architecture October 2011 issue$2.99
  • Oct-12$2.99
  • 2013 Issue 2$2.99
  • 2013 Issue 3$2.99
  • 2013 Issue 4$2.99
  • 2014 Issue 2$2.99
9 purchases

Course Vaults

Subscriptions9
  • Course Vaults Pro$4.991 Month
  • Course Vaults Pro$6.991 Month
  • Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Seasonal$23.993 Months
  • Founding Member$44.951 Year
  • Course Vaults Pro$49.991 Year
  • Pro+ Annual$54.991 Year
  • Course Vaults Pro$59.991 Year
  • Annual$74.991 Year

Questions

Is Golf Course Architecture free?
Golf Course Architecture is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Course Vaults free?
Course Vaults is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Golf Course Architecture or Course Vaults?
Course Vaults is rated higher. Golf Course Architecture averages 4.1 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Course Vaults averages 4.8 from 151 ratings.
Do Golf Course Architecture or Course Vaults have ads?
Neither Golf Course Architecture nor Course Vaults shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Golf Course Architecture or Course Vaults?
Golf Course Architecture ships an update every 14 months, and Course Vaults weekly. Most recently, Golf Course Architecture was updated on October 6, 2026 and Course Vaults on October 17, 2026.

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