Comparison

Hole19 vs Course Guide GPS

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

Head to head
About

Hole19

This golf app provides accurate GPS yardages, a digital scorecard, and AI-powered shot tracking for over 42,000 courses. Enhance your game with features like plays-like distances, club recommendations, and detailed statistics to help lower your score.

Highlights
  • Accurate GPS rangefinder
  • Digital scorecard and stats
  • AI-powered shot tracking
  • Plays Like Distances
  • Club recommendations
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Global handicap tracking
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The #1 golf GPS app and rangefinder trusted by 5M+ golfers worldwide. Hole19 delivers pinpoint accurate yardages, AI-powered shot tracking, a digital scorecard, and a handicap tracker, all on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Whether you're chasing your first sub-90 or defending single digits, Hole19 has the tools to lower your score. Coverage of 42,000+ courses in 201 countries, a full-featured Apple Watch integration, and features built with 10+ years of real golfer feedback. Golfers who track their shots with Hole19 Premium save an average of 3 shots per round. Try Premium free for 14 days. FREE FEATURES: - Golf GPS Rangefinder: Pinpoint distances to the front, center, and back of the green plus every hazard and target across 42,000+ courses. - Digital Scorecard: Scores, putts, fairways hit, and GIR tracked on your phone or Apple Watch. - Course Preview: Explore every hole layout and hazard before you tee off. - Apple Watch GPS: Front, center, back distances on your wrist. Phone-free play. - LivePlay: Organize rounds, track live leaderboards, and share the round in real time. - Golf Social Network: Connect with golfers worldwide, share scores and course photos. - Siri Voice Commands (iOS): Start a round hands-free. - Monthly Challenges: Compete for prizes. PREMIUM FEATURES: - Plays Like Distances: Real yardages adjusted for elevation. - Shot Tracker: Track every shot and see exactly where it landed. - Club Recommendation: Personalized club suggestions based on your actual distances. - Augmented Reality (iOS): Distances and directions overlaid on your camera view. - Handicap Calculator: Global-standard handicap index with improvement tracking. - Club & Overall Stats: Driving accuracy, greens in regulation, short game, putting. - Apple Watch Scoring & Maps: Full score input and flyover maps on your wrist. - Game Modes: Stroke Play, Stableford and Side Games free; Match Play and team formats Premium. - Shot Dispersion Tool: See where your shots are likely to land and pick smarter aim points. - Auto-Change Hole: The app advances automatically as you move. - Distance Arcs: Free in Course Preview only; Premium in-round. - Notes & Highlights: Course strategy notes plus your career highlights. - Ad-free experience. INTELLIGENCE (Hole19's AI tier): - Otto AI: Your personal AI caddie. Unlimited AI round reports that tell you exactly where you're losing strokes and what to work on. - Auto Shot Detection: Track every shot with one tap after the round. - Strokes Gained Analysis: Pro-level stats that reveal which part of your game is costing you the most. - Handicap Benchmark: Compare your game to golfers at your exact handicap level. - CORE Golf included (iOS Only): 100+ drills and 15+ practice plans to structure your practice. Payment will be charged to your Apple Account upon 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. If you upgrade to Premium or Intelligence during your free trial any remaining time left on your trial will be forfeited. NOTES: - help@hole19golf.com - Technical support - mapping@hole19golf.com - Mapping requests - partners@hole19golf.com - Partnerships - Premium and Intelligence features are available via in-app purchase - The app is optimized for iOS 18.0+ on iPhone SE (2nd generation) and newer - Hole19 for Apple Watch requires watchOS 10 or later - Hole19 is not optimized for iPad - Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life - Family Sharing is not supported - Privacy Policy - https://www.hole19golf.com/terms/privacy-policy - Terms of Use - https://www.hole19golf.com/terms

About

Course Guide GPS

This app provides GPS-enabled yardage guides for golf courses, detailing bunkers, hazards, tees, and green locations. It also tracks scores, strokes, putts, and penalties, with detailed playing statistics available. Users can access pro tips, save notes, and book tee times if supported.

Highlights
  • GPS yardage for bunkers, hazards, and greens
  • Score and stroke tracking
  • Detailed playing statistics
  • Pro tips for playing holes
  • Save personal notes
  • Online tee time booking integration
Features
Read full description

The only GPS enabled course / yardage guide for golf courses INCLUDING bunkers, hazards, tees, as well as the center, front, and back of greens. Course Guide GPS also allows you to track your score, total strokes, putts, chips, sand shots, as well as penalties. New in version 3.5 you can view your playing statistics in the Player Information screen. These statistics include your best rounds, average scores by hole, and the best you've played each hole. In version 2.0, you can see tips from the pros on how to play holes, save your own notes, and even keep track of each of your shots. Plus, if the course supports online tee time booking, Course Guide will take you right to that page. The app is free and you purchase only the courses you want. ********** Currently available for: - Crystal Springs Golf Club, Burlingame, CA - Duke University Golf Club, Durham, NC - Heritage Golf Club, Wake Forest, NC - Shoreline Golf Links, Mountain View, CA - Southern Pines Golf Club, Southern Pines, NC ********** Please ask your golf course's head pro to contact support@ligaturetech.com for information about adding support for their golf course.

Screenshots

Hole194 screens
Course Guide GPS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hole19 at 72% against Course Guide GPS's 0%. Hole19 also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). Course Guide GPS's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Hole19 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and Course Guide GPS sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hole19 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hole19 has 23K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Hole19's written reviews are positive against 0% of Course Guide GPS's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hole19 ships an update every 6 days, Course Guide GPS every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Hole19 versus Course Guide GPS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHole19Course Guide GPS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (23K ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews72.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings23K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#62 — better—
DevicesiPhone, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size236 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStat Track Technologies Lda.Ligature Technologies, LLC.

Customer experience

Hole19

All ratings22,518 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews1,086 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral8.8%
Negative18.7%

Course Guide GPS

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Hole19

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Hole numbers not displaying correctly on some courses
  • Apple Watch app freezing or losing sync with phone
  • Inconsistent GPS distances compared to other devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to manually adjust pin locations
  • More customization options for scoring and statistics
  • Standalone Apple Watch app with full functionality
  • Support for 9-hole courses and shotgun starts

Course Guide GPS

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Hole19

Subscriptions10
  • Premium Pro Weekly7 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Premium Pro Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Premium Pro Monthly - Legacy$20.001 Month
Show 7 more
  • Lite Basic - Legacy$29.991 Month
  • Lite for Wearables - Legacy$29.991 Month
  • Lite Birdie - Legacy$29.991 Month
  • Premium Pro 6 Months7 Days trial$49.996 Months
  • Premium Pro Yearly14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Premium Pro Yearly1 Month trial$69.991 Year
  • Intelligence 1 Year14 Days trial$99.991 Year
8 purchases

Course Guide GPS

One-time8
  • Heatherwoode Golf Club, Springboro, OH$0.99
  • Sunken Gardens Sunnyvale CA$0.99
  • Shoreline Golf Links, Mountain View, CA$1.99
Show 5 more
  • Crystal Springs Golf Club, Burlingame, CA$1.99
  • Hillandale Golf Course$1.99
  • Heritage Golf Club, Wake Forest, NC$2.99
  • Southern Pines Golf Club, Southern Pines, NC$5.99
  • Duke Univeristy Golf Club, Durham, NC$6.99

Questions

Is Hole19 free?
Hole19 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Course Guide GPS free?
Course Guide GPS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hole19 or Course Guide GPS?
Hole19 is rated higher. Hole19 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 23K ratings, while Course Guide GPS averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Hole19 or Course Guide GPS have ads?
Hole19 shows ads; Course Guide GPS does not.
Which is updated more often, Hole19 or Course Guide GPS?
Hole19 ships an update every 6 days, and Course Guide GPS every 2 months. Most recently, Hole19 was updated on November 10, 2026 and Course Guide GPS on November 1, 2026.

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