Today’s professional tour players rely on analytics, technology, and even mental and physical coaches to help improve their practice routines and performances. However, very few amateur golfers have access to that kind of professional assistance or even to personal fitness regimens that can greatly enhance their mental and physical performance.

For amateur golfers to truly hone their game as best as they can, they need to take at least a page from the pros’ book on preparation. Fortunately, by using apps to improve on-course performance, practice range regiments, and even mental fortitude and training, amateur golfers can improve in leaps and bounds as well, without hiring a full-staffed team to do so. In this article, I’m going to break down what I believe are the best golf apps for on-course performance, mental training, and video/practice instruction that are out there today!

5. Golfshot App

Coming in at #5 on my list is the Golfshot App, which has both a free and pro version. For no added cost besides a download, the free Golfshot App offers a lot of on-course help, such as GPS distance to the center of the green, a score tracker (stableford included!), and shot tracking and recording capabilities. For off-course help, it offers the ability to share rounds with friends and invite them to a tee time, GolfNow integration to book and search tee times, 3D course flyovers to help you plan your game, statistics and insights based on performance, and viewing and sharing of Golfplan videos!

The pro version is a little more in-depth, adding real-time distance to hazards and targets, club recommendations based on performance, GHIN index integration, advanced scoring modes (skins, nassau, and match play), a zoom-in GPS view for closer viewing, and a dynamic 3d flyover of the course with insights based on your play!

The pro version also includes benefits in partnership with GolfNow, ClubHub, Winc (for that after-round glass of wine!), GlobalGolf, Tour Academy, and more! Golfshot combines more than just a GPS app; it’s also a stat tracker and potential video resource for any amateur golfer. It’s like an all-in-one tool for game improvement!

Price: Free or $49 per year for the pro version

4. GolfLogix GPS+Putt Breaks

Best known for their online site that sells yardage books and green books, the GolfLogix technology has now come to your iPhone or Android device! In both a free version (ad-supported) or a paid version, GolfLogix provides golfers with over 30,000 courses worldwide, a color 3D yardage book, stat tracking, handicap scoring, and a scorecard for up to four players.

A quick upgrade to the paid version provides you with one of GolfLogix’s most famous features: a view of the breaks on putting greens and club tracking. The putting green views support break severity, hole view, and even a heat map to accurately depict green speed. All of this culminates to show golfers an active putt line, with an aimpoint and break severity mapped out right in front of your eyes. Truthfully, this is one of the best on-course golf apps you can purchase!

Price: Free, $9.99 a month, or $49.99 per year

3. GolfPass

Nowadays a lot of apps and mediums can provide shot tracking, GPS, and a digital scorecard, but how many can improve our golf swing and performance on the course and on the range directly? With Golf Channel and GolfPass, golfers can be exposed to tons of videos and shows featuring professional teachers, all compressed into an app right on your phone for easy viewing right on the range! GolfPass provides amateur golfers with an all-inclusive application, providing instructional video, coaching feedback, GPS on-course shot tracking, and score tracking, all in one premium golf application!

Price: Free or $99.99 per year for GolfPass+

2. Imagine Golf

While golf has always been known as a mental game, hiring a mental coach can be a painfully expensive and long process. Along comes Imagine Golf, a golfer's pocket mental coach, to sharpen and train the mind for golf course performance. Including a daily drive each day (a free three-to-four minute mental coaching video), Imagine Golf opens the average golfer up to hundreds of audio classes, stories, visualizations, and drills to improve your golf game and mental performance.

A lot of golf can be controlled and improved with a more mental approach, and Imagine Golf is one of the best apps on the market for that reason. Allowing golfers to take control and fine-tune their mental game like the pros can do wonders for the game, and it lets golfers hone in on an aspect of the game that most applications and lessons fail to cover and devote strategies to.

Price: Free seven-day trial, $4.99 per month, $59.99 per year, or $149.99 for lifetime

1. Arccos Caddie App

At #1 on my list is the Arccos Pocket Caddie System. Available on iOS and Android, the Arccos system delivers the full experience of a professional caddie in your pocket, in addition to being one of the best golf GPS apps on the market. With smart sensors and a linked device (either an Arccos wearable, phone app, or Apple watch app), Arccos automatically tracks every shot on the course, your score, handicap, and even provides strokes gained and lost analytics for targeted practice.

The Arccos app also shows you “smart club distances”, which average out your well-struck shots, and also tracks the environmental effect that wind, weather, temperature, and conditions have on your distances. It also provides an in-depth A.I.-powered rangefinder to show you real time satellite views of the course, with distances to hazards and targets, including adjusted distances counting for wind, temperature, and height of the shot as well.

Last but not least, Arccos also provides caddie advice powered by the data it gathers from your performance and A.I., in order to provide each golfer with an optimal attack plan and strategy to shoot a lower score on every hole played. With a GPS app, instant feedback, advanced analytics like pros have, and much more, all of your golf buddies will be jealous they don’t have Arccos as a caddie with them every round!

Price: App membership is $119.99 per year; smart sensors or grips are $199.99; wearable link (not needed) is $149.99; the starter bundle (one-year membership, sensors, and link) is $298.99

So there you have it! 5 apps to help any golfer improve on the course, and off it. As always, reach out to your Golf Expert here on Curated for any questions you may have. They’re avid golfers just like you, and always have tools, training items, and sometimes even drill recommendations to share.