Golf Daddy vs the big golf apps
Apps like 18Birdies, Hole19 and TheGrint are good, have been going far longer, and cover more of the world than we do. Here's where Golf Daddy is genuinely different — and where one of them might suit you better.
Where Golf Daddy is different
Your handicap costs nothing
Golf Daddy works out your Handicap Index from the rounds you score — best 8 of your last 20, the World Handicap System method — and it stays free. Several of the big apps put handicap tracking, or the stats behind it, inside a paid subscription.
Built for UK golf
2,500+ UK courses are mapped hole by hole, free. The largest apps are global-first and lead on worldwide course counts; Golf Daddy starts from the courses you actually play on a Saturday morning.
WHS, not GHIN
GHIN is the United States handicap system, so a GHIN number does nothing for you at a club in Surrey or Fife. Golf Daddy follows the World Handicap System method used in Britain and Ireland.
One card for the whole match
Score everyone in the fourball from your phone — including mates who haven't got the app, as guests. Plenty of apps assume every player is scoring their own card on their own phone.
What you get without paying
Free
- GPS rangefinder — front, middle and back yardages
- 2,500+ UK courses mapped hole by hole
- Your Handicap Index, updated as you play
- Live shared leaderboard for the group
- Every format — Stableford, match play, stroke play, Split 6s
- Guest players who don't have the app
Golf Daddy Pro
- 42,000+ courses worldwide
- AI Golf Coach analysis of your game
- Deeper per-course stat breakdowns
When another app is the better call
We'd rather tell you now than have you download it and find out:
- You need an official handicap accepted in competitions — that means a club membership, iGolf, or a USGA-licensed app if you play in the States.
- You mostly play abroad, where a global course database matters more than UK depth.
- You want an Apple Watch app or on-wrist scoring — Golf Daddy hasn't got one yet.
Other apps change their features and pricing regularly — worth checking their own sites for what they include today.
Try it on your next round
It's free, and it takes one round to know whether it beats what you're using now.
Curious how the handicap works? Golf handicaps, explained