The Watch Is the Reason to Keep It
Most golf apps ship a watch companion that is really a remote control for the phone in your bag. Golfshot's runs properly on its own, and that changes how a round feels: you glance at your wrist for the yardage, tap in the score, and the phone stays where it is for four hours.
If that is how you play, nothing on this site is an upgrade and you should ignore the rest of this page. It is a genuinely good piece of software and the watch app is why people pay for it.
Side by Side
| Feature | Golf Scorecard | Golfshot |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone Apple Watch app | No | Yes, and it is the best in the category. Runs without the phone |
| AR course views and 3D flyovers | No | Yes, on the paid tier |
| GPS yardages and course database | None. You set par per hole once | Yes, on a large course database |
| Hole-by-hole scoring | Yes, one tap per player per hole | Yes |
| 18-hole rounds | Free | Free |
| 9-hole rounds and 4 players | Pro | Free |
| Handicap and net scoring | Pro. Course handicap from slope and rating | Yes |
| Battery cost over 18 holes | Low. No GPS, no map tiles | Higher. GPS running for four hours |
| Works with no signal | Yes, everything is on the device | Course data and GPS want a connection |
| Cost | Free download, optional Pro subscription | Free tier, paid tier in the region of $30 to $80 a year |
| Platforms | iOS only | iOS, Android and watchOS |
Subscription prices quoted here were checked in August 2026 and move around with promotions and regional pricing. Check the App Store listing before you commit to anything.
Stick with Golfshot if any of this is you
- You score from an Apple Watch. This is the one that does it properly.
- You use the AR course views or the 3D flyovers on unfamiliar holes.
- You play new courses often enough that the database earns its keep.
- You are on Android. Golf Scorecard is iOS only.
No point pretending otherwise. A scorecard app is not a GPS app and it never will be.
The Battery Argument
This gets dismissed as a small thing until the round it is not. A GPS app holds a location fix and pulls map tiles for four hours. An app that only stores numbers does nothing at all between holes.
If you have ever come off the 18th on 12 percent because you also wanted to take photos and answer a message, that is the whole argument. A scorecard app is the version of this that does not eat your afternoon.
What You Keep
Scoring, gross and net totals, round history and the stats that tell you which hole is quietly costing you shots. The handicap maths is the same published World Handicap System formula every app uses. And if your club plays a Saturday sweep, the Stableford points calculator is free on this site with nothing to install.
If the Watch Was Never the Point
Free to download on iOS. No GPS, no course download, no account. Just the card.
