What You Are Really Paying For
Most golf apps are GPS apps that also keep score. TheGrint is the other way round: a handicap service that also has GPS. Its differentiator is that it will route you to an official Handicap Index through an affiliated club, and it charges a yearly fee for it.
That fee is not the app being greedy. An official index has to be issued by an authorised golf association, and association membership costs money. TheGrint is packaging that up and taking a margin. If you need the official number, that is a fair deal and nothing here beats it.
The question worth asking is whether you need the official number or whether you need the strokes to come out fair on a Saturday. Those are very different problems with very different prices.
Side by Side
| Feature | Golf Scorecard | TheGrint |
|---|---|---|
| Official Handicap Index | No. Unofficial estimate only | Yes, through an affiliated club for a yearly fee |
| WHS handicap maths | Pro. Course handicap from slope and rating | Yes, and it is the whole point of the app |
| Scorecard scanning | No. You enter scores as you play | Yes, photograph a paper card and it reads it |
| GPS yardages | None | Yes, on its 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 |
| Tournaments and leagues | No | Yes |
| Works with no signal | Yes, everything is on the device | Needs a connection to sync and post scores |
| Cost | Free download, optional Pro subscription | Free tier, premium around $60 a year, official handicap around $20 a year on top |
| Platforms | iOS only | iOS and Android |
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 TheGrint if any of this is you
- You play in club competitions, county events or anything where the committee checks your index.
- Your club still uses paper cards and the scorecard scanning would save you real time.
- You run or play in leagues and tournaments through the app.
- 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 Formula Is Not a Secret
This is the part worth understanding before you pay anyone. The World Handicap System publishes its maths. A Score Differential is 113 divided by the slope rating, multiplied by your adjusted gross score minus the course rating. Your index is the average of your lowest differentials from your last 20 rounds, with a set adjustment when you have fewer than 20.
Any app doing this correctly produces the same number. You can check yours right now, for nothing, without installing anything:
The Maths, Without the Membership
Golf Scorecard is free to download and keeps your card and your history on the phone. Pro adds course handicap and net scoring from slope and rating.
