8 Best Strokes Gained Apps for Amateur Golfers

Quick Facts

• Automatic shot tracking? Yes
• Free? No
• Can compare strokes gained to similar handicaps? Yes

In my top spot for strokes gained tracking is Arccos.

There are several reasons I've put this in the #1 spot.

Reason #1: The Ecosystem

One of the most challenging things about strokes gained is collecting and managing the data.

Many apps use PGA Tour benchmarks for their strokes gained calculations because there are tons of data available via the ShotLink measurement system on tour.

The downfall of this approach is this—what if a 15-handicap wants to compare themself to an 8 handicap?

If we're using PGA Tour benchmarks, this is NOT POSSIBLE.

What I love about Arccos is they let you choose your benchmark.

Rather than comparing yourself to the pros, you get to choose what skill you compare yourself against. This is a HUGE advantage over many other apps in my opinion.

Furthermore, Arccos appears to be a solid business overall with a growing community. A huge risk to "ecosystem lock-in" is a failing business. You start tracking all your stats with them and then... They go out of business (I'm looking at you GameGolf).

I expect Arccos to continue running for a long time, which is a huge plus.

Reason #2: Automatic Tracking

Automatic shot tracking is where you place shot trackers on your clubs and let the technology take care of the rest.

Since this is relatively new tech, the first couple of years (2014-now) have come with mixed reviews.

Golfers often complain that shots are not automatically registering and the systems are unreliable.

That said, I've seen major improvements with Arccos and other shot trackers in the last few years and it sure beats manually tracking all your shots!

It's not perfect, but automatic shot tracking is a HUGE benefit over many of the other strokes gained apps IMO.

Reason #3: Popularity

At the time of writing, Arccos is a clear leader in both automatic shot trackers and consumer-friendly strokes gained metrics and dashboards.

I'd love to see a few competitors enter this market, but for now, we've got Arccos.

So if you want to use strokes gained data to improve your practice and on-course strategy, I highly recommend Arccos. You can grab it with the link below.

Quick Facts

• Automatic shot tracking? Yes
• Free? No
• Can compare strokes gained to similar handicaps? Yes

ShotScope is a very similar alternative to Arccos and shares many of the same characteristics I walked through above.

While at the time of writing it doesn't have quite as many raving reviews as Arccos, ShotScope is a great choice for golfers who enjoy wearing GPS watches on the course.

The ShotScope watch pairs well with the automatic tracking tags (that go in the grip end of your clubs) and integrates with the mobile app that provides strokes gained analysis for you after the round.

Quick Facts

• Automatic shot tracking? No
• Free? Yes, with option to upgrade
• Strokes gained handicap benchmarking? No, everything is against pro benchmarks

MyTaylorMade+ was previously known as MyTaylorMadeOnCourse, which was previously known as myRoundPro (yeah, they did lots of acquiring/rebranding).

Despite the name changes, this app is solid. Even back when it was "myRoundPro", lots of golfers on Reddit expressed how great it was and I'd have to agree!

Of my knowledge, this is the only app that does strokes gained statistics FREE.

The strokes gained stats are basic and there is no handicap benchmarking (i.e. comparing yourself against other amateurs rather than pros), but for free, that's a pretty good deal!

The app is well-built and in addition to the strokes gained metrics, it allows you to sync with your USGA handicap.

Quick Facts

• Automatic shot tracking? No, it is 100% manual
• Free? No
• Can compare strokes gained to similar handicaps? Yes

Coming in around $70 per year (at time of writing), GolfMetrics is one of the original strokes gained tracking apps.

It was originally developed by Mark Broadie, the "father" of strokes gained and the author of the popular book, Every Shot Counts. A lot of the writing on this blog is based on these concepts and I've learned a ton from his research, so have to put this app high up on the list.

This app also provides a fair amount of detail. If you are detail-oriented and want a "true strokes gained measurement", this app is for you.

That said, it's far from perfect.

First, this app, along with the remaining apps on my list today is 100% manual entry. With strokes gained, that means you're entering every single shot you hit along with distance estimates. That can get tedious, so make sure you're prepared to do a bit of "homework" after your rounds.

Secondly, the user interface design is... Very painful.

I'm biased—by day, I'm a full-stack web developer, so seeing this app brings me immense pain. I sincerely hope it gets a makeover one day because otherwise, it's a pretty solid app.

Quick Facts

• Automatic shot tracking? No, it is 100% manual
• Free? Basic app is free, but strokes gained requires upgrade
• Can compare strokes gained to similar handicaps? Yes

While this is another 100% manual stats entry app, SwingU is great for golfers who want to not only track stats and strokes gained but also get tips directly in the app based on what went poorly during the round.

Getting access to this feature requires an upgrade to the "Pro" tier, which costs ~$20/month at the time of writing.

Quick Facts

• Automatic shot tracking? No, it is 100% manual
• Free? Basic app is free, but strokes gained requires upgrade
• Can compare strokes gained to similar handicaps? No, not at time of writing

Compared to SwingU, I think the 18 Birdies strokes gained feature is a bit less feature-rich, but overall a good choice if you're in the ecosystem.

Like SwingU, to enable strokes gained, you must upgrade to the premium plan, which at the time of writing is ~$20/month.

Quick Facts

• Automatic shot tracking? No, it is 100% manual
• Free? Basic app is free, but strokes gained requires upgrade
• Can compare strokes gained to similar handicaps? No, not at time of writing

Technically, the Grint does not have a true "Strokes Gained" analysis section of the app.

Recently, they announced a feature called "Insights" which is a form of strokes gained and is available on the premium plan for ~$8/month.

This feature is relatively basic though, so if you're looking for the best strokes gained app, this is probably not it.

DECADE is a training system that has been used by pros and college golfers for years now. Originally developed by Scott Fawcett, a Texas A&M standout and former pro golfer, DECADE teaches you how to apply strokes gained principles in real life.

DECADE recently came out with a mobile app called DECADE Foundations which is the "lite" version of the system. It is a 6-month program and teaches you the basics of the DECADE system.

While this is NOT a stats tracking app, GPS, or any of the fancy features in previous apps I've mentioned, it is your best bet if you are serious about improving your on-course strategy and applying the principles of strokes gained effectively.