Further to my previous note about SkyCaddie, I wanted to add that there are a few alternatives for those who don’t own a SkyCaddie device, or would rather not pay an annual license fee for the app.

One of these is GolfPadGPS. It is a free app for either iPhone or Android, and I have used it with some success at my previous club in Northampton. I was disappointed to discover that Craignure was not included in its list of courses – and so I sat down at my computer screen last week and mapped the course myself! This turned out to be a fairly simple process, and whilst maybe not quite as accurate as actually walking the course, I think it is good enough for most purposes. My handiwork was approved and appeared in the app 2 days later.

I tried the system out on Friday morning. It is necessary to have a mobile data signal in order to start your round, but this doesn’t seem to be a big issue any more at Craignure. Once you get going, I believe that a GPS signal only is sufficient.

The system will give you a yardage to the centre, front, and back of the green. This itself is a great help with club selection, particularly for someone like me who is still learning his way around. In addition you can register the location of each and every shot, optionally with details of the club used – and this information is recorded and can be saved at the end of the round. Penalty strokes (I had plenty) and putts (ditto) can also be recorded.

Once the data is saved it can then be viewed by logging in via the website. By way of example, this is how I played the 4th hole on Friday morning (obviously I picked this hole because it went fairly well – aside from the putting).

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
Barry.