Swing by Swing Android App - Review, WOW. Live mapping, distances, etc.

Over the last two seasons I've tried four apps for my android phone which promised to give hole by hole distances & ball stirke distance tracking, I'd actually bought a year to GolfLogix as I had found it the most user friendly while playing a round and was worth the $20/year. I still maintain that its a nice app, but I recently discovered Swing by Swing and found the free version to be even more friendly (simple interface, faster to load hole maps, much more diverse club tracking) and decided to try the paid version ($14/year)... WOW. I would pay more!

The distance tracking is as accurate as a friends SkyCaddy.

The club tracking allows you not just to input what club you used, but also if the shot was a top, chunk, slice, hook, fade, draw, etc... and it does so with TWO total clicks/touches.

However, what really truly astounded me was how the phone app updates the secure website.

I got tour level stats as far as percentages, putts, saves, FIR & GIR, % of total shots which faded or were drawn, % of strikes which faded & drew by club , distances of clubs automatically kicked out any shots selected as tops/chunks, pitches.

Then I discovered this:

It uses a Google Earth overlay of its GPS data and will show you the distance and direction of you shot! ANY shot you tracked. I now know that I'm going to track EVERY stroke I make (save maybe for putts) for posterity if nothing else!!

I was so excited when I stumbled across this I had to call my wife in to check it out and, while she humors my golf addiction in a supportive manner, even she was impressed.

Just though I'd share.

Swing by swing was the only golf app I deleted from my phone, lol.  Mostly because of all the e-mail spamming I got from them.  Their breaking news junk that was three weeks old already.

Thanks nikuk!

That's an awesome review - I appreciate it. We're always trying to roll out cool new stuff. Have you seen the My Goal report yet? That's my new fav...

Hey moparman - it's called 'unsubscribe'! Most of our members like the jokes and videos... some unsubscribe (but most stick around).

I also really like this app, but can't stand all the spam emails they send.  And they always find a way to outsmart my junk mail filter by changing the email sender name in the message header.  If I could find the unsubscribe button, I would do it in a nanosecond.

I'm also a very happy user of swing by swing.   Of course I am computer literate enough to find and use an unsubscribe link.

I would love to get your perspective on the discussion we have been having over in the Rules forum on the USGA and R&A;'s (confused, IMO) position on distance measuring apps on smartphones.

I have no problem admitting that I am not very computer literate.  I am also a beginner at golf too.

I tried using the unsubscribe link in the bottom of one of the junk emails.  Let's see if that works.

The cost of $7.99 for SbS to add a course was the other defining factor for not using it.  I don't really feel like mapping my home course on my own just because it's not in your database.  I had one course added and one course updated today by Golflogix for free, both done inside of an hour.  I re-downloaded the app, so I'll give it one more try, when I play a course that is already mapped.

I mapped a course on SbS in under 15 minutes. The more people that actually take the time to map a course and not rely on the app to do it the better the app will be!

Edited:  I am mapping one right now, to see how it works out.  If it's battery consumption is considerably less than Golflogix, then that will be a plus, for sure.

I am currently using the free version and love it.  Works so much better than Golf Logix and knows when you complete a hole and prompts you for your stats.  I will try out the looper version my next round and decide if it is worth the 15 bucks or not.

I would like to know how tedious it is to input club tracking... seems like a lot of work that would get in the way of playing a round.

Well, I just went through mapping the course, twice..The first time gave a fatal webpage error, but the second went through.  This course is only 12kms from me.  I mapped it, and it said it was ready to play on my phone (ready for the rest of the world, once it's approved).  So, I loaded it up, sure enough, there it was on my map.  As soon as I selected it to start the round, it pulled up an entirely different golf course, that is an hours drive away from here, plus the imagery was WINTER !  Really?  Sure is easy to detect those bunkers on the wrong course with two feet of snow covering everything.   Obviously, there are still some bugs to be worked out.

Before I got my laser range finder, I used Swing by Swing (free version) on my Evo and thought it was a great app... I mapped my home course myself and never had any issues.

I have not been impressed with any gps distances on a golf course using android phones. I will try this one again and see if it is any better now.

+1

I find my phone to be slow, and then 50% of the time wrong. Then add the fact that the battery drains so dramatically when using the GPS that by the end of the round the phone was not all that useful.

I like the mapping feature this one has, but using as a GPS is likely not in my future.

Hey guys,

Sorry for the late response... my update notification must not be working.

First, re the emails:

We really try to send only entertaining and interesting stuff via email. Occasionally we have a sale or upgrade update, so that will sneak in. This week we sent out our annual survey. Otherwise, the emails are intended to be fun and entertaining.

(And, there is not just one, but two unsubscribe links at the bottom of every email)

Second, re the app:

Thanks to all those who are giving props. Love you guys!

Moparman, if you send an email to support@swingbyswing.com with the name of the course you mapped and the one that's showing up, or submit a request at our support site, OR post the info here, we'll jump right on it. I have never heard of that issue before, and would be interested to see how it could be possible.

Turtleback, I'll cruise over to the other forum and chime in with my thoughts about the new rules.

Thanks to all who give Swing by Swing a try! We're working hard to bring you the best product, and have a lot more in store. We always listen to our users (hence the annual survey) and try hard  to provide more value and usability than anybody else.

For example, in a couple of weeks, all ad networks will be removed from the app. No more banners. No more full page ads. We might build some more relevant ads back into the app in the future, but for now, there will be no ads - just a big beautiful satellite photo of the hole you're playing.

Looking forward to a great golf season!

Travis

I just tried it again today, same results.  Whenever I select "Thomson Lake Golf Course" to play a round, it loads up "Willow Bunch" Golf Course, every time.

I just sent you a PM titled "Thomson Lake vs Willow Bunch". We'll get it figured out, and fixed up, right away.

T