We Tried It: SwingU Golf GPS and Shot-Tracking App

There’s a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted TestsorBuyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.

What We Tried:

SwingU—a GPS and shot-tracking mobile app. 

Who Tried It:

Michael LoRé. A former mediocre high school golfer who got back into the game recently and can use any advantage he can get.

SwingU

Billed as “the best golf app for iOS + Apple Watch and Android,” SwingU offers on-course tools and statistics to help golfers improve their game. 

Launched as Swing By Swing in 2008, the app was rebranded as SwingU in 2016 under new ownership. Not only does SwingU boast longevity in the game but its popularity speaks volumes.

Used by more than seven million golfers who have recorded more than 60 million rounds, obviously SwingU is doing something right but what differentiates it from the myriad golf apps on the market?

An Easy Accessory

I’ve never been a big accessories guy. I don’t wear jewelry. I don’t have piercings. That changed a few years ago when I got a running watch to test for a story. My accessory count doubled shortly thereafter when I received a fitness wearable through another opportunity. Now, I feel naked without them.

While many golfers like my buddy in Arizona remove watches, wearables, rings, bracelets, etc., for unencumbered movement on the course, especially on their glove hand, I still wear my watch and wearable. As fitness- and GPS-related apps and programs have gotten more prevalent, I want to track my activities and golf shots to hopefully get more physically fit and be a better—if not well-informed—golfer.

As part of my pre-round routine, I open multiple programs and select the corresponding activities to track metrics like steps and calories burned as well as distances and shots. Now equipped with an Apple watch to test the new SwingU features, after I start the round on my phone by selecting course, tees, scoring type and other settings, I don’t have to pick up my phone again to take advantage of the app’s features.

While all GPS-based golf apps are bouncing your phone’s location off the same satellites orbiting in space to give you course layout and distance, the biggest differentiator with SwingU is the ease of accessibility—not only viewing oodles of data but inputting it all.

Armed with metrics like distance to the hole, club recommendation, wind, elevation and distance to hazards, it’s now up to me to execute the best golf shot I can to, hopefully, put myself in prime position for the next one. Rinse and repeat until the ball goes into the hole. Easy, right?

Where SwingU really stands out is that once your putt drops, it’s time to input your results. Getting as surface level or deep into the rabbit hole as you want, you’re able to not only record your score to par but plenty of minutiae including how far your first putt was, driving distance, tee shot error, first approach, sand shots, hazards, penalties and more. It’s a Matt Fitzpatrick dream come true for us amateurs.

With a few easy clicks and swipes, thanks to a completely revamped interface, I was able to record my stats on my Apple watch either while waiting for playing partners to finish up or while walking to the cart/toward the next hole. Be aware that, if you try to do this on the move, the GPS will continually update your position from the current hole so standing still to enter your data will yield the optimal experience.

Something for Everyone

As someone recently getting back into golf, I’m not the biggest data junkie. I’m not a Tour player by any means nor am I anywhere close to being scratch to get lost in a golf data wormhole but the good thing about SwingU is that it offers a variety of plans, whether you’re picking up the game or have been playing your entire life.

The Basic plan (free) includes exactly what you’d need to build a solid data set and get an advantage on the course from distances to greens and hazards, digital scorecard and GPS rangefinder. The Plus plan ($49.99 annually) takes it one step further with factors like wind speed, elevation, club recommendations, green-reading maps for 14,000+ courses, and no in-app ads. Finally, for the diehards, the Pro plan ($99.99 annually) gives you the ability to view and record every metric you can think of—and the ones you didn’t know you needed until now—including strokes gained, handicap analysis for each part of your game, personalized prescriptive drills, and Tour-level stats and analysis web portal.

But wait! There’s more! SwingU doesn’t just provide course layouts and the ability to record and track golf-related metrics, all users regardless of plan are able to benefit from a daily video tip from top-100 instructors. SwingU also launched a total overhaul of its on-demand video library called SwingU TV, which offers hundreds of insightful tips, drills and instruction videos for Pro subscribers.

Final Thoughts

Like anything in golf, there are a lot of GPS and shot-tracking apps out on the market but there’s a reason MyGolfSpy has featured SwingU over the years.

The app is one of the easiest to use and gives you the ability to track as little or as much data and variables as you want, all in the name of trying to improve your game. I had the ability to play around with SwingU before, during and after a number of rounds and will continue to explore the app and its seemingly unlimited features moving forward as I continue my personal golf journey.

I definitely recommend you give it a go, especially since the Basic plan is everyone’s favorite price (free) and you can upgrade from there if you feel it’s worth it. Golf is hard enough. SwingU is trying to make it easier and more enjoyable.

“We’re trying to give every amateur a caddie and a data coach so they can get better faster,” SwingU CEO Charles Cox previously told MyGolfSpy. “ … I want everyone to play better. It’s the best feeling in the world. And the more people we can help have the feeling, it’s tremendously fulfilling for me.”

I, for one, will take any advantage I can get. Assuming many others would as well.