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- #1
http://www.bbgpsgolf.com/
This is a free app that can be downloaded over-the-air to your Blackberry. It uses the GPS chip in the phone to provide distance information. One important thing to know is that it will not work with the Curve 8330 or Pearl 8130 on the Verizon network. This is because Verizon chose to not to unlock the GPS feature on these phones. It does work with later versions.
A couple months ago I told White Rhino that I would let him know my thoughts on this app after I used it. I thought I would share my review with the rest of the board in case anybody else was interested.
Courses
The website says there are currently 8,097 courses fully mapped in the database. This app actually lets you map your own courses using Google and Bing maps or using the Blackberry on the course. You can also add the course using Google maps and then refine your tee/pin/hazard locations with the handheld if needed. You can add reference points at the tee, the front, back, and middle of the green, and any other spot you think would be helpful. For example, I add way points at bunkers, dog-legs, lay-up spots, and water hazards.
I tinkered around quite a bit with this and would highly reccommend using the Google map interface to add courses. It's a much easier interface and the coordinates are accurate. Bing maps actually look better to the eye while you are adding a course, but the coordinates are not always correct and there is not a way to actually view the course in Bing after you add it. I would also reccomend taking the time to watch the how-to videos on the website.
The only downside to this system is that you rely on the quality of the Google map. It is basically impossible to map a course (unless you use the Balckberry on the course) if there is cloud cover in your view. Also, you will need to know the layout of the course (have a scorecard) so you know which holes are where.
Features
This app offers a simple way to check distances on your Blackberry. It will give you distance to any way point that is part of the course map. It will alway give an "as-the-bird-flies" distance, so you will have to remember that on dog-legs, etc.
There is a feature that you can measure shot distance by marking your starting location and where the ball ends up. You can also add the clubs in your bag to the program and it will keep a tab on how far you hit each club if you choose. I used this a few times during my round.
This app will also keep track of your score and statistics if you want it to. If you choose to use this feature, the app will ask you questions after each hole like, "did you hit the fairway", "did you hit the green", and "how many putts". I used this feature, but somehow erased all of the info after I was done. Next time I will probably not use it because it drains the battery and I can just as easily use a score card.
You can download Google maps to your handheld and the app will actually open the course so you can see an overhead view if you desire. I personally did not use this feature since I had a scorecard, but I see where it could be useful.
This app is very customizable in that you can choose the features you want to use in the options menu.
GPS Performance
First of all, let me say that the distances on this app were very accurate. I actually stood on the 100 yard marker a few times and it was within 3 yards each time. However, you have to remember that it is only as accurate as the map of the course. If the way-points are not in the correct place, the GPS will not be accurate. If you see discrepancies, you can edit the way-point locations using the Blackberry. I did this a few times because the tees were not in the same locations I thought.
I set the GPS to refresh every 6 seconds, this is the longest amount of time you can choose. I never had any problems getting a quick lock once I was at my ball. This app did not slow me down at all. I actually walked 18 holes in slightly less than 3 1/2 hours.
Other notes
One big issue for people with mobile-device GPS apps is battery drain. I use a Blackberry Storm, which is know for being a huge battery hog. I am happy to report that I was able to finish all 18 holes without draining the battery. I was even able to make a 10 minute phone call when I was done. There are some step that you can take to increase battery life while using this app.
I really liked this app. It is not as refined as the subscriptions GPS programs, but it worked for what I needed. Plus, it was FREE, which is a huge plus as far as I'm concerned. I'm hoping that it will help me improve my game by taking some of the guess-work out of club selection. I will add more to this as I continue to use it. In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions. Also, I can help you with learning to map courses if you would like.
This is a free app that can be downloaded over-the-air to your Blackberry. It uses the GPS chip in the phone to provide distance information. One important thing to know is that it will not work with the Curve 8330 or Pearl 8130 on the Verizon network. This is because Verizon chose to not to unlock the GPS feature on these phones. It does work with later versions.
A couple months ago I told White Rhino that I would let him know my thoughts on this app after I used it. I thought I would share my review with the rest of the board in case anybody else was interested.
Courses
The website says there are currently 8,097 courses fully mapped in the database. This app actually lets you map your own courses using Google and Bing maps or using the Blackberry on the course. You can also add the course using Google maps and then refine your tee/pin/hazard locations with the handheld if needed. You can add reference points at the tee, the front, back, and middle of the green, and any other spot you think would be helpful. For example, I add way points at bunkers, dog-legs, lay-up spots, and water hazards.
I tinkered around quite a bit with this and would highly reccommend using the Google map interface to add courses. It's a much easier interface and the coordinates are accurate. Bing maps actually look better to the eye while you are adding a course, but the coordinates are not always correct and there is not a way to actually view the course in Bing after you add it. I would also reccomend taking the time to watch the how-to videos on the website.
The only downside to this system is that you rely on the quality of the Google map. It is basically impossible to map a course (unless you use the Balckberry on the course) if there is cloud cover in your view. Also, you will need to know the layout of the course (have a scorecard) so you know which holes are where.
Features
This app offers a simple way to check distances on your Blackberry. It will give you distance to any way point that is part of the course map. It will alway give an "as-the-bird-flies" distance, so you will have to remember that on dog-legs, etc.
There is a feature that you can measure shot distance by marking your starting location and where the ball ends up. You can also add the clubs in your bag to the program and it will keep a tab on how far you hit each club if you choose. I used this a few times during my round.
This app will also keep track of your score and statistics if you want it to. If you choose to use this feature, the app will ask you questions after each hole like, "did you hit the fairway", "did you hit the green", and "how many putts". I used this feature, but somehow erased all of the info after I was done. Next time I will probably not use it because it drains the battery and I can just as easily use a score card.
You can download Google maps to your handheld and the app will actually open the course so you can see an overhead view if you desire. I personally did not use this feature since I had a scorecard, but I see where it could be useful.
This app is very customizable in that you can choose the features you want to use in the options menu.
GPS Performance
First of all, let me say that the distances on this app were very accurate. I actually stood on the 100 yard marker a few times and it was within 3 yards each time. However, you have to remember that it is only as accurate as the map of the course. If the way-points are not in the correct place, the GPS will not be accurate. If you see discrepancies, you can edit the way-point locations using the Blackberry. I did this a few times because the tees were not in the same locations I thought.
I set the GPS to refresh every 6 seconds, this is the longest amount of time you can choose. I never had any problems getting a quick lock once I was at my ball. This app did not slow me down at all. I actually walked 18 holes in slightly less than 3 1/2 hours.
Other notes
One big issue for people with mobile-device GPS apps is battery drain. I use a Blackberry Storm, which is know for being a huge battery hog. I am happy to report that I was able to finish all 18 holes without draining the battery. I was even able to make a 10 minute phone call when I was done. There are some step that you can take to increase battery life while using this app.
- Set the backlight on the phone to time-out in 10 seconds.
- Set the GPS refresh rate to 6 seconds.
- Don't use the scoring feature.
- Make sure you don't have any other apps running the background.
- Don't use the phone for anything else if you can during your round.
I really liked this app. It is not as refined as the subscriptions GPS programs, but it worked for what I needed. Plus, it was FREE, which is a huge plus as far as I'm concerned. I'm hoping that it will help me improve my game by taking some of the guess-work out of club selection. I will add more to this as I continue to use it. In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions. Also, I can help you with learning to map courses if you would like.