Golf clubs, balls and shoes are not the only tools of the game that are benefiting from significant advances in technology these days. There is also the brave new world of golf apps, and they are giving players many new ways to enjoy the royal and not-so-ancient-anymore game.
One of the latest entries in that realm is VPAR, which was first developed in 2006 as a purveyor of live scoring for individual play and also at corporate events and has now expanded to provide a wide range of services.
Not surprisingly, live scoring remains a prominent feature of the latest VPAR app, and it allows a golfer to keep track of every shot he hits as it also relays all on-course action to his fellow players in real time. But this product also boasts a scorecard archive that keeps records of all shots played for postround comparison and analysis.
In addition, it has GPS capability that gives golfers the layout of each hole they play and offers exact distances to assist in deciding what club to hit. Golfers can also choose among different games and formats to play, and VPAR allows them to share information with friends with a simple touch of a button and also check out how they have been playing on the basis of their scorecard history.
“We wanted to capture all the excitement and adrenaline of the game,” says Jason Stoop, VPAR’s managing director. “Players can track progress, check out the competition and see what’s happening elsewhere on the course as the game unfolds.”
Stoop says the app - which is available for the iPhone and soon will be for Windows and Android phones - is easy to use, and needs only be downloaded directly from the Apple Store, at http://po.st/VPARiPhone. The cost of an annual subscription is $8.95.
