Review: GreenFinder for BlackBerry

Chances are, if you're a golfer you can appreciate that knowledge is power... Especially around the golf course. Knowing yardages to exact locations is invaluable, and can help lower your scores.

Golfers will be well aware that there are other rangefinders out there (SkyCaddie is the big name) but for that, you're shelling out big bucks along with a monthly fee. GreenFinder is an app that installs directly on your device, and it only costs $35 a year... not a bad price... especially if your course is mapped accurately. The app works with any GPS enabled berry, and I have to admit... after trying it out for the first time the other day... it works pretty darn well.

How it Works

GreenFinder uses the GPS technology built into some Berry devices to display the distance to the front, middle and back of each green. It can also be used to tell you distances to and to carry any hazard on the course. For example, on my home course, the app tells me that it is only 220 yards to the front of the trap on the right hand side of the fairway... and 240 to carry it. After my tee ball, I can then use the application to tell me the distance to the pin. Depending on where the pin is on the green, I can estimate the exact distance using the front/middle/back distances.

Putting GreenFinder to Use

So, you're on the first tee and ready to golf. Open GreenFinder and you're ready to go. You can either search for your course, or let the GPS find your location and it will automatically find the course where you are standing... that's kind of cool!

When you're ready, click the course name, and go 'Play Course'. You're off to the races. Immediately you will notice data for hole #1. Chances are the hole is a par 4 or 5, so you will probably see data to a hazard encountered by your tee shot.

You will also notice that there are two 'tabs' at the top of the screen. One for 'green', which tells you no matter where you are, how far you are to the front, middle and back of the green. The 'fairway' tab gives you data you'll need off the tee. Very handy.

Another cool feature built into this app is the distance finder. At least that's what I'm calling it. Go ahead and take your shot, and then hit the space bar where you made contact. Proceed out to your ball, and you will notice that GreenFinder is counting up in yards, on your screen. When you arrive at your ball you will know exactly how far you hit your shot! This is handy for figuring out how far you hit each club... Take 5 to 10 solid shots with each club, mark the distance, and within minutes you can have a chart of your clubs and distances you hit each one :)

If you don't want to actually LOOK at your device (kind of lazy I know), you can also have GreenFinder speak the distance to the center of the green to you. All you need to do is hit the mute button (I know, seems a little backward, but it's easy to access) and you'll get your yardage.

Key Features

GPS Distance - Uses your berry's GPS capabilities to display distance to the front, center and back of greens... along with important key hazards along the way.

Audible Distances - As I noted above, you can have GreenFinder speak the distance to the center of the green, so that you don't even need to look at your device.

Real-Time Course Downloads - Download courses as you need them. Step on the first tee and download the course data in seconds.

Measure Shot Length - Press one button to record where you took your shot. When you arrive at your ball, you'll see how far you hit it!

Is My Course Mapped?

Good question. To take advantage of this app you'll need to have your course mapped. Thousands of courses have already been mapped in great detail. To find out if your local courses are available click here.

Of course, if your course isn't available, you can always map it yourself, or request that GreenFinder map it for you. They can plot out your course via Google Earth images for you!

If your course IS mapped, but you want to add more data, you can always add more points, name them, and submit them. New additions to the course data will be reviewed by GreenFinder and added to the course if accurate!

Will it Improve Your Game?

YES. Having yardage around the course is incredibly valuable, especially if you know exactly how far you hit each club. I squeezed in a round with GreenFinder the other day, and I figure it saved me 3-4 strokes. I'm a low handicap golfer, so that number is quite impressive! The high handicapper might glean more benefit from it... to encourage them to get to know their club distances, and match the right shot for the target zone.

Bottom line is that it's so nice to know exactly how far you are to execute each shot properly. Giving yourself a target zone instead of one number to the middle of the green will open your target area, and give you a much larger target to shoot for. You'll have the confidence to commit to the shot and strike it the way you want...and more importantly, the game will get a heck of a lot more fun!

Why Buy it?

Many reasons... First, it will hopefully make the game more fun for you, and improve your scores. Second, you only have to pay one low yearly fee for the application. Third, you don't need to carry another expensive device to make this work... Simply load it on to your Berry and off you go. Lastly, you don't need a computer to manage the software, download updates or anything else. Everything you need happens in real time, OTA on your device!

Conclusions

It could be because this is my first experience with a GPS rangefinder, but I was really impressed with this one. It improved my game and made things just a little bit more fun! I'd recommend it for scratch golfers, all the way up to high-handicap golfers looking to make improvements and lower their scores.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Affordable price point ($35/year)
• Accurate distances
• Thousands of courses mapped already

Cons

• Not as powerful as SkyCaddie and other stand-alone devices
• Could drain your battery life quickly

Download

GreenFinder is available for the 9000, 8800 series, 8300 series and 8100 series. A free trial is available here , or you can purchase and install OTA for only $35 CAD per year.