Review: MOBITEE Golf GPS App

No need for a separate GPS Unit
Using a distance finding device (GPS or Laser) has been a real benefit to most golfer’s games.  Knowing really how far you hit your clubs and how far you are from the hole is really helpful.  It is also an investment.  A basic golf GPS unit is going to cost you at minimum $150 for anything respectable and the good ones are closer to $300+.  Imagine if you could get a GPS unit that offers everything a $300+ unit does for only $30.  You’d jump on the deal wouldn’t you? 
The MOBITEE is an app for iPhones or Android based units that offers all the bells and whistles of a stand-alone GPS unit, but you don’t need to purchase a separate device, it is for your smartphone.  While some might see this as an expensive app, the features are really worth every penny.

Getting started is really easy, you download the app from iTunes and you are ready to go. (I use an iPhone 4) You can type in some information about yourself to keep detailed stats, if you want, otherwise just follow directions to play golf.  You pick your country, state and then you can scroll down the course list.  You can also use the “nearby” tab if you are at the course.  If you play one course or a few courses regularly just hit the “favorite” tab.  It only takes a couple of seconds to find the course you want to play.  Then a screen will pop up with course information, weather, phone numbers, and course website.  If you hit “next” you then can use it for yourself and 3 other golfers so you can keep score for your whole group right on your iPhone.  Once you decide who is playing, you tap “play golf” and away you go.  It allows you to start on either 1 or 10 which is kind of a nice feature especially when play is off the back 9 first.
 

The scorecard is a really nice easy feature that will keep track of your score and your putting.  It also allows you to do Stableford or Stroke scoring.  At the end of your round you can email it to you and your playing partners.  Also during play you can track your club yardages by using the record button for each club, so that you know how far you hit it.  The app then keeps record of those distances for upcoming rounds.  There is also an augmented view that you can use more like a laser rangefinder with the flag.  It worked well, but I really only used it a couple times, I didn’t really see the need.

On the course it is as good as anything I have ever used.  It uses satellite images to show the course so you can see and get distances for anything from tee to green.  Standard front, back and center distances are given for each hole too. You can also touch anywhere to get the lay-up distance along with remaining yardage.  You can zoom in just like you would on any photo on your iPhone in case you want to get an exact detail.   The touchscreen and interfacing feel very normal since it is just like everything else on your iPhone. 

What happens if the course you want to play isn’t mapped by MOBITEE?  Don’t worry, you can go online or use your phone and get it mapped within  48 hours.  I think it took 46 for the one I needed.  It is a newer 9-hole course in the area.  I went online and filled out all the forms to get it mapped, it maybe took 15-minutes.  The next time I went out, it was ready to go and worked perfectly.

So is there anything wrong with MOBITEE?  Technically no.  But to use MOBITEE that means you need to take your phone with you on the course.  Now some days this doesn’t bother me, because I was planning to take it and use it during the round anyways, but on those days when I want to shut the phone off and leave it in the car, I am out my golf GPS.  At the same time if you never let your phone out of your sight, why have a second GPS unit just for golf (especially at the cost difference).  When it came to battery life, I could get 36 holes easily out of a full phone charge.  That also leads to a nice little benefit, if you use a stand alone GPS unit, you probably need a separate charging cord, which you might lose or forget.  If you use your iPhone, just one cord for your phone and MOBITEE GPS unit.  You are probably less likely to forget having it charged or taking it with you.  Just turn your ringer off so it doesn’t bother someone during their backswing.

For the cost, you would be hard pressed to find another golf GPS that can keep up.  I know there are a couple of other apps, but I haven’t enjoyed them nearly as much as MOBITEE.

Quick Hits
+iPhone or Android golf GPS
+Easy to use and set-up
+Accurate and Helpful
+Scorecard feature
+Mapped a new course fast
+Great Price

–Your phone is on the course

For more information:
www.mobitee.com