SwingU review

SwingU keeps its core free: GPS distances to greens and hazards, a scorecard that tracks score and putts and moves hole to hole, shot tracking for club distances and a free handicap estimate after just 9 holes. Tap the flag on any hole for distances to five or more tiers of the green. Because SwingU belongs to Golf Genius, golfers can join Golf Genius events, post scores and follow live leaderboards in the app, which matters if your club runs tournaments that way. SwingU Plus, $59.99 a year ($4.99 a month billed annually), adds an AI digital caddie with plays-like yardages using live wind and elevation, club recommendations, StrackaLine green maps on more than 20,000 courses, hole insights and on-course games. Pro, $99.99 a year, adds strokes gained, relative handicaps for each part of your game and more than 600 lessons. Note that registering also subscribes you to a daily golf newsletter with partner promotions, which you can unsubscribe from.

Who it is for

Golfers who want free GPS and handicap tracking, and club players who enter Golf Genius events.

Price

Free Basic plan; Plus $59.99 a year ($4.99 per month); Pro $99.99 a year ($8.33 per month).

Plus $4.99/mo $59.99 billed annually
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Free GPS with distances to greens and hazards, plus 5+ green tiers when you tap the flag
• Free scorecard and a handicap estimate after 9 holes
• Golf Genius tournament scoring and live leaderboards
• Plus adds an AI digital caddie with plays-like yardages, club picks and StrackaLine green maps on 20,000+ courses
• Pro adds strokes gained, comparisons against a target handicap and 600+ video lessons

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: GPS, scoring and handicap tracking stay free
• Strength: Plus costs $59.99 a year, below most rivals
• Strength: Built-in Golf Genius scoring for club tournaments
• Weakness: Strokes gained needs the $99.99 Pro tier
• Weakness: Registered users are subscribed to a daily newsletter with partner promotions
• Weakness: The community-verified course database lists 34,000+ courses, fewer than 18Birdies or Golfshot

Key facts

• Courses: 34,000+ community-verified
• Free plan: Yes, GPS, scoring and handicap
• Paid plans: Plus $59.99/yr, Pro $99.99/yr
• Green maps: 20,000+ courses with Plus
• Wearables: Apple Watch

Where it ranks

SwingU is No. 3 in our Best Golf GPS Apps verdict.