Golf App Competitive Landscape: Composite Market Analysis

Prepared for USGA Meeting Preparation

Date: January 26, 2026 Prepared by: Reid Gorman, SVP Business Intelligence & Operations Classification: Internal Strategy Document Status: Working Draft

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Data Sources

#	Source	Type	Coverage
1	NGF Play-Focused Golf App Research (2025)	Proprietary survey, n=864 core golfers	Awareness, usage, retention, satisfaction, switching
2	App Store Download Estimates (2025)	Third-party estimates, monthly	18Birdies, Golfshot, The Grint, SwingU, Hole19
3	USGA Published Reports (2020-2024)	Official USGA press releases	GHIN handicap holders, scores posted
4	Company Self-Reported Metrics	Press releases, app store listings, investor data	User milestones across all major apps
5	NGF Consumer Research (2011-2025)	NGF proprietary surveys	Core golfer app adoption trends

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Part 1: Market Structure

The Golf App Ecosystem at a Glance

The play-focused golf app category is mature and fragmented: - 92% of Core golfers are aware of at least one play-focused app (NGF Research, 2025) - 75%+ of the 14.9M Core golfers have at least one golf-specific app, up from 56% in 2018 and 37% in 2011 (NGF, Oct 2025) - Core golfers average 3.5 golf apps on their phones (NGF, 2021) - Despite broad awareness, most users stick to 1 app (avg 1.3 play-focused apps) (NGF Research, 2025) - Score posting is the #1 use case (58% of Core golfers) (NGF, 2021)

Category Awareness Rankings (Aided)

Rank	App	Aided Awareness	Unaided (Top of Mind)	Conversion
1	GHIN (USGA)	64%	27%	42%
2	18Birdies	46%	17%	37%
3	Garmin	43%	27%	63%
4	GolfLogix	37%	9%	24%
5	Arccos	35%	9%	26%
6	The Grint	30%	16%	53%
7	Bushnell	26%	6%	23%
8	Golfshot	19%	7%	37%

Source: NGF Play-Focused Golf App Research, May 2025. n=864 core golfers.

Key insight: Garmin and The Grint have the highest awareness-to-mindshare conversion, suggesting strong brand affinity among those who know them. GHIN leads in raw awareness but its conversion (42%) indicates many golfers know it but don't think of it first for on-course play.

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Part 2: Usage & Market Share

Current Usage (% of Core Golfers)

Rank	App	Ever Used	Currently Use	Relative Retention
1	GHIN	48%*	31%	65%
2	18Birdies	25%	10%	40%
3	Garmin	17%	8%	47%
4	The Grint	17%	8%	47%
5	Arccos	15%	6%	40%
6	GolfLogix	18%	3%	17%
7	Bushnell	11%	6%	55%
8	Golfshot	13%	4%	31%
9	SwingU	6%	2%	33%

* Note: 6 in 10 GHIN app users solely use it for posting/submitting scores. Only 4 in 10 use the app while playing on-course.

Source: NGF Play-Focused Golf App Research, May 2025. n=864 core golfers.

Time Spent as Market Share Proxy

App	Share of Time Spent
GHIN	29%
18Birdies	12%
Garmin	9%
The Grint	9%
Arccos	7%
Bushnell	6%
Golfshot	5%
GolfLogix	4%
SwingU	3%
Other	11%

Source: NGF Play-Focused Golf App Research, May 2025. n=611 current play-focused app users.

Key insight: GHIN dominates time share (29%) but primarily for score posting. The top 4 apps (GHIN, 18Birdies, Garmin, The Grint) account for 60% of all time spent in play-focused golf apps.

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Part 3: 2025 Monthly Download Estimates

Monthly Downloads by App (US, 2025)

Month	18Birdies	Golfshot	The Grint	SwingU	Hole19
Jan	57,718	24,163	16,856	13,163	9,550
Feb	72,248	21,768	26,566	13,346	11,542
Mar	84,260	39,958	39,744	22,958	25,493
Apr	198,287	39,958	65,503	40,002	49,462
May	256,683	65,227	89,237	43,688	50,695
Jun	279,470	70,631	82,597	45,581	48,990
Jul	362,376	76,311	109,654	49,853	54,929
Aug	289,891	61,490	71,994	43,494	47,308
Sep	133,948	40,619	42,733	27,849	30,398
Oct	102,463	32,985	32,486	21,428	25,280
Nov	70,748	21,614	17,329	13,744	15,077
Dec	57,421	20,610	14,164	10,658	11,752
Full Year	1,965,513	515,334	608,863	345,764	380,476

Source: Third-party app store download estimates, 2025.

Download Seasonality Pattern

Downloads follow a clear April-September golf season arc: - January baseline: 18Birdies at ~58K downloads - Peak (July): 18Birdies at ~362K -- a 6.3x seasonal multiplier - The Grint shows similar seasonality: ~17K (Jan) to ~110K (Jul) = 6.5x multiplier - All five apps peak in July and trough in December/January

2025 Download Market Share (Among These 5 Apps)

App	Annual Downloads	Share
18Birdies	1,965,513	51.5%
The Grint	608,863	16.0%
Golfshot	515,334	13.5%
Hole19	380,476	10.0%
SwingU	345,764	9.1%

Note: GHIN, Arccos, Garmin, and Bushnell are NOT included in this download data set. These five apps represent a subset of the competitive landscape.

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Part 4: App-Level User Profiles

GHIN (USGA)

Metric	Value	Year	Source
US Handicap Index Holders	2,417,905	2020	USGA
US Handicap Index Holders	3,026,528	2022	USGA
US Handicap Index Holders	~3,200,000	2023	USGA
US Handicap Index Holders	3,350,000	2024	USGA
US Handicap Index Holders	3,680,000 (3.03M male / 650K female)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Growth since 2020	+52% (+1.01M male, +162K female)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
YoY Growth	+8.2%	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Public/Private Club Split	62% public / 38% private	2025	USGA/GHIN team
Growth Composition (2024→2025)	Over 90% of growth from public golfers	2025	USGA/GHIN team (corrected Jan 27, 2026)
App Users Posting Scores	2,500,000+	2024	USGA
Scores Posted	82,250,000 (record)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Scores Posted	81,070,000	2024	USGA
9-Hole Scores	14,990,000 (all-time high, +5.0% YoY)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
9-Hole Scores	13,798,174	2024	USGA
9-Hole Share of Total Scores	18.2% (up from 13.7% in 2020)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
New Handicap Golfers (first-time)	537,000 (447K male / 90K female)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
New Handicap Golfers (annual)	~400K-450K	2020-2023	USGA
Hole-by-Hole Score Posting	38.6% of scores (+3.7 pp vs 2024)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Same-Day Score Posting	65% of scores	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Competition Score Participants	873K (24% male / 23% female)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Competition Scores Posted	4,600,000	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Score Posting via Mobile App	67% of all posts	2021	USGA
Score Posting via Mobile App	89% of all posts	2025	USGA/GHIN team
App Usage Growth Since 2017	+211%	2020	USGA
App Usage YoY Growth	+112%	2020	USGA
Avg Handicap Index (Male)	14.0	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Avg Handicap Index (Female)	28.8	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Avg Scores Posted (Male)	23 (19 x 18-hole, 4 x 9-hole)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Avg Scores Posted (Female)	19 (13 x 18-hole, 6 x 9-hole)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Golfers Posting 20+ Scores	1,420,000 (38.6%)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Golfers Posting 50+ Scores	511,600 (13.9%)	2025	USGA Golf Scorecard 2025
Non-Private Acquisition Channel	USGA/AGA GC ~185K (~1/3 of non-private)	2025	USGA/GHIN team
GPA Gamification Usage	80%+ of participants use in-app games	2025	USGA/GHIN team

Sources: USGA Golf Scorecard 2024; USGA Golf Scorecard 2025; USGA 2022 Handicapping Stats; Golf News Net; USGA/GHIN team correspondence (Jan 2026)

GHIN Handicap Holder Growth Trajectory:

2020:  2,417,905  (baseline)
2022:  3,026,528  (+16% vs 2020)
2023: ~3,200,000  (+6% YoY)
2024:  3,350,000  (+6% YoY, +30% vs 2020)
2025:  3,680,000  (+8.2% YoY, +52% vs 2020)  ← USGA Golf Scorecard 2025

Strategic context: GHIN is far and away the largest installed base, but its on-course functionality lags competitors. 6 in 10 users use it solely for score posting, not during play. The USGA has announced plans to shift GHIN "from a tool for posting scores to an all-in-one golf companion" with "a new look and feel, improved statistics, and insights" coming in 2025-2026. (USGA, March 2025)

18Birdies

Metric	Value	Source
Monthly Active Users	2M+	18Birdies.com
2025 Annual Downloads (5 apps dataset)	1,965,513	App store estimates
Android Cumulative Downloads	2.4M	AppBrain
iOS Monthly Downloads (est.)	~100K	Sensor Tower
App Store Reviews	200K+ five-star	Apple App Store
Est. Annual Revenue	$15.9M	Crunchbase/ZoomInfo
Founded	2014	Public record

Sources: 18Birdies.com; Crunchbase

NGF Research Profile: Leads in 8+ feature-related satisfaction categories. Users cite features (18%) and friends (26%) as primary adoption drivers. 97% likelihood to continue using -- highest of any app. 74% believe app is superior to others. (NGF Research, 2025)

The Grint

Metric	Value	Source
2025 Annual Downloads (5 apps dataset)	608,863	App store estimates
Android Cumulative Downloads	1.1M	AppBrain
Android Monthly Downloads	~7.4K	AppBrain
Courses Mapped	40,000+	TheGrint.com
Founded	2012	Public record

Sources: TheGrint.com; AppBrain

NGF Research Profile: 83% believe app is superior to others (2nd highest). 91% likelihood to continue using. Strong in social, tournament, and engagement features. Users skew younger (avg age 44). (NGF Research, 2025)

Arccos

Metric	Value	Year	Source
Members Worldwide	650,000+	2024	Arccos Golf
Shots Tracked (annual)	218M	2023	Arccos Golf
Shots Tracked (annual)	244M (+12% YoY)	2024	Arccos Golf
Cumulative Shots	1B+	Jul 2024	Arccos Golf
Rounds Played (cumulative)	20M+	2024	Arccos Golf
Countries	162	2024	Arccos Golf
Revenue	$8M	2023	GetLatka
Series C Funding	$20M (led by PGA TOUR)	Aug 2023	Public record

Sources: Arccos 1B Milestone; Arccos 2023 Year in Review; GetLatka

NGF Research Profile: Perceived as the most innovative app (78/100 innovation score vs. 50s-60s for competitors). 82% use paid version (highest of any app). Users willing to pay $60/year for premium. 85% believe app is superior. (NGF Research, 2025)

SwingU (Acquired by Golf Genius, June 2024)

Metric	Value	Source
Registered Users	7M+ (latest)	Apple App Store listing
Previous Milestone	6M+	SwingU.com
2025 Annual Downloads (5 apps dataset)	345,764	App store estimates
Courses	34,000+	SwingU.com
Acquired by	Golf Genius (June 2024)	Press release

Sources: SwingU App Store; Golf Genius acquisition

Golfshot (Acquired by Golf Genius, Feb 2024)

Metric	Value	Source
Registered Users	9M+ (2025)	Golf Genius/Golfshot
Active Members	5M+ in 90 countries	Golf Genius
2025 Annual Downloads (5 apps dataset)	515,334	App store estimates
Acquired by	Golf Genius (Feb 2024)	Press release

Sources: Golf Business Technology; Golf Genius

Note on Golf Genius consolidation: Golf Genius now controls both Golfshot (9M+ users) and SwingU (7M+ users) and claims the "largest customer base of paid subscribers among all suppliers of golf GPS apps." Combined portfolio reaches 15M+ golfers with consumer apps including Golfshot, SwingU, Twilight Golf, Waggle, and Trip Manager.

Hole19

Metric	Value	Source
2025 Annual Downloads (5 apps dataset)	380,476	App store estimates

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Part 5: Feature Landscape & Satisfaction

Most Important Features (Core Golfers)

Ranked by relevance (% selecting as top 5):

Rank	Feature	Relevance
1	GPS distance/course mapping accuracy	Highest
2	Shot tracking (measure club distances)	High
3	Stat tracking/insights on performance	High
4	Handicap posting integration	High
5	Scorecard interface	Moderate-High
6	Smart watch interface	Moderate
7	Green reading assistance	Moderate
--	Dividing line: above = core utility; below = differentiators
8	Games/side games	Lower
9	Game improvement (instruction/swing)	Lower
10	Leaderboards	Lower
11	Tee time booking	Lower
12	Engagement features (achievements)	Lower
13	League/tournament features	Lower
14	Social/community features	Lowest

Source: NGF Play-Focused Golf App Research, 2025. n=611 current app users.

Key insight: The top 3 features (GPS, shot tracking, stats) are utility-focused. However, the apps winning market share (18Birdies, The Grint) dominate in the lower-ranked differentiator features (social, tournaments, engagement), suggesting that while utility gets you in the door, a holistic feature set drives retention.

Satisfaction Comparison (% Very/Somewhat Satisfied)

Dimension	GHIN	18Birdies	Arccos	Bushnell	Garmin	Golfshot	The Grint
Overall Experience	87%	91%	94%	92%	91%	96%	92%
User Interface	90%	96%	85%	93%	93%	91%	86%
Value for Money	83%	84%	76%	70%	81%	88%	85%
New Feature Rollouts	43%	55%	65%	28%	51%	68%	54%
Customer Support	69%	55%	69%	46%	69%	46%	60%

Source: NGF Play-Focused Golf App Research, 2025. Note: Small sample sizes (<100) for some apps. Interpret with caution.

GHIN-specific opportunity: GHIN scores well on UI (90%) and value (83%) but is the weakest app on new feature rollouts (43%). This aligns with the USGA's announced 2025-2026 app modernization plans.

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Part 6: Pricing & Monetization Dynamics

What Golfers Will Pay

Segment	Avg "Fair" Annual Price	Source
Current app users (n=546)	$30	NGF Research, 2025
Lapsed users (n=118)	$22	NGF Research, 2025
Familiar, never-used (n=61)	$17	NGF Research, 2025
Arccos users (exception)	$60	NGF Research, 2025

Reality check: Most apps are priced in the $50-$100/year range. Users perceive fair price at roughly half that.

Subscription Preference

Format	Current Users	Lapsed	Never-Used
Free + limited features + some ads	34%	39%	44%
Basic price + all features + some ads	23%	28%	36%
Basic price + limited features + no ads	24%	21%	12%
Premium + all features + no ads	19%	12%	8%

Source: NGF Play-Focused Golf App Research, 2025.

Key insight: 4 in 5 users are NOT willing to pay premium and are open to ads for lower pricing. The freemium + ad-supported model is strongly validated.

Paid vs. Free Usage by App

App	Use Paid Version	Likelihood to Pay for Premium
Arccos	82%	29%
Golfshot	71%	0%
The Grint	48%	14%
GHIN	36%	7%
18Birdies	26%	15%
Bushnell	20%	18%
Garmin	19%	29%

Source: NGF Play-Focused Golf App Research, 2025.

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Part 7: Loyalty & Switching Behavior

Likelihood to Continue Using Current App

App	Likelihood to Continue
18Birdies	97%
Golfshot	95%
Arccos	91%
The Grint	91%
GHIN	89%
Bushnell	85%
Garmin	81%

Source: NGF Play-Focused Golf App Research, 2025.

Switching Openness

• 31% of app users are likely to try other apps
• 47% would switch for features their current app lacks
• 32% would switch for a better user interface
• 29% would switch if friends/playing partners recommended something
• 22% would switch for better price
• Price is the #1 reason for app abandonment (40% of lapsed users cite it)

Source: NGF Play-Focused Golf App Research, 2025.

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Part 8: GHIN Position Analysis

GHIN Strengths

1. Largest installed base -- 3.68M handicap holders, 2.5M+ app users
2. Dominant time share -- 29% of all time spent in play-focused apps
3. Strong awareness -- 64% aided awareness (#1 overall)
4. Institutional moat -- Official handicap system, no substitute
5. Sustained growth -- +52% since 2020, +8.2% YoY (2025), 537K first-time HI golfers

GHIN Vulnerabilities

1. Shallow engagement -- 6 in 10 users use ONLY for score posting, not on-course
2. Feature perception gap -- Weakest satisfaction on new feature rollouts (43%)
3. Not perceived as innovative -- Ranks #12 in popularity perception
4. On-course competitors gaining -- 18Birdies (97% continue), The Grint (91%) have stickier on-course experiences
5. Non-keepers use other apps -- 95% of non-handicap golfers use apps OTHER than GHIN (NGF Handicap Research, R24007)

The Strategic Gap (GHIN vs. Market)

What GHIN does well:          What golfers want most:
─────────────────────          ─────────────────────
✓ Handicap posting             ✓ GPS mapping/accuracy
✓ Score tracking               ✓ Shot tracking
✓ Official handicap index      ✓ Stat/performance insights
                               ✓ Smart watch interface
                               ✓ Social features
                               ✓ Game improvement tools

The gap: GHIN excels at what golfers need administratively but lags on what they want experientially during play. The apps winning share (18Birdies, The Grint) offer holistic on-course solutions.

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Part 9: COVID-Era Growth Context (2019-2024)

Industry-Wide Golf App Adoption

Year	Core Golfers with 1+ Golf App	Source
2011	37%	NGF
2018	56%	NGF
2021	78%	NGF
2025	75%+	NGF

GHIN Handicap Holder Growth

Year	Holders	YoY Change	Scores Posted
2020	2,417,905	—	74.39M
2021	—	—	77.86M
2022	3,026,528	+16% vs 2020	76.61M
2023	~3,200,000	+6%	78.75M
2024	3,350,000	+6%	81.07M
2025	3,680,000	+8.2%	82.25M (record)

Note: Scores posted historical series revised to match USGA Golf Scorecard 2025 official figures (Jan 1 - Dec 31 each year).

Sources: USGA Golf Scorecard 2025; USGA Golf Scorecard 2024; USGA 2022 Handicapping Stats; USGA/GHIN team correspondence (Jan 2026); Golf News Net

Key Trend: 9-Hole Play Surge

Year	9-Hole Scores Posted	Share of Total	Change vs 2020
2020	10.21M	13.7%	—
2021	11.57M	14.9%	+13%
2022	12.06M	15.7%	+18%
2023	13.11M	16.6%	+28%
2024	14.29M	17.6%	+40%
2025	14.99M (all-time high)	18.2%	+47%

Male 9-hole scores: +58.2% since 2020 | Female 9-hole scores: +21.0% since 2020

Source: USGA Golf Scorecard 2025

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Part 10: Data Gaps & Recommended Next Steps

What We Have

Data Type	Coverage	Confidence
Market structure (awareness, usage, retention)	Full competitive set	High (n=864 survey)
Feature preferences & satisfaction	Full competitive set	High (survey)
Pricing/switching behavior	Full competitive set	High (survey)
2025 monthly downloads	5 apps (18Birdies, Golfshot, The Grint, SwingU, Hole19)	Moderate (3rd-party estimates)
GHIN user growth	2020-2024 annual	High (USGA official)
Company-reported user milestones	All major apps	Low-Moderate (self-reported, inconsistent metrics)

What We're Missing

Data Type	Gap	Impact
GHIN monthly downloads	No app store download data for GHIN	Cannot compare GHIN download trajectory to competitors
2019-2024 monthly downloads	Only have 2025 for 5 apps	Cannot show COVID-era growth arc or YoY trends
Arccos, Garmin, Bushnell downloads	Not in download dataset	Missing hardware-linked app segment
Revenue per app	Only fragments (18Birdies $15.9M, Arccos $8M)	Cannot size monetization opportunity

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Sources

USGA Official

• USGA Golf Scorecard: 2024 Snapshot of the Recreational Game
• 2022 Handicapping Stats
• Track Your Game? There's an App for That
• Free 30-Day GHIN Trial

NGF Published

• Golf Apps and Tech's Growing Footprint (Oct 2025)
• Golf App Usage On The Rise (2021)

Company Sources

• Arccos 1 Billion Shots Milestone
• Arccos 2023 Year in Review
• Golf Genius Acquires SwingU
• Golf Genius Acquires Shotzoom/Golfshot
• 18Birdies
• TheGrint
• SwingU

Third-Party

• Golf News Net: How Many Golfers Carry a USGA Handicap Index in 2024
• Crunchbase: 18Birdies
• GetLatka: Arccos Revenue

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Document prepared for internal strategy use only. Last updated: January 26, 2026

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