Essential Apps For Golfers
Photo Editing
Snapseed (Free)Golf courses are inherently beautiful, and even the slightest enhancements to your raw images can help bring that beauty out. Snapseedis a powerful editing app that lets you easily crop and straighten photos, adjust contrast, brightness and color, apply filters and so much more. Also, an icon that's always present allows you to compare your edited image with the original. Nothing works better than the naked eye, but adding some zest to your photos will help you remember your experience (and brag about it) more accurately.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Photo Filters
Camera Plus (Free)If you're looking for a plethora of filters to apply to photos, Camera Plusis the best free option. The lens built into the app has a grid, making it easier for you to shoot straight images and set up a well-composed shot, and a timer lets you schedule the snap of a photo in five, 15 or 30 seconds. The app then lets you crop images, adjust lighting, apply one of more than 25 filters, add borders, and more. You can email photos or share via social networks from within the app. Fair warning: Camera Plus' many editing options make it easy for you to spend way too much time tinkering and adjusting.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Photo Sharing
Instagram (Free)After you lightly edit your images, share them via Instagram, a photo-sharing social network that has more than 100 million registered users. Instagram allows you to apply a digital filter to your images and share them with other Instagram users as well as other social communities (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and Foursquare). After publishing photos on Instagram, third party tools can bring them to life: Prinstagramconverts Instagram images to posters, photo books and calendars; StickyGramturns them into magnets; and CanvasPopprints your photos on high-quality canvas.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Andoird
Video Editing
iMovie ($4.99)Whether you're interested in sending a video of your swing to your coach or bragging about the beautiful courses you just played on your recent buddies trip, iMovielets you record and edit video, then either publish directly to YouTube or send it via email or text. Even an inexperienced videographer like me found it extremely easy to use.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
A Complete Snapshot
360 Panorama ($0.99)Most views on a golf course aren't meant to fit within the confines of a photo, and that's where 360 Panoramacomes in. After opening the app, all you have to do is tap your screen and pan your camera to capture an entire landscape. The app stitches frames together to build your panorama in real-time, which you can then share (via email or social media accounts) as a flat image or as an interactive 360 view.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android
Swing Reminders
Sticky Notes (Free)All of us occasionally forget our essential swing thoughts, and simply remembering them can turn a sour round into a promising one. That's where Sticky Notescan help. When you create a note, you can apply an alarm to it (say, by around the time you plan on reaching the fourth or fifth hole) and up it'll pop onto your lock screen. Voila.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Golf Tips
Twitter (Free)Twitteraccounts like @GolfDigestMag, @RonKaspriskeand @HankDHaneyare rich sources of tips, quotes and information that can help you during your round. We know we're not the only ones providing such information; find Twitter accounts that do the same, and you'll instantly have a valuable on-course resource.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android
Weather
Weather Underground (Free)Golfers want to know three things about the weather: temperature, wind, and chance of rain. Weather Underground's12-day forecast not only offers these predictions, but it does so in an hour-by-hour fashion for ALL 12 days. Magic.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android
Keeping Notes
Evernote (Free)If you don't already use Evernoteto organize other parts of your life, you should start. It helps you keep track of basically everything (photos, notes, websites) in one program that works across platforms (computers, tablets, smartphone, etc). If you're arranging a golf trip, you can use it to save hotel reservations, flight information, itineraries, photos, text/audio notes, etc. But you can also use it to keep track of your own game (scorecards, photos, videos, swing thoughts, etc). The bottom line: Evernote is a highly versatile tool that you can use in very different ways.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android
Directions
Google Maps (Free)Playing a new course is one of the greatest thrills in golf. Not so great is getting lost on the way there. Google Mapsis among the fastest and most reliable navigation apps out there. You can request directions to specific addresses or search for nearby courses, and voice-activated navigation will guide you, even after you put your phone to sleep. Also, the app's polished design makes it easy to use. Fast, reliable and intuitive? A win-win-win scenario.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Traffic
INRIX Traffic (Free)Finding the course is half the battle. Getting there on time is the other half. INRIX Trafficanalyzes billions of data points from nearly 100 million sources, and its app will help you avoid traffic by offering optimal routes and ideal departure times based on current traffic and historical information.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone
Booking Flights
Skyscanner (Free)This app compares more than one million routes around the world and quickly pulls up the least expensive options. You can purchase tickets within Skyscanneritself, but you can also save your search to your homescreen to keep track of price fluctuations.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone
Checking Flight Status
FlightTrack Pro ($9.99)Delays and cancellations are a natural part of travel, but surprises don't have to be. FlightTrack Prokeeps tabs on departure and arrival information, gate numbers, flight delays, and other essential tidbits for your trip. Also, if your flight gets cancelled, FlightTrack Pro will help you modify your itinerary.Available on iPhone and iPad
Finding cheap gas
GasBuddy (Free)As gas prices become increasingly outrageous, being able to pin down an area's cheapest option is a must. We all know the best local spots, but when you're on a golf trip in a neighborhood with a completely different range of gas prices, GasBuddywill help you find the least expensive nearby options. Easy saving.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android
Tour Guide
Yelp (Free)For golfers who travel a lot, Yelpcan become an essential tool for navigating new cities. The app surveys the area's nearby businesses -- everything from restaurants and bars to hotels and hospitals -- and tells you where they are, whether they're open right now and then rates them on a scale of one to five stars. As long as you're aware that Yelp's user reviews are highly subjective, it can be your guide in unfamiliar territory.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone
Listening to music
Pandora (Free)Listening to music while spending hours on the range and the practice green is quickly becoming a norm. Sure, some golfers still frown upon the notion, but many find it downright necessary. Whether you like rap or jazz or heavy metal, Pandoralets you create any number of music stations based on genre, artist or song.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, BlackBerry
Exercise
RunKeeper (Free)Exercise should become an integral part of every golfer's life, and RunKeepertracks your progress of any outdoor workout (walking, running, cycling, etc), letting you know where you are, how fast you're going and how many calories you've burned. The app lets you record your progress over time and share updates via social media.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android
Exploring
Google Earth (Free)Playing a golf course for the first time and want to construct a game plan beforehand? Don't underestimate the power of satellite imagery. Through Google Earth, you can type in the course's name and see everything from how far it is from the highway, to how many doglegs there are, to how many forced carries there are off the tee. Even better about Google Earth is you can use it to peer in not only on your local course, but legendary layouts like Augusta National and Pine Valley.Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Andoird, BlackBerry
Virtual Golf
The top 10 golf game appsIf golf games are more your style, there are hundreds to choose from. But there's little guidance to help you determine which games might be worth your attention. What you need is someone to download all these games and try them out. No worries. That's exactly what our editor did, and he found his top 10 golf game apps.