Hole19 is a golf GPS and performance tracking app for iOS and Apple Watch users.
Product velocity
Maintenance
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#87
▼2Sports · free
Sentiment
4.7
20k reviews
Nemesis
SwingU: Golf GPS Range Finder
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users hire Hole19 to manage course strategy and track performance metrics without the cost of dedicated hardware.
For Golfers ranging from beginners to single-digit handicappers who want to track performance and improve their game through data.
What does it look like?
Key features
AI-driven round analysis identifying specific stroke-loss areas.
Provides distance to front, center, and back of green directly on watch face.
Yardage calculations adjusted for elevation changes.
How much does it cost?
Freemium model uses advanced data analytics and AI as primary value drivers for conversion.
Velocity
Maintenance developmentperformanceopaqueShow more...
Hole19: Golf GPS Range Finder currently operates on a maintenance cadence, with the latest release arriving 77 days ago. The development team has focused exclusively on performance improvements and bug fixes across the last three updates, with no new features or seasonal content identified in the release notes. This stable but slow release pattern suggests a focus on platform stability rather than active feature expansion. The app has not seen a major feature update in the observed window.
Who built it?
Stat Track Technologies Lda.
2 apps tracked · Sports
CORE Golf - Practice DrillsUser Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Fresh user feedback skews mixed. Users appreciate accurate gps distance tracking provides reliable yardage data that helps golfers improve their course management and integration with wearable devices allows golfers to view essential course information without checking their phones, but report aggressive monetization and subscription prompts disrupt the user experience during critical moments on the course.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
Weekly average review rating
What users say, by theme
- Accurate GPS distance tracking provides reliable yardage data that helps golfers improve their course management
- Integration with wearable devices allows golfers to view essential course information without checking their phones
- The free version offers sufficient core functionality for casual players to track scores and distances
- Aggressive monetization and subscription prompts disrupt the user experience during critical moments on the course
91 of 739 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Mixed overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 2 user requests, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Hole19: Golf GPS Range Finder
How's the Sports market?
Hole19 maintains a 4.7-star rating across 20,178 reviews, positioning it as a category leader in the Sports segment. The high review volume relative to the niche suggests strong market penetration, though recent sentiment trends indicate monetization friction.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By Swing by Swing Golf, Inc.
With over 131,000 reviews and a long-standing market presence, SwingU is the dominant direct competitor in the golf GPS and rangefinder niche.
- Offers a comprehensive AI-powered swing analysis engine that provides personalized instruction beyond simple GPS yardages.
- Maintains a massive community-driven database of golf courses that rivals the scale of any major competitor.
- Utilizes a tiered subscription model that effectively segments casual players from serious performance-focused golfers.
Unlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Hole19: Golf GPS Range Finder
Where is it heading?
The golf GPS market is consolidating around high-fidelity data and hardware integration, leaving software-only apps like Hole19 vulnerable to churn if they cannot maintain flawless utility. The current strategy of gating features during rounds creates a friction-heavy experience that risks losing the casual base to less intrusive competitors.
- Persistent wearable connectivity issues in the latest release lead to manual app resets, which degrades the on-course experience for premium users.
- Aggressive subscription prompts during rounds disrupt the core utility, driving negative sentiment and increasing churn risk among long-term users.
The SWOT
- GPS yardage accuracy across 42,000+ courses
- Apple Watch integration reduces on-course friction
- Data-driven performance tracking for serious golfers
- Expand B2B partnerships for exclusive mapping
- Introduce flexible nine-hole round configurations
Next best moves
Stabilize wearable connectivity because connectivity bugs are a top-three complaint → reduce churn
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's high 4.7-star rating hides a growing churn risk…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Hardware-integrated automatic shot tracking (available in Arccos Golf but absent here) +1
Since the last report: The app remains in a maintenance-mode cycle with no new features, while user sentiment has further declined due to unresolved wearable connectivity issues and intrusive subscription gating.
Bottom line
Hole19 succeeds as a reliable on-course utility, but its aggressive subscription gating during active play threatens long-term retention. The PM should prioritize stabilizing wearable connectivity and softening the monetization flow to protect the core user base.
Unlock 3 critical frictions, 2 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is Hole19 free to use?
Does Hole19 work with Apple Watch?
How does Hole19 compare to Arccos Golf?
Is Hole19 safe for casual golfers?
Sources
- [1] App Store listing, source
Report last updated