GHIN is the USGA's app for posting scores and keeping an official Handicap Index, with GPS and stats. GolfCore is a golf GPS with free yardages, green maps, modeled wind and a free Shot Tracer on iPhone. Which fits depends on whether you need an official Handicap Index, and how much GPS and green reading you want during the round.
If you need an official Handicap Index, you need GHIN. GolfCore plays alongside it as the GPS and scorecard during the round, with front, center and back yardages free, and green maps and wind in Premium.
GolfCore publishes this comparison of its own product, with GHIN's details read from its own website on October 8, 2026.
GHIN is the USGA's app. Golfers post scores to keep their Handicap Index, which needs membership through an Allied Golf Association, and it tracks fairways, greens in regulation and putts with trends over time. Enhanced GPS, a $49.99 upgrade, adds Green Maps and front and back yardages on the phone.
GolfCore keeps the scorecard on the course map. You mark putts, fairways and greens as you play, and every round ends with a recap: where your drives and approaches missed, putts and first-putt distance, sand saves, up and downs and penalties, compared with your previous rounds.
It is a golf GPS too, with free yardages to the green and to hazards, and Premium adds green maps, modeled wind and automatic shot tracking on Apple Watch.
| Capability | GHIN | GolfCore |
|---|---|---|
| Handicap | Posts your scores to an official USGA Handicap Index; full use needs membership through an Allied Golf Association | Applies the handicap strokes from your handicap to give a net score; it does not post scores for a Handicap Index |
| Price | Free to download with a free trial; Enhanced GPS is a $49.99 upgrade | Free app; Premium $100 a year or $10 a month in the US, with the first period at half price for new subscribers; Stripe, the App Store and Google Play set the price in each country |
| Stats | Hole-by-hole scoring with fairways, greens in regulation and putts, and a Stats section with trends and score history | Fairways with misses left and right, greens in regulation with where they missed, putts, first-putt distance, sand saves, up and downs and penalties, compared with your previous rounds |
| Green maps | Green Maps in Enhanced GPS | Green maps with contour lines and fall-line arrows on every green GolfCore has scanned, in Premium |
| GPS | GPS for the round; front and back yardages on the phone in Enhanced GPS | Free yardages to the front, center and back of the green and to hazards, on the map and the Apple Watch |
GHIN's details were read from its own website and App Store listing on October 8, 2026. Prices are US list prices and change; check GHIN's site before you buy.
If you need an official Handicap Index, you need GHIN. GolfCore plays alongside it as the GPS and scorecard during the round, with front, center and back yardages free, and green maps and wind in Premium.
GHIN is the USGA's app for posting scores and keeping an official Handicap Index, with GPS and stats. GolfCore is a golf GPS with free yardages, green maps, modeled wind and a free Shot Tracer on iPhone. Which fits depends on whether you need an official Handicap Index, and how much GPS and green reading you want during the round.
GHIN: Free to download with a free trial; Enhanced GPS is a $49.99 upgrade. GolfCore: Free app; Premium $100 a year or $10 a month in the US, with the first period at half price for new subscribers; Stripe, the App Store and Google Play set the price in each country.
GHIN's details were read from its own website and App Store listing on October 8, 2026. Prices are US list prices and change.
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