GolfLogix Storms the Smartphone Golf GPS Market.

GolfLogix introduced the first standalone handheld golf GPS back in 1999. In what might be considered a bold move, GolfLogix becomes the first of the major handheld golf GPS manufacturers to make its GPS technology available for download and use on the smartphone. Currently, its software is available for the iPhone 3G and the Blackberry Curve, Bold, and Tour, and will soon be available for the Blackberry Storm and the HTC Touch Pro. Best of all, the software is free to try for 24 hours. With this introductory “guest” membership, golfers will have full access to over 24,000 mapped courses worldwide. In addition to distances to the front, center, and back of the green, distances to major hazards and layups, and the shot distance function, GolfLogix for the smartphone also includes statistical tracking capabilities that will enable the golfer to keep detailed records of vital information such as greens in regulation, putts per round, and fairways hit. Users can set up their own personal homepage on GolfLogix.com and store their information for easy access.

After the 24 hour trial period (which does not begin until the start of the first round of golf), the user can decide whether or not they want to buy an annual membership for only $39.99. This is a bargain considering the price of standalone devices (you have to pay $299.99 for a GolfLogix standalone device, for instance, and you will still need to pay an additional $29.99 for an annual membership).

So if you already have a smartphone that you have to take everywhere anyway, you might just want to give this a try. But is 24 hours enough time to check out the software and make up your mind? Scott Lambrecht, CEO of GolfLogix, Inc., states that their testing has shown “that after one round using the GolfLogix GPS application, golfers are hooked. Most people are already comfortable with their personal Smartphones so they quickly pick up on the power of adding GolfLogix GPS.”

Is this the beginning of the end of the GolfLogix standalone GPS? Although Lambrecht insists that they will continue to support their handheld GPS, it may be the start of a general shift toward golf GPS application software for multifunctional devices. If people already own the hardware, why not just provide them with the software. In a few years will we see Gary McCord and Peter Kostis in a TV commercial with their Blackberry or iPhone 3G providing the GPS information?