Tech review: The best golf apps to up your game in 2020
Golf GPS & Scorecard checks your distances in golf courses around the country, including many on Long Island. Credit: Newsday/Swing by Swing Golf
Most Long Island golf courses are open, so combined with the better weather and the bitter stay-at-home boredom, an outing to the links may be the perfect tonic. As you stay at least six feet from other golfers, these apps may help you get you inches from the cup.
18Birdies
(iOS, Android; free)
18Birdies comes with a digital scorecard and uses GPS to show you how far you are from the green. Social distancing doesn’t preclude social wagers, so let 18Birdies keep track of them, including skins and wolf games. While the app includes a tee-times booking feature, it may not be as reliable as in the past as Long Island courses are spreading out tee times to ensure social distancing.
Golf GPS & Scorecard
(iOS, Android; free)
Golf GPS & Scorecard shows you how far you are from the green in golf courses around the country, including many on Long Island. While the free version is loaded with features, a premium version ($10/month, but check the app for discounts) adds some nice extras, including an AI-powered digital caddie with a “plays like” feature that gives a better indication of how difficult each hole is.
The Grint
(iOS, Android; free)
The Grint offers GPS-based information on more than 37,000 courses around the world to get you to the green faster along with a full-featured digital scorecard. But it bills itself as “a golf society” — in effect, a social media app where golfers connect and commiserate over a bad day on the links or boast about their birdies. A premium version ($20/year) adds several features including advanced statistics.
GHIN Mobile
(iOS, Android; free)
GHIN is an acronym for Golf Handicap Information Network (a service established by the United States Golf Association), and the app calculates your handicap based on the scores you post. Be aware you must have a GHIN number, which is provided by your golf club or local course, to use the app. You need to post a minimum of three 18-hole or six 9-hole scores to calculate your handicap.
“Man v. Food” for starved sports fans
No Mets. No Yankees. No Islanders. No Knicks. No Nets. So, what are sports fans watching? According to Nielsen, the No. 1 TV program “heavy sports viewers” are tweeting about is “Man v. Food” on The Food Network. As for streaming, baseball and basketball fans are tweeting most about “Last Chance U” on Netflix while hockey fans are taking to Twitter most about Hulu’s “Letterkenny.”
— PETER KING
Remote workers targeted
Remote workers are being increasingly targeted by cybercriminals. Cloud services provider VMware, noting it saw a 70 percent increase in remote working from February to April, says during that same period ransomware attacks increased 148 percent. VMware says spikes in attacks appear to be correlated with key news events concerning coronavirus as “nefariously opportunistic” criminals leverage breaking news to launch phishing attacks laden with ransomware.
— PETER KING
About face
Apple might make it easier to unlock your phone when you are wearing a face mask. Apple is reportedly testing a feature that checks to see if you are wearing a mask, then sends you directly to the screen to enter a passcode on iPhones instead of using Face ID to unlock the phone. If you are wearing a mask, Face ID can’t recognize you and won’t unlock the phone.
— WASHINGTON POST
SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Long Island teams win 8 state titles On this episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra, Ben Dickson and Michael Sicoli recap the state championships including baseball and lacrosse.
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SARRA SOUNDS OFF: Long Island teams win 8 state titles On this episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra, Ben Dickson and Michael Sicoli recap the state championships including baseball and lacrosse.
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