Mobile phone legal or not?

[duncan mackie]

Well there is a facility within GolfShot to capture the distance you hit each club and that calculates the club average. I assume just having that facility within the app automatically makes it illegal?

on what premise is your assumption made?

Using the device and software to access (but not interpret or process) playing information from previous rounds (e.g., driving distances, individual club yardages, etc is not a breach of 14-3.

Using that information in conjunction with yardage information via GPS and making a club recommendation would be.

Including information obtained, or entered, from the current round would be.

Processing previous information against current conditions to derive the effects of current conditions would be.

In the above I'm quoting the rules not commenting on the App itself as I don't have it.

 

[woody69]

on what premise is your assumption made?

Using the device and software to access (but not interpret or process) playing information from previous rounds (e.g., driving distances, individual club yardages, etc is not a breach of 14-3.

Using that information in conjunction with yardage information via GPS and making a club recommendation would be.

Including information obtained, or entered, from the current round would be.

Processing previous information against current conditions to derive the effects of current conditions would be.

In the above I'm quoting the rules not commenting on the App itself as I don't have it.

On the premise that I don't really know what I am talking about!

I thought (obviously incorrectly) that if a device and / or the software had a feature that is considered illegal, i.e. a baramoter/spirit level on the device or an app that provides the player with average distances you get from certain clubs automatically makes it non-conforming and therefore could not be used. What you are saying is as long as you don't interpret that information from previous rounds then you are fine. I just think that is a little odd in terms of the difference between the device and the software. I mean, just because my device has a spirit level / barometer etc, doesn't mean I am going to use it so why does that make it non conforming, but the software is OK as long as I don't interpret the data to help with my club selection.

 

[atticusfinch]

as long as I don't interpret the data to help with my club selection.

If it is you that interprets the data you are ok. If the software interprets the data it is a breach,

 

[duncan mackie]

On the premise that I don't really know what I am talking about!

I thought (obviously incorrectly) that if a device and / or the software had a feature that is considered illegal, i.e. a baramoter/spirit level on the device or an app that provides the player with average distances you get from certain clubs automatically makes it non-conforming and therefore could not be used. What you are saying is as long as you don't interpret that information from previous rounds then you are fine. I just think that is a little odd in terms of the difference between the device and the software. I mean, just because my device has a spirit level / barometer etc, doesn't mean I am going to use it so why does that make it non conforming, but the software is OK as long as I don't interpret the data to help with my club selection.

atticus sums it up well in relation to the clubbing data.

it may help you to think of things in this way

historical data (how far you hit a 7 iron last week, or the average of the last year), general data (weather forecasts) and factual data (you are 165 yds from the green) are all fine. you could have all these in paper form with you in the bag and can look them up if you can't remember them.

current, and therefore inherently conditional data, such as exact wind speed and direction, how far you are hitting a 7 iron in your current round etc or the application of historical data to your current situation by the software ie "you are 165 yds from the green and your rolling average 7 iron will go 167 so you should use it here" is not permitted. that you can easily perform the calculation routine isn't a factor!

 

[palindromicbob]

On the premise that I don't really know what I am talking about!

I thought (obviously incorrectly) that if a device and / or the software had a feature that is considered illegal, i.e. a baramoter/spirit level on the device or an app that provides the player with average distances you get from certain clubs automatically makes it non-conforming and therefore could not be used. What you are saying is as long as you don't interpret that information from previous rounds then you are fine. I just think that is a little odd in terms of the difference between the device and the software. I mean, just because my device has a spirit level / barometer etc, doesn't mean I am going to use it so why does that make it non conforming, but the software is OK as long as I don't interpret the data to help with my club selection.

Spirit level type features does not make a device non-conforming. Nor do apps that might use this to measure break. Use of the app during competition is a breech but the app in it self doesn't make a device non-conforming. The device need to be used in a very specific way to make use of this app.

Baraometer is non-conforming because it can be used to measure and provide data that may be influencial to the shot without needing to use the device in a particular way. The fact the feature or data might not be used is irrelevant.

The barometer thing seems ridiculous but that's just the way it is I'm afraid. That's why I created the guide to reflect how things are at present according to the current rules and to give people the info they need to keep them above being questioned. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[woody69]

If it is you that interprets the data you are ok. If the software interprets the data it is a breach,

atticus sums it up well in relation to the clubbing data.

it may help you to think of things in this way

historical data (how far you hit a 7 iron last week, or the average of the last year), general data (weather forecasts) and factual data (you are 165 yds from the green) are all fine. you could have all these in paper form with you in the bag and can look them up if you can't remember them.

current, and therefore inherently conditional data, such as exact wind speed and direction, how far you are hitting a 7 iron in your current round etc or the application of historical data to your current situation by the software ie "you are 165 yds from the green and your rolling average 7 iron will go 167 so you should use it here" is not permitted. that you can easily perform the calculation routine isn't a factor!

Spirit level type features does not make a device non-conforming. Nor do apps that might use this to measure break. Use of the app during competition is a breech but the app in it self doesn't make a device non-conforming. The device need to be used in a very specific way to make use of this app.

Baraometer is non-conforming because it can be used to measure and provide data that may be influencial to the shot without needing to use the device in a particular way. The fact the feature or data might not be used is irrelevant.

The barometer thing seems ridiculous but that's just the way it is I'm afraid. That's why I created the guide to reflect how things are at present according to the current rules and to give people the info they need to keep them above being questioned. Nothing more, nothing less.

Perfect, thanks. I'm off this weekend to use my Nokia 920 and Golfshot Pro app during our monthly medal!

 

[palindromicbob]

Perfect, thanks. I'm off this weekend to use my Nokia 920 and Golfshot Pro app during our monthly medal!

Added to the list. Had the 930 but not the 920.

If anyone else wants a phone checked out and added let me know.

 

[Farneyman]

Great thread and thanks for putting all this together.

Anyone want to buy a sky caddie lol

 

[williamalex1]

can i user my Nexus tablet? Haven't seen much discussion on these though I assume the rules don't specifically refer to mobile phones but rather refer to mobile devices. Of course my Nexus has Google maps, Google Earth, compass etc and I can download any sort of app/ Also it clearly has an orientation sensor which in some way may well count as something with which you could measure slope. There would be nothing stopping me using Google 'Satellite' (Earth) photographic view and marking my ball position on a hole; marking flag position on the green and getting a distance measurement.

Does it have a spirit level, a theodolite or a protractor.