Smartphone GPS and Compasses

Imurg

Imurg

The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
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My phone's due for an upgrade soon and I've been doing some digging.
I've noticed that a couple of the newer HTC Android phones have an integrated compass - means they're a No-No for use as a DMD in comps.

I guess there's not many out there yet - loadsa iPhones though - but with people getting upgrades regularly its maybe only a matter of time before the phone in your poacket has a compass as standard...

You have been warned.....
 
BTatHome said:
Yes it does, and it has gyro too for determining level.

You would be hard pushed to find a smartphone which does have either gyro or compass nowadays. Only the cheaper phones forsake those for costs.
Click to expand...

I have no compass on mine with GPS on or off.

How do you access it?
 
My Samsung Galaxy SII has all the above and an app to tell you the stimp speed on the greens.
The R & A have messed this issue up though,what advantage is a compass? I know where the hole and hazards are as I have eyes,and I know the wind direction (grass anyone) so what advantage is a compass?
Also what advantage is knowing the speed of the greens? you know if they are playing quick or slow,the pro's get all this before they tee off.
Also why not allow thermometers, you know if it's hot or cold out,and tbh does it make any difference to your game if it's 15 degrees compared to 21 degrees?
Honestly i have all the above info and my scores are still the same.Just another example of how out of touch the R & A are.
 
shewy said:
My Samsung Galaxy SII has all the above and an app to tell you the stimp speed on the greens.
The R & A have messed this issue up though,what advantage is a compass? I know where the hole and hazards are as I have eyes,and I know the wind direction (grass anyone) so what advantage is a compass?
Also what advantage is knowing the speed of the greens? you know if they are playing quick or slow,the pro's get all this before they tee off.
Also why not allow thermometers, you know if it's hot or cold out,and tbh does it make any difference to your game if it's 15 degrees compared to 21 degrees?
Honestly i have all the above info and my scores are still the same.Just another example of how out of touch the R & A are.
Click to expand...

Wheres all these's app's Shewy?
 
It does not matter if the phone has the hardware for compass etc built in.

As long as you can remove the app that uses the built in hardware you are ok.

If you jaibreak your iphone and delete the compass app (if you can do this!!!) then you would also be ok
 
StuartD said:
It does not matter if the phone has the hardware for compass etc built in.

As long as you can remove the app that uses the built in hardware you are ok.

If you jaibreak your iphone and delete the compass app (if you can do this!!!) then you would also be ok
Click to expand...
Is that an official quote for the R&A?

Most phones do not have a compass app, but they can be downloaded from the app stores. Removal of said app was not considered to make the phone legal (at least that's what I remember the last time sometime asked the R&A about it)
 
I agree with shewy totally on this.

as a club golfer and im 150 yards from the green (by a 150 marker), i know its uphil i can see that, and i know theres a slight wind against as ive done the grass trick, now assuming the marker is correct, its down to me to take a club extra as its uphil wind against, or 2 clubs if its a strong wind... pretty simple.

now... lets do it with a iphone.

The compass tells me im heading north ( dont care as long as thats where the green is)
The gradient tells me its 12* uphill (can see its uphill anyway)
The weather app tells me its a 15 mph wind ( this is from a local weather station 10/15miles away and is an average, not an actual figure)

will it make my decision on club any different...

Not unless someone can come up with an super formula that is something like below

150yard distance x 12* gradient * 1.5 wind speed = new distance required

likewise if you reverse it for down hill with a tail wind.

150 yards distance / 12 gradient / 1.5 wind speed = new distance.

there will no doubt now be some smart arse that tries to work it out, but to me until there is a new found set of formulas for head and tail wind, with positive and negative gradients... all the info in the world isnt going to be any good if i dont know how to process it, or more importantly if i cant put a decent swing on it.
 
I think that's the point though, if you could use a phone with all those attributes then someone would come up with an app that would tell you to use a 6 iron rather than your 8 iron (having a GPS that suggests clubs is also illegal).
 
shewy said:
I'll have a root around for the app link as for the life of me I can't remember where I got the stimp app.
Click to expand...

You have downloaded the compass?

My original point is mine doesnt have a compass as std unless it's hiding lol
 
Andy said:
You have downloaded the compass?

My original point is mine doesnt have a compass as std unless it's hiding lol
Click to expand...
I don't know of any phone that has a compass app on its own (but they all have apps for them in their store). Your phone still has a compass in hardware though and that's what makes it illegal.
 
I dont imagine the rules were put in place for us standard weekend golfers and it was more for those on the verge of professional or those just below that standard who maybe play for prize money. What I dont understand is that a GPS device will tell you how much distance between point a and b if you was looking straight down at something and it does not take into account the gradient. Which for flat courses must be brilliant but if you play on a very up and down course it doesnt give you an accurate distance just a slightly better guestimate than your brain could come up with. Now a laser device doesnt need to take in anything but the distance between point a and b. Purely because it is going from object to target thus giving you an accurate reading providing you can see the flagstick and point it out.

So the point is if one device can give you a more accurate distance then why isnt the other device allowed to use all capabilities to find the same distance? I am not talking about wind distance because that cannot be measured by any phone at the moment so I dont see the argument for that.
 
jammag said:
I dont imagine the rules were put in place for us standard weekend golfers and it was more for those on the verge of professional or those just below that standard who maybe play for prize money. What I dont understand is that a GPS device will tell you how much distance between point a and b if you was looking straight down at something and it does not take into account the gradient. Which for flat courses must be brilliant but if you play on a very up and down course it doesnt give you an accurate distance just a slightly better guestimate than your brain could come up with. Now a laser device doesnt need to take in anything but the distance between point a and b. Purely because it is going from object to target thus giving you an accurate reading providing you can see the flagstick and point it out.

So the point is if one device can give you a more accurate distance then why isnt the other device allowed to use all capabilities to find the same distance? I am not talking about wind distance because that cannot be measured by any phone at the moment so I dont see the argument for that.
Click to expand...

Do the maths. If you are say 150 yds from the flag on level ground both the GPS and laser will show 150 yds (assuming centre of green position). If the flag is say 10 yds above where you are taking your measurements, the GPS will show 150 yds and the laser 150.33 yds (assuming it doesn't round up or down).

I would guess that the reason lasers with a slope function are not allowed may be because if you know that the putting surface is say 10 yds above you then you need 1 or 2 extra clubs, or whatever formula works for you.

Simples :one:

Knowing the distance only to the pin does not always help in club selection.
 
Surely it doesnt matter if the laser has a slope function or not as you point it at something and it would tell you the distance. I am not sure on the exact extra distance to yards on the floor equation but I am saying I dont see the difference in that 1 can tell you the actual yards where as the other could tell you looking at a map version as the crow flies as such. What about such things where you can only see the top of the flag the gps cant tell you how far to the flag only the centre of the green where as a laser would surely tell you the distance to the flag.

The closest thing I have is a app on my iphone but I dont like using as I dont feel I a good enough to dictate between 5 yards as such at this moment and obviously the fact that its an illegal device I dont wish to become dependant on it then play in a comp and feel lost without it. I have never used a Skycaddie or a laser and dont intend to yet but I dont see the difference in what 1 can tell you exactly but the other cant use a couple of other things to get you the same reading. Personally I believe that a laser and a gps has there role but both can have its downfalls and advantages. There isnt one complete device as such to work perfectly.

Bit of a seperate tangent here but is there anyone here who uses golfshot who has downloaded there extra app where you can view a picture of the hole as you would look at it and click at items which tell you distances? Is it any good? I dont want to pay the extra to test it out so I am interested in if it actually works.
 
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