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An app that essentially pays you for playing golf? Yeah right…
No, trust me, it’s legit.
This is GolfN, the app that rewards you to play (their words, not mine). I’ve tested a wide range of the best golf apps for mobile, but none have made such a hefty promise. Naturally, I had my doubts, but after testing this app over around half a dozen rounds and learning more about it over time, the more impressed I have become.
How it works is simple: you play golf, you get reward points. The more you do on the app, the more you earn. For example, if you keep your score, more points. Track shots, more points. Play with friends, more points. Leave a review on the course you just played… you get the idea.
You then take your hard-earned points and spend them as you like. GolfN has a rewards marketplace with multiple different avenues for you to use your points. A Pro Shop lets you browse items ranging from accessories and apparel all the way to full sets of some of the best Srixon irons, but that isn’t all. You can also use your points to enter giveaways and sweepstakes that include small prizes like a box of golf balls all the way to a dream golf trip to Ireland to play my home course, Royal County Down! For your sake, I hope you don’t bump into me.
The rewards marketplace is your hub to spend your points on items from accessories all the way to golf clubs. | Credit: Future
I know what you are thinking: what’s the catch? Honestly, there isn’t one. GolfN makes its money through a number of sources including brand partnerships, marketplace sales and memberships (more on that shortly), so there really is no catch.
There are, however, ways to amplify the number of points you can earn. Which one you opt for, if any at all, fully depends on how much golf you play. If you go for a membership higher than the basic level each player begins with, it opens up more ‘club rental’ spots, which gamify your round and offer different multipliers for your points total.
Club rentals help add multipliers to your score. | Credit: Future
These memberships differ vastly in price – White membership gives you a 4.6x multiplier for $18.75 per month, Silver multiplies your points by 11 for $37.49 per month, whilst Gold will cost you $149.99 a month but multiply your points by 54. Yes, 54.
There’s also the Diamond membership for golfers who essentially live on the golf course, costing $8,900 annually but giving you a 275x multiplier.
Digital club rentals scale directly with your membership level, allowing players to equip up to three clubs per round. Green tier unlocks one club, White tier provides two, while Silver tier and above grant all three available slots (Driver, Iron, and Putter).
Now I’m far from an NFT and/or crypto guy, but bear with while I explain this final part to the best of my ability – these clubs are actually NFTs linked to the Solana blockchain and are tradable. Also, plans call for a dedicated “GOLF” token that will allow players to exchange reward points 1:1 for liquid crypto or cash. Healthy skepticism is warranted until the system launches, but the concept shows serious promise.
This GPS navigation is impressive, with a movable cursor giving you accurate yardages to hazards like the two bunkers on this hole.
As for the actual golf app part, it’s really good! The experience is responsive and easy to use, with a movable cursor showing accurate yardages to wherever you want on the hole courtesy of satellite imagery.
You can add basic stats to each hole like fairways hit, GIRs, number of putts, penalties – as mentioned before, you’ll earn more points doing so. Doing this is worth it even without the dangling carrot of more points – the ‘My Performance’ section of the app is like an Arccos-lite, giving you insights into the strengths and weaknesses of your game.
the app offers rich stat tracking options. | Credit: GolfN
I think golfers should look at GolfN like a credit card rewards scheme.Yes, you earn rewards, but don’t be under the impression you’ll be jetting off to play Royal County Down with a new set of Srixon golf clubs after 10 rounds.
Like credit cards, the more you pay for one, the better the rewards. You won’t strike it rich playing weekend rounds, but it effectively lets you monetize your course time for free gear, giveaway entries, or cash down the line.
If you’re still hesitant, I understand. But why not try it out? I was just as skeptical as you were before I started using it…