Can I use my phone to read greens or look up info during a round?

You can use your phone for basic distance and weather info, but not to measure elevation, get a recommended line, or process live round data. Green-reading apps are allowed only if the map meets the size and scale limits in Clarification 4.3a/1, unless the Committee bans them entirely with Model Local Rule G-12.

What your phone can do

Checking a distance-measuring app or a compass heading is fine. You may also look at weather forecasts, temperature, and humidity readings from any source. Recording your own stats — club distances, heart rate, scores — for review after the round is permitted.

Green-reading materials and Local Rules

Detailed putting-green maps on your phone fall under Clarification 4.3a/1: they must stay within the allowed size and scale so that reading the green remains an essential skill. A Committee may adopt Model Local Rule G-12 to prohibit all green-reading materials, digital or paper, for the competition. Always check the Local Rules sheet before you open that app.

Exceptions that change the answer

• Committee adopts Model Local Rule G-12 → No green-reading materials of any kind — paper or electronic — may be used during the round.
• Committee adopts Model Local Rule G-5 → All distance-measuring devices, including phone apps, are prohibited for the competition.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a green-reading app on my phone?

Only if the map meets the size and scale limits in Clarification 4.3a/1 and the Committee hasn't banned all green-reading materials with Model Local Rule G-12.

Is checking wind speed on my phone allowed?

No. You may view forecast wind speeds, but measuring actual wind speed at the course with any device — including a phone — is prohibited.

Can I ask my phone what club to hit based on my current distances?

No. Processing live round data to recommend a club or line of play is an artificial aid that eliminates essential judgment, which Rule 4.3a forbids.

What if I just want to watch a swing tip video between holes?

Allowed, as long as the video is unrelated to the current round — for example, a general instruction clip. Watching video of your own swing from earlier in the same round to adjust technique would be interpreting physiological information, which is not allowed.

Does taking a photo of the green count as using an alignment device?

A photo itself isn't an alignment device, but if you use the image to line up your ball or stance, you're using the phone in an abnormal way to align, which breaches Rule 4.3a.