GPS
Distance to green, hazard carries, drag-to-measure, and auto-advance — on 20,000+ courses.
What you see on the GPS screen
The GPS view shows a top-down aerial of the hole you’re playing. The course is rendered in full detail: fairway, rough, bunkers, water, trees, cart paths, and the green. A blue dot marks your current location; a number near the green shows live distance to the center.
Tap any hazard or feature on the map to see the distance from you to that point.
Opening the GPS view
From the Score Entry screen, tap the GPS pill at the top of the screen. The Hole View opens to the hole you’re currently scoring.
From the in-round scorecard, the GPS pill is also in the header. Same tap, same view.
Distances — green, hazards, layups
- To the center of the green — the big number front and center. Updates in real time as you walk.
- To the front of the green — tap the green; the front-edge distance shows.
- To the back of the green — tap the back-edge of the green outline.
- To carry a hazard — tap any bunker, water, or trouble. You’ll see distance from you to the near edge.
- To layup — tap any point on the fairway. Distance from you to that point.
Drag-to-measure
For any shot you’re planning — layup, carry, target line — tap and drag from your position to where you want the ball to go. The distance updates as you drag.
Useful for: dialing in club selection on a long par 5, finding the safe distance short of a fairway bunker, picking a target on a blind tee shot.
View modes — aerial & heatmap
Tap the view toggle to switch how the hole is drawn:
- Aerial — the standard top-down view with full course detail: fairway, rough, bunkers, water, trees, and the green.
- Heatmap — a color-shaded version of the same hole that makes the safe lines and the trouble pop at a glance, so you can pick a target without studying every feature.
Pick whichever you read faster off the tee — the distances work the same in both.
Smart markers — doglegs & carries
Beyond “distance to the green,” the Hole View marks the numbers that actually shape your tee shot and layup:
- Dogleg markers — on a bending hole, a marker shows the distance to the corner where the fairway turns, so you know exactly how much club to take (or hold back) off the tee.
- Fairway distance markers — measured down the playing line, not as the crow flies, so a layup number reflects the actual route to the green.
- Hazard carries — the distance to clear each bunker, water, or trouble. Tap any hazard for the carry to its near edge.
Auto-advance as you walk
The GPS view auto-advances to the next hole when it detects you’ve moved to its tee box. You don’t need to swipe or tap to change holes — just walk to the tee and it follows.
If auto-advance doesn’t catch the change (rare, usually a GPS-fix issue), tap the hole number at the top to manually jump to a different hole.
Accuracy & signal
GPS accuracy depends on satellite signal. Out in the open on most courses, distances are accurate to within a few yards. Under heavy tree cover, near tall buildings, or in poor weather, accuracy degrades.
Battery tips
GPS is the single biggest battery drain on any golf round — not unique to FOREPAID, true of every GPS app. To stretch battery on a 4-hour round:
- Close the GPS view between shots. Opening it only when you need a distance saves substantial battery.
- Lock your phone between holes. The app stays on the round, but the screen drains less.
- Carry a battery pack if you typically lose phone battery on long rounds — same advice we’d give for any golf GPS app.
- Low Power Mode on iOS is safe to use; FOREPAID still works.
Course coverage
We cover 20,000+ courses globally via our course-data partner. If a course isn’t in our catalog, you’ll see “Request this course” in the picker — tap it and we’ll add the course as soon as we can.
The Twin Cities and most major US metros have full coverage. International courses, smaller municipal layouts, and recently-renovated courses may have outdated data. Report issues to support@forepaid.app and we’ll get it fixed.