iPhone Apps For Golf Course Superintendents

While many criticize Apple’s products for their limited keyboard options, iJunkies reply “just turn it in to landscape mode”. Other points of criticism include lack of customizable themes, basic camera and Apps are only available through iTunes. Despite what hang-ups you have over Apples products, you can’t argue against their durability and lightweight making them not get in the way, and sometimes that’s the best feature of all. Apple has done a great job promoting its App’s as they do have the largest collection of all the smart-phones, for now.

Some of the “not yet Android” Apps for supers include:

Right now, go to iTunes, download Sun Seeker for $2.99 and go to your shadiest green with your grumpiest Greens Committee member. Developed for Solar Panel installers, this App uses the iPhones camera, GPS and Azimuth tool to illustrate (in flat mode and augmented reality camera mode) the solar path and its obstructions from where you stand and creates yearly charts. Pretty cool. Below is a review by William Brown and his iTurfApps Blog. Coming to Android and Blackberry soon!!!

iStimp, the $0.99 digital Stimpmeter, provides accurate green speed readings by using the iPhones accelerometer and complex algorithms. Pretty accurate, but don’t let your members find out about it!

iGIS, the $19.95 Geographic Information System in the palm of your hand, allows supers to layer customized info onto aerial images from Google Maps. Custom colors, shapes, importing/exporting, and even measuring tools make the $22 cost well worth it for your iPhone or iPad. Keep in mind, although this App is only available with Apple, much of this can be done within the regular online Google My Maps.

Toro NSN enables Supers to login to their desktop and access and control the whole irrigation system.

For $4.99 Golf Ball Finder may help golfers get out of those natural areas and back on the course, or it may cause a line up of golfers staring at their phones instead of hurrying up.

Chirp – Yes, an index of birds complete with photos, sounds and info about each species. Looks very basic, but how many times have you wondered what a specific bird was? I did find a number of news stories about future iPhone applications which plan on using recognition software for everything from wildlife, to trees. This technology will surely change iPhone app’s of the future. www.spinysoft.co.uk/Chirp

PureSense, although most Supers do not have the infrastructure capable of supporting the functions of this app, it is very cool. Checking your soil moisture levels and having control of your irrigation system while your on the other side of the planet is possible today with the combination of the PureSenseapp, a remote soil moisture system like the UgMo and having online access to your irrigation system (or someone at the turf office with a phone). Sounds technical, and it is. In fact I can’t find any turfgrass managers/supers using it quite yet. However according to PureSense it is possible.
Right now you can receive “reports and charts summarize soil moisture, climate and irrigation system information to help guide grower decisions and provide a record over multiple seasons. A wide variety of simplified reports and charts can be viewed online, or received via email or on a cell phone.” www.puresense.com

Weather Bug – There are two version of this application, Free and the Elite which is not so free.

The free version comes with everything you would expect a weather app to come with plus zoomable temperature contour and satellite infrared maps!

The Elite version is pretty cool, comes with all of the Free stuff plus:

* Full radar animation
* Six additional map layers: infrared satellite, humidity, air pressure, wind speed, next day high and next day low
* 100% ad-free
* Live, local weather conditions and forecasts
* 7-day and hourly forecasts
* National Weather Service (NWS) alerts
* Daily national weather outlook video
* Radar maps with zoom feature
* View live weather cameras (up to 5)
* Time-lapse weather camera animation
* Fast access to unlimited saved locations
* Cached weather data for offline viewing
* Map auto-center function (US only)
* Temperature contour and satellite infrared maps
* Enhanced current conditions with 12 distinct observations
* Touch anywhere map technology allows user to “drop a pin” and view current weather conditions for that location
* Free access to updates and enhancements

www.weather.weatherbug.com

Turfgrass Management is an application (iPhone, iTouch, and Blackberry) that provides pictures, information, and recommendations for grass species, lawn diseases, weeds, and insects. With plans to expand the app functions to provide pesticide labels and provide larger, regional and up to date databases this application should be on all superintendents phones. http://itanyplace.com/plants/support/

Scott J Morrison at www.turfhugger.blogspot.com

About Scott Morrison

Founder and Lead Consultant of Out on a Limb, Environmental Management Solutions for Golf Course…
Editor and Contributor – Turfhugger.com
Professional Accomplishments include Personally provided Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program certification aid to over 50 golf courses in Quebec, Ontario and BC
Trained as a Verifier and Sustainability Advisor for the Golf Environment Organization, completed the first North American verification for a golf course within their new Certification Program, Mirimichi, Tennessee in 2010
Conducted the majority portion of the first three years of On-Site Audits for the IPM Accreditation Program in Ontario
Updated the Canadian Golf Superintendent Association’s Environmental Management Manual (Environmental Stewardship, Water Quality, etc.)
Many of Out on a Limb’s projects have received Stewardship Awards from Conservation Authorities, achieved recognition from news papers, trade magazines and local governments
Published articles in many Canadian and US Turf, Golf and Environment related magazines
Presenter at annual conferences of regional, provincial turf associations