Golf Trip App vs Group Chat vs Paper Scorecard
Keeping score on a golf buddies trip: an app, the group chat or paper cards? What each does well, where each breaks, and how to choose.
Disclosure: this site is made by the MATCHUPS team. Facts about other apps come from their own pages, checked in November 2026.
There are three ways buddies trips keep score. Paper cards. The group chat. An app.
Most trips use all three by accident. Here is how to choose one on purpose.
Paper scorecards
The classic. Every course hands them out.
What works:
- Free.
- No battery. No signal needed.
- Everyone knows how to use them.
What breaks:
- Only your group knows your score.
- Totals across rounds are done by hand at dinner.
- Cards get wet, lost or left in the cart.
- Side games and team points need extra math.
Best for: a single casual round. Or as a backup if phones die.
The group chat
Every trip has one. It becomes the scoreboard whether you plan it or not.
What works:
- Everyone is already in it.
- Photos and trash talk live there anyway.
- Fast for "we're 2 up through 9."
What breaks:
- Scores get buried under memes.
- Nobody knows which message is the latest.
- No totals. No standings. No history.
- Someone always posts the wrong score.
Best for: banter. Not for scoring.
A scoring app
Built for the job.
What works:
- Scores go in hole by hole, in every group.
- Standings update for everyone, live.
- Team points and side games add up on their own.
- History is saved for next year.
What breaks:
- Everyone needs the app, and the right phone.
- Some apps cost money for bigger groups.
- Setup takes a few minutes before the trip.
Best for: any trip with more than one round, more than one group, or any kind of team competition.
Side by side
| Paper | Group chat | App | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free | Free to a few dollars each |
| Live for all groups | No | Sort of | Yes |
| Totals across rounds | By hand | No | Automatic |
| Team points | By hand | No | Automatic, if supported |
| Side games | By hand | No | Automatic, if supported |
| Works with no signal | Yes | No | Varies |
| History | Lost by Sunday | Buried | Saved |
The best setup
Use each for what it does best.
- App: the official score. If it is not in the app, it did not happen.
- Group chat: photos, banter and "check the app."
- Paper: a backup in your bag in case of dead phones.
Put "the app is the official score" on your trip rules sheet.
Choosing the app
A few honest options, based on each app's own pages, checked November 2026.
- MATCHUPS (made by us): iPhone and Apple Watch. Two equal teams of 4, 8 or 12 over one to five rounds. Skins, Hammer, High/Low and Low/Low side games. Live lock-screen scoreboard and end-of-trip awards. Free for 4 players, $49.99 one-time for 8 or 12. No Android, Nassau, Wolf or Stableford.
- 18Birdies: free tournaments with live leaderboards. Ten listed side games including Nassau and Wolf. iPhone and Android.
- Squabbit: free core plan with unlimited players, every format, group chat and a public tournament website.
Full comparison on our golf buddies trip app page.
The one-sentence answer
Use an app to keep score, the group chat to talk about it, and keep a paper card in your bag just in case.
We are the MATCHUPS team. Our app runs the scoring, teams and side games for a buddies trip on iPhone and Apple Watch. It is free to download. App Store | matchupsgolf.com
FAQ
Should a golf trip use an app or paper scorecards?
Use an app as the official score, and keep paper as a backup.
Can you keep golf scores in a group chat?
You can, but scores get buried and there are no totals. Use it for banter instead.
Which golf trip app has the most side games?
18Birdies lists ten side games, including Nassau and Wolf.