Ball Bearing

For iPhone · Coming soon

Lost it in the trees? Walk straight to it.

Aim your phone down the line the ball flew and say how far you hit it. Ball Bearing puts the search zone on a satellite map, then keeps you on the line until you’re standing in it.

Coming soon to the App Store See how it works
  • 10 free searches, then 2 every day
  • £4.99 once for unlimited
  • No account, no tracking
Ball Bearing’s map screen: a satellite view of a golf hole with a dotted yellow line from the tee to a yellow search zone among the trees, the golfer’s dot halfway along, and 102 yards to go.
How it works

Three steps, while you still remember the line

By the time you’ve walked 200 yards, the tree you picked looks different and the line has drifted. Ball Bearing records it from where you’re standing, before you set off.

  1. The Aim screen: a dotted line straight up the middle of the view, a green compass dot reading S 180°, and a yellow Lock bearing button.

    1Aim

    Stand where you hit from. Line the dotted line up on where the ball landed, or the last tree it flew past, and lock the bearing. The dot goes green when the compass is happy.

  2. The Distance screen: 231 yards on a ruler with the 3 wood selected, and chips for straight, fade, draw and slice.

    2Say how far

    Flick the ruler to your best guess. With Unlimited, tap the club you hit and its usual distance is already there, nudged for a slice or a fat one.

  3. The Found it sheet: found in 1:03, that one went 228 yards, with a button to record it as a straight 3 wood.

    3Walk to it

    Follow the line on the satellite map as the yards count down. Tap Found it, and Unlimited learns how far that club really goes.

How the search zone works A top-down golf hole. A dotted yellow line runs from the tee up the fairway to a yellow wedge-shaped zone that covers the right edge of the fairway and the trees beside it. A golfer walks up the line and finds the ball under the trees inside the zone. Where you hit from Your distance ±20 yd Wider if the compass is unsure
The zone is a wedge, not a pin: as long as your distance guess, as wide as the compass deserves.
Honest about the compass

It shows you where to look, and how sure it is

  • The zone widens when the compass is unsureSteel shafts, a buggy or a magnetic ball marker can pull a phone compass off. When that happens the dot says so and the zone gets wider, so it still covers your ball.
  • Slide the band to match your guessAnywhere from ±5 to ±50 yards. Sure it carried the bunker? Tighten it. Not sure at all? Let it out.
  • Recognise the spot? Drag the zone onto itIf you saw it kick off the path by the big oak, move the zone there and walk to that instead.
  • A three-minute timer when you get thereThat’s all the Rules allow for a search, so it starts on its own when you walk into the zone.
Price

Free to use. £4.99 once for unlimited.

The free version is the whole app, not a trial, and it never runs out. Unlimited is a single payment: no subscription, no account.

Free

£0

Ten searches to start, then two every day for as long as you play.

  • Aim, distance and the satellite map
  • Move the zone and the three-minute timer
  • Your last three distances, one tap away

Unlimited

£4.99once

Pay once and it’s yours for good, on all your iPhones.

  • Unlimited searches
  • Your clubs on the distance ruler, one tap each
  • Learns your real distances from balls you find
  • Remembers your slice, hook, thin and fat
  • Share the zone with a playing partner

Your family gets it too. If you use Apple’s Family Sharing, up to five people in your family group can use Unlimited on their own iPhones, at no extra cost.

Bought through the App Store. Apple sets the price in other currencies.

Nothing leaves your phone

No account to make, no adverts and no analytics. Your searches and club distances stay on your iPhone. The camera and your location are only used while you’re searching, and the photo of the line is deleted after 30 days. Read the privacy policy.

Questions

Before the first tee

How accurate is it?

As accurate as your line and your guess at the distance. A good compass reading is usually within a few degrees, which puts a 150-yard shot within about ten yards either side of the line.

Lining the dotted line up on something the ball flew past, like a tree or a bunker, helps more than anything.

What if the compass dot isn’t green?

Step away from your bag and the buggy, and keep MagSafe wallets and magnetic ball markers away from the phone. Turn and tilt it for a few seconds. If it still can’t settle, lock anyway: the zone is drawn wider to cover the doubt.

Does it need phone signal?

The satellite map needs a connection to load, and keeps what it has already shown. GPS works without signal, so the line, the distance count-down and the timer carry on regardless.

Can I use it in a competition?

The Rules of Golf allow devices that give distance or direction (Rule 4.3a), and finding your ball isn’t advice on how to play a stroke. A competition’s Local Rules can restrict devices, so check them first.

More answers on the support page