Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much does it cost to use FreeCaddie?
A: The basic version of FreeCaddie is free of charge. Try it out; if you like it consider upgrading to FreeCaddie Pro.

Q: What is FreeCaddie Pro?
A: FreeCaddie Pro is the full featured version of FreeCaddie. It provides distances to all defined markers for a golf course, allows you to measure the length of your shots, create and edit courses using the application, download courses using the application, record scores and track statistics.

Q: As a FreeCaddie Pro user do I have to pay for upgrades?
A: No, upgrades are free. New releases come out occasionally which usually add new functionality.

Q: Is FreeCaddie Pro a subscription service?
A: No, you pay for the upgrade once and can use it as much as you like. There is likewise no charge to access the courses in our database.

Q: I've purchased FreeCaddie Pro from FreeCaddie.com. What happens next?
A: Google Wallet takes about 15 minutes to process a purchase. An email is then sent to confirm your purchase. If you do not receive this email check your spam filter. Once your purchase is completed just enter your FreeCaddie.com user name and password to activate FreeCaddie Pro.

Q: I'm a FreeCaddie Pro user and just bought a new phone. Can I put FreeCaddie Pro on it?
A: It depends. Apple's App Store, Palm's App Catalog and the Microsoft Marketplace require apps to be purchased from their app stores. If you originally purchased from Google Play (Android Market) and bought a new Android phone you can just install again from the Google Play (Android Market).

Q: Why don't I see my local golf course in your list of courses?
A: That's where you can help! Try our Course Creator web page. If you know the golf course well you'll find it easy to mark the greens and prominent features of each hole. It takes about 15 minutes to create a course file and, once complete, not only will you be able to use it but other FreeCaddie users will benefit as well.

Q: How accurate is FreeCaddie?
A: As accurate as your GPS receiver. The more satellites that are visible the better the accuracy will be. This website briefly discusses GPS accuracy.

Q: All of the distances displayed by the app now have a question mark at the end. Why is that?
A: This indicates that it has been awhile since FreeCaddie has received a valid position update from the GPS in your phone. There may be something wrong with your GPS and the current distance reading is in question. Please verify that your GPS is still working.

Q: FreeCaddie just displays "Searching..." or "Waiting for location" instead of distances. What is going on?
A: This means that FreeCaddie cannot get a position from the GPS unit in your phone. It is possible that GPS is disabled or that the settings in your phone have not been configured so that FreeCaddie can use the GPS. Please check your phone settings and make sure that FreeCaddie has permission to use the GPS. And sometimes a reboot of the phone will clear things up.

Q: Where else can I go for help?
A: The forums have answers to many questions, check them out! And you can always email your questions to support@freecaddie.com.

Q: I can't download a course but I know it's mapped. What can I do?
A: Run FreeCaddie or FreeCaddie Pro, then go to Settings. On that screen there is a place to enter a location (you may need to scroll down a bit). When a location is entered on the Setting page it overrides your last known GPS location when retrieving a course list.

Q: Who maps courses?
A: FreeCaddie users create all course content. You can add any course you like by logging in to FreeCaddie.com and going to this page:
https://freecaddie.com/CourseEditor/Create.aspx

Q: I'd like to add or move some markers on an existing course. What can I do?
A: Email support@freecaddie.com and request permission to edit that course. Include your FreeCaddie.com username and the name and location of the course.

Q: My favorite course is not completely mapped. Can I finish mapping it?
A: Yes you can, just email support@freecaddie.com and request permission to edit that course. Include your FreeCaddie.com username and the name and location of the course.

Q: Can I map a course using Google Maps?
A: The Course Creator supports both Bing and Google Maps. Once you get past the screen with the "I see the course" button you'll see a button to switch to Google Maps.

Q: Why can I see a course on your web site but not on my phone?

A: The web site shows you all mapped courses for a selected area or course name. By default FreeCaddie and FreeCaddie Pro retrieve a list of courses using your current or last known GPS location. You can override this by entering a location under "Settings" (you may need to scroll down on the Settings page to see this). The app retrieves up to 100 of the closest completely mapped courses closest to your current or entered location.

The Freecaddie app will also only show courses that have 6, 9, or 18 holes completed. This is to reduce the chances that you will load a course into the app, only to find that it is not completed in the middle of your round. For this reason you may see some courses on the website that will not appear on the app.

Q: I have auto advance hole enabled, but it doesn't seem to be working. Why not?
A: The auto advance hole feature was designed with the idea that the phone would accompany you onto the green. FreeCaddie knows that you are finishing a hole when you get within ten yards of any of the greens markers and will then switch to the next hole once you get a certain distance away from the green yuou just finished. If you are leaving your phone or device in a cart, then it may not be getting close enough to the green to to trigger the auto-advance logic.

Q: How do I measure my shot?
A: While you are standing at the place you just hit the ball, select 'Last Shot' and the hit the 'Measure shot' (or 'Mark') button. As you proceed to where your ball landed you should see the distance increase until you are standing over your ball and have the distance it travelled from where you hit it.

Q: The Map display in the app is blank or just displays a white grid. Why can't I see the overhead view of the course?
A: You probably do not have an active data connection. Perhaps you have enabled airplane mode for peace and quiet or to reduce data charges. The background for the map view requires an active data connection so that the satellite image tiles can be downloaded from Google or Bing as you move around and zoom the map in or out. Currently, none of these map providers allow this imagery to be cached in advance for later use offline.

Q: When I run FreeCaddie it just says "Searching". What do I do?
A: Make sure GPS is enabled on your Android phone. An application like Google Maps can determine your approximate position without GPS so it is not an indication that GPS is working.

Q: How do I enable GPS on my Android phone?
A: To enable GPS from the home screen press the Menu button, then select Settings, then Security and Location (or Location and Security) and make sure "Use GPS Satellites" (or "Enable GPS Satellites") is checked.
Then run FreeCaddie and you should see a GPS icon at the top of your phone. Go outside, press Menu, then GPS and in a few seconds you should see your latitude and longitude.

Q: My Android phone phone does not seem to have a menu button. How can I access menu options in FreeCaddie?

A: Some newer Android phones only have 3 buttons at the bottom of the screen, leaving off the menu button.

With the 3 button design you can *PRESS AND HOLD* the app switch button (the rightmost one of the three buttons, with the icon that looks like two overlapping squares) and then it acts as the old menu button did.

Here are some helpful shortcuts: to get the course list you can tap the name of the course (or the place where it would be displayed) on the main display instead of using the menu button. Likewise, you can go directly to the scoring fetaure by tapping the "Hole X Par X" field.

Q: Where are the statistics on my scorecard and how can I upload my scores to FreeCaddie.com?

A: By default, the four person scorecard feature is enabled. To get the single person scoring, which has stats and can be uploaded to the website, go into FreeCaddie's Settings and uncheck the box for four person scorecard.

Q: FreeCaddie Pro does not show up when I run Google Play. Can I purchase from FreeCaddie.com instead?
A: Yes, you can also purchase FreeCaddie Pro for Android from FreeCaddie.com by going here.

Q: I purchased FreeCaddie Pro from FreeCaddie.com and just upgraded to a new phone. Can I install FreeCaddie Pro on my new phone?

A: You can download the installer for FreeCaddie Pro for Android is located at the bottom of this page: http://freecaddie.com/Android/FreeCaddiePro.aspx

If you are able to install it you will not need to repurchase. To do so you will need to enable installations from other sources (home screen, Menu, Settings, Applications, check "Unknown Sources"). Many Android phones (for example, from AT&T) are now disallowing installations from sources other than Google Play.

Q: I purchased FreeCaddie Pro from Google Play. Recently my phone received an update which erased my applications. How do I get FreeCaddie Pro back?

Your Google Play purchases are tied to the Google account used on your Android phone. As long as you use the same Google account (usually identified by a GMail email address) information after the upgrade you can download and install all of your paid applications again from the Google Play without repurchasing.

In the settings for your phone you should have a section for accounts where you can select 'add account' and specify your Gmail address.

Q: How do I get a course file onto my phone?
A: Run FreeCaddie and get a GPS fix (or if you previously had a GPS fix that will be remembered). Press the "Download" button, then press the "Get Course List" button to retrieve a list of courses in your area.

Q: What if I don't see the golf course I am interested in?
A: You can create it using our Course Creator. If you know the golf course it is pretty easy to do and is actually kind of fun.

Q: How do I copy course files onto my phone?
A: At the present time all courses are downloaded using FreeCaddie and are internally stored. There is no support for file copying.

Q: Sometimes my BlackBerry does not get a GPS fix. Any suggestions?
A: Exit FreeCaddie, go to Options, then Advanced Options, then GPS. Press the Menu button and select "Refresh GPS, then wait for a location to appear. You will likely need to be outside to get a GPS fix.

Q: I'm getting a "java.io.IOException: tunnel failed" error. How do I resolve this?
A: Many BlackBerry phones do not have their internet access fully configured. This page has information about resolving this:

http://www.blackberryforums.com/blackberry-network/2185-blackberry-internet-msn-chat-web-telnet-tcpip-no-bes.html

Q: I'm not getting distances. How do I resolve this?
A: iOS4 disables GPS access to apps by default. To remedy this go into your iPhone's settings (not FreeCaddie's settings) and enable GPS access for FreeCaddie. From the home screen select Settings, then General, then Location Services (in iOS6 this might be Settings-> Privacy-> Location Services). Each app that uses GPS should be listed there. Enable access for FreeCaddie or FreeCaddie Pro.

Q: Are there any tips for improving GPS performance on the golf course?
A: Try setting your auto-lock setting to "never". Run the settings application (not FreeCaddie), then go to General and select "Auto-Lock". Setting the value to never will keep your iPhone's GPS running and your position will be monitored continuously.

Q: Any tips for extending battery life?
A: Disable Bluetooth, 3G (if not using maps), and turn down the brightness. Do not use Airplane Mode, as this will also disable the GPS in your phone (and Freecaddie will not be able to provide distances).

Q: Where are the settings for FreeCaddie?
A: Apple recommended that settings be put under their "Settings application" (the gear icon on your home screen). FreeCaddie Pro has a settings menu button.

Q: I just purchased a Windows Phone. Do I have to purchase FreeCaddie Pro again?
A: Unfortunately Apple's App Store, Palm's App Catalog and the Microsoft Marketplace do not provide a way for us to do transfers (they want their 30% of the sales). Nor do they allow installations from outside of their app stores.

Q: Will FreeCaddie work on my Sprint Samsung Instinct?
A: FreeCaddie and FreeCaddie Pro will work on the latest Instinct, the S-30 (M810). Sprint is working on a firmware upgrade for all models of Instinct which will allow applications like FreeCaddie to install and run. Stay tuned!

Q: Will FreeCaddie work on my Verizon phone?
A: Version 0.9.3 and up should work fine on the Verizon Storm. However, Verizon has blocked usage of GPS by third party applications on most of their phones. You can try it; it you see "GPS Not Allowed" then access is being blocked. Contact Verizon.

Q: How do I get a course file onto my phone?
A: Run FreeCaddie and get a GPS fix (or if you previously had a GPS fix that will be remembered). Press the "Download" button, then press the "Get Course List" button to retrieve a list of courses in your area.

Q: What if I don't see the golf course I am interested in?
A: You can create it using our Course Creator. If you know the golf course it is pretty easy to do and is actually kind of fun.

Q: How do I copy course files onto my phone?
A: At the present time all courses are downloaded using FreeCaddie and are internally stored. There is no support for file copying.

Q: Half of my screen is taken up by a control pad and ABCD keys. How do I fix that?
A: This should help resolve that:
http://symbianworld.org/1602-how-to-turn-off-the-on-screen-keyboard-on-the-nokia-n97-5800-xpressmusic/

Q: How do I read the yardages?
A: The large number in the middle of the screen is the middle of the green, the smaller number below is the front of the green, the smaller number above is the back.

Q: What does the Accuracy mean?
A: The GPS will be more or less accurate depending on the visibility to the sky/satellites, the Accuracy tells you the quality of the current GPS reading.

Q: How do I navigate to the next hole?
A: Tap the green "+" button or the red "-" button at the top of the screen to navigate from hole to hole.

Q: Why doesn't FreeCaddie advance to the next hole automatically?
A: To conserve battery your Palm Pre shuts off the GPS when you have turned off your screen. Without frequent GPS positons FreeCaddie can't identify when you have completed a hole and advanced to the next.

Q: What are the Markers?
A: Tap the markers button to view additional markers mapped on the hole, like bunkers, hazards, fairway markers, etc. If the button is disabled, there are no markers mapped for this hole.

Q: Why don't any markers show up when I try to view them?
A: The "Markers" button is enabled for holes that have markers mapped. The list will only contain markers between your current location and the hole. If the list is empty it's likely you have already moved past the markers for that hole.

Q: What does the Shot button do?
A: Tap the shot button to measure how far you have hit a shot. Tap the "Shot" button from where you hit the ball, then watch the screen for the distance from that location. Your mark will be removed when you advance to the next hole.

Q: How do I keep score?
A: Tap the "Score" button and enter your score. All fields are optional on the score screen, you can be as detailed as you want. When you have filled in your score, tap the back screen or make the Palm back gesture.

Q: How do I quickly set my score to par for a hole?
A: Tap the center of the score screen heading, between the hole navigation arrows. This will set your score for that hole to par, use the +/- buttons to adjust from there.

Q: Why don't you preload my score to par automatically?
A: If you forget to set your score for a hole, you would get par by default. This would likely result in inaccurate scores without your knowing.

Q: How do I upload my score to FreeCaddie.com?
A: When you have completed your round, tap the FreeCaddie menu in the top left corner of the "Score" screen and choose, "Upload Scorecard". You will be asked to delete the scorecard after it is uploaded, this is a good idea to do to conserve space.

The first time you upload a score you will be reminded to enter your FreeCaddie.com Username and Password to identify yourself on the "Preferences" screen.

If you forget to upload your scorecard when you complete your round, you can view all scorecards by tapping the FreeCaddie menu from the main screen to list past scorecards. From here you can edit your scorecard by tapping it and upload it to FreeCaddie.com.

If you choose not to upload a score and want it deleted, swipe to delete the scorecard from the scorecards list screen.

Q: Why would I upload my scorecard to FreeCaddie.com?
A: You can keep a record of your scores and view interesting stats, charts, and graphs of your scores and round statistics on the FreeCaddie.com web site.

Q: How do I choose to view distances in yards/meters?
A: Tap the FreeCaddie Menu from the top left corner of the main screen and choose "Preferences". From here you can set your unit of measurement.

Q: How do I delete a downloaded course?
A: From the course list press and swipe the course you want to delete, confirm the delete operation by tapping the delete button.

Q: What does the GPS button do?
A: Tap the GPS button if you have reason to believe the yardages displayed are inaccurate. You can verify the GPS on your Pre is working from this screen. If it doesn't appear to be getting frequent updates you may need to reboot your Pre.

Q: I just purchased a Windows Phone. Do I have to purchase FreeCaddie Pro again?
A: Unfortunately Apple's App Store, Palm's App Catalog and the Microsoft Marketplace do not provide a way for us to do transfers (they want their 30% of the sales). Nor do they allow installations from outside of their app stores.

Q: How do I get course files onto my Windows Mobile device?
A: Both FreeCaddie and FreeCaddie Pro reads course files from \Program Files\FreeCaddie\Courses on your device. If you installed FreeCaddie onto your storage card look for the folder there.
Follow these steps:

• Using a browser on your PC, download and save one or more course files.
• Next, attach your device to your PC with a USB cable.
• Finally, using ActiveSync copy the course files from your PC to the folder
  \Program Files\FreeCaddie\Courses on your device.

Q: Is there another way?
A: If you have a storage card on your device and a card reader on your PC you can install FreeCaddie to your storage card. Then just pop the storage card into your PC, download course files and save them to Program Files\FreeCaddie\Courses on your storage card.

Q: I installed FreeCaddie on my older Windows Mobile device but nothing happened when I ran it. What should I do?
A: FreeCaddie should run on any device running Windows Mobile 2003 SE or later. However you may need to install the .NET 2.0 Framework onto your device. Instructions for doing that can be found here.

Q: What should I do if during installation I see The application requires a newer version of the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework than the version installed on this device."  ?
A: See this page for information on how to resolve this issue.

Q: Are FreeCaddie and FreeCaddie Pro different applications?
A: For the Windows Mobile version it is the same application. When you purchase FreeCaddie Pro you get a key that unlocks all functionality.

Q: What if my Windows Mobile device doesn't have built-in GPS?
A: If your device supports Bluetooth you can use an external GPS device. They're relatively inexpensive and work great.

Q: Do you recommend any particular bluetooth GPS receiver?
A: We've had great success using this model, it's affordable and reliable.

Q: Can I use FreeCaddie with my Samsung Omnia from Verizon? A: Yes but you will first need to upgrade the firmware on your Omnia. Verizon has promised to do this but in the meantime this article has more information: http://www.intomobile.com/2009/04/11/samsung-omnia-i910-gps-unlocked-by-new-rom.html

Q: I just purchased a Windows Phone. Do I have to purchase FreeCaddie Pro again?
A: Unfortunately Apple's App Store, Palm's App Catalog and the Microsoft Marketplace do not provide a way for us to do transfers (they want their 30% of the sales). Nor do they allow installations from outside of their app stores.