Fore! Score

Forget pencils and paper scorecards — eGolfScore is trying to convince golfers that entering their scores on wireless Internet-enabled devices is simpler than putting lead to dead tree. They're right, assuming you fall into one of several categories: Dedicated hack who believes statistical analysis can improve your pathetic game; competitive outing player who likes to track his opponents (and maybe even catch them cheating); or recreational duffer fascinated by technology. Me, I'm all three.

eGolfScore allows golfers to keep score and track putts, fairways, bunkers and penalties. At round's end, they can upload their data to the company's Web site and view an analysis of their performance. So far, eGolfScore has signed on AT&T Wireless, Sprint PCS, Cingular Wireless and Nextel as partners, though the service will work through any carrier by accessing the eGolfScore Web site.

I recently used eGolfScore to track several rounds and found it to be an improvement on most other golf applications because it simplifies what can be a laborious process. Does it beat the pencil and scorecard combination? If you're a purist who believes manicured courses and golf carts have no place in the game, probably not. But if you've ever spent more than the GDP of a small nation for a new driver or conned yourself into believing a solid core ball will cure your wicked slice, this might be for you.

Using a relatively low-end Motorola T193 handset and service from VoiceStream Wireless, logging on to the site was simple — with one hitch. When signing up, the user is given a nine-digit account number. Forget the number, or forget to write it down and bring it to the course, and you're out of luck.

I remembered mine, so it was time to discover whether eGolfScore would perform better than my game. After a worm-burner tee shot into the brush, a punch-out to the fairway, a fading 4-iron, a chip onto the green (well past the hole) and two putts, I was ready to post my double bogey. Perhaps searching for excuses, I discovered a flaw in the app: Golf is a social game, but on a simple handset, eGolfScore only allows me to keep my own score, leaving others in my foursome to think I'm either too snobbish to interact or that I'm communicating with the golf gods to send everyone else's tee shots wide right.

I also had problems uploading scores to the Web site, constantly getting back messages about “malformed content.” Even without the upload, though, the application still provides some statistical analysis, comparing how well I shot on par 3s vs. par 4s.

Joe Kaplan, CEO of eGolfScore, told me the application is easier to use on a PDA. Being PDA-less, I'll have to take his word for it. All in all, eGolfScore performed as promised. For golfers searching for what makes their games tick, it's yet another tool to take along on the elusive quest for the perfect round.