Beginner’s Guide to GameBook, part 5 – There’s no going back

I have been using GameBook for about a month and a half now and I’ve had it with me on every single round of golf I’ve played during this time. Last week I started to wonder what it felt like to play without GameBook, using just the good old method of pen and paper for keeping the score. And I couldn’t remember. I had gotten so used to playing with GameBook that it felt like a very strange idea not to have it in my bag. So I figured I would make a little human experiment and use myself as the target of it.

I went on the course without my new friend and pretty soon it became clear that I was addicted. I’m usually not the biggest fan of new technology nor the fastest to adapt to it. I understand this might not be the smartest thing to admit to when working in a company that deals with modern technology in the form of a smartphone app and online services, but I feel it’s important information in relation to what I’m about to write here.

I’m the kind of person, who still carries around a paper calendar in my purse. I like to take my pictures with an actual camera instead of my mobile phone. And I only trade my phone for a new one when it breaks – not every time there’s a new model available with one or two remarkable updates.

So you can probably understand that the more traditional idea of using pen and paper on the course wasn’t  any problem to me. Although I must say it’s a bit faster and smoother to keep score with GameBook as you only need one hand and can mark your scores while walking to the next tee. The problem was that I wanted to get back on top of my game and know where it was going. I wanted to see exactly how I was playing in relation to my handicap – real time, all the time. And I was missing even the comments from my friends, although I had been quite scared of them at first.

So the conclusion of this little experiment of mine is this:

1. Once you start to use GameBook, it can be difficult to go back. One could even claim that you can’t go back.
2. The greatness of GameBook isn’t just that you don’t need to use pen and paper anymore. It’s everything else the app and online services can offer. No matter whether you are playing against yourself or with friends, you know exactly how the game is going – without having to make complex calculations.
3. GameBook is social – and so is golf. There isn’t really anything that can compare to sharing the game with your friends. GameBook helps you to do that.

And that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll keep using GameBook and connecting with my friends. That’s for sure. And maybe the positive experiences I’ve had with GameBook will make me more open to other technical innovations in the future as well.

This sums up my Beginner’s Guide to GameBook. It was an interesting journey to me, and hopefully to some of you out there as well. If you have any questions, concerns or thoughts about GameBook, please don’t hesitate to contact us! All feedback is warmly welcome and greatly appreciated. You can reach us through our website or on Facebook and Twitter.

-Johanna

@GolfGameBook on Twitter