Use your Blackberry® Phone and get accurate distances on all KGC courses.

Now you can use your Blackberry® phone which comes with an internal GPS on the fairway and find accurate distances. GPS is a satellite related position recognition system which can give you the ability to know exactly where you are on the map, and to search for streets and addresses, throughout the world. GPS devices and Range Finders are now allowed in most golf handicap tournaments in the world today depending on local rules.

GPS golf devices can deliver a lot of information regarding distances from where you stand, to the hole, bunker, hazard or the green, as long as the golf course is mapped in detail. Most devices and programs are expensive and require a yearly subscription.

For our KGC golfers, I have mapped all three courses of the KGC on a free software GPS program which can work well on the on all Blackberry® cell phone models which come with an internal GPS.

This has been done with the help of satellite photographs on a program developed by Justin called Blackberry GPS Golf ®. All water hazards, green side bunkers, fairway bunkers and trees have been identified by me with accurate distances. I have worked with this program for the past six months and it had a number of bugs, regarding which I communicated with Justin, and now it is relatively bug free.

It works on Blackberry telephones which have GPS. It is simple and if you follow the straight forward directions given below you should be on, and playing immediately.

1. First you have to go to the Website http://www.bbgpsgolf.com/index.php on your computer or on your cell phone browser. On the home page click on the ‘Login’ icon which you see in the left column. In the next screen which comes up you click on ‘Create an Account’. Once you have filled in the details for your account you can login with your ID and password.
2. The screen you come to when you now login will have ‘My Courses’ in the left column. Click on it and then the screen gives you a choice of ‘Only view courses in: _____’ in this box select Pakistan and click ‘Search’. In the screen which comes up you can select (mark X in the box) all the three golf course sequences which I have mapped.
· Karachi Golf Club Blue/Red
· Karachi Golf Club Blue/Yellow
· Karachi Golf Club Red/Yellow
3. If you want to (though not necessary at this stage) you can select ‘My Clubs’ icon and select the 14 clubs you have in your bag and put in the distances which you usually hit with them.
4. Click ‘Logout’ (in the left column)
5. Now on your Blackberry ® go to Options, then select Advanced Options. In Advanced Options select TCP/IP
6. Tick in the box which states APN settings enabled.
7. The line which states APN:_______, write connect.mobilinkworld.com and save it.
8. Go to the Web Browser on your Blackberry® and enter http://www.bbgpsgolf.com/download.php Click on OTA download link of version 1.0.18 which will download it on your Blackberry ® device.
9. Click (the tracker ball) on the icon which is now in your downloads section of your Blackberry:

and it would show Blackberry GPS Golf 1.0.18 and an image.

10. Click again and it would show ‘Options’, select it. Fill in your login (name with which you created an account on your computer) and password. Ensure that connection method is Direct TCP. Select the country as Pakistan.
11. Go back to Main Menu and Click on Find Golf Course (see below)

12. The next screen asks in the top line Find Golf Course:_________ Write down Karachi Golf Club
13. Now go back to Main Menu and go to options. Now you are ready to play.
14. When you start your game click on the icon in your Blackberry (shown in 9), next find golf course, select Karachi Golf Club’s any 18 hole combination I have mapped for you.
15. Once you have selected the course you intend to play it would ask you to fill out the users (players) and type out the names. You can fill out no name, or a single name and ignore the foursome until you get used to the program as at the end of every hole it has a number of questions like:
a. Were you in the fairway with your drive
b. Did you reach the green (in regulation)
c. How many putts did you make etc.
If you do not want to answer any questions just click on the tracker ball every time.
16. Then it would ask you from which hole you want to start and viola you are on and distances are shown from the place you are standing to the:
a. Front edge of the green
b. Middle of the green
c. Back edge of the green
d. Bunkers
e. Trees (I have tried to include all landmarks)
f. Lateral Hazards.
g. Water hazards.
h. Distance to cross hazard.
i. Other miscellaneous points.
17. As you move all distance would automatically keep on changing.
18. Once you complete the hole, Click on the tracker ball and it would ask details and take you to the next hole.
19. You can also calculate your drive distance by looking at the distance to the green from the tee and from the hit ball before you play the second shot.
20. If the program closes down in the middle re-launch and you have the option to go to the hole you are on and not start from the beginning.

Now only if I can keep my head down, line up better and increase my impact speed. There has to be an instrument to do that easily, and I am searching, but until then enjoy this free program and the hard work which went in would have been worth it.

Dr Arif Alvi
KGC Membership No. 3