Frequently asked questions

TheLAB supports you on the course and in practice: Round & caddie (GPS distances, wind, hazards, scorecard, optionally with a watch), swing analysis (AI evaluation of your videos with a LAB Score and the key points to work on), coaching (a monthly plan with drills), your numbers (statistics) and Hosel, your AI coach in the chat. The Classic view also includes a club fitting.

iPhone and Android phones running Android 7 or later. For watches we support Apple Watch with watchOS 10 or later and Wear OS watches with Wear OS 3 or later. The exact minimum iOS version is listed in the App Store.

An account (with Apple, with Google on Android, or by email), your first name and your year of birth. The app then briefly asks for your handicap, practice days and strengths. You can skip this with “Try it right away” and fill it in later. On first launch, a short tour shows you around.

Easy is the default view with large buttons: round, swing, coaching, your numbers and Hosel. Classic shows every area, including fitting and mental game. Switch in your profile under “View”.

Yes, all in your profile: Language (German or English, by default your device language), distances in meters or yards (also applies on the watch), dark / light (without your own choice the app turns dark in the evening) and text size (Standard, Large, Extra large).

Camera and microphone for swing videos, location for distances during a round and, on iPhone, Apple Health for the Apple Watch golf workout. The watch uses motion sensors and the microphone to detect shots; no audio is recorded. Android asks for notifications so it can show the round in progress. We do not send promotional notifications. You can revoke any permission in your system settings.

With Apple, with Google on Android, or with email and password. Instead of a password you can also have a one-time code sent to your email. By signing in you accept the Terms of Service.

Tap “Forgot password?” on the sign-in screen. You receive a link by email to set a new password. Or sign in with a one-time code.

Sign out and back in once (Profile → Sign out). After an update or a longer break the session sometimes expires. Everything is back afterwards.

Check your spam folder and mark the message as “Not spam”. Your email provider then learns that our sender address is legitimate.

Yes. Sign in with the same account. Rounds, videos, statistics and coaching are available there right away.

This isn't possible in the app yet. Email us at info@customgolflab.de and we'll change it; all your data stays.

Legal age limits apply to TheLAB: 16 and over; between 13 and 15 with a parent's consent; no accounts for children under 13. We store only the year.

Down-the-line: camera behind you, pointing at the target. Shows swing plane and swing path. Face-on: camera in front of you, to the side. Shows mainly your body movement. The down-the-line evaluation is still being refined; the app then shows a note that values may vary.

Put your phone on a tripod or a steady surface at hip height, about 10 to 13 feet away. Keep your whole body, the club at the top of the backswing and the ball in the frame. Three to six seconds are enough. Even light, no backlight.

A score from 1 to 10 in half steps, calculated from several measurements of your swing. It shows at a glance where you stand. The actual guidance is below it: the key points, each with an explanation and matching drills.

The quick analysis has AI models evaluate individual frames of your swing. The detailed analysis also measures body points and club movement and gives you the numbers. Both are part of Pro; the free trial includes up to five detailed analyses.

For down-the-line videos you can show the swing plane and the swing path. They show where your swing should ideally travel and where it deviates.

Usually one to two minutes. If the analysis server has to start up first, it takes a few minutes longer. The result appears in the app automatically.

The guidance depends on the current video and on your error pattern across several swings. When you improve or another fault becomes dominant, the message changes. That's intended.

Only you. For troubleshooting and quality assurance, the owner of Custom Golf Lab may view individual videos. For the evaluation, AI services receive individual still frames. Nothing is published, and we use videos to train our own models only with your separate consent.

In your swing library, delete a video with the trash icon. Use the heart to mark favorites and filter by them.

In the round section the app detects the course by GPS; use “Change” to search for another one. Then tap “Start round” and confirm the settings: tees, holes, scoring mode and watch.

From our course data provider: holes, greens, hazards and scorecards. If your course is missing or something is wrong, email us at info@customgolflab.de.

The hole before you tee off, with hazards and distances to the green. You can place your planned shots with markers; the plan is saved per hole.

With speed and direction from the weather service, plus guide values for how strongly it acts as a headwind, tailwind or crosswind.

After the shot the app asks “Where is the ball?”. It detects the lie from the course layout, and you correct it if needed. Choosing the club is optional (swipe), and the distance comes from GPS.

Yes. Under scoring mode choose “Score only”, then you only enter strokes and putts as numbers. With “At home” you can enter a round afterwards.

With “Finish hole” or from your watch. If you stand on another hole's tee for a while, the app suggests switching.

Yes. Open the round, tap a hole, change it in the editor and save. Statistics update right away.

Starting a round needs a connection. Course data is cached, and if you finish a hole without signal it is synced once you're back online. Swing analysis always needs a connection.

A four-week plan. It takes the three most important faults from your analyses and sets one focus per week with two drills; “More drills” gives you additional ones. After three new analyses or at the latest every seven days the plan adjusts, and after 28 days a new one is created. The monthly plan is part of Pro.

Yes. Drills are assigned to handicap ranges, and the app picks them to match your handicap.

Hosel is your AI coach in the chat. Hosel knows your rounds, swings, statistics and goals and answers with that context. Hosel is an AI, not a person: answers may contain mistakes and are not medical advice. Without Pro you get three messages a day; with Pro, unlimited.

Our knowledge base on swing faults: causes, how to recognize them and which drills help. It is the basis for the guidance in your analyses and your monthly plan.

A pre-shot routine and your own cue phrases for the tee, shown on your watch, an anchor on the home screen and an emergency button during the round.

In the statistics with the areas round, short game and mental, plus a bar from your current to your target handicap. In the short game area you see your result per hole over your last five rounds. In coaching, a streak counts your practice days.

No, the watch is optional. With it, TheLAB detects full swings automatically and you log less by hand. The watch is part of Pro, and the app asks for your consent before first use.

It detects full swings automatically and confirms each one with a short vibration. Short shots around the green and putts are logged by you; putts and penalties directly on the watch with plus and minus.

Apple Watch: the watch app comes with the iPhone app and is installed on your watch. Wear OS: install TheLAB from Google Play on the watch. When you select the watch at the start of a round, everything connects automatically.

Distances to the green, a picture of the hole, the current hole and par, and putts and penalties to log. Round details stay on the phone.

Based on your playing profile, body measurements and answers, the app recommends specific clubs for driver, woods & hybrids and irons, each with a rationale. You'll find it in the Classic view.

No. It's a well-founded shortlist. For the final adjustment of shaft, grip and lie we recommend a fitting appointment; you'll go in with a clear direction.

TheLAB Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription. The price in your local currency is shown in the App Store or on Google Play before you subscribe. Billing is handled by Apple or Google.

Free: GPS distances on the course for 20 rounds per account, and Hosel with three messages a day.

Pro: everything else without limits, such as wind, hazard distances, club recommendations, the watch with automatic shot detection, quick and detailed analysis, statistics, coaching, the monthly plan and unlimited Hosel.

You can try Pro free for 7 days, once per store account. It includes up to five detailed analyses. After that, the subscription you chose renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends.

Subscriptions are managed by Apple and Google: on iPhone in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions, on Android in the Play Store under your profile picture → Payments and subscriptions. After you cancel, Pro stays active until the end of the paid period.

Sign in and tap “Restore purchases” on the Pro screen. Your subscription is active again without paying twice.

In the EU: database and videos at Supabase in Frankfurt, analysis on servers in Frankfurt and Nuremberg. For analysis and Hosel, AI services in the United States receive individual frames and text. Details are in our Privacy Policy.

At the bottom of your profile under “Delete account permanently”; type DELETE to confirm. Your videos, analyses, rounds, chat and profile are then deleted. Cancel any active subscription separately in the App Store or on Google Play.

Yes. Email info@customgolflab.de, ideally from the email address linked to your account. Within one month (45 days for U.S. requests) you receive a file with all data linked to your account and links to your videos.

For our own analysis models only with your separate consent, which you can withdraw at any time in your profile under “Privacy & consents”. The AI providers we use do not train on our requests under their terms.

If the app crashes, a report goes to Sentry (data center in the EU): error message, app version, device and a user identifier, without email address or IP address.

With our reporting form. A person reviews every report.

Close the app completely and reopen it. If that doesn't help, check the store for an update. If it happens again, email us with your device model and system version.

Email us at info@customgolflab.de, ideally with a screenshot, your device model and what you were doing.

In your profile, right above “Sign out”.