Offcourse Golf won the Ninja App Contest with its Onsen UI visual update
Meet the newest App Ninja Contest winner, Offcourse Golf, that persuaded our team with its great functionality wrapped in a beautiful and intuitive interface.
Developed by Josh Fafard, who started developing mainly web apps 14 years ago, Offcourse Golf is a free mobile app that tracks a golfers score, displays the distance to the green or any hazard, as well as complete stat breakdown. Josh quit his full time job to freelance about 3 years ago, which allows him to dedicate some extra time working on his own side projects — and that’s how Offcourse Golf reached the app stores.
Grabbing a beer with a friend makes an impact
As many great ideas, the story about Offcourse Golf started when 2 good friends grabbed a beer together. As Josh and his friend Roger discussed the lack of apps that tracked your golf score easily, they decided to make their own solution. Simple, yet full of features, was what they aimed for — and succeeded. Golfers all over the world are using Offcourse Golf, even though main users are located in Western Canada. Offcourse Golf app fits diverse requirements, therefore it’s used by beginners, as well as teaching professionals.
Multiplatform, multifunctional golfing experience
Using Onsen UI and Cordova allowed the maker of Offcourse Golf to build the app at once and only tweak it slightly according to different mobile platforms. Available on iOS, Android, as well as in a mobile browser, the app interfaces with a backend built on the nginx, php and MySql. This allows golfers to access their info anywhere; on their phone, friend’s phone, laptop, just anywhere.
Onsen UI also allowed quick start of the development process with instant results. As Josh used to build web apps before, it was very easy for him to familiarize himself with Onsen UI and Cordova. He told us that “Onsen UI as a framework made it much simpler to get this app working well as it took many basic aspects of the app out my hands allowing me to focus on what was important.”
Selecting Onsen UI as the perfect tool for efficient, quick and easy app development
Josh is always looking for the most efficient, easy and quick tools for specific project needs. With Onsen UI, the most valuable feature for Offcourse Golf development turned out to be the ons-navigator. Being able to easily load and separate the page navigation for the app helped speed up development, while the sliding menu and carousel also played an important role.
Visual update with Onsen UI
The first version of the Offcourse Golf app was not built with Onsen UI, but Josh felt that the app needed a visual update. As Onsen UI offered a modern look and great features by default, Josh rebuilt the app from the ground up using Onsen UI while adding several new features. With Onsen UI, he managed to build a new Offcourse Golf app in about 13 to 20 days on his own, which makes him the true App Ninja.
Learn more about the App Ninja Monthly Contest
The Monaca x Onsen UI App Ninja Contest is an app development competition for the best hybrid app developed using Monaca or Onsen UI.
