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App Icon
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Gameplay Still
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RevenueCat Integration
Inspiration
A little over 8 years ago, my dad and I got rained out of a round of golf. Instead of calling the day a wash, we went home and spent the afternoon making up a golf game we could play indoors. We called it _“Course Closed”- and wrote the rules in a Word document, then life happened. That file sat untouched for years.
Earlier this year, a friend told me, “Humans are meant to create. You should make something with all your ideas.” So I opened that old document again and decided this time I wouldn’t leave it as a draft.
What it does
Golfer’s Pair-A-Dice is a free golf-themed dice and RPG game (for iOS and Android). You roll through holes like a round of golf: pick a club, resolve shots with dice, manage lies, and chase a better score. Between rounds, you climb a career ladder, unlock clubs, balls, and titles, and upgrade your bag in the Pro Shop. You chase the ultimate goal of winning the Golden Jacket after the Pair-A-Dice Championship. But even once you achieve that goal, your next golf career is waiting for you to play all over again and secure your spot(s) in the Hall of Fame. Optional sign-in backs up progress to the cloud so your career can travel with you across devices.
How I built it
I built the game first in Excel to prove the rules still worked, then taught myself to code so it could become a real mobile app. Most of the work happened late at night, after work, after our newborn went to sleep, and after I probably should have too.
The app is built with Expo and React Native, with EAS for store builds, Supabase for optional accounts and cloud backup, and RevenueCat / AdMob for in-app purchases and ads. After 50+ Expo Go builds, dozens of refinements, and a crash course in App Store submission, Golfer’s Pair-A-Dice finally went live in August.
Challenges I ran into
Learning to ship, not just to build, was the first hard part. Going from a Word doc and spreadsheet into a store-ready app meant wrestling with native builds, App Store review (including ATT timing and IAP packaging), ads and purchases across platforms, and polishing gameplay until the dice felt fair and fun. Doing it in the margins of a full-time job and new parenthood meant every build had to count. Now I am struggling with getting the word out about the app to drive engagement, downloads, and revenue.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
Taking an 8-year-old rainy-day idea from a forgotten Word document to a live App Store game. Building a full career loop, practice rounds, and a working Pro Shop as a solo, first-time app developer. Shipping free on iOS and Android was a big accomplishment, but knowing that afternoon with my dad creating “Course Closed” finally has a home on someone’s phone is all the accomplishment I need.
What I learned
That “create something” doesn’t have to wait for perfect conditions. That Excel is a surprisingly good game-design lab before you write a line of UI. And that shipping a mobile app is less about one big breakthrough and more about showing up after bedtime, iterating on the nth build, and learning just enough of each new stack (Expo, store review, auth, monetization) to keep moving.
What's next for Golfer's Pair-A-Dice
Stabilize the live iOS release, listen to early players, and keep polishing the round feel, including clearer shot feedback, richer career progression, and more courses and modes over time. The long game is simple: keep the rainy-day spirit intact while growing Golfer's Pair-A-Dice into a game golfers (and dice fans) actually want to open, whether the course is closed or not.
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