Good news for  avid golf fans and those waiting for the 2011 U.S. Open, which takes place at the Congressional Country Club this coming June 16.  Top golfer Jack Nicklaus has launched a Guide to Congressional app that lets users get exclusives during the event. The mobile app has versions for Android and iPhone.

It allows downloaders to get a distinctive hole-by-hole video synopsis, narrated by Jack Nicklaus himself.  There’s a unique aerial view scroll-through functionality that affords the user a detailed, bird’s-eye view of each hole, along with practical advice from Nicklaus every step of the way.  There’s detailed course information, including hole pars and yardage, and exclusive video interviews of Jack discussing his history at Congressional, thoughts about the U.S. Open and his preparation routine.

Many of you will recall his memorable hole-in-one during the 1995 U.S. Senior Open at Congressional.  This, along with his last hole-in-one in competitive play, as as well as practical playing advice for golfers of all levels is an integral part of this app personalized around Nicklaus and his long-standing career.  The app itself demonstrates how personal brands can provide a great deal of value to fans and beyond, presenting points of interest, a specialized perspective and several points of interaction.

The new app also features in-app access to Jack’s Facebook and Twitter feeds, along with share functionality to enable users to post to their own social media pages.

There are also alternative apps where you can watch U.S. Open, but minus the exclusives, of course. You can download the “Watch ESPN” app or the official USGA app to watch the same coverage you’ll see on the television. They are available for free download on smartphones and tablets.

Mobile apps trimming everything down to street level, offering a new level of convenience to find things, and be found.  Another application that centers on the sport is Golf Minnesota, which has very recently released an app for Android and the iPhone that lets users find golf courses within the 20-mile radius. It also includes an interactive map that users can scroll through to show the location of golf courses. You can also search by name, city or zipcode, phone number.  Course info details yardage, course photos and links to the official website, all included directly in the results page.