How a golfer turned a 10-year-old idea into an App Store app

How a golfer turned a 10-year-old idea into an App Store app

Keith McGonigle had no coding background. With Thunkable’s AI, he built FOREcast, a golf weather app now downloaded by golfers around the world.

At a glance

• Builder: Keith McGonigle, hobbyist
• App: FOREcast: Golf Weather App
• App Store rating: 5 stars
• Time to a working app: 1 week
• Coding background: None beyond WordPress
• Before Thunkable: 2 to 3 other app builders

The idea: score the weather for golf

75 degrees, sunny and no wind earns a 10. A 20-degree morning earns a 0. Keith wanted a fun, social way to build excitement for his annual golf trip with friends, instead of trading weather texts.

The challenge: a simple idea behind a high barrier

For about a decade, coding stood in the way. Every three to five years, Keith checked what app-building tools could do.

Some were too technical and asked him to learn an entire interface first. Others were too rigid, with a handful of drag-and-drop options or APIs that wouldn’t connect. He tried two or three platforms before landing on Thunkable.

The turning point: usable from the first prompt

Keith typed a paragraph describing a weather forecast built around golf. Where other tools had returned a generic weather app, Thunkable’s AI returned a first mock-up that already looked like FOREcast.

“The first mock-up was already more in line with what I was thinking, and probably better than I could have imagined.” Keith McGonigle, Creator, FOREcast

Building with AI that shows its work

Thunkable’s AI proposed each change and showed Keith what the screen would look like before he kept it. When a color needed changing, he asked. When an element looked off, he typed “fix it,” and the AI fixed it.

For precise tweaks, like making a box a little bigger, he edited the code directly without starting over. When he hit a snag registering an API key for his weather data, the Thunkable team took it offline and fixed it for him.

“It shows you what it’s proposing and what it looks like, and you decide whether to change it or keep it. That made every step very easy.”

How Keith built FOREcast

• Describe: A paragraph on what the app should do.
• Review: AI shows each proposed change first.
• Refine: Ask for fixes, or edit the code directly.
• Publish: Ship it to the App Store.

Results: from side project to international downloads

FOREcast was usable within about a week, followed by polishing and new features. Keith published it to the App Store as a personal project. It now holds a 5-star rating, and messages arrive from golfers he has never met.

• 1 week to a working app
• 5 stars on the App Store
• Global users in the UK and beyond

“I wouldn’t ever be able to do it without AI. It just wouldn’t be possible. This changed everything for me.” Keith McGonigle, Creator, FOREcast

What’s next: built for real users

International users have asked for Celsius and km/h support and a clearer edit button. Because Keith put the work in upfront, the app needs little upkeep, and updates now happen mainly when users ask for something.

Why it worked: no textbook required

• A strong start. One paragraph produced a first draft built around his idea, not a generic template.
• Control at every step. He reviewed each AI change, asked for fixes in plain words, and edited code when he wanted precision.
• Help when it counted. When an API key wouldn’t register, the Thunkable team resolved it for him.

“Whether you’re a novice or technical, Thunkable makes things easier and more digestible. Whether you’re a hobbyist or looking for something for your business, it’s all doable with Thunkable.”

Turn your idea into a real app

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