What is the Best Golf GPS for You?

The best golf GPS for you may not be the same as the one for your spouse or your best friend. There’s a reason that we have 30 different devices in our current Golf GPS Reviews section. Your style of play and relationship with technology are really the two biggest factors to consider. At least you can narrow it down significantly by answering those two questions.

If you like to play fast, you won’t want to be slowed down by full hole graphics. If you are a low handicapper and play new courses frequently, you could definitely benefit from those full hole graphics that allow you to get distance to any point on the hole.

If technology isn’t your thing, you’ll definitley want something that’s preloaded and easy to use. Usually, that means something very basic that only has distances to the front, middle and back of the green.

Try out this great Golf GPS Selection Tool to help you decide which ones are best for you.

Izzo Swami Golf Watch Video Review

If you’re on a budget and considering a buying a golf GPS watch, you might want to take a look at the Izzo Swami Golf Watch. It has more features than the highly rated Garmin Approach S1 and it performs very well. It may not be for everyone though, so take a look at our complete review.

See the Full Izzo Swami Golf Watch Review

What’s the Best Golf GPS for You?

There isn’t a black and white answer to “What’s the best golf GPS?”. Golfers who play lots of courses will need more information than those who mostly play on a few local courses. Gadget geeks will probably want all the bells and whistes, while technophobes might opt for the simplest device available. Whatever your style, there is a golf GPS that is best for YOU.

Over at GolfRangefinderShop.com, there are a couple of tools that can help you decide. On the Best GPS for Golf page, you can choose from several descriptions of golfing styles and see which golf GPS units are recommended for your style.

With the GPS Selection Tool, you can answer a few questions and submit them for personalized recommendations.

3 Reasons Not to Buy a Bushnell Hybrid

At GolfRangefinderShop.com, we believe that the Bushnell Hybrid laser/GPS rangefinder qualifies as the best all-around rangefinder. However, it may not be the best choice for every golfer. First we’ll tell you why we love it and then we’ll give you 3 reasons why it may not be the right model for you.

We love the Bushnell Hybrid for bringing us the best of both worlds. A laser rangefinder that is always accurate and a GPS unit that gives us a bit more information when we need it.

• The #1 reason you will appreciate the GPS is when you get to one of those holes where you can’t see the flag.
• You’ll also benefit from knowing your layup distances so you can avoid hazards, laser can sometimes help with hazards, but not always.
• We like being able to measure the distance of our drives from time to time, to keep our egos in check!

Here are our reasons why the Bushnell Hybrid might not be right for you…

1. If you’re not the kind of person who will consistently remember to charge a rangefinder (about every 3 rounds), you would definitely be better off with a traditional laser rangefinder, where battery life is super long and carrying a spare is easy. You can use our Laser Rangefinder Selection Tool, to help you choose the right one.
2. If holding a laser rangefinder steady is a concern, you might want to stick with GPS or consider the Laser Link Switch. We also have a Golf GPS Selection Tool if need help with that.
3. If you’re the kind of player who likes to keep things simple, the hybrid might be too much of a distraction. A traditional laser or a simple GPS might be a better. choice.
   

In Defense of Tiger Woods as Future Ryder Cup Captain.

Stacy Solomon blogged about why she things Tiger Woods wouldn’t make a good Ryder Cup captain on her blog “Golf for Beginners”. I tried to post my comments on her blog, but couldn’t get past her captcha (the messy letters that prove you’re not a robot), so here is my response. You can read her post here (opens in a new tab or window).

You’re just yanking our chains, right? But in defense of Tiger…

1. Stacy charged Tiger with “Lack of Focus”. My Response: In his best years, no one came close to matching Tiger Woods in ability to focus. He won a major championship with a broken leg, which seems like it might be a bit distracting. Even since what one might call the ultimate distraction in Nov. 2009, Woods has been in the top 10 in 32% of the PGA Tour events he’s played. I don’t think there is even a handful of guys who are close to that. Through physical injury and humiliation, Tiger still shows up and competes at the highest level. Pretty amazing focus if you ask me. Even though he’s not the player he once was, he’s still better than most will ever be.
2. Stacy charged “Lack of Caring”. My Response: I interpret Tiger’s apology to his Ryder Cup teammates as an indication that he does care. If you’re saying that giving up that half point showed that he didn’t care, I disagree. If he’s so selfish he wouldn’t have wanted his own record to reflect another loss. I doubt he was thinking of the overall score when he conceded that putt, rather he was thinking what most of us thought. Europe had already retained the cup, which always feels like a loss. There is plenty of precedent for Tiger’s concession.
3. Stacy charged “Lack of Pride”. My Response: I don’t believe Tiger conceding that putt can be construed as lack of pride. More likely it was just good sportsmanship.
4. Stacy charged “Not a Team Player”. My Response: The players and captains that Tiger has played for and with over the years have indicated otherwise. If you’re saying that based on his record in foursomes and fourball, ask Paul Azinger if that should be a factor in choosing a captain. Azinger was 1-5-1 in fourball and 2-2-0 in foursomes. He’s 1-0-0 as Ryder Cup Captain. Besides, how do you explain Tiger’s record in the President’s Cup (18-11-1)?

For arguably the best player to ever play the game, not to be considered worthy of captain a Ryder Cup team… yeah, you’re just yanking our chains!

What Makes the Garmin S1 Golf Watch So Successful.

Available in white or black

There are a few obvious reasons that the Garmin S1 golf watch is so successful…

You can start with the fact that it was not only the first golf watch on the market, but it also was the ONLY golf watch available for a whole season. Add to that the fact that the early adopters gave the watch excellent reviews.

But that’s not the whole story…

We’ve looked at thousands of ratings and reviews for golf GPS devices. The common theme of negative reviews frequently has to do with what you might call “hassles”. Users pay good money for a new golf GPS and they want it to work without a struggle. All too often, that just doesn’t happen.

Enter the Garmin Approach S1 golf watch…

The Garmin S1 only provides distances to the front, middle and back of every green. It’s so simple, you may be able to go a whole round without even touching. Besides telling the time, shot-measuring is the only other feature that it offers. So right away, it’s simple to use because you there’s not much to it. Beyond simplicity, a watch is more convenient than any other golf rangefinder. It’s always within site, no matter where you are, even when you’re playing ‘cart paths only’.

The biggest reason for the success of the Garmin Approach S1 is the intangible benefit of having a golf GPS integrate so naturally into your game, that there is no distraction. It makes the game easier, not more stressful.

Although we’ve seen some nice entries into the golf watch competition this year, most of them have more features and therefore, more hassles. The Garmin S1 is holding its own quite well and now you know why.

Check prices and read our full Garmin S1 Review

Winners and Losers – Callaway Rangefinders

There are two types of Callaway rangefinders, laser and GPS… or you could call them “winners and losers”.

Callaway utilizes Nikon lenses in their laser rangefinders and they successfully put a dent in Bushnell’s dominance of the laser rangefinder market. The Callaway LR550 found the right price point and features to gain popularity and excellent user ratings. Or maybe it was the color. Most of the LR550s were bright yellow or white, which is a change from the standard black of most rangefinders.

In 2011 Callaway released the Diablo Octane rangefinder and it too looks like it has gained traction in the market. It’s currently the top-rated rangefinder on GolfRangefinderShop.com. Like the LR550, it works well, has a nice price point and feature set, as well as a hot red and black color scheme! We’ve seen sales climb as the price has dropped on this highly rated rangefinder.

Callaway’s most recent release is the RAZR. There are subtle improvements over the Diablo Octane, but until the price drops, we don’t expect to see RAZR sales top the Diablo Octane. Although they may be important changes, the differences are as we mentioned subtle.

It took Callaway awhile to gain a foothold in the laser market, and maybe the same will be true in the GPS market, but things aren’t going well so far.

First there was the Callaway uPro Go, then the uPro, then the uPro MX and most recently, the the uPro MX+. Although the marketing seemed good, the first three just didn’t get the user ratings required to compete. Although the features on the uPro series always looked like they were going to knock the socks off the competition, the implementation didn’t really work out. All sorts of little problems and big problems have kept Callaway from gaining traction. If early reviews are any indication, the latest release, the uPro MX+, looks like it may not measure up to the competition either.

The bottom line, if you’re looking for a laser golf rangefinder, put Callaway on your short list. If you’re looking for GPS, consider Garmin or Golf Buddy.

Golf & Slow Play… When Should Players Be Penalized?

Although Morgan Pressel got a bad “time” after her pairing was warned about slow play, the timing for the LPGA was even worse. An American fan favorite is in the hunt for a big tournament victory and the LPGA snatches away her chances.

Sure, rules are rules, but slow play penalties are rarely fair. It’s the one rule in golf that is not applied consistently and tour officials need to come up with a a new policy that isn’t going to make their fans angry.

Read our thoughts on the LPGA ruling and our suggestion for a solution for the PGA and LPGA tours.

Garmin on Top of Golf GPS Ratings

Garmin is hitting the top of our ratings charts with their latest entries into the Golf GPS market. The Garmin Approach G6 released early in 2012 shot up to the 2nd spot in our GPS ratings. The only higer rated GPS is their  2011 Garmin S1 golf watch. The S1 spurred the competition to get in the game, but Garmin was ready, as they have just released a golf watch loaded with features. The Garmin S3 will be the only golf watch with a green view and manual pin positioning… at least for awhile. We’re staying on top of the reviews and user feedback and even watching for low prices.

Check out our Garmin Golf Reviews!

Golflogix GPS-8 Handheld

The Golflogix GPS-8 Handheld unit was among the first successful GPS golf rangefinders. It was extremely popular and and users loved it. It is quick to acquire yardages, easy to use and usually pretty accurate. We salute it setting the early standards, but it’s time to move on. Many models today come preloaded so you won’t have to download courses or pay fees. Although you can still buy the Golflogix GPS-8, we urge you to read our updated Golflogix Review to see what models are worthy to replace it.