Why is anyone sticking with a subscription based GPS?

[deronsizemore]

Get a Rangefinder. Problem solved.

[Fourputt]

Get a Rangefinder. Problem solved.

Yep..... I got both... I get good deals since I work at a course and get a good discount on that kind of stuff. Both devices have their strengths and weaknesses.

[deronsizemore]

Yep..... I got both... I get good deals since I work at a course and get a good discount on that kind of stuff. Both devices have their strengths and weaknesses.

Besides line of sight, what would you consider a weakness with a range finder? I've had mine for three years and can't remember a time when I couldn't use it.

[mrt10x]

Besides line of sight, what would you consider a weakness with a range finder? I've had mine for three years and can't remember a time when I couldn't use it.

Well line of sight is a key problem, so I dont think you can discount it. Plenty of doglegs, over the hedge shots, distance to a bunker, distance to clear a lake, etc where a rangefinder wont get the job done. I used a Bushnell 1500 for at least 5 years and now the 1600 for the last year so I have plenty of experience,, I carry both a GPS and the rangefinder. I use the rangefinder 95% of the time, and always recommend it over the GPS, but the few times I need a GPS, it really comes in handy. I will admit that there have been entire rounds where I have not used the GPS,,, I usually shoot in the low 70's when that is the case :)

[mdl]

Unfortunately you are absolutely incorrect. Different companies use different algorithms, use different software to interpret where they are at. I have had plenty of experiences in the Marines standing in the middle of a desert, with two different GPS's telling me that they are 20-30 meters apart from each other. Now these are military grade GPS units that should be the best in the world,, ,with over 12 satellites being tracked simultaneously. Furthermore, you completely ignored the fact that in my foursome, a regular foursome that plays together every Sunday, we could stand in the exact same tee box and have one unit read 125 and another 135. Meanwhile my laser, which is spot on by definition, reads 130. Consistently the Sky Caddie was the closest to the laser. We never had the opportunity to check it against a smart phone GPS App. Like the other poster said.. I still gave my sky caddie to a buddy after a couple of years paying their silly subscription fees, but that doesnt mean it wasnt more accurate than my current unit.

I overstated saying same algorithm. What I meant really was that they're all using the same satellites, and it seems unlikely to me that two companies would use algorithms that are much worse than the competitors. As you said, even with military grade GPS in the desert picking up 12 satellites, it's just in the physics of the interaction of the signal with the atmosphere and landscape that you won't get accuracy to within more than a few meters.

The argument above that the maps being used by the different companies could, in theory, be scaled or centered differently, leading to more correct distances (even if not more correct absolute position), makes sense. I'm skeptical, but you say you played with buddies with a couple different units often enough to figure out that one was closer to the laser more often than the rest, so maybe my skepticism is misplaced.

[Fourputt]

Besides line of sight, what would you consider a weakness with a range finder? I've had mine for three years and can't remember a time when I couldn't use it.

That is defintely the big one. Maybe you don't hit your drives in the places I do, but there are plenty of times when to get a line of sight to the flagstick I'd be in such a position that I might as well just use the on course markings and save time. There are times when the distances to bunkers and the like are easier to get and more accurate with a GPS than what can be scoped with the laser.

However, I agree with you that the laser is the better overall tool, and if I had only one, that's what it would be.

[msd3075]

Besides line of sight, what would you consider a weakness with a range finder? I've had mine for three years and can't remember a time when I couldn't use it.

I normally use a SkyCaddie SG5, but I won a Callaway/Nikon rangefinder in a tournament I played in last year and used it for a few rounds. What got to me most about the rangefinder was the annoyance of having to look through the eyepiece, lock onto the target, etc and so on; the lazy side of me found it to be a lot easier to just look at the SkyCaddie's screen. Needless to say my brother-in-law now has the rangefinder.

[glennQNYC]

Maybe its just the courses i have played... But I have compared my iPhone apps (View Ti 2010 and Golfshot) to dedicated units and have found both to have identical accuracy.
I chose to skip the dedicated units not because of the subscription fee, but the hardware cost. Besides the apps have more functionality than just measuring distance.

[deronsizemore]

Well line of sight is a key problem, so I dont think you can discount it. Plenty of doglegs, over the hedge shots, distance to a bunker, distance to clear a lake, etc where a rangefinder wont get the job done. I used a Bushnell 1500 for at least 5 years and now the 1600 for the last year so I have plenty of experience,, I carry both a GPS and the rangefinder. I use the rangefinder 95% of the time, and always recommend it over the GPS, but the few times I need a GPS, it really comes in handy. I will admit that there have been entire rounds where I have not used the GPS,,, I usually shoot in the low 70's when that is the case :)

Why do you need distances to bunkers? You realize you're not supposed to hit it in them, right?

Obviously everyone plays the game differently, but getting distances to bunkers, or to clear a water hazard has only come up for me maybe twice, and I can take the rangefinder and shoot the lip of the bunker or hazard and get a good enough idea of what club I need. Most bunkers or water hazards are not 250 yards out and smack in the middle of the fairway. A lot of them (or at least the courses I play) the hazards are around the green where I can shoot the flag and get the distance I need so distance to clear the hazard is moot. The only time line of sight is a problem for me is if I'm in the trees and if I'm in trees I'm likely not going to be going for the green anyway, so again never an issue. If I am in a position to attack the green and I cannot see the flag because of a hill, I simply leave my bag/cart by my ball, walk up the hill until I can shoot the flag, turn around and shoot the bag/cart and add the two distances together. Problem solved.

That is defintely the big one. Maybe you don't hit your drives in the places I do, but there are plenty of times when to get a line of sight to the flagstick I'd be in such a position that I might as well just use the on course markings and save time. There are times when the distances to bunkers and the like are easier to get and more accurate with a GPS than what can be scoped with the laser.

The other big one for me is that I can take it to any range and get distances.

I normally use a SkyCaddie SG5, but I won a Callaway/Nikon rangefinder in a tournament I played in last year and used it for a few rounds. What got to me most about the rangefinder was the annoyance of having to look through the eyepiece, lock onto the target, etc and so on; the lazy side of me found it to be a lot easier to just look at the SkyCaddie's screen. Needless to say my brother-in-law now has the rangefinder.

I don't have any experience with the Callaway rangefinders but I know my Bushnell Pinseeker 1500, locking onto a target is a non issue. With the "pinseeker" mode turned on, you don't even have to have the cross hairs on the flag, just get near it and it will give you the distance. Literally takes like a second for me to get a distance.

[msd3075]

I don't have any experience with the Callaway rangefinders but I know my Bushnell Pinseeker 1500, locking onto a target is a non issue. With the "pinseeker" mode turned on, you don't even have to have the cross hairs on the flag, just get near it and it will give you the distance. Literally takes like a second for me to get a distance.

It's not the "locking onto the target" part that's annoying; it's the "actually having to lift my arms up from my sides" part that's annoying. Yeah, I know, I'm about to swing a club. I already said I'm lazy.

Part of it though is that I always wear sunglasses when I play, and I either have to take my sunglasses off or get smudge marks on the lenses if i'm going to use a rangefinder.

[Fourputt]

Obviously everyone plays the game differently, but getting distances to bunkers, or to clear a water hazard has only come up for me maybe twice, and I can take the rangefinder and shoot the lip of the bunker or hazard and get a good enough idea of what club I need. Most bunkers or water hazards are not 250 yards out and smack in the middle of the fairway. A lot of them (or at least the courses I play) the hazards are around the green where I can shoot the flag and get the distance I need so distance to clear the hazard is moot. The only time line of sight is a problem for me is if I'm in the trees and if I'm in trees I'm likely not going to be going for the green anyway, so again never an issue. If I am in a position to attack the green and I cannot see the flag because of a hill, I simply leave my bag/cart by my ball, walk up the hill until I can shoot the flag, turn around and shoot the bag/cart and add the two distances together. Problem solved.

A lot of us who aren't plus handicappers need to lay up short of various hazards and bunkers, or we need to know the clearance yardage for same. I also want to try and lay up to a specific yardage when I can, and having the distance to the 100 yard marker is essential for that. There is rarely a target in that area to shoot with the laser, but most GPS have that point programmed into them. Just shooting the flagstick and calculating won't necessarily get you that because of different angles of attack. You are probably far less likely to be laying up on holes where it would be automatic for me. Thus, the GPS can be very handy to get quick numbers at times when the laser is a less practical solution.

[deronsizemore]

It's not the "locking onto the target" part that's annoying; it's the "actually having to lift my arms up from my sides" part that's annoying. Yeah, I know, I'm about to swing a club. I already said I'm lazy.

Taking your sunglasses off all the time would get annoying for sure.

A lot of us who aren't plus handicappers need to lay up short of various hazards and bunkers, or we need to know the clearance yardage for same. I also want to try and lay up to a specific yardage when I can, and having the distance to the 100 yard marker is essential for that. There is rarely a target in that area to shoot with the laser, but most GPS have that point programmed into them. Just shooting the flagstick and calculating won't necessarily get you that because of different angles of attack. You are probably far less likely to be laying up on holes where it would be automatic for me. Thus, the GPS can be very handy to get quick numbers at times when the laser is a less practical solution.

What is this lay up shot you speak of?

[drglew]

BBGPSGolf for Blackberry is completely free & works great for me. Always within a few yards of any sprinkler head yardarges at my local courses. Battery hog though--and playing partners sometimes think i'm always checking email while on the course, which is not the case!

[chriskzoo]

It's not the "locking onto the target" part that's annoying; it's the "actually having to lift my arms up from my sides" part that's annoying. Yeah, I know, I'm about to swing a club. I already said I'm lazy.

Pretty much my sentiments. I like driving/walking up, taking a second to check out the lie, check the GPS for yardage, pull the club and go. Something about using a rangefinder always has me double checking just to make sure I locked onto the right target.

That being said, I just pulled the trigger on the uPro Go - New, $212 shipped off ebay.

[jonnythan]

Not true at all.

I dunno about you, but the course databases I use have points picked out by actually walking the course. They can be selected on Google Maps, which I've found to be exceptionally accurate, but I also can (and sometimes do) update points on the fly from the course using my phone GPS. This results in near-perfect accuracy.

[patriot07]

For $30 with SkyCaddie you only get courses in your home state. Add another $10 if you leave the state, and $20 more if you leave the country. GolfLogix gives you the world for the one base subscription.

Never played golf outside of Texas before, so it might as well be the world to me.

What is GolfLogix? How much is it? Can you map your own courses? How much is the base subscription?

[Fourputt]

Never played golf outside of Texas before, so it might as well be the world to me.

1) It's just another brand of golf GPS... been around longer than most. It's based on the Garmin eTrex hiker's GPS, so it's tried and tested, waterproof and shock resistant.

2) Last I knew it was under $300. 3) No you can't map your own, but requests are usually mapped and available for download within 2 weeks. 4) The subscription is $29.95 per year for unlimited downloads. The only hitch is that if you let your subscription lapse, you only get the use of the 20 courses currently residing on your unit.

[halcon]

I have been contemplating the Golf Logix app for my BlackBerry. Has anyone used this and if so, how good is it?

I tryied it, and it is very nice. I ended up buying GreenFinder instead; the interface is less graphical, but it has all the needed information, in a simpler format. If you are interested, you can use this promo code (GFR108831) and you will get $5 off.