Is GPS worth even having?

**kleraudio** · July 28, 2009

So Ive got a chance to get a gps for a pretty good price, but is it even worth it??

Im a 25 handicap, (going down every week though!) does it really matter to have one of these?

I play one course sometimes that has it on their carts, its pretty nice to knwo exact distances but is it worth dropping 150 bucks on one for personal use?

Just wondering what you guys think...

Thanks!

Jim

**flanagan** · July 28, 2009

There is really no way for anyone here to know what $150 means to you or how a GPS fits into your golf game. Do you want it because it's fun? Get it, you'll have fun. Do you have the distance control to justify one? Who knows. I still think there is something to be said for getting a feel for yardages, referencing course markers, etc. But, if you jump around from course to course, maybe you don't really get to know one well enough. Just from the fact you've asked the question to complete strangers, you are destined to get it, so do it and enjoy.

**kleraudio** · July 28, 2009

Well, im not really destined to get it, I just have absolutely no one to talk golf with man. None of my friends play golf, and my old man is old school, so he'll just say to walk from the markers and pace the yardage....

So, just wondering what your guys's opinions are.

And yea, im still looking to find my "home" course. The course I play at mostly now is a little short for my liking. So I am still jumping around from course to course.

Thanks for the insight !

Jim

**patriot07** · July 28, 2009

I like having a GPS, but it's totally on a case-by-case basis as to whether it's worth it or not. My home course has very, very few yardage markers on some holes, so I might be on a par 5 and not know if I'm 215 or 185 out. Obviously, there's a huge difference. If your course is marked really well (100, 150 & 200 markers with a few others in between), I don't think there's a need for one. If it's not marked well at all, it may be well worth it. If it's somewhere in between, it depends on whether it fits your game or not.

If you have a favorite yardage you like, and you have the distance control to hit it, but you don't always know the yardage, it's a good tool. Or if you feel like you hit alot of good shots when you're inside 125 yards, but you end up 5 or 10 yards in front of or behind the pin, it's a good idea. Or if there are alot of hazards/bunkers around the landing zone on par 4's & 5's, it might make sense. If this sorta stuff doesn't describe your course, it probably isn't worth it.

If it does, $150 gamble to find out may not be a bad idea. Of course this assumes your GPS has layup markers and hazards. I wouldn't get one without them.

**sam004** · July 28, 2009

I have a Golflogix. I like it a lot.

It helps me find my ball sometimes. If hit a ball off line, I know about how far I hit each club.

Playing different courses you are not familiar with, it helps.

Tracking my shot yardages with each club. Helps with club selection, I can make adjustments, depending how I am hitting. If you don't already have a firm idea of how you hit each club, you can get a better idea

Distances to hazards, yardage to front center and back of green.

I think it could help shave a few strokes for a higher hcp player.

**ControlJunkie** · July 28, 2009

I say if the price is that good, get it. What's the worst that could happen? If you find yourself not using it like you thought you would, then sell it on here or on ebay. I'd think that you'd be able to get somewhere near the amount you paid for it. Just make sure you keep the box it came in, manuals, etc.

**kleraudio** · July 28, 2009

You guys know if the SG2 has layup distances and hazard distances? Seems like the skygolf site has done away with the sg2

Thanks

Jim

**lazykoala** · July 28, 2009

No, it's not worth having. In fact, you don't even need a yardage book thing. Just eyeball the distance, pick a club that goes about that far, take aim, and swing!!! At least that's what I do. Besides, it's good to train yourself to judge distances anyway and my way is more challenging and fun.

**schigara** · July 28, 2009

I have the HTC Touch Pro phone and run Free Caddie software on it and used to use it every time I played. Now I only use it on courses I have never played or ones I rarely play.

It comes in handy but once you learn a course, it becomes less and less useful. I will always keep this free software on any gps phone I have for new courses I play.

**PiKapp23** · July 28, 2009

i definitely think it's worth having. I have had mine for over a year now and love having exact distances. As a higher handicap one real advantage to it is helping you learn you distances with your clubs and then having the confidence for specific yardages that you can hit that. I know sometimes if I am unsure of a distance it affects my swing - I start doubting the distance I think it is and then do not commit completely to the swing.

My distance control has gotten much better since I've gotten GPS. I now have swings for difference distances and there is less guesswork. It's also helped me inside 100 yards for the same reason. The more you use it the better you'll get at specific yardages.

I have played very few rounds without it in the last year, but Sunday I played a course I had never played before that didn't have the course mapped (the first time I've had that happen out of about 60 courses). The course was fairly long (6400+ yards) and was very poorly marked but somehow I still managed one of my best rounds of the year, hitting 9 GIR. I think playing with the GPS has helped me judge yardages as well and that was reflected in my round, which I was happy to see I had not lost my 'feel' for distances (which is sometimes a complaint players have about GPS and laser units).

**lumpuckeroo** · July 28, 2009

I think it is worth is, while I don't have one yet, I have used my brothers and I see a marked improvement in my play. I find I am more consistent in my scoring, knowing the distance to the front and back of a green I seem to be much better at hitting greens. I'm not much of a pin seeker, I tend to rely on my putting skills to score, so being on the green gives me the chances I am looking for to score.

**kleraudio** · July 29, 2009

Judging by how I played today, I dont think I really need a GPS, I cant find the green anyways!

**Mizzy57** · July 29, 2009

Do you know your distances cold?

Even at a high hdcp, I would find a GPS useful. Almost every gps has a shot mark function. Just because you hit (or miss) the yardage flag at the range, they are very inconsistant. Pure a shot, mark it. Do that enough times with your irons, you'll get a great reference on exactly how far you hit those irons.

Also, as a higher hdcp, your judge of distances will probably be way off. There's times where my gps will give me a yardage and I'm like there's no way that can be right. I'll trust the technology more times than not from experience. Can you tell the distance between 195 and 225 yds? That's a 2-3 club differential. How about 115 and 125? That's the difference between missing short or long and sticking the green with the easiest clubs. Why make golf harder for yourself without even taking a swing?

I believe it will help your overall game. Not your swing mechanics, putting, judging a line, whether to pitch or chip, etc; but if you know the distance, you're more apt to dial in your control. If you keep thinking your hitting to 170yds and consistatly missing long or short with the same iron on solid hits, you could actually be misjudging the distance by 20-30yds. The distance from the front to back of a green is usually a 2 club difference, sometimes 3! A gps will tell you that.

As far as people thinking it's cheating, the Pro's have been using detailed yardage books (down to the foot on greens) and human GPS's and that are even more accurate than gps's for decades. Now the rest of us can have the same tools without hiring a caddy.

Golfing more fun by judging distances? I believe golf is more fun when I know the distance is 150 and I use my 150 club. The rest is up to me.

**Joejoe26** · July 29, 2009

I have a Golf Buddy Pro and it costed me 350. It was definitely worth the investment. Not trying to sound infocommercial on you but it saves me time on the golf course and it prevents the second guessing. Plus, 150 is nothing for a GPS. That is actually pretty cheap. If you are going to drop 150, you might as well do your research on GPS and maybe look into other GPS units. Cause it is better to get a GPS unit that you'll like for 250 than get a GPS unit for 150 that you dont like.

Just to put it into perspective, hypothetically speaking, would you be willing to spend an extra 5 dollars for GPS use every time you played on a golf course? That is the way I look at it. If golf courses had that option, it would eventually pay for itself. Actually, a lot of golf courses sell yardage books for around 5 bucks or so and those things blow. Hope this helps.

**GoingfortheGreen** · July 29, 2009

You guys know if the SG2 has layup distances and hazard distances? Seems like the skygolf site has done away with the sg2

All GPS units from Skycaddie have nothing to do with layup and hazard distances. I.e. if the course is mapped fully (I believe a 4star course), all this info will be available to you on your unit.

SyGolf maps courses to varying degrees - 1star just shows yardages to front, middle, and back of the green. a 4star course will give you yardages to bunkers in fairway (to reach and clear), water hazards, end-of-fairway numbers on certain holes, etc. My home course is a 4star, so all this info is available to me on my sg3 unit.

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Is GPS worth even having?

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