GPS/Laser Improve Your Scores?

[Danattherock]

GPS is much simpler and plenty accurate enough for me.

Yep. With the Golf Logix, just turn it on, and look at it. Tells you exact yardage at all times to the green. What more could one need?

[lordhamster]

Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I thought this was relevant.

I'm a high handicapper at that point in my game where my approach shots work well, but terrible drives cost me tons of points.

I just got a Bushnell Pinseeker 1600 and I have to say, it made a big difference in my scores.

My GolfLogix GPS always told me the distance to front, center and back of the green, but the slightly elevated greens at my local course makes it very hard for me to tell where the pin is. That and the fact they insist on using the wrong color flags all the time.

Anyway, today I was standing about 20 yards behind the red 100 marker. Normally I'd have hit my 120 yard club here. With the rangefinder I discovered the pin was actually 103 from me. I hit my 100 yard club, and sure enough I was within about 4 yards of the pin.

At my level I'm not super accurate, but even at my level, I'm sure I'd have overshot had I gone for a 120 yarder.

[SpacklersEdge]

Absolutely. When those 20 courses are put in the gps unit, they are in. You are just paying that subscription for the ongoing right to download what you want. I am in the same boat you are. I can download 20 courses and be set. I don't play on that many to be honest. And in the rare event that I play out of town somewhere, I can play the good ole fashioned way

Can you only download the courses directly to the unit itself? Meaning, if I get the subscription, can't I just download all the courses and store them on my hard-drive?

[tricky]

Personally I don't like mucking about with a Laser rangefinder, I find it becomes intrusive. I have a windows mobile phone, so instead I obtained the freecaddie software. It's not perfect, but it is really easy to define new courses using the google map editing software. There are a massive range of them in their database, but even though my course was there I did it again and included more bunkers and hazards. I upgraded to the pro version, because that allows me to download courses over my phone data contract and to upload my finished scorecard at the end for analysis on the freecaddie portal (it has a scoring function, which is adequate for tracking fairways hit, GIR, chips, putts, sand). I'm confident it's the right solution for me. I previously had intelligolf, and I'd mucked about with rangefinders. I think freecaddie has just what I need, in a convenient package. I just clip my phone to my golf trolley and I'm off.

[Mr3Putt]

Personally I don't like mucking about with a Laser rangefinder, I find it becomes intrusive. I have a windows mobile phone, so instead I obtained the

Yes. All that sounds like much less mucking about than pointing at a target for 2 seconds.......

How's it work at the driving range? I have a question for all the guys out there who prefer GPS because they can't see the target. When hitting a "blind" shot do you do like McCord does in the commercial and say "I know the green is somewhere over there and I'm 155 out" and then make the shot? Or do you get in (walk to) a position to check out the green and flag position before hitting? Option A, sounds a little dangerous for the group in front...

[tricky]

Yes. All that sounds like much less mucking about than pointing at a target for 2 seconds.......

Well actually it is. Once my phone is clipped to my trolley, all I have to do is press the button to put the screen on and it displays the yardages (front, back, and middle) to the green. Press the touch screen in the middle and it cycles through the hazard distances. I can do this as I'm walking to my ball. Once I get there I check the final accurate yardage and pick my club. It's a totally seamless process. I don't have to get out, aim, or put away a rangefinder (I don't wear a watch, nor carry stuff in my pockets, when I'm playing. It irritates me).

How's it work at the driving range?

Personally I don't use a driving range. I use our practice area. So it's just a question of pressing "Measure Shot" which initialises your current position, and then gives you the yardage to every point that you subsequently walk to. I can walk to each ball and see exactly how far I hit it, if I want to.

If I do go to a range I'm not too interested in (exactly) how far I hit it. I don't trust range balls. I'm more concerned about the quality of the swing, strike, and ball flight. When playing a round I play with different balls that might make half a clubs difference or more, and conditions (wind, temperature, ground conditions) also affect the distance I hit each club. I'd rather determine the nominal guide distances that I hit with each club off the grass, under normal seasonal conditions, actually at my club. I've looked at the freecaddie course creator and considered mapping out the distances to the markers at a driving range based on the google map. It's possible (though a little messy) but not worth it for me.

I have a question for all the guys out there who prefer GPS because they can't see the target.

We have a number of totally blind shots on our course (you have to ring a bell to let the group behind know when you have cleared the area), but none to greens (many where you can't see the bottom of the flag though) - as long as you don't hit it off line. I often do hit it off line (I hit my second shot in my last round from the middle of the second fairway - hit a tree and it bounced out that way). There are often trees, and sometimes mounds, in the way. I find that my playing partners will tell me if it's clear, and I'll know myself from watching the green as I walk up to my shot. It's handy to have the GPS tell me quickly without having to walk to a clear line of sight exactly how far I am from the target, particularly as there are often no course markers for the hole I should be on when I get to some of the more awkward places). I'm not saying it's perfect. There's no perfect way of being 50 yards off line.

[iacas]

Well actually it is.

You've either missed the point or chosen to ignore it.

[SpacklersEdge]

Can you only download the courses directly to the unit itself? Meaning, if I get the subscription, can't I just download all the courses and store them on my hard-drive?

BUMP back in between the the usual rangefinder vs. GPS argument.

[tricky]

You've either missed the point or chosen to ignore it.

Please tell me what this point is that I have missed? I was under the impression that I addressed your specific questions, in detail.

[laxbballgolf]

Odd that you had that problem. Maybe the Bushnell you were using didn't have "pinseeker" mode or possibly just didn't have it turned on?

Does the "pinseeker" mode make a real difference?

I've been thinking about buying a laser, and I like the Leupold and Callaway models better than the Bushnells. But it's a little unclear in the advertising and specs whether they have features comparable to Bushnell's "pinseeker". Does anyone know if Bushnell's "pinseeker" mode really does make it any easier to hit the pin than the competition? The easier, the better. Thanks.

[laxbballgolf]

From Eric's review and Callaway's site I am pretty sure they all have some variation of "first target priority". Any input from people who have tried out more than one brand and have an opinion about which brand's "first target" technology works best would still be appreciated. Thanks again.

[Mr3Putt]

From Eric's review and Callaway's site I am pretty sure they all have some variation of "first target priority". Any input from people who have tried out more than one brand and have an opinion about which brand's "first target" technology works best would still be appreciated. Thanks again.

No matter how they label the "Pinseeker" feature, they all work the same. My buddy has a Nikon, another fellow has a Callaway, I have a Bushnell, we can all get the same number in the same amount of time.

The differences in the top brand/model lasers are purely cosmetic. Anyone that says one brand is better/faster/more accurate than another is biased without cause. PS. I'm a Bushnell guy because dammit, they're the best.

[jfrain2004]

Hey, forget about all these dedicated GPS or laser range finders. For $30 you can download an app from igolfscorer.com to your cell phone that will do everything for you except hit the damn ball. If your course isn't available then one walk round it and you can have it mapped. Check this out, you can track all your shots and record the club, power, direction you hit each shot, it's start and end point, tdistance to any number of points on the hole, to name but a few features. But the best bit is when you go to caddy mode for a hole and based on previous shots it will reccomend a club and power for you. It's worth 5-6 shots per round to me ( and no, I don't work for this company, I just have to reccomend a good product when I see it, and also have a laugh at people who spend upwards of $300 on something which is no where near as good )

[heiss30]

I have a gps but play with guy that uses a rangefinder. My gps is always within 5 yards of his distances. The gps is much easier to use but the rangefinders are nice to have because you can range sandtraps, water, and other hazards. I am a hunter and recently bought a nikon rangefinder . I have taken it out to the course once and found it difficult to get it to focus on the pin especially if there is something right behind the green, then it will tell me the distance to that tree or whatever it may be instead of the pin.

[lordhamster]

I have a gps but play with guy that uses a rangefinder. My gps is always within 5 yards of his distances. The gps is much easier to use but the rangefinders are nice to have because you can range sandtraps, water, and other hazards. I am a hunter and recently bought a nikon rangefinder . I have taken it out to the course once and found it difficult to get it to focus on the pin especially if there is something right behind the green, then it will tell me the distance to that tree or whatever it may be instead of the pin.

Thats why you want a golf rangefinder with pinseeker. The pinseeker function returns the closest object scanned. So if you shoot a pin which has trees behind it, you'll see the distance of the pin, not the trees.

[becksfan2185]

Hey, forget about all these dedicated GPS or laser range finders. For $30 you can download an app from igolfscorer.com to your cell phone that will do everything for you except hit the damn ball.

Which is great, except for the courses that you play that don't have 3G coverage. I got one of those for my iPhone, and have been able to use it once the entire year, because the courses I play all have spotty coverage.

[lordhamster]

Which is great, except for the courses that you play that don't have 3G coverage. I got one of those for my iPhone, and have been able to use it once the entire year, because the courses I play all have spotty coverage.

Depends on the software you get.

I got ViewTI for my iphone and it works every bit as well as my golflogix did. Also, the ViewTI software lets you download 5 courses to the phone. If you have no reception, downloading overhead views of the greens doesn't work, but you'll still see your distance to the center of the greens. So really it isn't a limitation of the phone, but rather the software you are using.

[laxbballgolf]

No matter how they label the "Pinseeker" feature, they all work the same. My buddy has a Nikon, another fellow has a Callaway, I have a Bushnell, we can all get the same number in the same amount of time.

Thanks, that's basically what I expected, but a confirmation is nice. I can't wait to get one!