What should I look for in a golf GPS?

[JBK]

I hope to purchase a golf GPS in the not too distant future. What should I be looking for and is there a website where I can learn more about them?

[Drennen13]

If you want the best of the best gps id go with any of the new sky caddies. You can check them out at...
http://www.skygolf.com/

[PiKapp23]

There are several sites where you can compare them on the web (sorry, I do not know any off the top of my head). A few things to look for, though:

Initial cost - from Bushnell Neo ($149) to the Garmin Approach ($499).

Availability of course files for the courses in your area, especially those you play the most.

Cost for course GPS files - do you have to be a member of the website community to download and if so, how much is the membership and/or individual downloads? Additionally, are there any restrictions.

Ease of use and easy to understand information (such as easy to understand what the distances provided really are to).

Convenience of getting course files.

How are course files mapped? Most are mapped from satellite images and can sometimes be pretty inaccurate. I know SkyCaddie claims all of their courses were manually mapped on-course (and thus should be more accurate).

Size, weight, options available.


Personally I own the iGolf Neo (now known as Bushnell Neo since they bought the company). I really like it because of size, ease of use and after purchase costs (membership/course downloads is only $39/year), availability of local courses (I've only come across one out of about 70 that is not already mapped) as well as the initial cost. The issues I have relate to the courses sometimes not being mapped well (sometimes wrong holes mapped or wrong spots mapped as greens, etc.) The other issue is just a shortcoming of the Neo in that the distances to front-middle-back of green are static, meaning that no matter where I am in relation to those points they do not change whereas several other companies make these points 'static' so that it's a straight line from where you are at to the front-middle-back of green. I also wish they had more custom points mapped, but I can't complain about that considering my total ownership cost.

[Hockeyman11385]

The SkyCaddie logo.

Seriously though, I swear by my SG5. Knowing exact yardage really helps. I would say it's worth a stroke or 2 per round at least.

[lordhamster]

#1 Tip.

Go to each vendor's website and see which has the most of the courses you play mapped.

Back when I was looking for a GPS, Golflogix had all the courses I play already mapped except one. I emailed them about the missing one and got a response the next day saying they mapped it. Thats when I bought a golflogix unit.

Now that I use an iPhone program my criteria are the same. ViewTI has added a local par3 within 40 minutes of my requesting it. I started playing the par3 course and I got an email response and was able to use the course on my iPhone before I hit the 8th hole.

Skycaddie mapping courses by hand is good, but if the courses you play aren't in there it does you no good.

Lately I've actually gone over to using my laser more. Most of the time if I can't see the hole I can't hit it. If I can laser the pin I don't need to really know if the pin is front back or center.

[TexasSR]

There are several sites where you can compare them on the web (sorry, I do not know any off the top of my head). A few things to look for, though:

All but SkyGolf use satellite imagery to map courses. I have talked with high level people who are responsible for course mapping utilizing satellite imagery and there is a highly sophisticated process that digitizes them and makes them pretty much as accurate as the SkyGolf products. After all, the SkyGolf adds show them using the same GPS equipment to map courses as they did when they first introduced their product many years ago. If the others weren't even close, nobody else would be in business! I have compared a SkyGolf side-by-side with a Golf Guru and the readings have been virtually the same.

In addition to what you said, some have a graphical depiction of the hole (Garmin Approach, Sonocaddie V300, Golf Guru 4), one has flyovers (uPro), some can keep stats and score, some only give you fixed front, center and back yardages to the green, some allow you to approximate the pin postion and give you those yardages "through the pin", some you can use to map a course (with the Golf Guru you can map up to 30 targets per hole and map the outline of the green for use with the Smart Green feature), some are touch screen, some are color, some are grayscale, one (Guru 4) is a multi-function device (MP3 player, picture viewer, Golf GPS and with additional software a navigational GPS). Customer service is another thing to consider.