Does such thing exist? (GPS)

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Grumpter

I actually think it could be a very useful tool..... IF they paired it with a few things.

1) Stand alone software for the computer that would allow you to record each round and shot (I think this would be a given if the unit records each shot on the unit itself).

2) The standalon software would be database driven so you can compare various shots from various rounds

3) Courses transmitted pin locations to a central unit so pin locations are a known factor by the GPS unit

This way you could record each shot and then analyze the results later. How close do you get to the pin on 100 yard shots, 150 yard shots etc. How many putts do you make at under 6 feet, 10 ft, 15ft. How close do you get to the pin from 20 yard chips, 30 yard chips? How often do you make sand saves etc.

And a typical round would take you 7 hours - the players following you are going to love you.

[Grumpter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

And a typical round would take you 7 hours - the players following you are going to love you.

Sure for some seriously, mentally challenged people having to click a "record shot" button could add 3 hours to their round.... seriously? I already record the distance of most of my tee and approach shots and it hasn't increased my playing time by any perceptible amount.

Most people already walk up to their ball and study the lie before swinging already. Simply having to press one button and putting the unit into their pocket is not going to add significant time to the round. Missing a 3 footer would add a little time but it would be so insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

I'm sure they could offer a "basic" or "classic" mode that wouldn't have the advanced feature of having to click one extra button. Just for those who are easily confused?

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Grumpter

Quote:

Sure for some seriously, mentally challenged people having to click a "record shot" button could add 3 hours to their round.... seriously? I already record the distance of most of my tee and approach shots and it hasn't increased my playing time by any perceptible amount.

Most people already walk up to their ball and study the lie before swinging already. Simply having to press one button and putting the unit into their pocket is not going to add significant time to the round. Missing a 3 footer would add a little time but it would be so insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

I'm sure they could offer a "basic" or "classic" mode that wouldn't have the advanced feature of having to click one extra button. Just for those who are easily confused?

It's been my experience with most people that the more stuff there is to play with, the more time they waste playing with it.  It isn't universal, but it is more likely than not.  You may have your act together, but the typical casual player has enough trouble maintaining a good pace without any added distractions.  The more features you put in a golf GPS, the more it tends to slow down the game, in part because those features always seem to be buried a couple of pages down in the menu.

My Garmin Approach G5 does scorekeeping and stat recording.  It takes a couple of holes to get it all lined up, but then most of the screen changes are automatic.  Enter the data, hit the back button and it advances to the next hole.  Even then I make sure that I do the data entry while my companions are hitting their tee shots so I don't hold anything up, but I can see Joe Hacker standing on the green doing all of it while the group behind is waiting to play.  Every time you add another opportunity for delay, Joe is going to take advantage of it.

[Grumpter]

I have the G5 as well. I probably spend less time now making shot decisions now than I did before. I trust the yardage and it's easy to get at the detailed info. I also don't see the average Joe out there with a GPS yet. The only people I have seen using GPS units are people pretty serious about their game. YMMV.

[jshots]

I have been working on an app... bettter than golfcard... so far i'm very slow though to create it but it will have all these features and more. I've been thinking about it for years and just now am getting good enough at programming to make it. You can even get elevation change through gps and wind speed and direction through a smartphone connection but those make the app illegal. As far as pin location though... that is too hard... there is no really good way to get accurate pin location... but I think I have a pretty good idea of how to make a slick interface to track putts

[jshots]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

And a typical round would take you 7 hours - the players following you are going to love you.

Thats why its all about the interface... the one I hope to finish would take no more than a few seconds after a shot to record all the information you need. Doing it with a device like a phone or gps is actually more like the only way you can keep all those stats without slowing down a round, i found this out when trying to write them all down its kind of difficult and you need a lot more than just a scorecard and its a waste of time.