Golfers-- Help me buy a gift for Hubby!!

[Kasey Grant]

Hi everyone!

I want to buy a Garmin G5 or 6, Sky Caddie, etc for my husband for Fathers Day.  My husband is thrifty, but wants one, so I need your advice.. I want the courses pre loaded... he will flip if he has to pay a monthly fee, etc.. He's a good  golfer- usually shoots aaround 80, and I would like to know what you have, what you reccomend.

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!!

[MichiganLefty]

I own a Callaway uPro, previous generation. And I love it. It doesn't cost anything to add courses, only if you want the "flyovers (Pro Mode)." Additionally, it's only $20 (one-time fee) to purchase score tracking, which includes club yardage tracking, etc.

While it may not be exactly what you were looking for based on your post, I'd strongly suggest researching it before purchase. They also have great customer service. I always know what I'm facing and my playing partners come to me for yardage and much more.

They had some initial "growing pains" when entering the GPS market, but have grown and adapted well. I consider them a leader in the field. IMHO

[Apoc81]

The Upro is definitely the best i've used as well. I really liked it. I bought one for x-mas for my father, and it is fantastic.

[meenman]

I am not sure if the newer ones have courses pre-loaded, but it is only 29.95 for the skycaddie per year to have unlimited downloads for your state - you could always buy the first year as part of his gift.

[Mr. Desmond]

If he is anal, buy the GPS with a lot of information as to bunkers, water, where the fairway runs out - like SkyCaddie, etc. that have renewal fees.

If not anal, Golf Buddy gives yardage as does the Garmins.

I prefer the Leupold Laser Rangefinders.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by meenman

I am not sure if the newer ones have courses pre-loaded, but it is only 29.95 for the skycaddie per year to have unlimited downloads for your state - you could always buy the first year as part of his gift.

The annual fee is why I HATE Sky Caddie. You need to pay every year or your devise (which you paid a lot up front to own) becomes a paperweight. They will erase all the courses you have loaded from prior years once you let you subscription lapse. To be clear, the subscription gets paid or they render you devise useless.

The Garmin watch type offer less info but are super easy.

[tefunk]

I actually got the SkyCaddie SG3.5 for father's day a couple years ago.  It was a great gift, and I really do like the features a lot.  But like other's have stated, it sucks to have to buy the subscription every year (or sign up for the multi year after my wife spent a good chuck of money on it).

The Callaway ones looks really nice and I understand there is no contract.  Another option, that think someday down the road I'd go with is the Bushnell that has the GPS and Laser finder in one.  Good luck!

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

If he is anal, buy the GPS with a lot of information as to bunkers, water, where the fairway runs out - like SkyCaddie, etc. that have renewal fees.

If not anal, Golf Buddy gives yardage as does the Garmins.

I prefer the Leupold Laser Rangefinders.

I would highly recommend you look into a Leupold Laser Rangefinder.  They are made with extremely high craftsmanship - I can only really compare it to a fine watch in terms of quality of craftsmanship.

They are really beautifully made.  And I personally believe that this type of Rangefinder would be far more useful than a GPS, and his golfing buddies will be in admiration.  Here is a link to the 2012 model on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Leupold-gx-3i-series-digital-rangefinder/dp/B006X6Y4ZC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_9

Good luck in your search... I hope you find him a great gift that he will enjoy!

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Kasey Grant

Hi everyone!

I want to buy a Garmin G5 or 6, Sky Caddie, etc for my husband for Fathers Day.  My husband is thrifty, but wants one, so I need your advice.. I want the courses pre loaded... he will flip if he has to pay a monthly fee, etc.. He's a good  golfer- usually shoots aaround 80, and I would like to know what you have, what you reccomend.

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!!

I thought about a golf related GPS but I prefer pacing off my distances. I prefer a laser rangefinder and bought a Bushnell Tour V2 because it's rugged and less expensive than some others mentioned. It gives me all the information I want/need. I treat it well and it hasn't let me down yet. Playing mostly at less than 6 courses, having data for a ton of courses I'll never play would actually be somewhat depressing.

[pixel5]

If he has android/iPhone, give him $30 to buy Golfshot GPS. One time purchase, no fees. Has tens of thousands of courses and the app keeps your statistics and scorecards. My dad and I both use it. Its great. One less device to carry around.

[Chris Stewart]

I second GolfShot GPS for either Android or iPhone. It's excellent.

[SteelCitySlice]

Sticking with the iPhone/Android theme...another good app is GolfLogix.  Free for basic distances on fairway and front/middle/back of green, $20/year for distance to any target plus club tracking and other features.  I've been using it since March and I've found it to be very accurate and I love the club tracking feature....IMHO.