GPS, WHY ?

[RussUK]

7 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

I use an iphone app called FreeCaddie.  It's free, but for $4.99, it'll also give you the ranges to dog legs and hazards.   It works very well for me.   I've checked it against 150 yard markers, and it's almost always very accurate.

Where it helps me most is on par 3s where they move the tee boxes forward and backward all the time, or on holes where I'm well inside the 150 marker.   Many times I have guessed at a range to the pin, and the app shows that my guess is off by as much as 30 yards!  

The great thing is, I don't have to wander around in the fairway looking for the 100 yard marker, or pace off a distance. 

The only thing is, sometimes it takes a little time to adjust.   So we are constantly having conversations on par 3s like,

"What distance have you got?"

"I've got 170.  No wait, now it says 165." 

"165?  I've got 161."

"Wait a second.  Now I've got 159." 

"I've got 350." 

"350?? What hole are you on?" 

"13." 

"Dude.  This is the 14th hole." 

And on and on like that.   Usually, after about half a minute, we all come to an agreement. 

 

 

 

I use Freecaddie too. Its perfect for the weekender as its a( free and b) dead simple.

Im still working out my exact didtances but its nice to be able to see that im 155 out and that would be "about" a 7 iron.

For me this a GPS is all about giving you a hand with club selection even if its not an exact science.

[cutchemist42]

I use the Gamegolf GPS in their app and it works fine.

When I get to pitch range shots, I am them usually close enough to gauge hole location and adjust for the GG GPS measurement from there.

[graham57]

I use a GPS watch (as opposed to a laser range finder) for three reasons:

1. Probably like yourself, I would look real stupid if I ostentatiously (and visibly) measured the exact distance with the laser and proceeded to over- or undershoot by 20-40 yards.

2. Distance markers on the course are often either missing or inaccurate (in Germany, where I play, the give you the distance not to the centre of the green, but the front).

3. My watch gives me exactly that: distance to front and back of green. From that, I can work out pretty much any pin position.

While there is no way I am a good golfer, I find that - when I make make good contact - my distances are pretty constant and I have 10-15 yards between clubs. It really helps to know exactly what I am shooting for. My watch also offers fancy features like lay-up distances, distances to hazards, etc. in 4 colours, but as I normally wear contact lenses while playing golf, I simply cannot see them, so I never use them!

[WUTiger]

I got a Callaway rangefinder two years ago. I really liked it, and found it most useful in gauging distances for partial wedges and different irons, and for different measures when helping USGA course rating teams.

But, the rangefinder proved to be a hassle when trying to dodge trees in the rough, ... or when it's "cart path only" at the course, and I had to carry two probable clubs and the rangefinder out to the ball, and lay it down on the wet ground pre-shot.

Next season for course play I will use a Garmin Approach S2 GPS watch. Got it on sale for $95 (?) at Thanksgiving. Features include basic front-center-back distances to the green, hazard carries, and a function for measuring shot distance. It goes on my wrist, so much less hassle. 

[No Mulligans]

43 minutes ago, WUTiger said:

I got a Callaway rangefinder two years ago. I really liked it, and found it most useful in gauging distances for partial wedges and different irons, and for different measures when helping USGA course rating teams.

But, the rangefinder proved to be a hassle when trying to dodge trees in the rough, ... or when it's "cart path only" at the course, and I had to carry two probable clubs and the rangefinder out to the ball, and lay it down on the wet ground pre-shot.

Next season for course play I will use a Garmin Approach S2 GPS watch. Got it on sale for $95 (?) at Thanksgiving. Features include basic front-center-back distances to the green, hazard carries, and a function for measuring shot distance. It goes on my wrist, so much less hassle. 

Same with me.  I have a Bushnell laser rangefinder.  I find a GPS watch to be more convenient and easier to use.

[Kalnoky]

I used to just walk off the distance from the closest marker. When I bought an old V2 off eBay I discovered most of the markers on my home course are fairly accurate. I still enjoy lazing different stuff, like creeks, bunkers, how far in front (or behind) the next group is, etc. However if my batteries died I would be just fine walking off distances. A bigger problem for me is I don't know how far my clubs go anymore.  After several lessons they are starting to go much further. That's where GPS is a big advantage over a laser. 

Edited December 20, 2016 by Kalnoky

[Hardspoon]

I use GPS (Game Golf app) for distances.  It's less accurate than the laser, and perhaps a little slower for shooting the pin itself, but it automatically gives me distances to the front and back of greens.  The interface is also very well designed; when you are on the tee, it shows lines at 200 and 250 yards that help for club selection.

One thing I did like about the previous GPS software I used (Skydroid) was a feature that let you track an individual shot.  You'd click when you were on the tee, and then when you got to your ball you could see how far you hit it.  I never used it for tracking, but used it for finding my ball.  If I hit offline and lost sight of a drive, I could use that feature to know when I was about 225-250 yards from the tee, and it would help find the ball in the tall grass.

[Papa Steve 55]

The yardage the GPS gives you is only the starting point in the decision making process of which club to hit.

[uitar9]

Im using a bushnell neo x. I use it because:

-its a shiny toy I was gassing over

-I don't have to look for rocks and trees and pace off differences.

I still have to account for elevation, wind etc., but approx yardage is one less item to judge and I just glance at my wrist to get it, especially inside 150

It doesn't speed up play as the others I get teamed up with still search for rocks and trees

[Casey 5-Strokes]

18 hours ago, graham57 said:

I use a GPS watch (as opposed to a laser range finder) for three reasons:

1. Probably like yourself, I would look real stupid if I ostentatiously (and visibly) measured the exact distance with the laser and proceeded to over- or undershoot by 20-40 yards.

2. Distance markers on the course are often either missing or inaccurate (in Germany, where I play, the give you the distance not to the centre of the green, but the front).

3. My watch gives me exactly that: distance to front and back of green. From that, I can work out pretty much any pin position.

While there is no way I am a good golfer, I find that - when I make make good contact - my distances are pretty constant and I have 10-15 yards between clubs. It really helps to know exactly what I am shooting for. My watch also offers fancy features like lay-up distances, distances to hazards, etc. in 4 colours, but as I normally wear contact lenses while playing golf, I simply cannot see them, so I never use them!

Which watch do you have? I am looking at getting one, seems very convenient as opposed to pulling out a tool every shot.

[Rainmaker]

I prefer range finders to GPS just because I can point it at anything and get a distance.  It's not a huge deal but I just find it more convenient.  You could just as easily argue it's more convenient not to have to hold something up to your eye and aim . .which can be a little fussy . .but I just like it better. 

But I could never go back to not knowing distances.  If they abolished range finders I'd have to get a GPS.  Even though I hit it all over the place - I still want to know.  Having the rangefinder made me realize exactly how absurdly bad I am at estimating distance by sight.  

The one downside is the same thing - now I feel dependent upon it.  I find myself shooting yardages that I already know.  I went to play one time and found the batteries had died - that was tough!  I had to force myself to stop asking my partners for yardages.  It drove me nuts not knowing - even though, like I said above, it probably made very little real difference in my club selection or results that day.  

[StefanUrkel]

99 percent of golf stuff you don't need if you are above a 10ish handicap. You won't be worse playing a 100 dollar driver compared to 400

[graham57]

Casey 5-Strokes asked: Which watch do you have? I am looking at getting one, seems very convenient as opposed to pulling out a tool every shot.

It's a Garmin S6 GPS watch, which has a 4C touchscreen, allowing you to graphically input things like pin position, etc.. You can also choose layup distances, track individual shots and so on. As I said in my post, I never use most of these features - either because they are simply too small to see with contact lenses, or because (e.g. shot tracking and other statistics) I feel they would distract me from concentrating on my game (and probably slow me down as well).

What is really good is the automatic course selection. I find locating a satellite can sometimes take several minutes, so it's important to start course selection before you get to the first tee.

For me, there are two points of criticism:

1.   Where fairways run parallel, the watch sometimes jumps to the other hole (maybe because I'm not always in the centre of the right fairway!)

2.   If I am wearing long sleeves (for example, a rain jacket), the contact of the fabric can be misconstrued as input and I end up having to manually go back to the distance function before I take my shot.

I easily get a full round out of one charge with at least 9 holes to spare, but I wouldn't feel confident about trying to get 36 holes out of it before re-charging.

Given that I only use a fraction of the features, I could have bought a simpler Garmin model. I saw this one in a store in the UK just after Christmas and it was on special offer, so I went for it.

[djfajt71]

I use a Bushnell rangefinder and the Golflogix app on my phone.  I prefer the Golflogix app, for the mere fact, that I can get distances to hazards if there are no landmarks to ping with the range finder.

[cutchemist42]

http://www.golfwrx.com/418790/the-death-of-the-home-course-advantage/

Related, but cant say I agree,. The pros get access to this type of info from caddies, but we should suffer because our eyes really aren't that good at judging this stuff? Im going to guess most PGA pros would be pretty bad at guessing ranges too.

[WUTiger]

On 12/20/2016 at 6:54 PM, StefanUrkel said:

99 percent of golf stuff you don't need if you are above a 10ish handicap. You won't be worse playing a 100 dollar driver compared to 400

If it's the right $100 driver. Not all $100 drivers are created equal.

[Big_in_Belgium]

I have a Garmin watch. It gives me front, middle and back of the green and so far it's been very usefull as I usually aim for the middle of the green anyway, 

However, last week I received a laser range finder as a gift.
I'm still getting used to it but I feel it is more accurate than the watch and I can see this being an advantage to my game in the long run.

 

 

 

[chilepepper]

I use the Grint app, one buddy uses a rangefinder, another uses a garmin watch. All that tech is within 2 yards of each other. I can see the benefits of all 3. Rangefinder, distances to anything, a plus on practice ranges. iPhone Grint app, I can move the cusor around and be close, close enough for me, along with front middle back of green. gps watch.....its there all the time, nothing to extra to carry particularly on car path only days.

  Negatives

laser seems to be the slowest to use.....barely. Phone apps can be spotty in iffy cell coverage areas. GPS watch, a bit more limited info.

pick the tech that suits you