TomTom Golfer Premium Edition - THP Review

[Canadan]

UPDATE
Here is the THP Review on the home page.
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/tomtom-golfer-premium-edition-gps-watch-review/


I am excited to see an update to the TomTom Golf GPS watch, which I reviewed earlier this season after being introduced to them at the PGA Show. What I am seeing here is an obvious 'premium' upgrade from the rubberized strap to a genuine leather strap. In addition, there are some unique added elements, like the ball marker, marker attachment, and cart mount.

It'll be exciting to get this back on course as I really enjoyed the first version. Some of the useful course features that are easily accessed through the device are shown below, and will continue to be explained and explored during my review.

From TomTom

• Stylish hand-crafted Italian leather strap
• Includes the handy TomTom ball marker
• Use the Cart/Bag Mount to hold your watch
• Know every inch of the course
• Hit the perfect approach shot
• Play with the latest course data

Hand-crafted Italian Leather Strap - Our stylish Premium Edition comes with a hand-crafted Italian leather strap.

Ball Marker - Includes the handy TomTom ball marker and a ball marker holder that clips to the watch strap.

Cart Bag Holder - Use the Trolley Holder to hold your watch when you are not wearing it.

One-Button Control - Navigate easily through menus.

Green Distances - Precise yardages to front, center and back of green.

Greenview - View unique green and hazard graphics before your shot.

Hazards - See distances to individual hazards along the fairway.

Ultra-Slim Design - Play with a lightweight watch designed for golfers.

Over 40,000 Courses - Preloaded course data from 40,000 international courses.

Extra-large Display - See real-time course info at a glance.

Round Tracking - Keep track of the score, distance, and time for your round.

Daily Updates - Receive course updates wirelessly from your smartphone.

In Hand Photos

 

[Canadan]

And here are some images of the setup process to connect to the TomTom app;

 

[Mmaynard11]

Great kickoff Dan with tons of photos. Really like the band that is stock for this. Interested to hear your thoughts on this.


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[Smallville]

I like the cart bag holder, since that's how I would be using it since I don't do watches. Would it fit on a steering wheel too?

What's the price?

 

[russtopher]

That's a great looking watch. Looking forward to the updated review!

 

[Canadan]

I like the cart bag holder, since that's how I would be using it since I don't do watches. Would it fit on a steering wheel too?

What's the price?

I'll add a link to the first post shortly. Their website has the premium band on sale for I believe 249 from 300.

 

[emart2173]

Having owned the original I'm interested to see how this has been improved upon.

 

[IceyShanks]

Some really nice styling on that band.

 

[rogt]

Great job Dan can't wait to get your thoughts. Maybe this one will make it my way also

 

[checkered]

Very cool. I want one of these so bad. Look forward to your thoughts on this one. Looks like a pretty painless setup process.

 

[AMart]

Product looks good. Interested to hear about upgrades to the GPS capabilities.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[DufferToo]

Seems like a nice upgrade to the previous version. Looking forward to your thoughts. Great pics BTW

 

[Canadan]

Very cool. I want one of these so bad. Look forward to your thoughts on this one. Looks like a pretty painless setup process.

Really painless process to get the device up to date although it's totally play ready straight out of the packaging. Even had a decent charge.

 

[T2GRN18]

I absolutely adore my TomTom watch. Its quick, easy and accurate. Looking forward to seeing how the updated version has improved on that model.

 

[#Cookie]

Fantastic preview Dan!

This really really does look great and I love the new features specifically with accessories that they have now. Very cool seeing these products evolve, looking forward to how it treats you on the course both with how comfy it is and how good the numbers are for what you need.

 

[afwcardinal]

Great looking product from Tom Tom. I really like the cart bag holder for this. I like that you do not have to wear it.
I look forward to hearing how this works for you Dan.

 

[Canadan]

I got out for a few holes yesterday, loaded with the TomTom and my rangefinder to draw some comparisons. I believe most of my course experience with the original TomTom review as done on unfamiliar territory, so having my course knowledge on hand has made for some interesting developments. One of my biggest complaints of Front/Middle/Back distance measuring devices is how inaccurate they can be depending on the green design. Depth is a very hard thing to track in absolutes when the back is different on the left side vs the right side... I figured we would see some of that, but my first alarm went off on #2 green, when the "back" was reading at 169 yards. I decided to hit the flag with the rangefinder to determine that it was actually only 154 to the flag, which was a handful of paces in from the back. Here are some visuals;

Satellite image of the hole, red marking flag -- As you can see, the number is fairly off on the back of the green here;

Hole 2 trouble from the TomTom

Hole 3 from Satellite: Distance measured to flag was 124, and that's relatively spot on based on the 120 to the front registered by the device;

Hole 3 from TomTom: Worth noting that the water was not considered... and that bunker is now filled in (was done this year)

Hole 4 from Satellite

Hole 4 from TomTom

Hole 5 from Satellite: This one was fairly close on the GPS. Built into the back tier, and probably a couple yards off on absolute back with the device

Hole 5 from TomTom

Hole 6 from Satellite

Hole 6 from TomTom

Hole 6 was a big concern of mine. here's an image on the GPS of my approach:

My Rangefinder hit the flag (back right) at 124 yards with some room behind it. That's obviously a huge miss, but I don't really understand why. As you can see with the sat image, the green really isn't that weird.

Hole 7 from Satellite

Hole 7 from TomTom - We're missing the bunker and the water for some strange reason. Pretty disappointed with that as well.

My early thoughts are quite a bit different from the first go around with the unit. As I've played my home course for 15+ years I know what to expect, and I feel like the unit would have led someone astray if they didn't know enough to hit the flags with a rangefinder before hitting. I think for the most part the trouble is well defined (although I really just focused on approach), not the mid hole numbers, so anyone who is a visual golfer would do well to see that. I think the green shapes are fairly accurate, although the flag graphic kind of takes away from the important information (as the flag does not move obviously).

The band felt good, however the rubberized band of the standard model was one of my favourite features, so personally I don't feel like I am gaining much with the leather. If anything it just looks a bit better for off course wear, which I still think by design the TomTom GPS is one of the most wearable GPS's on the market due to the head not being massive. All very subjective though.

 

[emart2173]

Interesting find there. I found the first one to be off on the back distances more than front or middle. I never paid attention to the green feature on approaches, will be something I look at next time out.

i like the rubberized band on the first one as well.

 

[AMart]

Tried this one last night while visiting Canadan. Definitely comfortable and is excellent in the looks department. The shallow face really stands out when compared to my Bushnell NeoX.

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[#Cookie]

Great thoughts Dan, the yardage differentiation is scary indeed....and not picking up hazards (especially if the course is unfamiliar) is trouble.

Definitely a sleek profile....but sounds like some work needs to be done on the GPS calculations/measurements.

 

[DufferToo]

Hmm, I would have thought that the performance would have been better. Is there a way to recalibrate/update the satellite tracking?

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[Michigan Slice]

Great info.
Sounds like its a little disappointing so far.
Solid looking device though, been pondering a watch, but may have to pass on this one due to the innaccuracies listed.

 

[Canadan]

I have some additional photos and comparisons to share that I'll have time to put together over the weekend.

No more distance gaps, and I really think for the most part the green center numbers are quite accurate. On my home course there are two greens (the 1st and the 7th) that only offer center green distances on the TomTom, with nothing represented around the green or on the fairway. This is obviously not a device issue, but rather a course update requirement that may improve over time.

I find all other holes to be very accurate when it comes to what surrounds the green, and the green shape itself.

The watch is quite comfortable, and the leather strap makes it just a touch more casual (in terms of lifestyle rather than golf style). That in mind, I do think I preferred the fit and design of the rubber strap, but that's totally personal preference. The sleek profile is a world of difference from a majority of the GPS watches on the market, and TomTom has done a really impressive job of finding an alternative place for the watch tech rather than directly behind the face of the unit.

the distances change quickly as you move closer to the hole, leaving zero time between arriving at your ball location, and getting distances. Overall it's a great package, and has been a great package based on previous reviews.

I personally find the duration information, calorie information, and distance traveled information to be extras that I wouldn't use, although some may find them very useful. I do believe the weakest point of the watch was and still is the inability to track shot distances, which is one of my personal favourites when it comes to watch based GPS units (so not having it, while not a huge issue to some, really disappoints me). Add that information, and I am really not sure there's another watch I would pursue.

 

[emart2173]

Nice update Dan. Like you I am a fan of the rubberized band on the og version. I was hoping they would add the distance tracking capability in this version, while not a show stopped it is a nice feature to use.

Money aside does it make sense for someone with the og version to get this one?

 

[OITW]

Great updates Dan. Your issues with the watch to distances on front/middle/back of the green is what holds me back from getting a GPS unit like that.

I do like the leather band as well on this.