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GPS Watch????

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Song Dog

Song Dog

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What is your opinions and experience with a gps watch?
What brand do you have?
 
I have the Bushnell neo x and I love it. It's very accurate and I don't have to fumble with anything extra, I just look at my wrist and have the yardage. The only downside is the neo x gives yardage to just 1 hazard and the neo x plus has multiple hazards I think, but it works great for me.
 
love them! I love my gamin S4, it does everything I need and enough batteries for about 45 holes. However, if I was in the market for a watch, I would wait for some info on the Tom Tom one that is coming soon
 
I have no experience with them, but could never use one. I don't wear a regular watch anymore, and when I did, I always removed it to golf.
 
The more I looked, I am with you smallville, I dont wear a watch anymore. So I am leaning on the garmin approach g3. I can just pull and put right in my pocket. For whatbit does and I need, it just seems logical to possibly go that route.
Uses 2 aa batteries and I could do rechargeables.
 
Smallville said:
I have no experience with them, but could never use one. I don't wear a regular watch anymore, and when I did, I always removed it to golf.
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I was the same way, never wore a watch and didn't like to. 2 rounds with my Bushnell neo x and I loved it. I now only wear a watch while golfing.
It's way easier and quicker. Great watch
 
I don't normally wear a watch, other than for special occasions. But after getting my Garmin watch and wearing it for a couple rounds, I feel naked golfing without it. I think a gps watch is very convenient. Just have to look at my wrist, no devices in my pocket.
 
I have the Garmin S1 and it is great for me. Very simple and easy to use. Battery life isn't great but my wife got it for me years ago and I have no need to upgrade. Might be able to find a great deal on one used.
 
I wonder if the market for GPS watches will plummet once the Apple watch comes out. Your golf shot app or any 3rd party can simply replace a dedicated watch and have one watch to do it all. I have a Garmin S1 and I barely use it anymore. I just use my range finder and yardage markers on the fairway.
 
Tomtom golf watch looks nice but gps watch is being made redundant with apps like golfpad gps which uses your phone's gps and give you all the info of a gps watch on yoy wrist via a smartwatch like magellen or pebble or various andriod watches or maybe even someday in the far future via an apple watch.
 
Phone apps are all well and good but I still see people talking about how they drain your battery, and depending on where you are in the world some of us don't have mobile phone coverage on course so no way to use some of those apps

I got the Garmin S4 for Christmas but due to health issues I am yet to take it to the course but I know a few other people who have Garmin watches and love them

It all depends what you want from it
 
With a dedicated golf watch on your wrist, especially an accurate one, Skycaddie linx, Garmins S range, you are always getting the exact distance from where you stand, any smartwatch with a phone app has to rely on a bluetooth connection, so as with most people the phone will be in your bag, if you walk out of BT range, then reconnection is needed, and the distance will only be from the phone is, so if you leave your bag somewhere and have to move a distance to your ball you will either lose your BT connection or the distance will be out, i think the only smartwatchs at the moment with GPS built in are the Sony 3 and the samsung gears s, the new iwatch definitely does NOT have built in GPS.....im waiting for the garmin S5 that looks great and Comp legal as well.
 
IMO the watches are super convenient and accurate enough for the majority of golfers. All my buddies that wear a Garmin watch love them. I prefer laser because I play often at courses with large greens and I like to know exact yardage to the flag stick, not an approximation. I carry my Leupold in my back pocket and it takes less than 3 seconds to have an exact distance.
 
I have the Garmin S6 and I love the thing. I do not wear watches at all so I was a little scared to pull the trigger and get it but after a couple swings I actually forgot it was there.
 
TheCrest4 said:
I have the Garmin S1 and it is great for me. Very simple and easy to use. Battery life isn't great but my wife got it for me years ago and I have no need to upgrade. Might be able to find a great deal on one used.
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Same here, Battery lasts about 27-30 holes, but I love it, simple to use, I don't need all the extra features. Golf Town has them on for $139 cdn
 
I have a galaxy S4 and have used the Golf Logix gps app (its the only one that covered my course). It doesn't drain the battery. Basically, when the phone is lit up, gps turns on and sometimes updates itself to the yardage. (more on the "sometimes" in a bit). Then, when the phone turns itself off (about 30 seconds, just like if you were using it normally), the gps turns itself off. So that does a lot to save battery.

The downfall is, it takes 10 seconds to turn on the phone, unlock the screen, and wait for the gps to get its signal again, then anywhere from 2-10 seconds to get a yardage (depending how long its been since I last checked the yardage). Sometimes, the phone wont' even update the yardage. In the end, that takes quite a bit of time, and discourages use for a guy like me who just wants to hit the ball. I will also say, that if I walked forward 10-15 yards, the gps app refused to update my yardage, so my yardages were always suspect.

I remember playing with Icey this past Fall, don't know what gps watch he had. But for him to get a yardage, it was pretty much 1) look at watch 2) hit the ball. After seeing how quick it was, I instantly got into the GPS watch market.

I guess the moral of the story is, I don't care if there are smart watches where the phone is feeding info to the watch. I don't trust phone gps for yardages, and its too slow.

~Rock
 
I'm another one who never wears a conventional everyday watch and was initially concerned when I was looking to buy a Bushnell Neo XS a few months ago. It's so light, flexible, and low profile that you'd never even think about it unless you are using it for golf. The caveat there being I bought it in the fall so no hot muggy rounds yet. I'm pretty sure it won't really be an issue then either. Gonna sweat anyway, probably won't notice a little inch and a quarter sweatier circle.

So easy to use. A quick glance and you have your 3 yardages. Lists up to 4 hazards a hole. Tracks the miles I've walked and the time spent for fitness tracking. One feature I really like is the shot distance tracking. Simple push of a button before you hit the shot, then look down when you get to your ball. That feature works whether you are on a course or not BTW. Just select any course (the closest to my back yard is about 10 miles away) and I can use the shot distance feature at home.

Twice I've neglected to charge it after after the 2nd round and both times I got through the 3rd round without losing battery. I'm not sure if I could have gotten yet another 18 then? Maybe? The caveat there being that my rounds are typically 2.5 - 3 hours variety. Sometimes even less than 2.

One more thing on speed of play and it directly relates to McRock's concerns. I typically play on courses that don't bottleneck too bad and with courteous golfers who let faster groups through. That said, the slower golfers who don't really notice (or care?) about speedier play behind them are typically immersed in their phone apps. Either tracking their stats or looking up yardages, or worse, both. I can see where using the apps on slower courses would not be an issue. Not hating, just stating their potential impact on speedier tracks. Phone screens have a way of promoting tunnel vision ha ha.
 
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I've got a Garmin S2, and it does the job. Some doglegs, front middle back of greens. I might try to upgrade for something that has more info available like distance to hazards. I live having the watch. Just look, pick your club and shoot.
 
Clutch42 said:
I have the Bushnell neo x and I love it. It's very accurate and I don't have to fumble with anything extra, I just look at my wrist and have the yardage. The only downside is the neo x gives yardage to just 1 hazard and the neo x plus has multiple hazards I think, but it works great for me.
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+1 for sure.
 
I have a garmin S1 works great nice and simple, yardage to centre, front and back of green is all I need, and doesn't feel like I am cheating as much lol.
 
Aussie Dave said:
I have a garmin S1 works great nice and simple, yardage to centre, front and back of green is all I need, and doesn't feel like I am cheating as much lol.
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How are you cheating at all?
 
Smallville said:
How are you cheating at all?
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Didn't you see the LOL, I know it's not cheating it's like having a caddie that is exactly right with his yardage every time, but some people don't see it that way, thats why I like a watch most people dont even know you have a GPS with you.
 
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I have a bushnell and attach it to my bag. Does the job fine. Im intrigued by lasers but I can't hit a yardage any how a quick peek at the watch when I am pulling clubs works fine for now.
 
I have a Garmin S3 and love everything about it--with the exception of the battery life. I can get about 33 holes out of a full charge. It shouldn't be that big of a deal except I never remember to charge it. And I hate being out there on the the last 4 holes with no watch.

Two more things:
I DO NOT wear a watch…EVER. The GPS watch on my wrist doesn't affect my swing at all, and after the initial few rounds wearing it, I no longer even know it's there. In fact, when it dies, or when I forget it on the charger at home, I feel more awkward now playing rounds without it.

Also, I have a bushnell tour z6 laser rangefinder as well. I enjoy having, and using both on the course, but I find myself glancing at the gps watch about 75% of the time as opposed to shooting a target with my laser.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Can't get enough of my Garmin S1 watch. It's just perfect because it is absolutely simple to use. 1. Arrive at ball. 2. Glance at wrist. 3. Select club and hit.

It works so good that my buddy with a Garmin GPS that has all the bells and whistles ends up consulting me most of the time. Rather than drag it out of the cart's cup holder, and fiddle with it he just says "How far are we?" and 1 second later he has the info he needs.

It's just perfect. Wouldn't want to golf without it.
 
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