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GPS Golf Guru - Any thoughts on this?


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[quote name='neverhadaholeinone' post='876853' date='Jan 22 2008, 03:28 PM']Do these golf Gps's take into account elevated and downhill shots as far as giving the true yardage.
Do you add - subtract clubs based on "old way".[/quote]

Golf GPS will not take into account uphill, downhill, downwind, upwind, cold, hot, wet or any other factor. It will give you the distance in a straight line to your target.

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[quote name='msguillory' post='877489' date='Jan 22 2008, 08:10 PM']larryinharlem - Since you have one, is there anything about this product that you don't like? I am trying to decide between this and probably the SG2.5 or the iGolf II.[/quote]

Nothing about it that I "dislike". Now that the auto advance has been implemented, it becomes a "hands free" device. I love that feature.

There are a few improvements we are still waiting on. The ability to edit downloaded courses is probably the next thing I would like to see fixed. Guru support promises that in a soon to be released update.. I hope in February.

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[quote name='larryinharlem' post='877471' date='Jan 22 2008, 08:01 PM']Hey Guru Users... new software version is available for download. It was easy to install. Addressed several of my concerns.... AUTO HOLE ADVANCE now functional. You can upload user mapped courses to the server now.[/quote]
I have not set the "Hole Advance" feature yet....it is still winter here so no hurry. What mode did you select to use?

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[quote name='larryinharlem' post='878384' date='Jan 23 2008, 10:20 AM'][quote name='golfgame' post='878187' date='Jan 23 2008, 07:27 AM'].........What mode did you select to use?[/quote]

Auto mode, with scoring turned off.
[/quote]
Have you played with this unit yet? I have not so I am not familiar with how it functions in scoring mode and advancing to the next hole. You indicate that you have scoring turned off....does it get in the way with it on or is there another way to access it without having it turned on automatically. My initial thought about the unit going to the next hole when you get within 40 yds of the green was that it would interfere with the scoring feature if it advanced. Like I say I have not used the Guru yet but why would it not be better if it advanced when you have passed the green by 4o yds instead?

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I beleive with scoring mode off - it simply auto advances after (30,60,90 seconds- you choose) to the next hole once you are 40 yards from the Near point of the green.
With scoring mode on - once you hit above point it moves to the score input screen, & once you input score (FIR, GIR, Putts - very simple to do) it will auto advance to the next hole automatically, now it asks if you want to advance.

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Battery used in my unit is a Polymer Lithium 3.7 volts 1600 mAh which is common to ipod's gen 1&2.
Prices range from $18-$35 if you need a new one in a few years?

I had a slight rattle in my Guru, so I poped off the back of the unit and added aditional foam to the battery, no more rattle...

Not sure of the easy way to add targets (bunkers ,water) while one is playing?
Like the unit so far, but need warmer weather in OK to test further.

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I downloaded the new software last night. In their notice of the new software release, they described how to set up a 2 hole course around the house so you could test the features. I did that. I can sit on my couch in the house and test the features. Auto hole advance is going to be great for me, as I don't generally use the scoring and statistics. Now all they need is a way to automatically change from the target view to the green view without having to do it manually. Then you could throw it on a cart mount and never have to touch it.

[quote]Like I say I have not used the Guru yet but why would it not be better if it advanced when you have passed the green by 4o yds instead?[/quote]

I suspect this is related to those courses where the green you just played, and the next tee box are in close proximity to each other. You might not ever get beyond 40 yards before getting to the next tee box.

I bought my Guru early in November when they first came out, and I'm with larryinharlem...there is nothing I don't like about it, and when map editing comes out, it will be all I ever needed or wanted in a GPS.

PS: The screen layout is actually very easy to get used to and is absoutely no problem to operate. I don't like the SG3 and 4 layout, as with the buttons on the bottom, it always feels like it's going to fall out of my hand when I'm operating the buttons.

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Well I bought one today and will hopefully have it by Friday to use for a round Saturday. Considering they offer 30 money back guarantee and free membership until Jan, 2011 that is the best way for someone to at least test it out. One big reason why I am not about to plunk $260 + membership fee to try the SkyCaddie SG2.5. If other manufacturers were smart they would allow a similar 30 trial and membership. I ended up paying only $210 for mine which looks like a deal in itself compared to the rest of the competition.

If I do get the unit by Friday I will give a full comprehensive review, with pictures, after my round on Saturday.

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After asking for an RMA # for my unit today, I recieved a few emails from the Guru folks asking for some feedback. I gave them the same complaints I've listed here, although you can certainly make a case for the suburb customer service.

They are working on some new features that would certainly address some of my issues, if they ever materialize.


[quote name='msguillory' post='879461' date='Jan 23 2008, 10:13 PM']One big reason why I am not about to plunk $260 + membership fee to try the SkyCaddie SG2.5. If other manufacturers were smart they would allow a similar 30 trial and membership.[/quote]
Just remember that if the course downloads don't have the marks you want, you cannot add them currently. So that means you map the course yourself, or you just use the markings they put up for you--which will probably be sparse.

SkyCaddie fees aside, you get a very thoroughly mapped course--the most detailed in the game at this point I would venture.

I look at a golf GPS unit as a TWO YEAR investment. I'm sure next year, and for sure the year after will reveal something much better. Anyone remember StarTAC? That's the level we are at in this product field.

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stevestrike, thanks for all your posts and comment/reviews of the various GPS systems. Despite your not liking the Golf Guru, you helped me decide on one. You’ve tried many units at your expense and gave honest, quite unbiased opinions about functions and operation. Where you were biased, you admitted it, rather than bash it. In the end you were looking for something different than I, as I am very into the stats features. So you have made a different choice, but thanks for your work and for reporting your findings so I could be more comfortable with my purchase. :man_in_love:

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[quote name='msguillory' post='880199' date='Jan 24 2008, 09:58 AM']Sledge Hammer - So what did you end up buying? Could you give a review after you use it, that would be helpful. If I don't end up keeping my Guru I will probably be looking for something else.[/quote]

I bought a Golf Guru. Ordered it last week, but haven't received it yet. Besides, I live in 'Hoser-land', so I don't expect to get to use it for a few months yet. I wanted to get one to take advantage of the introductory price and membership offer. Also to get started having them map my courses in the Calgary, AB area and where I'm hoping to go on holidays this summer. I'm eagerly awaiting your comments, though they won't do me much good now, unless I decide to send mine back within the first 30days. :man_in_love:

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Downloaded new software updates yesterday & went on course for 9 late in day. Set it to Auto with score/stats on. Worked like a charm, before after entering score would have to answer Yes to advance then hit play to play next hole. Now I enter score while walking between tees & bingo - it advances to next hole. Funny they added the customize button to add name & number - I had already put my name & number on the 1 line they told us about, I like this much better - easy to tell it is a phone number, lets just hope no ones calls!!

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[quote name='rcncgolf' post='880313' date='Jan 24 2008, 11:18 AM']Downloaded new software updates yesterday & went on course for 9 late in day. Set it to Auto with score/stats on. Worked like a charm, before after entering score would have to answer Yes to advance then hit play to play next hole. Now I enter score while walking between tees & bingo - it advances to next hole. Funny they added the customize button to add name & number - I had already put my name & number on the 1 line they told us about, I like this much better - easy to tell it is a phone number, lets just hope no ones calls!![/quote]


[quote name='larryinharlem' post='881295' date='Jan 24 2008, 07:32 PM']Played today with the updated firmware. What a pleasure... I play with it in auto advance mode and it works like a charm. Without a doubt, this is the best golf GPS unit on the market today....[/quote]


Do you guys use the Stats? Do you have to connect to the USGA Handicap site to compile/evaluate stats or is that done on the Desktop software?

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I use the stats on fly, I do not use the other website.
Right now uploading them to the Guru site does not allow you to see or do anything with them!
The desktop software is only for downloading courses or updates at this point.
Stats are shown only during round (loose when power off unless you upload) You get (GIR's, FIR's, Putts, & Putts per GIR), I simply write them down at end. You can go to [url="http://www.gpsgolfguru.com/Products/brochure1.php"]http://www.gpsgolfguru.com/Products/brochure1.php[/url] & you will see screen shot along bottom right of brochure.

I beleive they are working on ability to upload in future and provide other improvement/tracking.
You would be best served sending your q's to them via email, they will respond! :D
I am most intersted in the game improvement & awaiting these updates. Based on this thread sounds
like next big update will modifying downloaded courses (ability to edit/add your own marks on the course)

The prior issue I had with the guru wanting to go to the 19th hole is gone w/update, however I still go! :man_in_love:
They have First class customer service.

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[quote name='Sledge Hammer' post='881886' date='Jan 25 2008, 08:56 AM'][quote name='rcncgolf' post='880313' date='Jan 24 2008, 11:18 AM']Downloaded new software updates yesterday & went on course for 9 late in day. Set it to Auto with score/stats on. Worked like a charm, before after entering score would have to answer Yes to advance then hit play to play next hole. Now I enter score while walking between tees & bingo - it advances to next hole. Funny they added the customize button to add name & number - I had already put my name & number on the 1 line they told us about, I like this much better - easy to tell it is a phone number, lets just hope no ones calls!![/quote]


[quote name='larryinharlem' post='881295' date='Jan 24 2008, 07:32 PM']Played today with the updated firmware. What a pleasure... I play with it in auto advance mode and it works like a charm. Without a doubt, this is the best golf GPS unit on the market today....[/quote]


Do you guys use the Stats? Do you have to connect to the USGA Handicap site to compile/evaluate stats or is that done on the Desktop software?
[/quote]

I am retired, play four days a week... I do not use the stats... . I learned a long time ago to keep score in my head... you can do the same. Just count the strokes over par.... Most of the time when I play we always have a bet with other groups so we have to turn in a scorecard and someone in the group that rides keeps a scorecard. I post my scores for handicap purposes online with state USGA.

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Another positive experience here.. Tech support super responsive and proactive in resolving a problem I had with downloading a course. After being a Skygolf customer for many years, this is a revelation. As a Mac user it was great to find a company that helped me resolve a connection issue.
Buttons and screen layout is odd, but in use make perfect sense.
Unit is very slightly larger than a few others, but more importantly is very light. Screen is totally legible without backlighting, hence excellent battery life. Mapping your own courses is very simple. It seems to help when mapping the greens to walk quite slowly, capturing more data points. Seems to result in smoother images.
In use, distances update as fast as I walk, ie when I walk up to the 200 yard marker, the readout to the green center says 200 virtually as I stop at the marker, no waiting for it to catch up. I also can report it picking up satelites from inside my house, confirms what others posted earlier about how sensitive a receiver it is. This was a factor in my purchase.
I haven't decided on a carry case for it, but a Blackberry or Treo case would definitely work. I'll more likely stick some velcro to the back of it and attach it to my Sun Mountain Speed Cart.

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I had a chance to play a round yesterday and test out this device.

Screen:
Outside it was very easy to read, easier than reading indoors with artificial light. No issues there, and it was overcast all day.

Screen Orientation:
Having the screen on the bottom did not really make a difference, but I still see no reason why it is located at the bottom of the device, rather than the top. I think that I would have preferred that they placed the screen at the top to be honest, but still it didn't make a difference in usability.

Yardage:
Here it was dead on. Whenever I found fairway markers it was dead on, except for one case. The fairway marker indicated 188 and the GPS indicated 177. I played the shot based on the GPS reading and hit the distance I needed. If I had gone with the extra club I would have flown the green and been in trouble. That was the only time on the course that I remember the yardage no being the same, or withing 1 yard. The yardage was also updating pretty much immediately, I didn't have to stand and wait for the reading to level out so to speak.

Downloaded Courses:
I downloaded a couple courses and noticed that there were not a lot of targets marked. There was a few places that I would have liked to see some things marked, like distance to water, ect... Once they update the software so you can add targets to a downloaded course I won't care, because I would rather mark my own targets for courses I play. Having the actual green shape and approach angle displayed on the device was a great feature.

Features:
The only feature I used was the Mark feature. With this you can mark a start position to measure your shot distance. I think that I might use this more when the weather gets warmer to tell how far I do hit my irons, then I can better select the right club. We measured a couple tee shots just to see how it works. One thing I like that I don't believe the other GPS systems do that this one does is show the mark distance in the corner as you walk, along with whatever screen view you are using. This is nice if you want to walk to your friends ball and give him his distance as well. Hitting the Mark button again really just allows resetting of the mark.

Overall I was very happy with how it worked. The unit updated yardage immediately and made it easy to decide on the club selection. I absolutely played faster because of it. Even with fairway markers I am almost never right near one and end up guestimating distance based on angle, ect... Knowing the yardage allowed me to hit with more confidence, and I hit several balls pin high and almost birdied 3 holes in a row, that has never happened. I missed one of the putts, but all of them were 12 feet or less. Granted I would expect that any good GPS device to give similar readings for yardage, but only this and the SkyCaddie models show actual green shape. I did move the pin a lot on the screen to get a better idea of yardage, that is also a nice feature.

Again, once they allow user mapped points for downloaded courses (and hopefully deleting some points), this will have pretty much everything that I want. Great price (I paid $210), plus no membership fees for 3 years makes it a bargain among Golf GPS devices.

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I am doing some research on this product and found this on another site.

 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...Io5A&show=7

 

I am the founder and one of the key designers of the Golf Guru. Obviously I am biased ;-). I am the original inventor of GPS for golf and have been building these systems for over 17 years.

 

The following is a direct quote from a recent purchaser of a Golf Guru:

 

" Got my guru yesterday…..blows my sg3 away…..smaller, lighter, more functional; is it possible to add additional targets to a downloaded course?" I can not provide you with the name of the user because we don't yet have his permission to provide the quote, but you will be seeing numerous quotes like this on our website over the next few weeks.

 

Full disclosure aside, the Golf Guru uses a 16 channel, high accuracy, high sensitivity GPS receiver that is more accurate and more responsive than any of the other devices that you list here.

 

High sensitivity is important in golf for two reasons: 1) because the Wide Area Augmented Signal WAAS) that more than double GPS accuracy is approximately 1/2 the signal strength of normal GPS signals, and 2) if there are trees or obstructions, a high sensitivity receiver will track more satellites providing better geometry and hence better accuracy.

 

The 16 channel Guru receiver allows the unit to continuously track more satellites and track the two WAAS satellites at the same time. This also improves overall system accuracy.

 

The net effect is that the Guru is almost twice as accurate and much more responsive than receivers based on older technology.

 

The annual membership for the Guru is $29.95 for unlimited course downloads, but if purchased before January 1, you get a one year membership for free. The Christmas special pricing for the Guru is $239.9.

 

Your Guru membership also provides free membership in a USGA online handicapping program that is integrated with the score keeping system on the Guru. Just sync your Guru with the Guru website, and your scores are automatically uploaded to the online handicapping system.

 

The Guru is 1/2 the thickness and 1/2 the weight of the competition and is the only unit that you can carry comforably in your pocket. It comes with a 14+ hour rechargable battery.

 

To get less functionality in competing products, you will pay $70 to $100 more.

 

Check out the competitive comparison on www.gpsgolfguru.com. While it was obviously created by the Guru team, it will give you a good framework for comparing the different products.

 

Bottom line, the Guru has a 30 day money back gaurantee and the best warranty in the market. Purchase one and compare it to the competition. I know that you will be impressed.

 

Darryl Cornish

Founder, Golf Guru

 

* 2 months ago

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