GPS Golf Guru - Any thoughts on this?

[bumgolfr]

I'm new to this thread and expect my guru this Monday and look forward to using it. Being in the MB, SC area I expect the courses I pick to be mapped fairly completely. Maybe they won't show how far it is to run out of fairway on a sharp dogleg, but heck, if it's over 180yds, it's a non issue for me. If the front edge is 5 yards off some arbitrary mark on the course, I'll trust the guru and hope my distance spread of +-15 yards with almost any club and 10 yards (R or L) off line gets me the right club (any of 3 or 4). At 71 I'm neither accurate nor repeatable (except when I eat beans), Nor do I play golf for a living. How many of you do? So enjoy the game for what ever it is and kvitchyerbitchin about self mapping, courrse accuracy, and lack of computer skills. Computer programs are written by people, some of whom probably don't play golf. They make errors. As an ex-rocket scientist, I know this.

[phil75070]

As far as Phil goes, I kinda wish that they'd either fix your problems or that you'd just go away. You clearly are an outlyer to the experiences that most of us have but you make way more noise than anyone. Frankly, you really bring down the morale of the general Guru public which is kinda ironic because you used to be the biggest cheerleader for their product. They clearly read this board so I'm kinda mystified that they don't take care of you so that you stop making negative noise. Not very saavy from a biz perspective for a new company to be that slow. If you were one of my customers and I couldn't fix your problems, I'd quickly refund your $$$ and hope that you'd go faaaar away. Anyway, sorry Phil -- I'm sure you're a great guy and I feel for you but I'm also tired of your complaining.

 

Hey, if you don't like my posts, don't read them. I am just posting my experiences , my opinions, which is what these forums are for, an exchange of ideas, opinions and information. Some people might find that helpful, others not. I know part of the reason I am disappointed with the device is because I read all of the reviews on this forum and all I read was how good the unit was before I ordered it and how great their customer service was. I wish there had been somebody on here who had experienced the problems I did and wrote about them honestly so that I could have made a better decision. The people at Golf Guru did get back to me with a very nice email and an RMA. Big kudos to them! However, either because I am the only one out of thousands to have experienced problems or nobody on this forum wrote about them I am still out the shipping charges (both ways).

 

The unit has a lot of potential if they can ultimately and reliably deliver what they advertise on their website. I bought it for some of those very features that potentially make it one of the best devices on the market. I still think, despite its problems, it is the most accurate unit out there from a GPS standpoint. And if the courses you play are mapped correctly and all 18 holes show up and you have no desire to modify any courses or map anything yourself, it is one of the best devices out there as is. Right now, however, it is like owning a car that can only make right turns. If you never have to turn left it is great!

 

Having returned the unit, there is now no reason for me to comment on it further. So you've got your wish!

[phil75070]

Maybe this is a stupid Question but how do you get your Personal Statement to show up at the bottom of your posts (what's in your bag, etc) ?? I have input that stuff into my profile/settings but it doesn't appear on any of my posts. Any ideas ??

 

In my controls, under Personal Profile, that would be the "edit signature" option.

[Gozz]

Just curious.....On everyone's mapped courses that you download from the Guru website, are you finding variations between what the Guru says the yardage is while playing the course verses the actual markers on the course....i.e. 100 yard, 150 yard markers.

 

If you're finding differences, how much difference.....5, 10, 15 yards?

 

JW

 

 

I had one course that was + or - 20 yards on every hole. I emailed them and they had it fixed in 2 days. Every GPS unit will state that they are + or - 3 to 5 yards for tolerance. I have always found that my Guru is normally within 3 yards when compared to course markers. It will also depend on where the course marks the center of the green compared to where GPS Golf Guru marked the center of the green.

[Br7ian]

As long as the courses are mapped correctly, the units should be very accurate. If the distance is different than a sprinkler head, It's more likely that it's the sprinkler thats the problemo.

[mkrolewski]

i have a guru and really enjoy it. I am using version 1.14

 

My experience (about 7 courses so far) has been excellent so far. Always have a great signal. Green edges are really quite excellent.

 

My only serious complaint has been some courses have the front and back nine reversed. Not particularly difficult to deal with. And they fix these course changes quickly.

 

 

As far as too many or too few targets on the course, I have found many courses - at least the ones I play, really do not contain any targets except for the greens. I really do not need information on greenside bunkers. The greens are enough. There are some courses missing creeks or some layup zones and I would like to add some corners to a few dog legs, but overall, this has not been an issue. And now one can add these to any mapped course.

 

A few courses with complex bunkers, etc, the golfguru does have the appropriate list of bunkers, etc.

 

 

What I have found extremely useful is that the greens are really well measured. So when the fairway marker says 100yds and the Guru says 75yd, select 75yds.

 

I have a really poor estimator of distance. So having a yardage even inside 10 yds is really useful to me. When going over a bunker or from below the green, it is nice to have a "good" measure of how far the ball needs to travel.

[DrSchteeve]

Well, I solved the "No device detected" problem, but even after downloading 2 course I couldn't get the unit to work. The good news is that GolfGuru provided a RMA return authorization number and I'm sending it back.

 

With further investigation, I think even if I had gotten the unit to work, I would have sent it back. I'm actually most interested in hazard mapping, since those numbers just aren't available in other ways unless the course has a yardage book. From the comments in this thread, it would appear hazard information is often lacking on GolfGuru course maps.

[Gozz]

Well, I solved the "No device detected" problem, but even after downloading 2 course I couldn't get the unit to work. The good news is that GolfGuru provided a RMA return authorization number and I'm sending it back.

 

With further investigation, I think even if I had gotten the unit to work, I would have sent it back. I'm actually most interested in hazard mapping, since those numbers just aren't available in other ways unless the course has a yardage book. From the comments in this thread, it would appear hazard information is often lacking on GolfGuru course maps.

 

 

Guru has mapped around 19 courses for me now plus they already had 4 on their site that I play and all of them have hazards marked. It has been stated many times in this thread that they will remap a course for you adding any hazards that you need or you now have the option of adding hazards yourself. It is a very easy unit to use and set up. It is no surprise that you are sending it back, you said you would before you even received it. The surprise to me is that you even opened the box. Hopefully the sky caddie will meet all your needs.

[Br7ian]

Hey, with all of the club ho-ing, what's wrong with a little GPS ho-down?

[Cuda Kota]

Hey, with all of the club ho-ing, what's wrong with a little GPS ho-down?

 

Unfortunately, this has become a GPD throw-down.

 

Posting experiences with the various GPS devices is what I thought this was for..not mud-slinging. I came here looking for honest appraisals of equipment (like I look for in Golf Digest & Golf Mag) by a variety of players so I can make an "informed" decision on my purchases..or at least narrow my selections down so I'm spending even more time away from the family while testing golf stuff. And I thought women could be 'catty'........ :clapping:

 

I hope the competition between the companies only produces a better, all-encompasing product for us - your average player. Hopefully some of the companies are smart & looking what people are saying about their product & figuring out what we want in our next GPS unit: a slew of courses, easy-to-read graphics, and a durable case. Who could ask for more than that?

 

I'm not on here to "bring down the Guru Nation" or to "increase bias against SkyCaddie". And I'm certainly not on here to "spit" on others' comments. I was looking for debate between products, not people.

 

Funny thing.....if you watch TV long enough, you'll see who's #1 and the "also rans". I'm no McDonalds-ho, but you see Burger King, Wendy's, Hardee's, etc. (sorry...I'm in the Midwest) brag how they are better than McD's but you really don't see McD's compare themselves to the others; they just tell you about their products.

 

To each his own - but this forum is called "Home of the GPS/Rangefinder" and not "Guru Nation", "Sky Caddie Boosters" or "Golf Buddy Pros Unite". Tell me pros, tell me cons, make me a spread sheet of the facts, but don't tell me why this/that person shouldn't be posting here.

[jwknow]

Hey, with all of the club ho-ing, what's wrong with a little GPS ho-down?

 

Unfortunately, this has become a GPD throw-down.

 

 

To each his own - but this forum is called "Home of the GPS/Rangefinder" and not "Guru Nation", "Sky Caddie Boosters" or "Golf Buddy Pros Unite". Tell me pros, tell me cons, make me a spread sheet of the facts, but don't tell me why this/that person shouldn't be posting here.

 

Well said......I agree. If someone has a comment about the GolfGuru or any GPS system whether good or bad, put it out there for everyone so that they can make an "informed" decision. Thats what this is supposed to be all about.

 

JW

[larryinharlem]

Regarding course markers versus the Guru distances: I mapped my home course myself. When comparing distances from various markers, i.e. 100, 150 or a sprinler head, 99 percent of the time they will be identical or within a yard. All the course markers were measured using lasers and are pretty much spot on. A few markers are off, but it is because the greens were recently worked on and those holes were never measured with the new distance.

[tdawg]

Just wanted to add how pleased I am with my Guru. I've used the unit now for about two months and it has performed exactly as advertised. I received the unit, followed the instructions to connect the device, registered online and downloaded the courses I play. How easy can it get. So far all the courses I've played have been spot on for accuracy and I always get 3 signal bars even with the darn thing in my pocket. When I arrive at the course, I turn on my Guru, stick it in my pocket, go inside and pay and as soon as I'm on the tee box it's ready to go. I haven't had the chance or need to map a course myself, but it's probably very easy. The best part to me is that when I flip my Guru over it states on the back "Made in the USA". How good is that. Good old American ingenuity at work. Where's the Skycaddie, Sonocaddie, etc. manufactured? China, Taiwan? The Guru has a one year warranty. How long is the competitions...90 days. The battery seems to last forever. I continue to be amazed with this product. I'm the most popular person in the foursome. Everybody in the group calls me over to give them yardages; and I'm now consistently shooting 4 to 5 strokes lower per round because I know which club to pull without any hesitation. My favorite feature has got to be the mark function. One of my friends kept going on about he nailed his tee shot. He thought it was at least 275. I was right there within a couple of yards of him in the fairway. I told him I'd buy lunch if his drive was more than 240. I hated to see his bubble burst when it indicated 231. It really makes me appreciate just how far the pro's hit their tee shots. Overall, I've found the unit to be well made, easy to use, and very durable. I did install a scratch protector for the screen which I purchased at Walmart and cut to fit. If I remember they're around $9.00. Other than that it's ready to go out of the box. I almost forgot to mention the usb charge port on the side. So far I've been able to charge it in my car with the same charger I use for my Motorola Razr. As far as I can tell any usb charger will work. The only thing that I'd like to have is some way to mount it to the golf cart. What else can a golfer need for measuring distances? It's fast acquiring signals, extremely accurate, and......made in America. Given the company's outstanding reputation for customer service and quality mapping, I think this device can only get better with each update.

[Gozz]

I can now attest to the durability of the Guru. I was at the driving range that I have mapped yesterday and I always place my Guru on my D2 head cover in my bag so that I can see it. A guy (6'1" probably 215) walks by my bag and bumps my driver knocking my Guru in front of him. He then steps on the back of it and keeps on going. First thought, there goes the LCD screen. I go over to pick it up and it is still working perfectly. I got lucky with it landing face down but it still took some brunt force and is still good as gold.

[h2ohzrd]

I can now attest to the durability of the Guru. I was at the driving range that I have mapped yesterday and I always place my Guru on my D2 head cover in my bag so that I can see it. A guy (6'1" probably 215) walks by my bag and bumps my driver knocking my Guru in front of him. He then steps on the back of it and keeps on going. First thought, there goes the LCD screen. I go over to pick it up and it is still working perfectly. I got lucky with it landing face down but it still took some brunt force and is still good as gold.

 

Did the oaf at least apologize?

[Gozz]

I can now attest to the durability of the Guru. I was at the driving range that I have mapped yesterday and I always place my Guru on my D2 head cover in my bag so that I can see it. A guy (6'1" probably 215) walks by my bag and bumps my driver knocking my Guru in front of him. He then steps on the back of it and keeps on going. First thought, there goes the LCD screen. I go over to pick it up and it is still working perfectly. I got lucky with it landing face down but it still took some brunt force and is still good as gold.

 

Did the oaf at least apologize?

 

No, he did not even look in my direction.

[Cuda Kota]

Before I get started, let me state this is not to bring "the Guru Community" down; on the contrary, I want to see this device succeed. More on that at the end. And forgive any sp errors - I tend to get ahead of myself when typing.

 

I was planning on doing a side-by-side with a Guru and a SC, but...whoops...my Guru sold on eBay for what I paid for it. No skin lost there! :russian_roulette:

 

Below is an edited version of some comments/suggestions I sent to the folks at GG. I didn't receive a response (yet) but I think some of you current owners may have/want to echo these so your product can improve by leaps-and-bounds:

 

 

 

I want to support the team at Guru but I have some difficulty in my mind when I read assorted message board comments – both pro & con – as a whole. I believe Sky Caddie SG2.5 is a unit very comparable to a Guru. I've had nothing but great experiences with my other Sky Caddies and their Customer Support, as I’ve had with your company. It's hard to justify the switch to a “developing” product (even though I know your company is the inventor of golf GPS units & hold the patent for the technology).

 

I will say through my own experiences – as well as selected friends in the golf community (not manufacturing reps) – your company has proven you truly care about your customers & your reputation in the marketplace.

 

Read on & allow me to have a debate with myself as to whether I sell this Guru or not. Some of these comments are based on my first impressions upon receiving my Guru & some are based on past/current experiences with Sky Caddie:

 

Pros of the Guru (itself):

 

§ No annual membership fees to download courses (a $50 savings every year over Sky Caddie)

 

§ Attentive customer service (although Sky Caddie has answered my e-mails within hours just like Golf Guru)

 

§ Originators of golf GPS (although it's difficult to find the current status of the lawsuit)

 

§ Ability to hold 40 courses (20 downloads & 20 self-mappings)

 

§ Small, lightweight unit (although I like mine on my bag - I carry & set my bag down close to the ball)

 

§ Ability to satellite map courses (although there appears to be some problems here-and-there)

 

§ Ability to map my own courses

 

§ Ability to edit mapping (mine and/or downloaded??)

 

Cons of the Guru (itself):

 

§ Lack of courses available (only 6000+??). I’m one of the people that has to do the legwork to get unmapped courses found & reported. Not to mention that I’ll be going to an unmapped course with a GPS that’s no good there. Then, I need to get a scorecard (and layout) and send it to you, wait a week or so, then I get to download & play the course with the information I wanted in the first place…the reason I bought a golf GPS.

 

§ No backlight - difficult to read in dawn/dusk conditions (yes, I play early & late - I have kids!)

 

§ No contrast adjustment - needed if no backlight planned

 

§ Flimsy USB cover ( afraid the rubber will snap if any pressure is applied). If the cover is lost & I get dirt in the USB connector, I'm screwed and my unit becomes an expensive paperweight

 

§ The buttons on top of display (I know it's a personal preference, but it's difficult to "look through my hand" if I'm scrolling on the screen)

 

§ Did I mention the lack of courses available for download???

 

§ Inaccuracy of mappings (I haven't experienced myself, but others have & that makes me hesitant to pull the unit out of the box)

 

§ Lack of detailed mappings (again, I haven't personally experienced, but makes me leery to use the unit)

 

§ Score tracking & handicapping - that is what a score card, pencil, and the GHIN-network is for.

 

§ Did I mention the lack of cour.....oh, never mind!

 

How would I improve the Guru?:

 

§ Courses, courses, courses!! - If I were a company coming out with a golf-GPS, I would try my damndest to map every course and have it available on my site; that way, no one feels "left out" or like their company doesn't support them. I know courses come-and-go and you can’t map every course, but when I - as a consumer – do my homework on the GPS competition & see that one company has every course I play in my state (about 30 different ones), at my parents (Indiana & Florida), and the 4-5 places I go for vacation; whereas, the other company has a few of the same courses available. Hmmm, what would be the prudent choice for me? Even if I have to pay $50/year - less than $5/month is nothing for a golfer who spends $100-$1000 on equipment, balls, green fees, etc. on an annual basis - for the information I want when playing a course, it's well worth it! Especially if I haven’t played the course.

 

§ Sky Caddie - out of 50 courses I play, 50/50 mapped: 4-star=49, 1-star=1

 

§ Golf Guru - out of 50 courses I play, 21/50 mapped: quality of mapping = unknown

 

§ GolfLogix – great library, but thrown out of my choices due to lack of control (buttons)

 

§ Sonocaddie, GolfBuddy, etc – pure B.S. they have over 20,000 courses mapped because I can’t find 15 of the 50 courses I play on their site.

 

§ uPro has nothing but problems launching their product

 

§ Courses (part II) - although self-mapping is a "nice" feature, I don't have the time/patience to map my own courses fully. Not to mention my insurance won't cover me if I get hit multiple times by errant golf balls while I trying to map my course. Seriously...I can't imagine the pro at my course saying, "Sure, Joe, go ahead a map the course while we hold these next 2 foursomes so you can take your time".

 

§ Details of mapping - I've read some courses just have the greens mapped, while others have the whole course mapped. Create a "rating system" where the user knows how detailed the mapping is before downloading and getting to the course - only to find the mapping is incomplete. Very frustrating for the average (or any) golfer. We purchase a GPS unit because we want details!!

 

§ Details (part II) - make sure the mapping is right. Institute a review method where you automatically review the courses in the library on a regular interval (once/year?) so modifications to the course (green shape, addition/subtraction of bunkers, etc.) are reflected in the mapping downloads.

 

§ Don't come out with a new unit unless there are significant improvements over the past units - it's very maddening when you plunk down $200+, think you bought "the best" your wallet could afford, and then...bam...the company comes out with a unit where they "tweaked" this or that. Now you've just thrown away $200+, you can't resell your unit for half of that, and your wife can’t understand why the GPS you just bought isn’t any good & won’t “allow” you buy another one. (A major fault of Sky Caddie)

 

§ Addition of a backlight

 

§ Addition of contrast of the screen

 

§ A "beefier" USB-connection cover

 

§ Ability of detailed analysis of a round/stats. Maybe interface with Shot-By-Shot (or Caddy Master or some other game-analysis software) so I can look at my "problem areas" and know what I need to work on to improve my game.

 

 

Like I said at the beginning, I'd like to see this company succeed beyond its' imagination so that all GPS-makers are (1) more responsible in delivering what they promise, and (2) improve their units so all golfers can benefit - play faster, play better, and have more fun on the links. That's how we can grow the game in the future!

 

I wish the Guru owners nothing but the best!! This will be my last post on this thread, and probably in this forum - unless I have problems with my SG2.5 - then I will post those problems/solutions so others may make an informed decision on their GPS purchase.

[pflogger]

Cuda Kota...Good luck dude! You bring up some good points, especially about the low number of maps. I guess everybody has to start somewhere and eventually work their way up. It is definitely a consideration when purchasing a gps unit. I like to map, even if the course is already mapped. I have done several courses from scratch, and now, no longer need to do that with the map editing capability. Just hide, or add targets to an already mapped course, and yes, I have issues with the latest software release that seems to have hidden one of my personally mapped courses after making an edit to it. I hope to get it back with the next software release. I have mapped 7 courses myself (all 18 holes) and have never had a problem with getting a course to let me go out early, before the first tee time and map the course. Once I got used to it, I can map it in about 30 more seconds than it takes to play it.

 

I think that most folks that have the concerns you have should actually call Golf Guru and speak to them about current problems, and their plans for upcoming software upgrades/improvements (maybe hardware too). I've talked to them several times on a couple of issues and 1) they answered the phone, 2) the person who answered the phone knew their stuff, or, 3) they put me in touch with someone who did almost immediately, 4) longest time to ever be placed on hold was maybe a minute, 5) they will bend over backwards to help and resolve any issues.

 

I've always been a big fan of Golf Guru's customer service. Very few companies, big or small, put emphasis in this area anymore. Since I'm an early Guru purchaser, have corresponded on issues and possible improvements, and consider myself pretty technically and computer competent, I am part of their beta test group. I have spoken to them at length about what I perceive as current problems and upcoming solutions. I own a SG3 and a GolfLogix. The SG3 was a piece, and the GolfLogix is ok, unless you want more than a unit you just stick in your cup holder and watch the numbers go by.

 

Short story...I'm testing their 2.0 Utility now. It is quite different than their current utility. Basically, it just syncs your Guru with what you have on the web site, both from the community map stand point, and the user map section. Your user mapped courses can be both uploaded and downloaded in the same manner as the current community mapped courses. This is the first step in sharing user generated maps, which is apparently, not far behind. I've also been told that version 1.15 of the Guru software is now being tested internally, and will be released to beta testers shortly. As a beta tester, we are now being asked to provide "mandatory" feedback to stay on the beta tester list (isn't that what a beta tester's for?).

 

Hope your SG 2.5 works out for you. I'm sure since they switched to a better quality GPS receiver it will have to work better than the 3's and 4's. Keep us posted. There really haven't been a lot of reviews on the new models. Meanwhile, I keep plugging away with my Golf Guru, and loving every minute of it!!

[reeves_]

While having more courses mapped than less is better, how many of those courses will you actually play? In my mind, as long as the 5-8 or so courses I may play each year are mapped, I'm happy.

 

If you travel alot and play random courses last minute, then I understand the added importance. If you are like me and have a steady rotation, with the occasional random course which I can pretty much plan for and request a mapping, then it is less important.

 

 

By the way, Golf Guru has mapped about an additional 1000 courses since I bought mine 2 months ago. I'm guessing by the start of the 2009 golf season they will have reached critical mass on their mapping database.

 

 

 

Also, I'm looking forward to additional updates for the Guru, including sharing individual mapped courses between users through the website. In contrast, I get the feeling SkyCaddie is essentially selling the same product they sold 4 years ago, repackaged into different models/sizes, and spending their money on marketing and endorsements. Unless SkyCaddie steps up their game and invests in actual development (how about better satellite coverage for starters, isn't that a no brainer?), they are at risk of falling even more behind with each innovative Guru software release.

 

 

Which of the following would you prefer:

A TV that got 16,000 channels, of which you only care about 8, and the reception was so so... or

a TV that got 6,000 channels, of which you only care about 8, and got great reception all the time (and you can request additional channels if you want).

[h2ohzrd]

While having more courses mapped than less is better, how many of those courses will you actually play? In my mind, as long as the 5-8 or so courses I may play each year are mapped, I'm happy.

 

By the way, Golf Guru has mapped about an additional 1000 courses since I bought mine 2 months ago. I'm guessing by the start of the 2009 golf season they will have reached critical mass on their mapping database.

 

They (Golf Guru) had only 2 of the 10 courses I play here in the Boise, ID area mapped. On one of the mapped courses, the back nine was completely off - wrong holes, distances, par. I had to request that they remap the course. I was a little dismayed by the lack of hazard information for the 2 courses they currently have mapped. I'll wait to see what my requested courses look like before I comment further.

 

One thing I was told by GG support was that when a course is mapped, it's not available to others via the 'Find a Course' selection on their website. They said it was an oversite. I find this incredible to believe. Does this mean that their course library is stuck at 6800? I hope not. When I looked for courses where I used to live, none were available. Makes me wonder what the real reason for this lack of courses is. I still have 23 days left to try the GG out b4 I decide to keep it.

[phil75070]

They (Golf Guru) had only 2 of the 10 courses I play here in the Boise, ID area mapped. On one of the mapped courses, the back nine was completely off - wrong holes, distances, par. I had to request that they remap the course. I was a little dismayed by the lack of hazard information for the 2 courses they currently have mapped. I'll wait to see what my requested courses look like before I comment further.

 

One thing I was told by GG support was that when a course is mapped, it's not available to others via the 'Find a Course' selection on their website. They said it was an oversite. I find this incredible to believe. Does this mean that their course library is stuck at 6800? I hope not. When I looked for courses where I used to live, none were available. Makes me wonder what the real reason for this lack of courses is. I still have 23 days left to try the GG out b4 I decide to keep it.

 

As I understand it, and I could be and am usually wrong, they purchased a database of some kind with a limited number of courses already mapped either in the format that they use or that could be converted. Apparently, they weren't done well. What I do know is that they had outsourced the mapping of courses and were definitely not happy about the quality of the work being done, and I was told they pulled that critical function in house. The course search function on their site has been messed up since I got my GG back around the 1st of March. I would get notification that a course I had requested was complete only to be unable to find it unless I searched by an assortment of parameters.

 

One of the courses they mapped had only six holes "playable" on one of the nines (3 nine hole courses played in differing combinations). So you can't use the Guru past hole 6 if that is used as the front nine on one of the maps, and you can't use the GG past hole 15 if that nine is mapped as the back nine. A course I fully self-mapped, all 18 holes, only showed 6 holes when I went into "play" mode. No matter what I tried to do to correct targets on hole 7 just caused the unit to crash. A coincidence with the 6-hole problem for both their maps and mine, different courses?

 

If customer service and a desire to deliver a great product with all of the features the user community truly needs and wants in a golf GPS were the sole determining factors for success then these guys will know no boundaries. I think they will eventually get their act together. It is just a question of when.

[BillK9989]

I gave Golf Guru 8 courses to map 10 working days ago. As of today, they are done. Seven working days is their goal, I think. All in all, I think this is great service.

 

I mapped the greens on one course myself, during a round of play. Easy easy easy...

 

I came from an iGolf. With iGolf they map one course per year for you, as part of your $35 annual package. F/C/B only.

 

The Golf Guru course download/utility software is 100X better than the igolf support - much more intuitive, and much faster downloads.

 

I like this unit a lot!

[willanaya]

First I would like to thank everyone for putting forth their pros and cons concerning the Guru. For me, the pros won and that is why I bought one yesterday and will receive it tomorrow.

 

However, I was wondering about the units that were returned due to not being satisfied. Are these units resold to new buyers as is? Or are they broken down, internals destroyed and replaced? or just destroyed outright?

 

Just wondering. I know it would be unlawful for them to sell a unit as new when it was already sold and returned, right?

[noaceyet]

Hi - I've been using my Guru for over a month now, mostly pleased with it. There is one problem that happens once or twice a round that is quite annoying. I take it out of my pocket and at first glance the distance seems correct but then (without moving) the distance either starts climbing high or dropping. The distance can be over 100 yds off. At some point it starts going in the other direction, and overshoots the right distance but not by as much. This continues, each time the swing is smaller until finally settles at a good distance. This whole process takes too much time to wait for. I play one course quite a lot and really only refer to the Guru when I'm in 'strange' places. So when I can't get a decent reading, its of no use. This has also happened on other courses. I sent an email to the support team and they suggested I upgrade from 1.12 to 1.14 - I've done that and will see what happens tomorrow.

Has anyone else experienced this or is it a problem with this Guru ?

[phil75070]

Hi - I've been using my Guru for over a month now, mostly pleased with it. There is one problem that happens once or twice a round that is quite annoying. I take it out of my pocket and at first glance the distance seems correct but then (without moving) the distance either starts climbing high or dropping. The distance can be over 100 yds off. At some point it starts going in the other direction, and overshoots the right distance but not by as much. This continues, each time the swing is smaller until finally settles at a good distance. This whole process takes too much time to wait for. I play one course quite a lot and really only refer to the Guru when I'm in 'strange' places. So when I can't get a decent reading, its of no use. This has also happened on other courses. I sent an email to the support team and they suggested I upgrade from 1.12 to 1.14 - I've done that and will see what happens tomorrow.

Has anyone else experienced this or is it a problem with this Guru ?

 

I did NOT experience that problem using the Golf Guru about twice per week from March 1 to last week. I believe 1.11 was the software version when I bought it; 1.12 added the ability to modify courses and did introduce some problems. 1.14 was a fix for some of those identified problems. I don't know if what you experienced would be fixed by 1.14 or not but it is sure worth a try.

[h2ohzrd]

So far my expectations have not been met with the Golf Guru. While mapping is somewhat easy, I don't have the time to fiddle with this. Further, the one course I played had the back nine completely wrong and I have had to request it be remapped. Many of my courses have just the green mapped, no hazard info. This is completely unacceptable and discouraging. I have asked that they remap 2 courses - I'm waiting for the 7 maps I requested on June 6. I'll see what these maps look like before I make a final decision. I played a round with a guy who had the iGolf Caddie II and his unit has all our local courses completely mapped. Like I said, discouraging.

[willanaya]

Here's a thought,

 

Couldn't golf guru "purchase" a membership from skycaddie and utilize their readings either for every request made or to solve the problems of mapping courses that display a google earth pic as cloudy?

 

You know, pay $50 and then BAM, 9000 courses added to their library.

 

Well, only if you can access courses from the skycaddie without actually being at the course, I dont know, never owned one.

[pflogger]

Hi - I've been using my Guru for over a month now, mostly pleased with it. There is one problem that happens once or twice a round that is quite annoying. I take it out of my pocket and at first glance the distance seems correct but then (without moving) the distance either starts climbing high or dropping. The distance can be over 100 yds off. At some point it starts going in the other direction, and overshoots the right distance but not by as much. This continues, each time the swing is smaller until finally settles at a good distance. This whole process takes too much time to wait for.

 

I'd say if you're going to stick it in your pocket, which would kill the signal on most gps devices, make sure you do so with the Guru logo facing out, not toward your body. Your body will block satellite signals, so even if you put it in your pocket with the logo (antenna) facing out, you've essentially cut off half your visible horizon. Even with the all the great comments about how well the Guru receives and stays locked on satellites, it, like all other GPS devices works best with an unobstructed view of the sky.

 

Check how many satellite bars you have when you take the Guru out of your pocket. If you have less than 3, you've lost WAAS and problaby a few satellites. It will take a little while to bring those satellites back in. You can also go to the Menu, and bring up GPS Status. This will show you how many satellites are being used and under "Position Fix" will read "SPS" if you are not using WAAS, and "DGPS" if you are. If you live in a geographical location that is already tough on GPS signals, such as a mountainous area, or an area with a lot of trees, buildings, etc. I would not advocate putting the unit in your pocket. Get yourself a cup holder, belt clip, or just carry it your hand when walking to your ball. I use GPS in my car, and when I fly, so I try to stay up on what works and what doesn't. Satellite reception is the name of the game. Sometimes you can get away with stuffing the gps in your pocket, sometimes you can't.

[noaceyet]

Hi - I've been using my Guru for over a month now, mostly pleased with it. There is one problem that happens once or twice a round that is quite annoying. I take it out of my pocket and at first glance the distance seems correct but then (without moving) the distance either starts climbing high or dropping. The distance can be over 100 yds off. At some point it starts going in the other direction, and overshoots the right distance but not by as much. This continues, each time the swing is smaller until finally settles at a good distance. This whole process takes too much time to wait for.

 

I'd say if you're going to stick it in your pocket, which would kill the signal on most gps devices, make sure you do so with the Guru logo facing out, not toward your body. Your body will block satellite signals, so even if you put it in your pocket with the logo (antenna) facing out, you've essentially cut off half your visible horizon. Even with the all the great comments about how well the Guru receives and stays locked on satellites, it, like all other GPS devices works best with an unobstructed view of the sky.

 

Check how many satellite bars you have when you take the Guru out of your pocket. If you have less than 3, you've lost WAAS and problaby a few satellites. It will take a little while to bring those satellites back in. You can also go to the Menu, and bring up GPS Status. This will show you how many satellites are being used and under "Position Fix" will read "SPS" if you are not using WAAS, and "DGPS" if you are. If you live in a geographical location that is already tough on GPS signals, such as a mountainous area, or an area with a lot of trees, buildings, etc. I would not advocate putting the unit in your pocket. Get yourself a cup holder, belt clip, or just carry it your hand when walking to your ball. I use GPS in my car, and when I fly, so I try to stay up on what works and what doesn't. Satellite reception is the name of the game. Sometimes you can get away with stuffing the gps in your pocket, sometimes you can't.

 

That seems like a very reasonable explanation. Probably should be in the Users Guide. Thank you.

[puckcoach3]

Hi - I've been using my Guru for over a month now, mostly pleased with it. There is one problem that happens once or twice a round that is quite annoying. I take it out of my pocket and at first glance the distance seems correct but then (without moving) the distance either starts climbing high or dropping. The distance can be over 100 yds off. At some point it starts going in the other direction, and overshoots the right distance but not by as much. This continues, each time the swing is smaller until finally settles at a good distance. This whole process takes too much time to wait for.

 

I'd say if you're going to stick it in your pocket, which would kill the signal on most gps devices, make sure you do so with the Guru logo facing out, not toward your body. Your body will block satellite signals, so even if you put it in your pocket with the logo (antenna) facing out, you've essentially cut off half your visible horizon. Even with the all the great comments about how well the Guru receives and stays locked on satellites, it, like all other GPS devices works best with an unobstructed view of the sky.

 

Check how many satellite bars you have when you take the Guru out of your pocket. If you have less than 3, you've lost WAAS and problaby a few satellites. It will take a little while to bring those satellites back in. You can also go to the Menu, and bring up GPS Status. This will show you how many satellites are being used and under "Position Fix" will read "SPS" if you are not using WAAS, and "DGPS" if you are. If you live in a geographical location that is already tough on GPS signals, such as a mountainous area, or an area with a lot of trees, buildings, etc. I would not advocate putting the unit in your pocket. Get yourself a cup holder, belt clip, or just carry it your hand when walking to your ball. I use GPS in my car, and when I fly, so I try to stay up on what works and what doesn't. Satellite reception is the name of the game. Sometimes you can get away with stuffing the gps in your pocket, sometimes you can't.

 

I like to carry mine in my back pocket and have never noticed any lag, etc. I usually have the screen facing away from my body (so I don't scratch it w/the button) and maybe that's why it works fine. Just have to be careful not to "plop" down in the cart when entering :D

 

The size/weight of this unit is my favorite feature.