GPS Golf Guru - Any thoughts on this?

[larryinharlem]

I have used the new color unit twice now and it seems to me it is not as sensitive as the original. Trees and slight clouds seems to make distance jump around a lot... anyone else having similar experience?

[samuraisjl]

I have not had this issue and I have the color Guru. I played yesterday in heavy overcast (clouds) and rain with no issues. Yardage pops right up and settles very fast once you stop at a target.

 

cheers,

[jazzbone]

Hi. I am thinking about getting a GPS. I don't particularly care about having color.

 

Has anyone had any trouble seeing the B/W display in cloudy/low light conditions?

Also, has anyone's battery needed to be replaced? I was curious about the longevity of them and the cost of a replacement battery.

 

Thanks!

[rcncgolf]

I use greyscale - I find all LCD's can be tough to read in low light (I have Igolf also) - but a simple turn of the wrist or direction & I can see it fine. The only time I have real issues is this time of year as sun is just about down & I am still trying to get 9 in...(basically dark!) my battery still lasts 2 rounds easy (4.5 hr rounds) now - well over 1 year old. I put a screen protector (zagg) on my guru early on & honestly it seemed to increase the contrast some for me

[golfgame]

I use greyscale - I find all LCD's can be tough to read in low light (I have Igolf also) - but a simple turn of the wrist or direction & I can see it fine. The only time I have real issues is this time of year as sun is just about down & I am still trying to get 9 in...(basically dark!) my battery still lasts 2 rounds easy (4.5 hr rounds) now - well over 1 year old. I put a screen protector (zagg) on my guru early on & honestly it seemed to increase the contrast some for me

I first reported that the screen protector from Zagg does increase the contrast level on the gray screen unit. I still maintain that. Here is the link for it.

http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/golf-g...ins-shields.php

:rolleyes:

[phil75070]

I found the grayscale very difficult to read in indoor lighting conditions, but never had a problem while playing.

 

I don't know when the GG was first introduced, but maybe about a year, maybe a little more? I would hope no one has had to replace a battery, yet! :)

[dizman]

I am also a mac user. Just got my Golf Guru and can't get the Utility to find the unit. Just says "Please connect your GG! Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

[jwknow]

I first reported that the screen protector from Zagg does increase the contrast level on the gray screen unit. I still maintain that. Here is the link for it.

http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/golf-g...ins-shields.php

:rolleyes:

 

$12 for a paper thin 2 inch by 2 inch piece of scratch resistant plastic seems a little steep. I know the alternative is a potentially scratched screen on the Guru and the argument would be something in the line of it being worth it just because of no scratches on the $250 unit but still......$12 ?? ....seems a little steep considering what it is. Am I missing something here? It does just cover the SCREEN doesn't it?...not the whole Guru??

[Aceboympk]

I spoke with Jeff from GG today for about 45 minutes. I asked him a lot of questions about the unit, the technology, the planned features/functionality, etc...

 

I was really impressed with the amount of time and his willingness to answer my questions. I'm not even a customer.

 

There is an additional board in the color unit (for the color screen) which makes it slightly thicker. Other than that, the two units are the same.

 

There have been very few returns of the units for not picking up GPS signals cleanly. Really only a handful and it has to do with the manufacturing process not having full QA capabilities. GG recognized the problem and they are investigating and analyzing the problem. It may be due to a design/engineering issue or a manufacturing/components issue or maybe both. I worked for an antenna company and my guess is, and this is ONLY a guess, the antenna wasn't redesigned for the color unit. It SHOULDN'T be a problem, but it could be. Keep in mind, these units are hand built in the USA so they are very high quality, but when you swtich a product design (to accomodate the additional board for the color screen) you will sometimes get quality issues during the initial manufacturing run. My guess is this is a manufacturing problem that will be quickly resolved for the color units. I want to re-emphasize that this "PROBLEM" was only for a handful of units. That is outstanding quality if only a few were returned. Anyone in manufacturing electronics should be able to attest to this. Better yet, if you have problems with your unit, they'll accept your exchange.

 

They have a lot of statistical capabilities not "turned on" yet. Jeff didn't say if/when they would be offered or if a new "statistics module" would be free or not. But, like other posts mentioned, the company is very open and RESPONSIVE to customer requests.

 

Unfortunately, until the statiscs functionality gets improved, the statistics for your round are purged so you must upload them to your PC. Again, this isn't functionality that is completely available through GG. Some of the statistics are available through the handicap site that GG works with, but not all of them.

 

I'm still up in the air about getting a GPS that doesn't have the statistics that I need. I want an electronic caddie, not just a GPS unit. So, I want the unit to track my statistics and allow me to retrieve them while I'm playing a round of golf. Just like a caddie.

 

I'll more than likely buy the color unit. Actually, my wife is going to buy it for my birthday. The SP5 holiday bundle looks very tempting for $350 though. But, I hate subscriptions and additional fees for something when another company is offering those things for free.

 

Good luck to you. I'll provide an update after I buy a unit and play a round with it.

 

Regards,

Mark

[DunedinGolfer]

I have the color Golf Guru and it does more than needed. Accuracy - it beats the SC 2.5. I compared it to a member's SC2.5 at the club and my color unit was more accurate. This comparison included my Bushnell Pinseeker 1500 which is +/- 1 yard. The Golf Guru was on the money every time.

 

 

 

As for statistics, I am in the middle of writing an application to take the stats from the file and place the data into a SQL Server Express database. This will allow me to track club distances and the basic GIRs, FIRs, Putts, scores and calculation of a handicap. Basically everything you could want - or I need.

 

 

 

Guru support said that they would be working on something similar but they did not know how long it would take. Also, they are working on a hole map, but there will probably be a minimal charge for that feature. They have been incredible when it comes to helping.

 

 

 

If you have not looked at the GPS GOLF GURU you could be making a big mistake. Not trying to sell, just trying to help.

[mul1gan]

quick question, so looking at this chart

 

http://www.digicaddie.wlb1.com/gps_comparative_table.html

 

the greyscale unit can store up to 40 courses and the color unit can store up to 200? Is that right? So once you have your favorite courses downloaded, you will never need to swap out like you do with skycaddie?

 

thanks

[PlaneMaker]

I have the color Golf Guru and it does more than needed. Accuracy - it beats the SC 2.5. I compared it to a member's SC2.5 at the club and my color unit was more accurate. This comparison included my Bushnell Pinseeker 1500 which is +/- 1 yard. The Golf Guru was on the money every time.

 

 

 

As for statistics, I am in the middle of writing an application to take the stats from the file and place the data into a SQL Server Express database. This will allow me to track club distances and the basic GIRs, FIRs, Putts, scores and calculation of a handicap. Basically everything you could want - or I need.

 

 

 

Guru support said that they would be working on something similar but they did not know how long it would take. Also, they are working on a hole map, but there will probably be a minimal charge for that feature. They have been incredible when it comes to helping.

 

 

 

If you have not looked at the GPS GOLF GURU you could be making a big mistake. Not trying to sell, just trying to help.

 

It would be really nice if you could download your courses from the website to your computer and the sync with the Guru from the computer.

[phil75070]

There is good and bad with the synching process. If you choose to synch for whatever reason, as I understand it, all of the courses loaded on the unit are downloaded again to insure that you have the latest version, That makes sure that you have a version with any mapping errors corrected or perhaps additional targets have been added or the course has been remapped because of course changes. That is the good. The bad is, I would not venture to guess how long it takes to download 200 courses at a time. :)

[DunedinGolfer]

There is good and bad with the synching process. If you choose to synch for whatever reason, as I understand it, all of the courses loaded on the unit are downloaded again to insure that you have the latest version, That makes sure that you have a version with any mapping errors corrected or perhaps additional targets have been added or the course has been remapped because of course changes. That is the good. The bad is, I would not venture to guess how long it takes to download 200 courses at a time. :)

 

I download nearly 30 courses. It might take a couple of minutes at the most. It also downloads the scoring information which I can view and load into excel or an application that I will be completing very soon. Any questions about the Guru can be asked of the support crew - they are so far superior to the competitors.

 

One point that people forget when it comes to the purchase of a golf GPS unit is what happens when the company goes belly up. It's gonna happen - just a matter of time. This question was asked to Guru and their response was all the courses that are currently on the system will function normally. You will be able to map your own courses just like you do now.

 

They have been doing this much longer that their other compeditors, so I am not concerned.

[jwinkelman8]

I just wanted to thank all of you for your in depth reviews and info. I read a bunch of reviews on different golf gps systems and decided on getting a golf guru. A couple of days ago I discovered a couple of gps units that I didn't know existed so I was immediately worried that maybe I made a mistake ordering the golf guru so I did more research that cemented that I made a wise choice. I found this forum in the process and have read everything you guys have written from beginning to end and feel like I now know the entire life of the golf guru. Ha. I get my golf guru in the mail in 2 days but I live in Cincinnati Ohio and need a bunch of inches of snow to melt before I can use it. I have a laser range finder and am excited to compare the two. Thanks again!

[Spyderman55]

I use greyscale - I find all LCD's can be tough to read in low light (I have Igolf also) - but a simple turn of the wrist or direction & I can see it fine. The only time I have real issues is this time of year as sun is just about down & I am still trying to get 9 in...(basically dark!) my battery still lasts 2 rounds easy (4.5 hr rounds) now - well over 1 year old. I put a screen protector (zagg) on my guru early on & honestly it seemed to increase the contrast some for me

I first reported that the screen protector from Zagg does increase the contrast level on the gray screen unit. I still maintain that. Here is the link for it.

http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/golf-g...ins-shields.php

:rolleyes:

 

Thought I'd add some info on screen protection for all you lucky Color Golf Guru owners. There is now a Zagg invisibleSHIELD screen protector available for the Color Guru. I know this because they used my Color Guru as the "template" device to get the proper size (Yes, the picture on their website is of MY Color Guru, though it is upside down the last time I looked). It seems that the screens on the color and grayscale Gurus are a slightly different size. I have been using these protectors for a long time on my iPods and they are really good - crystal clear and very durable. A little pricey, but well worth it.

[jwinkelman8]

Quick question. How exactly do you add something to a downloaded course? The course I am a member at has a couple of bunkers and things that are not on the course I downloaded but I cant figure our how to add things. Also I have used guru now at 4 different courses and about 10 times or so and it is amazing! I have NEVER had a problem with losing signal or having inaccurate readings like the other gps units. I have a laser rangefinder and having the guru is so much nicer. My home course is pretty hilly and there are plenty of times when getting yardage would have me climbing up and down hills and walking off yards. I would highly recommend to anyone.

[zazer]

You can download the Users Guide from the site. Section 8 covers editing a premapped course and Section 7 covers mapping a course. Hope this helps.

[jwinkelman8]

Excellent. Thank you. The bad part is I already looked there and just overlooked it.

[Titclemiz]

Finally got to try out my b/w guru. Played several courses and this thing is accurate. I was able to compare it to the gps unit on the cart and when I moved the flagstik on the guru, the yardages were identical. I did have some differences on a couple par-3's of some 20yds but the gps on the cart and the yardage on the card were different also, so haven't figured that one out yet.

 

Very easy to use once you get on to it. Kept score and track of putts, etc and it's just a breeze. Not sorry I bought it.

 

Haven't used any others, so can't compare, but I'm satisfied. Even after playing 36 holes in a day, there was plenty of juice left on the scale.

 

I have the refurbished unit. Also, I put the Zagg protective cover on it and had no problem reading it without my reading glasses.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

I just ordered my Guru Refurb unit. I can't wait to try it!

 

I purchased the Guru based on the outstanding reviews about the product and their customer support. Also I was highly impressed with the posts from the Company's President, Mr. Cornish. I love their focus on the customer and continuous improvement philosophy.

 

Also in serious consideration was the Igolf Triton, but it's so new and I haven't seen much in the way of comprehensive reviews yet. The Neo was at the top of my list until recently, because it covered most of my needs, had many good reviews and is the best bargan in the golf gps market. But the Guru ended up winning because the refurb unit isn't much more than a Neo after you add in a couple years of membership, and my innergeekdom likes the additional features on the guru.

 

Spring is around the corner here in upstate NY and I'll soon put away the ski's and start using my clubs (along with my new Guru) very soon.

 

Thanks to all that contribute on this forum and helping me make an educated purchase decision. I'll be sure to contribute my feedback about the Guru once I've logged some time with the unit.

[Pery's M]

There's a new update for the Guru. Software update version 2.03. There's no release history on it though, not sure what's being fixed or implemented.

[imhuntn]

I spent a few days going through the 18 pages of this topic and I've noticed that since version 2.0 came out, the discussion has died down. Is it safe to say that the bugs have been worked out and users are now finding more success adding points and mapping greens to courses they download? I am in the market for a GPS unit and most of the responses for the Guru have been positive. I even noticed Phil75070 is back to using the Guru (both models) and seems to be pleased. I am thinking this is the model for me but I would like to make sure the growing pains are over before I commit. A few specific questions;

 

Are users able to download a course, make edits, and upload it into their account for future use?

 

Are the edited courses going into a community cache for downloading by others?

 

Is Guru getting caught up with edits to existing courses to include "to" and "clear" distanced to hazards?

 

Is the Guru able to "store" club selection and yardage for statistics after it's powered down? If so, how long is the information kept and are average distances calculated? Can this information be uploaded into a file (preferably excel)?

 

I read that once you get inside 50 yards of the green that the distance is no longer given. Is that true? I've also read the users see "0" once they get to the edge of the green indicating how accurate the Guru receiver is when mapping the green perimeter. Does that mean you no longer get a reading from the edge or fringe of the green to the pin? I'd like the yardage on bigger greens since my short game is what needs the most work. It'd be nice if golf GPS systems could take the guessing game out of the pin location to assist the approaching golfer with a exact yardage rather than a guestimate based on location of pin relative to F/C/Back of green. The courses I play don't even tell you if the pins are f/c/back. We do good down in these parts to get accurate fairway yardage markers. If GPS companies were able to get golf courses to use a gps when they cut the new hole location and feed that information into a database each time they cut new holes, users could download the new hole locations before heading out to play their next round. This would bridge the idea of pin sheets and laser range finders. I realize it would take some doing to organize. Maybe someone could market a hole cutter with a built in GPS receiver. After the greens keeper finished cutting in the new holes, they could take the receiver back to the computer and upload the information.

 

Thanks for all the information! It's been very helpful.

[kmdmb]

I have the Guru and like it. Personally, I don't use it inside 100 yards. IMHO, you need to play it by eye from there.

[phil75070]

Are users able to download a course, make edits, and upload it into their account for future use? - YES

 

Are the edited courses going into a community cache for downloading by others? Not at this time

 

Is Guru getting caught up with edits to existing courses to include "to" and "clear" distanced to hazards? Yes, from what I see on the courses I have downloaded. You get the latest version every time you synch.

 

Is the Guru able to "store" club selection and yardage for statistics after it's powered down? YES, part of the marking feature.

 

If so, how long is the information kept - until you delete them -and are average distances calculated? No- the data is kept shot by shot if you use the mark feature. Can this information be uploaded into a file (preferably excel)? I believe they may be working on something to do that.

[Crayaco]

Just pulled the trigger on a refurb unit. Also, found a 5% discount coupon so got it for 189 and change.

 

Look forward to playing with this next week.

 

:wave:

[kyo-nax]

There's a new update for the Guru. Software update version 2.03. There's no release history on it though, not sure what's being fixed or implemented.

Here you go.

 

Current G002 Release is Version 2.03

 

Released 03/12/2009

Release Notes:

 

Improved distance calculation

Added flash file system command to file management

Removed delete from file management

[gnew23]

I purchased a new B&W Guru, and am going to play a round this weekend. I cannot wait to try, as this will be my first GPS "experience". I wanted to get the belt clip holster, but could not see paying $35 dollars after paying $249 for the unit. I must be a tight wad..... I went to a local Office Depot, and found a Leather PDA pouch made by Case Logic for a Palm Treo, which by the way the Guru was a perfect fit. Office Depot has discontinued the item, and the price is $1.94.....

 

I will give a quick review of the unit from a novice standpoint after my round over the weekend.

[theballbites]

Id go for the Uplay Upro, simply because of its video flyover of holes(limited to pro mode), but it is not available for all the courses. Its terrific! :russian_roulette:

[BlackDiamondPar5]

I just ordered my Guru Refurb unit. I can't wait to try it!

 

I purchased the Guru based on the outstanding reviews about the product and their customer support. Also I was highly impressed with the posts from the Company's President, Mr. Cornish. I love their focus on the customer and continuous improvement philosophy.

 

Also in serious consideration was the Igolf Triton, but it's so new and I haven't seen much in the way of comprehensive reviews yet. The Neo was at the top of my list until recently, because it covered most of my needs, had many good reviews and is the best bargan in the golf gps market. But the Guru ended up winning because the refurb unit isn't much more than a Neo after you add in a couple years of membership, and my innergeekdom likes the additional features on the guru.

 

Spring is around the corner here in upstate NY and I'll soon put away the ski's and start using my clubs (along with my new Guru) very soon.

 

Thanks to all that contribute on this forum and helping me make an educated purchase decision. I'll be sure to contribute my feedback about the Guru once I've logged some time with the unit.

 

Hi everyone. I got my refurbished guru on Weds and had the opportunity to use it on the course on Saturday.

 

First of all, it looks brand new and it's a nice little package. The outer case is a hard durable black plastic of good quality. It does have somewhat of a slippery feel to it (I dropped it twice on my hardwood kitchen floor, but no problem). It is very light also and thin enough to slip comfortably into a pocket. Software install, update and course install was simple and quick.

 

On the course it performed perfectly. It is as easy or complicated to use as you want. I didn't use any stats or scoring functions. The course I played had plenty of points called as appropriate for each fairway, so I did not try and add any custom targets. I will provide a more comprehensive review once I've used it a few times on a couple different courses.

 

One thing that I really need is a case. I don't think the one on the Guru sight is for me, as I want something that covers the outer case and that improves the grip on the Guru. I did buy a Treo silicon skin from Amazon to at least protect the device and improve the grip on it till I get something more permanent. I really want the ability to clip it to my belt and golf bag. Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

Thanks