Garmin Approach G5

[Q-Ball]

Let me know how they work. I'd really like to get 2 rounds out of the G5. I can get 2 rounds out of my SG5, 3 if we can play them quick enough (about 12 hours).

 

Im really undecided about the UPro and the Approach G5, so Im sticking with my SG5 for now.

[StratPete]

Played nine holes with the unit Sunday. The place we played has super deluxe GPS information on the carts too. So we were able to compare. Since it's wet we were stuck on the cart path only. Having the unit to walk out to the ball was great and I think the unit is dialed. The only thing I see missing, since I'm a mountain biker, is elevation everywhere. Dropped the unit once in a parking lot (awesome I know) and it's fine. Simple unit to use.

[milfordj]

Got an email from Critical Golf, their G5 review will be up Sunday 5 April, they had trouble doing the review because of course availability in their area.

 

Guess they still haven't found enough courses.

[Q-Ball]

Got an email from Critical Golf, their G5 review will be up Sunday 5 April, they had trouble doing the review because of course availability in their area.

 

Guess they still haven't found enough courses.

 

 

Thats my bad, I reread my the email and they would be done reviewing on Sunday, and posting later this week. I was beginning to wonder myself.

[slightdraw]

yup - i completely agree (regarding the legwork). i have actually found that a lot of companies ask for you to send them a scorecard, which i do find odd for devices that are $400-500.

 

as for the g5 coverage, it still looks brutally low. i guess depending on where those reviewing the g5 live, they really might now be many courses that are available (see http://criticalgolf.com/golf-gps-reviews/c...e-availability/ at the bottom - that review site shows availability by region).

 

and a question for everyone about the g5-

can anyone figure out what the heck the logic is to when they display distances when you are looking at the hole layout? i played a round last weekend with it and it would never display the distance to clear bunkers from the tee box, but rather only the distance to the bunkers (which wasnt helpful to me, given distances to clear probably around 180-200 yards). what was pretty odd was as i would walk closer to the fairway bunker the distance to clear it would finally display, but only when i got to within like 150 yards or 100 yards or something. long after i hit my tee shot. i know i can tap to get the distance, but since garmin must have mapped the distance already i cant figure out why they dont show it to me from the tee box. any ideas anyone?

[Gsco]

Yes. Per the rep I talked to it was solely to preserve screen space. ie., not look cluttered with numbers.

 

Do you find it hard to tap to that location from the tee? For me there is no accurate way to get a reading to clear a bunker with the graphic being so small.

 

Also, seems odd you didn't have any distances to clear. I either get one or the other depending on where or how close the hazards are to each other.

[slightdraw]

hmmmm....my 2 cents would be that they went overboard.

 

you can certainly tap the location from the tee, and i think it gives reasonable accuracy (though it seems like you are only permitted to tab certain points on a grid - you can place the target crosshair wherever you want - its close, but not exact), but like you say, the graphic is somewhat small and without the ability to zoom you may be left wanting to be able to place the crosshair more accurately.

 

i guess i lean toward the upro, since it shows all vital near/far hazard distances when you are in hole view. maybe im just nitpicking, since you can always just tap the screen, but i wish that garmin had included all relevant target points from the tee. to me that would makes the device twice as good - pick you point, and yet see every relevant distance. maybe the reason it didnt show me distances to clear is because the device is catered more to people who drive 150-170 off the tee, and not those that are trying to clear bunkers at 200 (kidding....)

 

oh - i should say that the garmin was only showing the near bunker distance from the tee for individual bunkers as well as bunker clusters. strange days, indeed.

[Gsco]

If Garmin had a list screen (for all relative points) similar to the Upro or Skycaddie it would be awesome.

[harleykids]

According to the Critical Golf review, Garmin will soon have a free update that allows you to zoom in on the fairway view, thus making it MUCH easier to see the distance to clear a bunker or hazard from the tee box. Then you can see the whole bunker clearly and get the measurement.

 

Only thing lacking on the unit is the ability to store a club for each shot (which disappoints me), and a good detailed statistic package.

 

Also, I am not sure you can view the entire score card at one time (i.e. like the paper scorecard at the golf course, so you can see the entire front/back 9 at the sam time. I think they just show your score relative to par...at least I have not seen a full scorecard screen shot yet.

 

Can someone tell me if the shot distance feature updates the distance in real time, while you walk towards your ball (and as you hopefully PASS your buddies ball!:p) Or is it like the uPro where it only shows the shot distance when you get to your ball and press the mark button (this sucks...a BIG design flaw in the uPro unit IMHO)

 

thanks!

[Q-Ball]

According to the Critical Golf review, Garmin will soon have a free update that allows you to zoom in on the fairway view, thus making it MUCH easier to see the distance to clear a bunker or hazard from the tee box. Then you can see the whole bunker clearly and get the measurement.

Only thing lacking on the unit is the ability to store a club for each shot (which disappoints me), and a good detailed statistic package.

 

Also, I am not sure you can view the entire score card at one time (i.e. like the paper scorecard at the golf course, so you can see the entire front/back 9 at the sam time. I think they just show your score relative to par...at least I have not seen a full scorecard screen shot yet.

 

Can someone tell me if the shot distance feature updates the distance in real time, while you walk towards your ball (and as you hopefully PASS your buddies ball!:p) Or is it like the uPro where it only shows the shot distance when you get to your ball and press the mark button (this sucks...a BIG design flaw in the uPro unit IMHO)

 

thanks!

 

That club feature makes it illegal for tournaments, and you lose a big audience if you include that.

 

$500 and you need to invest in $20 of rechargeable batteries as well. I wanted the G5 to be so awesome, but its kind of disappointing. They need a BIG course update for my area real bad as well. I bet they got maybe 50% of the courses that are most played.

[harleykids]

Q-Ball,

 

I thought that the club feature was only illegal if the unit suggests which club you should use, based on the distance given. This is not what I am suggesting.

 

The feature I want is just to be able to store which club I used for each shot, so I can see how far I am hitting the ball with each club....this should not be illegal since you can simply write down the club and distance on paper for each shot.

 

The Golf Guru lets you tie a club to each distance, and it is not illegal in tournaments....so why would this feature make the G5 illegal?

 

I just wanted the convenience of adding which particular club I use when I shoot, since I have to mark the start and stop distance anyway, it would be no big deal to simply select my club from a drop down menu.

 

I want this for statistics...not for having the unit tell me what club to use.

[Q-Ball]

Q-Ball,

 

I thought that the club feature was only illegal if the unit suggests which club you should use, based on the distance given. This is not what I am suggesting.

 

The feature I want is just to be able to store which club I used for each shot, so I can see how far I am hitting the ball with each club....this should not be illegal since you can simply write down the club and distance on paper for each shot.

 

The Golf Guru lets you tie a club to each distance, and it is not illegal in tournaments....so why would this feature make the G5 illegal?

 

I just wanted the convenience of adding which particular club I use when I shoot, since I have to mark the start and stop distance anyway, it would be no big deal to simply select my club from a drop down menu.

 

I want this for statistics...not for having the unit tell me what club to use.

 

 

My bad, I misunderstood your reference.

[harleykids]

No problem Q-ball! No offense taken.

 

I am a beginning golfer and that feature would help me put together my distance/club list.

 

I can do it manually (paper/pencil, recording the distance via GPS that I hit each of my irons, drivers, hybrids, woods, etc during each round, on each hit) but if I am already getting distances, keeping score, etc. on my handheld golf GPS, then why not make it convenient to simply record the club used on each shot (and distance after the shot)

 

I just sent my golf guru color unit back, taking advantage of their 30 day money back guarantee. I am going to get the Garmin G5 and see how I like that....no club recording feature, but it will keep track of mine and 3 other buddies scores, so not a bad trade off.

 

Thanks

Jason

[Q-Ball]

No problem Q-ball! No offense taken.

 

I am a beginning golfer and that feature would help me put together my distance/club list.

 

I can do it manually (paper/pencil, recording the distance via GPS that I hit each of my irons, drivers, hybrids, woods, etc during each round, on each hit) but if I am already getting distances, keeping score, etc. on my handheld golf GPS, then why not make it convenient to simply record the club used on each shot (and distance after the shot)

 

I just sent my golf guru color unit back, taking advantage of their 30 day money back guarantee. I am going to get the Garmin G5 and see how I like that....no club recording feature, but it will keep track of mine and 3 other buddies scores, so not a bad trade off.

 

Thanks

Jason

 

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Knowing how far you realistically hit each club is huge for anyone of any skill level, and folks who are not realistic usually are the ones having a bad day. Ego in golf is a bad thing. I still catch myself trying to hit the same club as some of my younger friends, and it doesn't usually work out that well.

 

Have fun

 

Randy

[harleykids]

Randy,

 

You are correct. I don't care how far my buddies hit their clubs...it does my game no good!

 

I only care about how far I hit MY shots, and how far I can realistically hit each of my different clubs. Then I can figure out my strengths (and exploit them) as well as my weaknesses (and try to fix/strengthen them)

 

Since the uPro and G5 both do not keep track of club/shot distance pairings, I will start writing this down in my little red book.

 

Thanks for the advice!

Jason

[Gsco]

Update is now available for zoom and calibration.

[BirdieBob]

Current Courses:

http://www8.garmin.com/intosports/golfcourse.html#California

 

April Update...coming!

http://www8.garmin.com/intosports/Approach...dateCourses.pdf

[tbowles411]

Man, most of the courses I play are on here. I've got lots of batteries. Screw it! Where do I get one?! :D

[Q-Ball]

Its got all but my home course, I sent them a card, they want another one, and if the next update is this fall I cant use it til next Spring. Ill pass and get the UPro in the For Sale section for $320 if I decide to can the SG5.

[Golfdude2]

Have been using my new G5 and am enjoying it.

 

Just loaded the the software update with the zoom and calibration.

Software update was a breeze, .... and i have to say I'm likeN that zoom ... Thanks Garmin

Keep those new features coming, ..... club used & putt count ... help me improve my game.

 

Some asked if the distance was updated as you walk towards your ball? Yes it does, I can tell my golf buddy the distance of his short shot :) .... all in good fun.

 

If I see specific questions when checking the forum, .... I'll try to answer if I know.

[milfordj]

They still don't have ANY of my courses, but 2 questions: 1. How easy is it to use that zoom feature; are you spending a lot of time trying to determine those distances to carry "distant" hazards from the tee? I remember seeing in an OnPar post about the difficulty of zooming back and forth trying to get a measurement reading, and just wondered if this won't be the same problem. 2. How easy is it to see the screen in strong sunlight, and do you have to take off your sunglasses / transition lens glasses to be able to clearly see it? Thank you for your reply.

[Gsco]

The zoom feature rocks, nothing like the onpar. You set your point, hit zoom, and it zooms to that area. The sensitivity has improved slightly. Playing tomorrow with it.

[Golfdude2]

The zoom is very easy to go into and out of. In bright sunlight the screen was great I thought, .... everyone's eyes are different but I had the same question initially and was quite satisfied when i tested it. It will auto dim after I think 30 seconds to save battery, but you just have to touch it and it comes back to bright.

[Buzzkill]

actually this has almost everything, been out for a while

 

http://pocketcaddy.net/index.php

 

just not in US!

 

Looks very similar in design to Callaway's Upro but I didn't compare the functions/capabilities.

[Gsco]

I wish I had a definitive reason why I like the G5 so much. Maybe it's just because I'm a huge Garmin fan and customer. Could be because everything is done from the main screen without having to jump around. I don't know.

 

However, not everyone will like it. As a matter of fact, the owner of the unit we were using didn't like it. It was to big, numbers were to small, he didn't like the touchscreen and he wanted one he could put in his pocket.

 

He wanted to use my uPro. At the end of the round I was using the G5 and he was using the uPro.

 

We talked about a swap. I'm thinking about it. Price will be a wash with the pro courses I've bought. The one thing that will make me do the switch is the screen. I really cannot see the pro mode well at all. He had no problem. Some have no problem, so do. I basically just use the basic mode because of it.

 

I'm gonna switch with him.

[Q-Ball]

Im close to pulling the trigger on one. I can use my laser until they map my home course, and every other course I play is on there.

[milfordj]

"However, not everyone will like it. As a matter of fact, the owner of the unit we were using didn't like it. It was to big, numbers were to small, he didn't like the touchscreen and he wanted one he could put in his pocket."

 

GSCO, I agree with you about the U-Pro Pro-Mode screen being difficult to see, and for that reason I'm still searching for a "satisfying" GPS unit. So far, my Sonocaddie V-300 is best, but it certainly has problems -- biggest being No Automatic Hole Advance. I really think the U-Pro is a very nice unit for PLAYING A DIFFERENT COURSE than commonly played. Inability to map points is a Very Big DISADVANTAGE to G-5 AND U-Pro for courses you play regularly, due to inadequate mapping. One course I play regularly has a creek crossing the fairway and another has a deep "gulley" that must be avoided. I have to lay-up short these hazards. Don't know if the problem is in mapping, or in my inability to see it on the Pro-Mode screen. Too time consuming to try to select the best lay-up spot each time these courses are played, when these spots are ealily self-mapped on my V-300. Yu could preview the course, with flyovers, inside where the screen is easy to see, and during your round you could measure to desired lay-up distance on unfamiliar holes. Too bad that you have to purchase the Pro-Mode map for this Different (not-previously-played) course, which you may not play a second time. And of course the difficulty of viewing the screen in sunlight, as you already mentioned.

 

I'm afraid the G-5 is not going to be the one for me. It is similar in "bulk" to the V-300 and both are waterproof, which appeals to me despite the fact that I do everything I can to avoid playing in the rain. Like your playing partner advised in the above quote, I too am concerned about the very small size of the numbers. Too bad you can't increase the font in G-5 as you can in U-Pro. I'm also not sure about the touch-screen, as opposed to "joy-stick" and right/left soft keys, for selecting needed info. I don't agree with him about it being "too big" or inability to fit in pocket. I prefer to wear it clipped to my belt and would really appreciate the much larger viewing screen (except for those small numbers). Sign me, STILL SEARCHING.

[Q-Ball]

Im just the opposite, I have a cart mount and a push cart mount for my SG5, and will have the same for my next one. I hate having anything but a few tees and a ball mark repairer in my pocket when I play.

 

I need to see one first, and NOBODY around here plans on carrying the G5.

[Gsco]

I was not a fan of touchscreen and preferred the joystick control of the uPro better. However, after the update, it works very well with the zoom and added stability of the cross hair target thing.

 

It would be nice to add points, but I really think it is unnecessary being able to get a point anywhere on the hole. The one downfall with the G5 is they don't locate trees and may not map that stream you are looking for.

[BigHack]

Golfdude2:

 

I am seriously thinking of going out and getting the G5 (very soon). I have been tracking it since it was first announced, I have read every review I can find and I have seen one in the store and I am hooked. I do have a couple of remaining questions though. First, how well does the zoom feature work. Does it have multiple zoom levels, can you toggle back and forth between zoom and the overall hole view, does the zoom give you the distances to both reach (and clear) a hazard? Also, does anyone know which store (online or brick and mortar) has the best return policy? Regarding the greenview, does the green rotate from your approach angle so that the "front" of the green is really the closest part of the green to your position or is the front always the part closest to the tee box? Finally, will new updates continue to be provided in new free software upates or do we reach a point where you have to buy a new unit to get the latest and greatest functionality?

 

 

Any and all information, insight, etc. from Golfdude2 or others would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks,