Garmin Approach G5

[Golfdude2]

BigHack

 

The Zoom is one level only, and for me seems very adequate, It works like this:

 

a.) If you are on the Hole view

 

b.) The Zoom button does not appear until you establish the two vectors distance. Just tap the screen. Personally, I do not think you should have to do that. They should just make the Zoom button so it's there from the get go. Tap Zoom and you're on the Zoon view

 

c.) From the Zoom view you can go to the Green view or back to the Hole view if you press Done. From the Zoom view you can go to the Green view and set the pin. Press Done from the Green view and you'll be back at the Zoom view, from the Zoom view press Done and you'll be back at the Hole view.

 

d.) Zoom view just provides you with a closer look of sand traps or etc. and allows you to fine tune the two distance vectors, I do not really set it on the initial view, I just tap the screen so I can get the Zoom button and then go to Zoom view where I set it at the location I want to get the vectors. Zoom view does not give you the distance to the front of the hazard and the distance to clear the hazard unless you move the vector to the front, get the reading and then move it to the back of the hazard for the second reading.

 

e.) The green view does not rotate

 

f.) The updates question is for Garmin, my impression is that it's always free.

 

Hope this answers your questions, ..... you can always call or email Garmin support.

 

I like the unit and am pretty happy with it. I wished it had been a little cheaper and that they had provided the rechargeable batteries to make me feel better about the purchase. I do hope there are some software updates in the future with some additional features. Statistics, putt count, etc. The unit is solid and I trust Garmin to provide the support to make it all worth while. The touch screen and numbers font size are fine for me and I wear glasses, but not when I'm playing.

[Q-Ball]

I jumped off the cliff, mine will be here tomorrow.

[BigHack]

Golfdude2:

 

Thanks for your post. Although I am a little dissapointed with some of your findings because I was under a different impression for some of them. Specifically, I was under the impression that the zoom feature improved the yardage markings to hazards because I have read some posts that indicated it was not always clear of the logic used when determining which hazards were marked with distances in the hole overview mode (i.e. some bunkers were marked to reach the bunker and other were marked to clear the bunker, but not both). I thought that once you switched to the zoom view that more distances would appear (i.e. both distance to reach and distance to clear the hazard) than are shown in the hole overview mode but that doesn't sound correct based on your experience.

 

I also thought I read at some point that the green mode came up at the angle in which you were approaching the green at the time you pressed green mode (that is to say if you were to the right of the green when you pressed green mode then the green would be oriented so the the "front" of the green was actually the right side of the green). However, that doesn't seem to correct based on your experience. Can you tell me if I am at the right of the green and press green mode, what distances to the green would be shown?

 

It still sounds like a great unit and once I can convince myself that $499 is not too much to spend for an extravagence in this economy, I am going to buy one. Any other insight into the above questions would be appreciated.

[Golfdude2]

BigHack,

 

To answer that last question about if you are on the right side of the green and press green view what is the distance. I just tried it from home here, and the green view only shows the original off tee distances. I was rather surprised. Maybe that is because I'm at home and not at the course. I'll have to re-visit this when i get to the course and see if its the same. No definite answer with this post.

 

I should have noted before that I have not used the Zoom on the course. Maybe on the course it works differently than it does at home. I will update with that finding as soon as I can. It may be a week before i play next.