Has GPS helped anyones game?

[designpunk]

Thinking of buying a GPS unit. Anyone have any good experiences with them in general? Have they helped your game/ scores?

[ddubya]

par threes and second shots.....they are fantastic..not looking for a marker...I keep mine in the cart beer holder...stop look at the pin location then the gps...its quick and simple....I don't know about saving you any shots....maybe the short distance....really handy in the 40 to 75 yard range for me....but not sure about a direct correlaton to score...DW

[peez007]

help your game, no. Help you get yardages quickly, yes.

[tbowles411]

"Help your game" is kind of a fallacy, but yes. I get my yardages from anywhere on the course so I play faster and I don't have to guess yardages so I know what club to pull for where I am. So, yes. It helps make the game somewhat easier.

[crtssxc]

I agree, it helps with club selection which might have an indirect benefit on helping you score, but you still have to hit the shots. Another thing the GPS is great for is laying up (either on par 5 or par 4 where you get in trouble off the tee).

An added benefit is you can really nail down your distances with each club. I say it is worth it.

[three-jack]

In my case, I've actually found the opposite is true. I used to have a laser, which helped me a lot (especially inside 100 yds where yardages aren't marked). Unfortunately, I left the laser in the cart one day. I decided that I would use my misfortune (or stupidity) as an excuse to get a GPS. While the GPS has a lot of advantages over the laser, I think that it actually cost me strokes. My problem is that I tend to use the front or back yardage if that is where the flag is, causing me to miss greens either long or short. I know that this is not the GPS's fault, and that I need to just use the middle of the green yardage to fix my problem. For whatever reason, I can't break this habbit. I'm better off when I leave the GPS at home.

[Oldnavycdr]

It absolutely helped my game by aiding in the club selection -- especially on new courses where the visuals are decieving. Even on my home turf I use it for distance to the pin or to clear hazards. Sure, you have to hit the shot as noted above but it helps me to know what that shot needs to be.

[Titus]

Yes, yes, and yes.....and yes I am using the cheapest Bushnell GPS.

Gives me the front, middle, and back pin distances as well as the bunkers and creeks. These are all I need anyway.

[Brick Tamland]

Absolutely. I have the GolfLogix and it is fantastic. Besides speeding up the pace of play, you'll be amazed how much more confident you are standing over the ball when you KNOW you have the right stick in your hand. As others have said, it is especially useful from 100 yards and in, when you're deciding which wedge to hit or whether you need the 7:30 swing or the 9 o'clock swing.

[greengolfhippo]

[quote][/quote]Absolutely. I have the GolfLogix and it is fantastic. Besides speeding up the pace of play, you'll be amazed how much more confident you are standing over the ball when you KNOW you have the right stick in your hand. As others have said, it is especially useful from 100 yards and in, when you're deciding which wedge to hit or whether you need the 7:30 swing or the 9 o'clock swing.
Titus Posted 54 minutes ago

I second the above. My handicap has gone from 16.4 to 13.1 in just over the month I have started suing my GPS. Much more confident in my club selection.

[sdbadd]

For me, the greatest advantage of GPS is blind shots into the green when you are cutting the corner on a dogleg. The shots blind so you can't laser it and since you are cutting the corner, yardage markers are no help.

[designpunk]

thanks guys. sounds like a clear yes.

if anything it will be handy to finally know how far i hit each club

[Greggz]

The most useful feature to me is Skycaddie's intelligreen.

This feature lets you place the crosshairs where the pin is on the green. I like having the distance to the flag. Especially helpful when greens are very deep or if you are coming in from somewhere other than the middle of the fairway.

Sometimes it is quite a bit different than what your eyes or yardage markers would tell you.

[DNice26]

It helped my game.... I dropped probably 2 strokes per round, which is alot for a once 3 handicapper....now at 1.2.

Especially with back pins, situations were you may otherwise be between clubs or if you often like playing new courses....

I lost mine on the course (Sky Caddie) during the Rockland County Amateur championship.....no one ever returned it....AND I even shut the damn thing down.....

Anyway, without it....I have that little bit less confidence in my club selections.

[I_HATE_SNOW]

My pinseeker has done wonders for my short game, getting the distances right from 50 -150 is much better now. I know what club and how much swing for my shots, no more guessing! You still have to hit the shot but knowing gives you confidence.

[golfortennis]

Great tool. I can't count the number of times I have been walking up to my ball, looking where it is and estimating what I might have(I'm usually not first to hit an approach shot so I have a moment). Then I pull out the rangefinder and I would have been way off.

A lot of greens at my home course have upper levels in the back, so if you go long on a front pin, it will be a treacherous putt/chip coming back. In a case like that I know that instead of hitting a 7(like my estimate would tell me) and going way past the pin, I can hit an 8, and if I'm a little short I can leave myself an easy chip for an up and down, instead of a really tough long shot.

I can't say enough about the rangefinder. (and no it does not slow down play.)

[peez007]

[quote name='greengolfhippo' post='1924275' date='Aug 31 2009, 09:34 AM'][quote][/quote]Absolutely. I have the GolfLogix and it is fantastic. Besides speeding up the pace of play, you'll be amazed how much more confident you are standing over the ball when you KNOW you have the right stick in your hand. As others have said, it is especially useful from 100 yards and in, when you're deciding which wedge to hit or whether you need the 7:30 swing or the 9 o'clock swing.
Titus Posted 54 minutes ago

I second the above. My handicap has gone from 16.4 to 13.1 in just over the month I have started suing my GPS. Much more confident in my club selection.
[/quote]


Is your GPS gonna settle out of court or go to trial?

[taskerc]

Yes, GPS has helped me immensely as I can, um, find myself in places where there are no markers like the adjacent fairway. Now I have a reading where I previously only had a wild guess at best. That said, the rangefinder has helped me more, especially in the short distance <75 yards - my chips and pitches are far more accurate now - I think I have a distance perception issue and the GPS and rangefinder have both helped with this issue very much.

[WishICouldPlayMoreOften]

Even though I tend to play fast, it helps with pace of play. I give out yardage info to people I'm playing with so it speeds up the group play more so than my own. It's worth it for that alone.

In addition, I find GPS great for distances to and to clear hazards and to front, middle, back of green. Those are the most important things to me. I generally don't need exact distances to layup spots because I only hit 2-3 clubs in my bag with that much precision and consistency.

Golf GPS isn't much different than driving GPS. It'll get you where you need to be most of the time, but you can't ignore everything around you because it's not foolproof. Auto GPS is much more practical and speedy than a road atlas, but if you need a lot of info for a specific area, a road atlas is the wiser choice (as would a laser rangfinder be in golf).

I'm glad they brought the technology to the sport. Now the price needs to come down. It will. Five years ago, auto GPS was pricey and from only a few players. Now you can get pretty good results for under $150 from big name and second-tier makers. Golf GPS will get there in half that time.

[rapriebe]

[quote name='three-jack' post='1924159' date='Aug 31 2009, 06:15 AM']In my case, I've actually found the opposite is true. I used to have a laser, which helped me a lot (especially inside 100 yds where yardages aren't marked). Unfortunately, I left the laser in the cart one day. I decided that I would use my misfortune (or stupidity) as an excuse to get a GPS. While the GPS has a lot of advantages over the laser, I think that it actually cost me strokes. [b] My problem is that I tend to use the front or back yardage if that is where the flag is, causing me to miss greens either long or short.[/b] I know that this is not the GPS's fault, and that I need to just use the middle of the green yardage to fix my problem. For whatever reason, I can't break this habbit. I'm better off when I leave the GPS at home.[/quote]

You still have to use your judgment and experience in conjunction with the GPS. You have to consider uphill - downhill, lie, wind, and hole location on the green, and factor those into the reading you get from your GPS or laser. I have both and I find that when I really want to be correct (typically from about 120 yards in), the laser is the only way to fly. When all I need is a quick approximation then I just look at the GPS and go.

[steve1iron]

GPS has definitely helped my game. Knowing the yardages has made me more confident when hitting shots. Since I purchased the SkyCaddie SG5 I haven't airmailed any shots because I took too much club. I've dropped 2.5 strokes off my handicap since I purchased the SG5 in June. Not all is directly attributable to SG5 but some of it is.

[golfgame]

I am certain that it speeds the game up. I find the biggest advantage in the shorter approach shots. It helps you decide what kind of shot is required, partial or full shot. If nothing else it adds confidence by having a feel for the length of your swing, etc. Of course you still have to make that shot.

I know one thing for certain. If you play with a GPS regularly and for what ever reason you are without it panic kind of sets in. You get so used to having that little device make your decision for you!!!

[JJH]

I have been using a 2.5 Sky Caddy for about 2 mos. I estimate that the more accurate distances change my club selection on average of 2-3x, so that without the GPS I'd be hitting the wrong club. It is hard to say how much that actually changes the score (I still have to make the shot to the green and if I hit the wrong club I might even get up and down).

At the very least, for my game, it has the potential to help with a few strokes a game and in addition it certainly speeds things up and makes it easier.

[sheldonjhacker]

Golfshot on my iPhone ROCKS !!!