Any New News From Golf Guru?

[Rickochet]

Does anyone have any news from Golf Guru? I have been very pleased with my Guru 4 for the past year but I wonder what is going on with them. Their website is stale to say the least, I never get emails or replies to any emails. the Nav module I got with it is surely out of date and no info on updates. Any clue on what is going on with Golf Guru?

[Adamsguy]

I'm still using and enjoying my GG4. Had to have a new screen put in due to me closing my lift gate on it.

I would give them a call, they have always been very nice to me on the phone. I too would like to get a road nav update. When I get a moment I will call them.

[Rickochet]

I ordered a screen protector for my GG4 yesterday. I got a refund back today saying it was out of stock. Duh? At this point I am considering my GG4 as a throw away unit when it croaks. It doesn't appear that GG has any interest in future golf applications.

[ronbo]

Just like golf Logix, On Par and now Golf guru. None could make in this market.If you want to stick with what I think is still the best and biggest, Go SkyCaddie...
They invented this category and have the staying power to be around .... They might not always be perfect, but at least you know they will be around. Sound like Golf Buddy could be next, there latest unit is a bust from what have hearing

[PlaneMaker]

I have the original GG grayscale unit and it had never let me down.


Not sure I am ready to stick a fork in Golf Guru just yet. Still, there is roon for concern.

With all the crossover appliances (smartphones) and the ability to map your own course using google maps it is going to be harder and harder for those that make a golf specific device to make their business model work.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='ronbo' timestamp='1284586924' post='2698737']
Just like golf Logix, On Par and now Golf guru. None could make in this market.If you want to stick with what I think is still the best and biggest, Go SkyCaddie...
They invented this category and have the staying power to be around .... They might not always be perfect, but at least you know they will be around. Sound like Golf Buddy could be next, there latest unit is a bust from what have hearing
[/quote]

I did not hear about OnPar or Golf Logix. Whats going on with them?

As far as Skycaddie, they did not invent this category, the owners of golf guru did... [b][url="http://www.gpsgolfguru.com/images/stories/ggg/pdf/05364093_1.pdf"]5,364,093 US Patent[/url], not that it means much to me at this point.[/b]
Also, interestingly of my 16 golf buddies, only 1 is using a skycaddie. Last year there were three using skycaddie. Two of them defected and went to some inexpensive Droid app that they said worked just as well, if not better than their skycaddie, but at a fraction of the cost and no annual fees. Skygolfs day is coming.

As for me, I keep using my Golf Guru 2 till it breaks, then see how the industry shakes out.

[ronbo]

[quote name='Andy L' timestamp='1285111717' post='2707692']
[quote name='ronbo' timestamp='1284586924' post='2698737']
Just like golf Logix, On Par and now Golf guru. None could make in this market.If you want to stick with what I think is still the best and biggest, Go SkyCaddie...
They invented this category and have the staying power to be around .... They might not always be perfect, but at least you know they will be around. Sound like Golf Buddy could be next, there latest unit is a bust from what have hearing
[/quote]

I did not hear about OnPar or Golf Logix. Whats going on with them?

As far as Skycaddie, they did not invent this category, the owners of golf guru did... [b][url="http://www.gpsgolfguru.com/images/stories/ggg/pdf/05364093_1.pdf"]5,364,093 US Patent[/url], not that it means much to me at this point.[/b]
Also, interestingly of my 16 golf buddies, only 1 is using a skycaddie. Last year there were three using skycaddie. Two of them defected and went to some inexpensive Droid app that they said worked just as well, if not better than their skycaddie, but at a fraction of the cost and no annual fees. Skygolfs day is coming.

As for me, I keep using my Golf Guru 2 till it breaks, then see how the industry shakes out.



Your right doesn't mean much. Golf Guru never became a house hold Brand name like Skycaddie and always pretended to be one, the only feedback came from guys like you who bought into them being the best and now like others that don't have the staying power will just go away. That's the way business goes... Good luck.....
[/quote]

[J13]

I was with Golf Logix and it my unit went haywire and cost me some strokes. Needless to say it went in the garbage. I've stepped away from GPS and am now using a Bushnell Pro 1600 Rangefinder and im loving every second of it. I'll never go back to GPS.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='ronbo' timestamp='1284586924' post='2698737']
Just like golf Logix, On Par and now Golf guru. None could make in this market.If you want to stick with what I think is still the best and biggest, Go SkyCaddie...
They invented this category and have the staying power to be around .... They might not always be perfect, but at least you know they will be around. Sound like Golf Buddy could be next, there latest unit is a bust from what have hearing
[/quote]

Ronbo, I was unaware that GolfLogix, OnPar or Golf Guru for that matter are gone. Where are you getting your information and what are the specifics?

[PlaneMaker]

IMO The Guru 2.0 is the best bang for the buck out there. I only hope that the Golf Guru people are still around when this unit dies and that they have decent offerings. As I have said previously based on past customer support I am not willing to throw Golf Guru under the bus just yet.

I do believe that golf specific GPS units are a specialty product and they are going to face more and more competition from units that can do more (like the Guru 4). As for myself I am very interested in the Golf Android apps. I downloaded Skydroid last night and I am very encouraged with the app, the ability to map my own course is very appealing.

FYI – Prior to get my Guru I actually walked my courses and created waypoints for the center of each green with my Garmin recreational GPS. I then plotted the latitude and longitude on Google Earth satellite images. The waypoints were spot on with the Google Earth images so, I don’t have any problem mapping a course from a satellite image (which happens to be Sky Golf’s latest advertizing strategy). Of course YMMV

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='PlaneMaker' timestamp='1285247330' post='2710175']
IMO The Guru 2.0 is the best bang for the buck out there. I only hope that the Golf Guru people are still around when this unit dies and that they have decent offerings. As I have said previously based on past customer support I am not willing to throw Golf Guru under the bus just yet.

I do believe that golf specific GPS units are a specialty product and they are going to face more and more competition from units that can do more (like the Guru 4). As for myself I am very interested in the Golf Android apps. I downloaded Skydroid last night and I am very encouraged with the app, the ability to map my own course is very appealing.

FYI – Prior to get my Guru I actually walked my courses and created waypoints for the center of each green with my Garmin recreational GPS. I then plotted the latitude and longitude on Google Earth satellite images. The waypoints were spot on with the Google Earth images so, I don't have any problem mapping a course from a satellite image (which happens to be Sky Golf's latest advertizing strategy). Of course YMMV
[/quote]

I agree, the G002 is the best bang for the buck. Also, I'm not ready to write them off either. In fact, I rec'd two responses from them in the last 24 hours to my inquiry about their status, one from Sales and one from their President. They said they've still got a new device coming out that was delayed due to display issues. Also they've got a new and improved version of the G002 coming out, as well as more G4s coming. The new products will be available later this year and the G4's within the next 15 days. No other details were provided.

[ronbo]

Believe what you want, this company has zero creditability and has only a small cult following, unless it steps up and goes head to head with the big boys, it,s just another wantaby and will only satisfy it,s small following...... Good luck for those of you who have one, and let me know when I can by one from golf galaxy or dicks..... I have rewards point I could use.......

[PlaneMaker]

[quote name='ronbo' timestamp='1285297021' post='2711544']
Believe what you want, this company has zero creditability and has only a small cult following, unless it steps up and goes head to head with the big boys, it,s just another wantaby and will only satisfy it,s small following...... Good luck for those of you who have one, and let me know when I can by one from golf galaxy or dicks..... I have rewards point I could use.......
[/quote]

Your comments are not surprising comming from somebody who has completly sold out to Sky Caddie (not that Sky Caddie makes a bad unit). You may well be right in your analysis only time will tell.

FYI - Just because you can't buy the Guru at a big box store does not mean they are another wantaby. When was the last time you bought Wishon, Scratch or Feel golf products in a big box store. Those companies seem to be doing ok with their original designs.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='ronbo' timestamp='1285297021' post='2711544']
Believe what you want, this company has zero creditability and has only a small cult following, unless it steps up and goes head to head with the big boys, it,s just another wantaby and will only satisfy it,s small following...... Good luck for those of you who have one, and let me know when I can by one from golf galaxy or dicks..... I have rewards point I could use.......
[/quote]

Ronbo, it would appear that you might be the one with a credibility issue. You stated in an earlier post that Golf Logix, OnPar and Golf Guru were gone. Where did they go? They all are still selling products. Show your source or please stop posting nonsense.

[ronbo]

All right, let me state my point and hopefully make it clear. I have a good friend of mine that is a store manager at at Golf Galaxy and he is the one that keeps me updated with all the news from the golf business along with and number of my friends who are PGA Pro's and own their own shop and stock both GPS and Range finders. All have confirmed that four companies that only matter in the customers eyes and sales are SkyGolf, Golf Buddy, Upro and Garmin. Golf Logix has become a Smart Phone app company and is only selling their devises on line and pushing hard for phone apps. and have not been in shops for some time now. On Par ran out of money and is no longer being carried at Galaxy Golfsmith and on-line. there might be some left out in the market, but at a deep discount. Golf Guru never made it to the masses and i guess never had a chance to, most if not all the the guys i talked to even heard of them and as i said before, has a Cult like following, which is fine but in the electronic business, you need to be in the Big Boxes or have a Big Niche and big following, which golf Guru never had to make it. So, I hope this answers your question, and if you don't believe me, ask any store that i mentioned and I'm sure they would tell you the same. If I mis-stated they are all gone, I apologize. I should have said will be gone or bought by someone who thinks they could do it better?

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='ronbo' timestamp='1285420340' post='2713335']
All right, let me state my point and hopefully make it clear. I have a good friend of mine that is a store manager at at Golf Galaxy and he is the one that keeps me updated with all the news from the golf business along with and number of my friends who are PGA Pro's and own their own shop and stock both GPS and Range finders. All have confirmed that four companies that only matter in the customers eyes and sales are SkyGolf, Golf Buddy, Upro and Garmin. Golf Logix has become a Smart Phone app company and is only selling their devises on line and pushing hard for phone apps. and have not been in shops for some time now. On Par ran out of money and is no longer being carried at Galaxy Golfsmith and on-line. there might be some left out in the market, but at a deep discount. Golf Guru never made it to the masses and i guess never had a chance to, most if not all the the guys i talked to even heard of them and as i said before, has a Cult like following, which is fine but in the electronic business, you need to be in the Big Boxes or have a Big Niche and big following, which golf Guru never had to make it. So, I hope this answers your question, and if you don't believe me, ask any store that i mentioned and I'm sure they would tell you the same. If I mis-stated they are all gone, I apologize. I should have said will be gone or bought by someone who thinks they could do it better?
[/quote]

Ronbo,
Thanks for that clarification and I think there is some good info in what you provided. I do not doubt that some of these companies may disappear, either by shutting down or perhaps being absorbed by another GPS or golf equipment maker. And some may survive by being small niche providers. Just because a product does not appear in a big box store doesn't mean its gone either, so time will tell on how things shake out. I was trying to find some supporting info on the internet, and couldn't find anything yet

Long term, I think it's a sure thing that Callaway uPro and Garmin will be market leaders as their names are recognized leaders in golf or gps electronics. Yes, while Skygolf has the huge marketing budget and is/was the market leader, the competition has really heated up for them as well. I believe Skygolfs current business model is the one at the greatest risk, and this is because there is NO WAY the masses will continue to pay the comparatively high subscription fees of skygolf when others give it away for free or at a fraction of the annual cost.

Then there is the competition they all must face from Smartphone apps. I've already observed the smartphone app impact on Sklygolf, where 2 of 3 golf friends that owned skycaddies had switched to some inexpensive smartphone app because they were tired of the skygolf subscription fee. The one I saw personally is GolfShot, and while it wasn't perfect yet, it's only a matter of time till it is. While I'm a not a fan of smartphone apps for golf, enough people will go that route and will put a big dent in the dedicated gps equipment market, and the biggest (skygolf) are those that have the most at risk. The other market leaders, Garmin and Callaway, are large enough and diversified enough and will have no problem scaling and supporting their business as required to effectively compete, if not owning the market.

Good luck to all. It will be interesting to follow.

[mike03a3]

[quote name='Andy L' timestamp='1285507609' post='2714511']
. . .

Garmin and Callaway, are large enough and diversified enough and will have no problem scaling and supporting their business as required to effectively compete, if not owning the market.
[/quote]

I have a Callaway uPro, and also have three Garmin GPS systems I've purchased for cars or motorcycles. Both companies make fine products, but I have to believe that Garman will get squeezed more an more as time goes on.

My latest car came with a very nice voice actuated and tightly integrated GPS/hands free system. The increasng availibility and decreasing price of automotive GPS systems has to be putting some pressure on Garmin and its competitors. At the same tme, the cell phone companies are pressuring them from the other direction. Virtually every cell phone these days is GPS enabled and the wireless companies all push their GPS/map/direction solutions while the App companies crank our more maplets for the smartphones.