Garmin Approach G5

[geezer392002]

merged

Hi,
Brand new forum user and G5 owner.
Never having used the G5 I had a couple of questions for those of you out there with experience
of this device.

1. When a distance to a spot on the fairway or green is displayed, does the distance given
take into account an uphill or downhill situation?
I'm assuming it would not and would display a "horizontal" distance between the 2 points.

2. Using the "Measure Shot" feature.
As I understand it, you hit your shot and then select "measure shot" and "begin measuring" and then
the GPS displays the distance you hit your shot.
My question is, how soon after you hit the shot do you have to press "measure shot" and also
how does the device pick up on the ball's location after you've hit it?

Thanks in advance for any helpful comments, tips etc

geezer392002

[Solutions Etcetera]

Hi yourself… and welcome.

Re #1: No. Slope and elevation are not factored into the measurement.

On measuring shots: You should start the measurement on the tee. This records your position in memory, and you will see it counting up as you move to your ball. Once you're at the ball you will have your distance. At that point you can reset it for another shot or add the number to your club averages.

The device will continue measuring yardage from the last point it was set to until you reset it.

[geezer392002]

Thanks Solutions for your reply, much appreciated!


[quote name='Solutions Etcetera' timestamp='1306424578' post='3264265']
Hi yourself… and welcome.

Re #1: No. Slope and elevation are not factored into the measurement.

On measuring shots: You should start the measurement on the tee. This records your position in memory, and you will see it counting up as you move to your ball. Once you're at the ball you will have your distance. At that point you can reset it for another shot or add the number to your club averages.

The device will continue measuring yardage from the last point it was set to until you reset it.
[/quote]

[hunter24]

Im considering a gps unit. I like Garmin products. The g5 seems to have mostly good reviews. Is it worth the money? Ebay has them from 189 refurb to 350 new.

[TJCDAS]

Two Thumbs Up!!!!!! One button easy and intuitive to use, with stats, score ect. The screen is easy to read even in the brightest light.

The thing is huge but I use a ram mount for a push cart or a cup holder when riding.

[iamhuey]

great unit. i love it. i didnt think id like a gps. i have a bushnell 1500 with slope and thought that was awesome, but now i use the gps most of the time. my only problem is it doesnt have many courses in my area (canada)

[Ben B]

I loved mine. It was a sad day when it got stolen right out of my cart!! But it was a great GPS, free updates, tons of courses, simple to use, and very accurate.

[volrus]

Hands down better than sky caddie. I had a sky caddie and decided to try something else without annual fees and I love this thing not because of the no annual fees, but because of its ease of use and DURABILITY.

True story, I'm riding down the fairway in a cart, hit a bump and it flies out of my cart. It bounces up in the air off the ground and in the process of trying to stop it lands right where my back tire is and I run over the thing. I actually stopped on top of it for a split second. I get out and literally have to dig it out of the ground where it left a divot behind. It still works flawlessly! As unlikely as it seems that the timing would be perfect enough for all this to happen, it did. In fact, the Garmin still has all the black rubber tire marks all over the case to prove it!

[LennyTheLip]

Its a great unit. I upgraded from a golf logix gps-8, (not the smart phone edition), and its great. Biggest plus for me is AA batteries. I never remember to charge anything, but always keep 2-4 batteries in a pocket in my bag. Tremendous amount of courses in the US, I've heard the coverage is lacking in Canada, but that doesn't affect me! It will keep stats during a round, fairways hit, putts needed, score, average distances for every club in your bag, and everything can be downloaded to your computer. Another bonus is you can preview any course on the unit, and it gives you address and phone number to the course as well. Never had a problem with mine, have been using it solid for about 2 months. Garmin makes the best units in general. and this is no different. I like that the screen gets brighter in broad daylight, instead of washing out like a cell phone. Any questions, shoot me a PM.

Lenny

[mljones99]

once i get over the ankle surgery i just had a couple days ago I'm buying one of these. I have a skycaddie sg3 but the yearly membership fee is getting old.

[johnsib]

[quote name='mljones99' timestamp='1313253461' post='3481242']
once i get over the ankle surgery i just had a couple days ago I'm buying one of these. I have a skycaddie sg3 but the yearly membership fee is getting old.
[/quote]

I bought the G5 a couple weeks ago and it works great.
I was worried about being able to see it with polarized sunglasses, but no problem there.
The downside is that I just bought a S1 today and it is the nuts - don't know how much action the G5 will be seeing - wish I'd know more about the S1 before i spent the money on the G5.

[volrus]

[quote name='johnsib' timestamp='1313287180' post='3482703']
[quote name='mljones99' timestamp='1313253461' post='3481242']
once i get over the ankle surgery i just had a couple days ago I'm buying one of these. I have a skycaddie sg3 but the yearly membership fee is getting old.
[/quote]

I bought the G5 a couple weeks ago and it works great.
I was worried about being able to see it with polarized sunglasses, but no problem there.
The downside is that I just bought a S1 today and it is the nuts - don't know how much action the G5 will be seeing - wish I'd know more about the S1 before i spent the money on the G5.
[/quote]

I messed around with an S1 also and it is pretty sweet. My problem is I can't handle wearing a watch while I play so it just wasn't for me. If I could wear a watch I'd have one of those too!

[chas521]

I just received my Garmin G5 that will be a replacement for the Callaway mx. It's a bit bigger than the mx and more cumbersome. Actually, I was kinda pleased with the mx and it was working pretty good but I gave some thought to some of the member's posts here and I had to agree. It's VERY possible that Callaway will "kill" their attempt at the GPS market and thus all support in the future - no matter what they write at the mx forum site. I was not willing to take that chance and wind up with a paperweight.

I was fooling around in the backyard with the "play." The device did pick-up the GPS signal so that's not the thing. I picked a course close-by that I knew so that I could see how it's graphics were. They were VERY cartoonish and the numbers were very small plus I didn't see any hazards. Now the question. The numbers were small and the screen was very hard to read. Also, the numbers weren't 999 or something like that. They were the actual numbers as if I was already at the first tee. Plus, when I walked around the numbers didn't change. What about distances to hazards and to cover them? Say what???? Am I doing something wrong? NO! I wasn't in preview mode.

As questionable as the future holds for the mx, I think it's a much better device because of the information it shows. Also, are there any updates [course or software] for the G5? Thanks.

[chas521]

Hmmm! I guess that no one else has a Garmin Approach G5.

[johnsib]

[quote name='chas521' timestamp='1313757211' post='3501664']
Hmmm! I guess that no one else has a Garmin Approach G5.
[/quote]


I haven't tried to use mine in my back yard - but since mine knows what hole I'm on (autotransition) maybe it knows that you are not on the course.
Try it on the course. I would also make sure you have the newest software update. Mine does show distances to various spots at water hazards. You also touch the screen at hazards to get distance to them.

[Solutions Etcetera]

It indeed knows you are not on the course. To be more accurate, it knows you are not within the confines of the map for any particular hole. When this is the case, it simply shows you being on the tee.

As for course info, Garmin updates it like clockwork every three months. There have also been quite a number of software updates. When available, these will be shown in the Dashboard section of mygarmin.com when your device is connected.

On the courses I play there are distances displayed to most hazards, but you can get any distance simply by touching the screen… and the numbers from your position to that point, and from that point to the pin will be much bigger. when you actually play golf with it you will see that the unit auto zooms through many levels to display your position through the green, and also rotates the view and adjust distances based on your approach angle.

The map graphics are indeed illustrative. In fact they are vector representations with a finite number of fill patterns that are repeated throughout. This graphic technology allows the Garmin to store all 14,000+ courses on the unit.

And while the unit is bigger and heavier, cumbersome is certainly not a word I would use to describe it. Its shape fits comfortably in my hand, and the interface is quite elegant making one handed operation (gloved or not) a breeze.

I have no problem viewing the display. If you use lithiums or rechargeable NiMH batteries you will find the backlight to be much brighter.

[Solutions Etcetera]

The watch is very comfortable and only weighs 1.8 ounces. I didn't wear a watch before either but the S1 goes unnoticed.

And I absolutely love my G5. Yes, it rarely leaves the cart mount now that I wear the S1, but it is great to keep score on, and very helpful on unfamiliar courses. Yesterday we played with a couple who was new to the course. There are quite a number of blind shots and they really appreciated me being able to show them the layout of the hole.

[chas521]

Sorry I barked in this thread but I received it yesterday and you guys are MUCH better support and info than I would get at Garmin. Many thanks for the useful information.

[volrus]

For some reason I can't seem to get the unit to show me my stats at the end of the round when I finish. I swear it did it one time but I haven't been able to do it since then. What do I need to do to get it to show my stats (GIR, Fairways, putts)? I know how to set it up to track, just can't get it to show me the summary at the end of the round. Thanks.

[Solutions Etcetera]

At the main screen, click the scorecard icon at bottom center. The Garmin only displays info from your last round. If you want to aggregate it (and have a Mac) take a look at [url="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/approach-stats/id430238846?mt=12&ls=1#"]Approach Stats[/url].

[chas521]

Am I the only one to think that the screen is difficult to see sometimes? Garmin needs some sort of coating or shade that makes reading the display easier. Also they need to add a brightness control. Yeah, you can shift around the device so you can view it but when you're paying $300 this feature should be no-brainer. All-in-all though, a good device.

[TJCDAS]

The display is easy to view in the brightest light. It is harder to read in the shade, but most GPS units are difficult to read in bright light. I will take excellent viewing in the brightest light over excellent view in the shade.

The battery setting impact display brightness--change to NiMH and the screen will be brighter.

[nodoubles]

[quote name='chas521' timestamp='1314192622' post='3515295']
Am I the only one to think that the screen is difficult to see sometimes? Garmin needs some sort of coating or shade that makes reading the display easier. Also they need to add a brightness control. Yeah, you can shift around the device so you can view it but when you're paying $300 this feature should be no-brainer. All-in-all though, a good device.
[/quote]
I have a g3 and I agree that the screen is difficult to read in direct sunlight. I really like my unit for its simplicity and ease of use, but your comments are right on. The NIMh batteries are definitely better than alkalines.