Bad cart GPS and/or yardage markers

[Hack Daddy]

Been getting worse

This spring/summer, I've been getting out a lot, and I've started to notice a more habitual issue with cart gps.

Today, I had an approach shot that eyed about 80yds. The cart gps said 114. Figured this was the last straw, and went with the gps to confirm my suspicions.

Hit a 110 club, and guess what -- flew the green. The tracks I've been playing are not bad courses +$100 rounds. But I just don't understand why it seems cart gps is getting worse and worse. My regular buddies are taking notice as well.

This is leading me towards getting a gps/laser.

Thoughts?

[variable42]

If a GPS device loses signal to one or more of the satellites above, it could temporarily give you a bad reading. But in my experience, this is on the rare side. If it read 110 yards, you hit your shot, and it still read 110 yards afterward, I'd be inclined to believe that it was 110 yards. But it is possible that the device is extremely poor quality, and/or slightly defective.

[Gbyeball]

Two words : Laser Rangefinder.

I have a GPS and a laser range finder. I usually walk but play with buddies that take carts so I ride with them. I played Sat. & Sun. at two different courses both had GPS on the cart. First cart was very accurate as I was lasering everything and it was pretty much the same. On Sunday it was a whole different story as that GPS was not within 10 - 12 yards of my laser. If you are playing a course with BIG green the diffence between front and back pin locations is huge. I am assuming the cart GPS is measuring to the middle of the green only. I trust my laser for accurate reading to the flag, that is the most important distance.

[Dizz]

GPS on carts are great for your average golfer to gauge a yardage and speed up play. I don't know a single good player that uses one though... cart or his own.

[tsmcanada]

You can never trust Cart gps.. I've been side by side with another cart and had a 17 yard difference. The laser is where it's at

[SHIVAN]

[quote name='tsmcanada' timestamp='1338410612' post='5002682']
You can never trust Cart gps.. I've been side by side with another cart and had a 17 yard difference. The laser is where it's at
[/quote]

Yep, can't trust it. We pulled up to a par 3, and the tees were on the 108yd marker in the tee box. The carts both read 185yds -- no seriously they did. Booted Skycaddie for rest of the round....

Standing on the 531yd tee marker on a straight par 5 -- cart read 535yds to center of the green. Struck my drive and drove out to my ball, and it read 240yds to the green, but showed only 260yds from the tee gold tees, one in front of tips.

Skycaddie confirmed 239yds to center of the green, as did fairway markers, but how could it be right on the box, then show that 240yds left + 260yds from tee = 531yd (535yd)? Seriously?

[italianstallion]

I played in a tournament that provided carts with GPS. Since I never saw the course before, I took the cart for the GPS.

I do have a laser, but to save time I started off just using the yardages provided by the cart. Once I started airmailing a couple greens I went back to my laser for distances, and used the GPS just to see what was out there.

[moonshine]

Well first, I find the yardage marker and walk it off. Since it is the way I used to have to learn my yardage from, it's just good old habit now. Second, what's a cart? Third, if OP eyed up 80 then I would have gone with that and hit it 80! Finally, been using bushnell for years...worth every dime...NO problems.

[blade_man]

Well speaking of "beating a dead horse" (can't find the emoticon) I've been using skycaddie for years, tried laser and liked it but I'm a hack with an index of 4 so two to four yards won't make that much difference to me, as far as cart GPS, the ones i've used worked very good (still used my skycaddie).