What is the best GPS unit

buckhorn70 · June 14, 2012

I am looking into buying a GPS unit to compliment my rangefinder.... Which one would you reccomend. I see the SkyCaddie SG5 is relatively cheap online. Thx in advance for your input.

chas521 · June 14, 2012

There is no best GPS device. It pretty much is dependent upon what you want it to do and how much you want to spend.

pup142 · June 14, 2012

I have the sg5 and it is the best gps i have seen so far for the money. I love mine and it has improved my game.

bladestriker · June 14, 2012

I still use the SG5 with a Bushnell 1600 for pins, great combo for all occasions.

buckhorn70 · June 14, 2012

I have seen some SG5 on EBAY for 80.00 to 130.00 bucks....seems like a good buy.

How is the battery life on the SG5?

Wayneo · June 14, 2012

'Best' and 'cheap' rarely go together.

Find a unit that has the features you want/need first.
Make sure it has the courses in your area mapped.

The SG5 is a damn fine unit, but remember you also pay a yearly membership fee for that 'feature'.
I still have one, as well as the SGX, and other than a few extras on SGX, I'd still be happy with the SG5.

Oh, no updates to it in over a year as they only concentrate on their latest device (SGXw), transferring courses to the unit are super slow if you use a Mac. It works perfectly the way it is, other than the above.

Their online forum is bogus, and online CS is sub standard. My brand spanking new SGX stopped working after about 3 weeks, and they overnighted me a NEW one, before getting back the defective unit. Superb and fantastic, the way things should be done.

BlackDiamondPar5 · June 15, 2012

[quote name='buckhorn70' timestamp='1339689375' post='5092112']
I am looking into buying a GPS unit to compliment my rangefinder.... Which one would you reccomend. I see the SkyCaddie SG5 is relatively cheap online. Thx in advance for your input.
[/quote]

A friend has the SG5 and it's a nice piece of hardware, but as others have noted the product is at or near end of life. Also you will pay $50-$60/year for what other device makers give away for free. In fact my friend stopped using the sg5 this year because he didn't want to pay annual fees anymore. The other thing about the SG5 is that you have to load it with the courses you want to play, the courses are not pre-loaded.

You should look at the Garmin line which is fee free and the devices are pre-loaded with all the North American courses, so there is nothing to download. The G3, G5, G6 is the handheld line that provides detailed course layout info. The G6 is new and small and looks great. They also have two wristwatch GPS's, the S1 and S3 that provide more basic yardage info. Lots of users rave about these.

If you want to really go budget, then look at the Bushnell Neo +. It can be had for under $100 often times and is also fee free. It comes pre-loaded with 25K courses (like the Garmin line). The Neo + provides basic yardage (front, center, back) and some limited hazard data.

With any GPS, I would not recommend keeping it in your pocket prior to taking a yardage reading, because your body can block the signal and increase GPS error.

To learn more about golf GPS there is a pretty good listing and reviews at criticalgolf.com. Not sure about their rating system, but I think they give a great comprehensive breakdown of features and pro's/con's of most on the market.

Good luck.

TM_HOYER · June 15, 2012

The best is the Skycaddiie SGXw. The ability to load courses and sync the unit using Wifi along with the optical trackpad are very nice upgrades from the SGX. If you look around, you should be able to find it for less than $300. As mentioned the SG5 is near the end of its life cycle. Also I have not had any speed issues when syncing while connected to Mac OS X. But the the Wifi, you really only need to do that when removing courses from your Skycaddie or when there are program updates. Plus when it comes to the membership cost, you get what you pay for. The quality of the mappings are superior to others. Along with hazards and landmarks, you get target yardages which will give you the best approach to the green. This is information you cannot get from a satellite image.

I owned a Garmin G5 and it is not even close to the quality of Skycaddie. The screen washes out in bright light. It is not very easy to use as you have to press on certain areas of the screen to do certain things but there is nothing on the screen to tell you where you need to press. Also getting yardages to hazards and landmarks takes some work where Skycaddie gives you a easy to read list with yardages. With the way it works, it clearly was not designed and programmed by golfers. I returned the G5 after one round.

Hateto3Putt · June 15, 2012

I want to get a GPS for my Sister. She's a doll, but clueless with electronics so it needs to be....

1. Brainless to operate.
2. Preloaded with courses.
3. Brainless to operate.
4. No recurring fees.
5. Brainless to operate.

What units should I be looking at?

DrCRHop · June 15, 2012

[quote name='buckhorn70' timestamp='1339689375' post='5092112']
I am looking into buying a GPS unit to compliment my rangefinder.... Which one would you reccomend. I see the SkyCaddie SG5 is relatively cheap online. Thx in advance for your input.
[/quote]
Personally, if this is just to complement a rangefinder, I would go with GolfShot app for the iPhone. Very inexpensive and works well for the money - especially if it's not a stand alone device and can be paired with the rangefinder.

BlackDiamondPar5 · June 15, 2012

[quote name='Hateto3Putt' timestamp='1339769353' post='5098986']
I want to get a GPS for my Sister. She's a doll, but clueless with electronics so it needs to be....

1. Brainless to operate.
2. Preloaded with courses.
3. Brainless to operate.
4. No recurring fees.
5. Brainless to operate.

What units should I be looking at?
[/quote]

OMG I love the profile picture... everytime I think of that guy autotuned I laugh.

Everyone seems to rave about the simplicity and function of the Garmin S1 watch.
Two less expensive options might be the Neo+ or Izzo Swami 3000--- Both have pre loaded courses. A few of my friends won the Izzo at tournaments and they like it. I took a quick look and it seems pretty darn simple to use. I can't attest to it's accuracy.

[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1339769061' post='5098944']
The best is the Skycaddiie SGXw. The ability to load courses and sync the unit using Wifi along with the optical trackpad are very nice upgrades from the SGX. If you look around, you should be able to find it for less than $300. As mentioned the SG5 is near the end of its life cycle. Also I have not had any speed issues when syncing while connected to Mac OS X. But the the Wifi, you really only need to do that when removing courses from your Skycaddie or when there are program updates. Plus when it comes to the membership cost, you get what you pay for. The quality of the mappings are superior to others. Along with hazards and landmarks, you get target yardages which will give you the best approach to the green. This is information you cannot get from a satellite image.

I owned a Garmin G5 and it is not even close to the quality of Skycaddie. The screen washes out in bright light. It is not very easy to use as you have to press on certain areas of the screen to do certain things but there is nothing on the screen to tell you where you need to press. Also getting yardages to hazards and landmarks takes some work where Skycaddie gives you a easy to read list with yardages. With the way it works, it clearly was not designed and programmed by golfers. I returned the G5 after one round.
[/quote]

TM, it seems your experience with Garmin is atypical. I have friends with both G3/G5 and none complain about screen readability in the sun. If you look at Amazon reviews the user ratings for the Garmin line are significantly higher than SGX or SG5. I've also seen the G6 up close and the screen is bright and easy to see in direct overhead sun. My only complaint with the G6 is for me the screen might be a little on the small side for eyes over 40 and guys with big fingers as the unit is small.

sgtsodo · June 15, 2012

I have the GolfBuddy World Platinum.. I can't really find anything wrong with it. There is no subscription fee and it is preloaded with over 70,000 courses. The courses are very detailed and it tells you how far to get to and carry bunkers, trees, water, etc. The touchscreen is nice and vibrant enough for a sunny day, and the battery will stay charged all weekend. I know that when I got it last christmas it was quite expensive but I've recently seen them on sale.