Hand Held Golf GPS Units Tested

Sat nav on the golf course? It may sound strange but do not write a golf GPS unit off until you have tried one as it completely changes the way you play golf.

By choosing to use a Golf GPS unit you turn the distance guessing game into a scientific factual one and below we run the rule over eight of the latest golf gps unit models…

How A Golf GPS Unit Works – It’s down to those metal dishes floating in space.

A tiny receiver takes coded messages from satellites orbiting 11,000 miles above the Earth and calculates your distance to the target by multiplying the signals travel time by the speed of light. Because the atmosphere unpredictably slows these signals, and obstacles such as trees and buildings get in the way, GPS units measure across multiple paths to tune out error.

One advantage over hand-held laser rangcfinders is the ability of the GPS to offer readings on blind shots. The real attraction of Golf GPS, however, is ease of use. No bouncing lasers off wind-whipped flagsticks or bunker edges with unsteady hands. Just a glance at the screen and then select your club.

Its pretty straightforward to map a course with a GPS device, but it’s easier to download maps from the internet. A Golf GPS device manages a course list much like an iPod organises music.

Every company offers a different deal regarding access to its course database, ranging from annual fees to free (sec chart on page 110). Most GPS systems also have the facility to measure the length of any shot, which is a great way to confirm just how far you hit each club in the bag.

What the rules say…
Contrary to popular belief, the R&A has not declared distance-measuring devices legal in competitions, with Rule 14-3 still applying. However, an exception has been made that enables individual clubs to make a local rule allowing their use, as long as the device doesn’t provide any information on gradient, wind or temperature. If in doubt, check with the committee.

Hand Held Golf GPS Units – Tested…

Sonocaddie V300 – £269.99

As you would expect. Sonocaddie’s V300 gives exact distances to the front and back of every possible hazard as well as a front, middle and back reading to the green, but it’s the little extras that make it such a brilliant piece of kit. Not only can you see your exact position on the course in real time (there is a small icon of a golfer) but you can then record the locations of every shot you hit during a round. This allows users to review the entire round afterwards and hopefully pick up on areas where improvement is needed. In addition to a scoring facility, you can also map your own course in a matter of minutes.

VERDICT: It has the most detail and the screen is great to look at. www.sonocaddie.co.uk

Caddy Aid – £299

One of the more sophisticated models on the market, the Caddy Aid software comes loaded on to a PDA device, which means you tap the screen with a special pencil. Getting that out on every hole (while wearing a glove) might be fiddly, but if you’re serious about your golf it’s worth it; the Caddy Aid is superb. The GPS system works in tandem with high-quality aerial photos which have been properly scaled to allow you to check the distance to any point from any other without even enabling the GPS, while with the GPS on a cross marks your exact location and all relevant distances are displayed.

VERDICT: A bit fiddly and not cheap – but it’s very good. www.caddyaid.com 

Shotmiser G300 – £269.99

One of the most compact units on test, the Shotmiser is also one of the best. It’s packed full of useful features, not least the option to upload sat nav software that will guide you to the course as well as around it. It shows a very detailed graphic of each hole, telling you exactly how far it is between any two points you select on the touch-screen. All your stats can be recorded and you can enter your handicap at the start, enabling the scoring system to take that into account. Tapping the screen all the time is not ideal if you’ve got a glove on but that’s a minor gripe.

VERDICT: Possibly the most complete unit. You need a bit of patience to use it though. www.shotmiser.com

Bushnell Yardage Pro – £149

Compared to some of the other models on test, the Bushnell Yardage Pro might appear a little basic. It gives a yardage to the front, the middle and the back of the green but doesn’t tell you how far it is to carry a certain bunker and won’t record your scores or your stats. But you can track the distance of individual shots – giving a good handle on distances for given clubs – it is waterproof and it certainly feels very sturdy. At less than £150. it’s also superb value.

VERDICT: It’s one of the most basic devices, but it’s also one of the easiest to use. www.bushnell.com

Garmin Golf Logix – £219

If ease of use is high on your agenda then this device is worth a second look. It doesn’t have a colour screen and don’t expect any pretty pictures, this is definitely no frills. Yardages printed in big type are given to doglegs, bunkers and front/tniddle/ back of each green. The screen automatically keeps up with your round without any need to press buttons. On every tee. you are given yardages that will leave you 150 or 100 yards from the green. That makes club selection and strategy much simpler. Lots of courses on the website – we loaded up New Zealand GC in Surrey.

VERDICT: Certainly one of the easiest to use. No frills and no hassle. www.golflogixstore.co.uk

Caddy Lite – £129

Might be the least expensive GPS of the group, but in terms of ease of use, the Caddy Lite is unbeatable. Perhaps its best feature is the “hands-free” aspect; once you arrive and select the day’s course it will automatically detect which hole you are playing, meaning you won’t have to touch the unit again during your round. It’s that simple.

VERDICT: Like the Garmin its a doddle to use – and great value. www.golf-plus.co.uk

SureShot 8800 – £199.99

Claiming to offer accuracy to plus or minus one yard, SureShot boasts many excellent features. We liked the score analysis facility which enables users to easily record fairways and greens hit, putts, sand saves and driving distance… all of which can be uploaded to your computer to allow game-by-game comparison. The unit is very easy to use and gives distances to all hazards as wellas to the front, middle and back of the green. You can’t actually see a full image of the entire hole, but with 12,000 courses mapped worldwide – and the option to map a course yourself if it isn’t – it can be used virtually anywhere.

VERDICT: One serious GPS system with lots and lots of features. www.sureshotgps.com

SkyCaddie SG5 – £299

The most expensive GPS units on test, the SkyCaddie is also one of the best. Each course has been measured by a trained technician using military-grade GPS equipment to allow users to get an exact figure on every inch of every hole. As well as the usual green and hazard distances, you can also track the amount of green you have to work with if you miss left or right. Plus, you can get a distance to any point on the green, not just front, middle or back. The unit is easy to use and the readouts very clear.

VERDICT: It might be expensive, but it’s certainly a high-class product. www.skygolfgps.co.uk