Having had both a GPS and now a laser I think I am pretty aware of the plus and minuses of both. I would certainly say that I could see why someone would prefer one over the other. I have opted for the laser. I have had it for years. It is an old Leupold GX-1. Certainly the newer ones have more bells and whistles. Mine measures yardage. Period. If a pin is open I can figure carry X yards short of the pin depending on club and other factors. If it is hidden behind a bunker measuring the bunker face is usually quite easy.. I think if you play a lot of cart path only golf the GPS is best. otherwise I like the laser. I live in an area with a lot of tall trees on courses. The wind where I am I know. The wind at the green???. No help there.. Since the GPS or laser doesn’t know what type of shot I am going to play. High, low, draw, fade. How can it calculate what the compensation is for wind. temperature or elevation change? How does it calculate if I am going to have a “flyer lie of the ball will come out dead? How does it know if I am on a slight uphill or downhill or ball above or below my feet. You wind up paying for features that are giving generic corrections and could be misleading at best or just plain wrong at worst. If you are serious and have the ability get your actual yardage and then work the rest out. If you can’t figure it that stupid box in your hand or on your wrist isn’t going to help.

Anyone know of any news regarding a new version of the Garmin G80? I’m assuming it’ll be called G82 or G90 perhaps. It’s been about 3 years since the G80 was released, surely a new upgraded one is due soon?

To answer Andrew’s question, yes SkyCaddie requires a subscription. Can be annual or multi-year discounts are available.
Also, yes the web interface is hideous at best. Thankfully we never have to use it anymore.

I use the SkyCaddie 400 and saw absolutely no value in getting the larger 500.. No additional features other than a larger footprint/screen. Can’t see why a larger screen at a 33% upcharge is the winner.

Buddie I play has a Garmin Approach (not sure which model). We have been off by 10 yards quite often. His Garmin is always wrong. Not kidding. He knows it and always verifies with my SkyCaddie when he can..

Would love to see this applied to apps, Like GolfShot IMO the best app available.

I owned the VOICE CADDIE T9 not one golf course I have played has the green read ever worked.
I guess it only works at country clubs.
Not the kind of place’s I played , like muni.

Been using gps units for a few seasons and have sat around a 8 hcp. Added a range finder this year and have broken my hcp every time and even shot under par for the first time. It really makes a huge difference getting exact yardages. I use the gps still mostly off the tee and for layups. But for approach play the laser

One more thought – I think it might’ve been more helpful if you did a review dedicated to wearables and a separate review dedicated to handhelds. It’s like the difference between a tablet and a laptop; some prefer the former, some the latter.

I personally prefer a handheld for on-course GPS (in part because I don’t wear my reading glasses, for obvious reasons, when I play, and so a wearable would be difficult to see, unlike a handheld). Granted, this is just anecdotal, but I think the sentiment holds up.

Thanks.

Every casual golfer should carry a GPS device. Simple front/middle/back yardages would be enough for most. I’ve spent way too much of my golfing life watching people either pace off or try to guestimate their distances by glancing back and forth at a 150 stake. Often these are the same players who will say they’re not good enough to need the precision GPS. Get on with it then!

When they come out with a GPS enabled flagstick is when rangefinders will become obsolete. If watches and golf apps were able to pinpoint the flag, I’d get rid of my rangefinder.

Im into my second year using the Garmin S62, it’s a very good watch. I have upgraded the strap to another Garmin option and though is expensive (100 USD I think) I’m very happy with the quality and it definitely makes the watch looks a lot better and is more comfy

I even changed the watch face to an omega look-a-like display and couldnt be happier, pre-loaded displays are boring and dated. I have played 3 rounds in one week without the need to re-charge that’s also good

Couple of observations.

Unless they’ve changed course (no pun intended), SkyCaddie devices require an annual pay subscription. I don’t see this mentioned above. IMO, it should be mentioned. I say this because unlike SkyCaddie, ShotScope doesn’t require a pay subscription. I used to use SkyCaddies. I think I went through 3 models over about 10-15 years. I now use ShotScope’s V3 (for shot tracking, not for GPS), and I haven’t looked back.

Also regarding SkyCaddie, their computer interface software is, or used to be when I used a SkyCaddie, maddeningly buggy and erratic. Very user-unfriendly, IMO. It’s part of the reason I went elsewhere for my GPS provider; I just got fed up with their buggy tech.

Second, IMO you should’ve also included the GolfLogix app in your review. It serves me well, when I need to understand what I can’t see in front of me. Otherwise, my Bushnell rangefinder does the job just fine.

With the GolfLogix app on my phone, I can also keep score and keep track of other stats and data without requiring yet another device to deal with on the course. And the app keeps my data seemingly in perpetuity (I just checked; my earliest score with GolfLogix is from October 2013, which is probably when I first downloaded the app). This is why I think it should’ve been part of this review.

Anyway, you do a great service with these reviews and I for one am grateful to you. Thank you.

You plan on doing a best of for smartphone gps/tracking apps? If so, please make sure to throw in the GolfPad GPS app. A lot of people already use an Apple or Android watch and don’t want to swap it out with a different gps wrist watch.

Interesting that all but one are equal in accuracy. I understand that they all use the same satellites, but do they all use the same course mappings? I don’t think so as I’ve contacted Shotscope to have holes re-mapped and they have. so mapping must be different by brand.
Also surprised that they were all equally sensitive/accurate in mapping your location. I have a couple of different devices that do provide slightly different numbers.