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“Music on the course? I would never!”, you mutter in disgust as you hear a foursome blasting Morgan Wallen in the middle of your backswing.
You know what they say … don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!
Despite what goes on in your own little fantasy world, more and more golfers are using Bluetooth speakers on the course. Why? Because they make the game more fun.
That’s what golf is all about, after all.
Yes, there will always be a time and place for silence and serenity on the course. That said, it’s OK to live a little and bump some of your favorite tunes. Not only can music keep you calm but it can give you the energy to finish your round.
Here are the best Bluetooth speakers for 2023.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing a Bluetooth speaker
The Bluetooth speakers in our test range from $25 to $200. Most fall somewhere in the middle. The best-value Bluetooth speaker, the Sony SRS-XB13, is less than $50.
What the heck is an IPX rating and why does it matter? IPX ratings are given to products to determine their level of protection against the elements, like dust or water. Bluetooth speakers in our test with IP67 ratings are deemed waterproof and dustproof. Some speakers in the test have no IPX rating or have only water resistance which is not waterproof..
The Bluetooth speakers in our test were all examined using their standard sound profiles. This created the most fair and equal test. That said, most Bluetooth speakers pair with apps to provide you with complete control over the sound profile via an equalizer. Using an equalizer app can dial in the sound to meet your listening preferences.
| Product | Durability | Sound Quality | User Friendlyness | Features | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bose Soundlink Flex | 4th | 2nd | 4th | 4th | 96.5 | ||||
| UE Wonderboom 3 | 1st | 4th | 1st | 5th | 96.0 | ||||
| UE Boom 3 | 5th | 5th | 1st | 5th | 95.25 | ||||
 | Sony SRS-XB13 | 1st | 5th | 8th | 9th | 95.0 | ||||
 | Sony SRS XE200 | 5th | 2nd | 10th | 12th | 95.0 | ||||
| Sonos Roam | 11th | 1st | 16th | 2nd | 95.0 | ||||
| JBL Flip6 | 5th | 5th | 4th | 5th | 95.0 | ||||
 | Bushnell Wingman View | 11th | 10th | 1st | 1st | 94.75 | ||||
 | Precision Pro Duo | 11th | 8th | 8th | 2nd | 94.5 | ||||
 | JBL Clip 4 | 5th | 12th | 4th | 9th | 92.75 | ||||
 | Bose Soundlink Micro | 15th | 9th | 10th | 9th | 92.5 | ||||
 | Treblab HD-Force | 5th | 10th | 12th | 17th | 91.75 | ||||
 | Bushnell Wingman Mini | 1st | 13th | 12th | 5th | 91.75 | ||||
 | JBL GO 3 | 5th | 14th | 4th | 12th | 91.0 | ||||
 | OONTZ Angle 3 | 17th | 15th | 12th | 14th | 86.0 | ||||
 | Puma Poptop | 11th | 16th | 15th | 14th | 85.75 | ||||
 | Puma Poptop Mini | 15th | 17th | 16th | 14th | 83.5 |
Whether you accidentally leave your phone in your pocket instead of the golf cart or it’s one of those dreaded “cart path only” days, it’s important for a Bluetooth speaker to have a wide connection range.
A good Bluetooth speaker should maintain a solid connection with your phone from at least 50 yards away. This gives you plenty of room to step away from your cart without dropping connection or interrupting your music playback.
The UE Wonderboom 3 and Bose Soundlink Flex stood out in this regard. Other great performers include the Sonos Roam and JBL Flip 4.
A speaker is only as good as it sounds. After all, what good is a Bluetooth speaker that muddles your favorite tunes?
The best Bluetooth speakers produce sound that isn’t just loud. The sound should be clear and crisp, and provide a good balance between highs, mids and lows. Bluetooth speakers with omnidirectional 360-degree sound make outdoor listening much easier, too.
The Sonos Roam and Bose Soundlink Flex both provide crisp, clear audio that makes listening to your favorite song a joy. The Sony SRS XE200 and its omnidirectional sound was also a top performer.
What good is a Bluetooth speaker that only gets through a few songs before it sputters and dies? Thankfully, most of today’s Bluetooth speakers have at least 10 hours of battery life.
A large and efficient battery is a must-have feature. Who wants to charge their speaker after every round of golf? The Sony SRS-XB13 boasts 16 hours of music playback, a crazy amount considering its miniscule size. The larger Sony SRS XE200 also provides 16 hours of playback.
Another consideration (albeit small) is the charging method. Some Bluetooth speakers still rely on outdated charging methods like Micro USB. Most use USB C for charging. However, the Sonos Roam and UE Boom 3 both offer wireless charging, something that can’t be said about the rest of our test cohort.
The Bose Soundlink Flex is the best bluetooth speaker for 2023. This rugged Bluetooth speaker features exceptional build quality and sound that cannot be matched.
Fantastic sound quality and a rugged build highlight the best that the Bose Soundlink Flex has to offer. The Soundlink Flex has a Voice Assistant button to access your Siri or Google Assistant.
The Bose Soundlink Flex isn't as portable as some other speakers that we've tested.
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The UE Wonderboom 3 is small but mighty. This extremely durable bluetooth speaker features 360 degree sound for a fantastic listening experience.
The portable size easily fits into a cup holder for golf bag. The sound is bright and loud, and the build is durable.
Micro USB charging is outdated.
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The UE Boom 3 is the larger version of the Wonderboom 3. This Bluetooth speaker has big sound, a durable design and it's extremely user friendly.
The UE Boom 3 features massive volume buttons for easy use. The magic button to play, pause, and skip tracks is awesome. The wireless charging dock is a welcomed addition.
We found the sound a little lackluster compared to the Wonderboom 3.
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The JBL Flip 6 is ready to pair right out of the box. The decent sound quality and ease of use make it a truly enjoyable bluetooth speaker.
The pairing process is a breeze, and the durable build is meant to withstand the golf course.
Lack of voice assistant capabilities that some of the other high end speakers have.
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The Sonos Roam is the best sounding Bluetooth speaker for 2023. This little guy features extremely accurate and clear sound.
The sound profile is excellent. It makes it feel like you're listening to your favorite artist in person. The durable build and IP67 rating is a nice bonus, too. It can be connected via Wifi or Bluetooth. The Sonos Roam also features Wireless Charging.
The setup process takes quite a while, and you must download the Sonos app to pair with your phone. Once connected, though, the speaker works perfectly.
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Everything we do and say is based on cold, hard data. We challenge any and every claim with scientific measurement and analysis. If a product performs well, you'll hear about it. We'll tell you the truth and list the shortcomings if it doesn't.
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Everything we do and say is based on cold, hard data. We challenge any and every claim with scientific measurement and analysis. If a product performs well, you'll hear about it. We'll tell you the truth and list the shortcomings if it doesn't.
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| Driver Ping G30 | Hybrids PXG 0317 |
| 3/4 IRON PXG 0311XF | 5-GW Srixon Z 565 |
| SW PXG 0317 | LW PXG 0311 |
| Putter EVNROLL |
11 months ago
A buddy and I did an experiment recently. I had him go 50 yards up the fairway, and I told him to wave to me when he could hear my speaker.
I started turning up the volume when he got to his spot, and when he finally waved to me, my speaker was so loud that *I* didn’t want to hear it at that volume. So there’s no way I’m playing my music loud enough for *anyone* other than those in my group to hear.
I suspect that nearly everyone who laments music on golf courses (maybe other than cow pasture, poorly-run munis) does so out of a reactionary, knee-jerk opinion about the “purity” of golf, not because they’ve actually ever heard someone’s music three holes away. I know I’ve never heard anyone’s music other than those in my group or those in a group waiting with us on a tee box.
FWIW, I’m 61, and didn’t start listening to music on a golf course until a few years ago when I was playing a round with my son (28 at the time), and he had a speaker, and I realized, this is kinda nice. When I got a speaker and introduced it to my golf buddies, they agreed with me. Now we play music that we agree on every time.
11 months ago
The one feature you seem to have overlooked is whether a speaker has an integrated magnet.
I love my Bushnell Wingman (2+ years), and the fact that I can stick it to a metal cart post is hugely important (to me). The magnet thing is so important to me that I recently bought a Shot Scope PRO L2 laser rangefinder *because* it has an integrated magnet, even though I already had a nonmagnetic Bushnell rangefinder (that I just sold on eBay, on Sunday, for about $15 less than the cost of the new Shot Scope L2).
Convenience in where to put the speaker when you’re playing golf is a worthy feature, IMO.
11 months ago
Surprised they missed this one. For me as well, if it doesn’t have a magnet mount, will never buy it. On a cart, where do you put the speaker, without having it being in some cubby or cup holder to take up space and block the sound. Being able to mount it to a metal post is a must.
11 months ago
the ultimate question is WHY ? golf quieter please !
11 months ago
The picture of the Bushnell Wingman Mini, next to the bottle brush of club washing fluid is appropriate for the type of golfer, who has a bottle of club washing fluid hanging on his golf bag.
11 months ago
Coming from someone with two of the top 3 speakers in this list, lots of agreement from me when considering the “for golf” aspect of the test.
For sound quality / everyday use, I actually prefer the Boom 3 to the Wonderboom 3 — the Boom 3 has a permanent place in my office. The Wonderboom is far better for the golf course, though — just add a carabiner and you can easily hook it onto the bag when carrying or transporting, or hook it pretty much anywhere on the cart (like the accessory baskets that the newer carts have in the top corners). Even though the Boom technically has a loop for that purpose too, it’s clunkier (Wonderboom feels like a core function; Boom feels like an afterthought), and feels like you need either a cart or pushcart with the best placement being in the cupholder (but…the Boom 3 is pretty wide and doesn’t fit as well as prior generations of the Boom speaker — the original Boom is a much better size for that purpose). The Wonderboom can also chain multiples together for better sound (we like to put one on each cart corner) and has an “outdoor mode” that amplifies it a bit more (maybe not the best for the course, but great feature for a backyard barbecue).
I don’t have that specific Sonos (5th place), but we do use Sonos in the house — if setup is similar to the home speakers, then I agree that setup is not nearly as easy as the others in the list.
11 months ago
Your joke in the email about the pleated khaki boomer 2 fairways over is why some of us get riled up over music on the course. I don’t mind if you play music in your cart, I just don’t want to hear your particular favorite brand of music when I am 100 yards away. Otherwise, to each his own.
11 months ago
I don’t want to hear some other group’s music from 30 yards away. If we are on greens and tees near each other, I don’t want to hear their music. I feel sorry for anyone that cannot go four hours without their “tunes”. Look in the mirror and realize that the music and media industry have you addicted to their “products”. I bet you never drive your car in quiet and just listen to your own engine and ponder your own thoughts. As for MyGolfSpy, when are you going to evaluate the best cigars, cigarettes, and alcohol for use on the golf course? I’m kidding, but unfortunately I bet you consider it. I suppose you could do a review of ball mark repair tools, but the speaker loving golfers I see don’t use ball repair tools, or fix their divots for that matter either. Fortunately, very few of them hit the ball well enough to make ball marks on the green. Unfortunately, they swing so poorly they chop up the course with their divots.
11 months ago
Or not. Not everyone wants to listen to what you want to listen to. If you want music, fine…put in your earbuds and listen to whatever the h**l you want. I shouldn’t have to hear it. Your freedom to listen to music ends where my freedom to not begins. Good Walk Spoiled…by Morgan Wallen.
11 months ago
$10 Wally world Onn speaker with a $5 magnet attached to the back of it. (Why yes, that is JB Weld…) Is it a Bose? Hell no. But it’s hokey puck sized, water resistant, party pairable and you won’t cry if it gets destroyed. Battery easily lasts 5-6 hours. Maybe not stylish if you’re the country club type, but perfect for the muni boys like myself.
11 months ago
Golf but LOUDER? lmao
11 months ago
If you do this test again but focus on golfers who like to walk, which would take top spot? The JBL clip 4 is what I have and i would recommend it to anyone who likes walking, especially those twilight rounds alone. The built in carabiner design, connectivity, sound, and battery life are awesome!
11 months ago
Yep right on. I love my JBL Clip. And the built in clip is big enough for a cart post as well so solves the magnet problem others mentioned. Surprised was not on this list.
11 months ago
Whaaaat?!?!? Did you just Rickroll us with the GIF of the Wingman View?
Titleist ProV1 Golf Balls
Jim Aude
11 months ago
I can certainly understand why this is the most controversial review. On one side is the group that can’t live 5 minutes without their phone and tunes. On the other side is the group that enjoys a few hours away from all that. I happen to be in that camp of the latter but have a simple solution for those in the former. Use ear pods. Your have all your favorite music on an app on your phone, so why not use on the course just like everyone needs to do at the gym and elsewhere. I’m guessing that our taste in music isn’t the same, but even if it is, I don’t want to be forced to listen to your music when I’m trying to hit a shot.
League Golfer
11 months ago
Great comment. I agree. Please use your earbuds if you cannot go four hours without you music.