Statistics. They power just about everything in our lives today, and our golf games are no different. There are literally hundreds of different range finders, GPS units, Apps and stat tracking programs that can help anyone play better golf, but how does one go about choosing the right one for their game? Would your game benefit more from a range finder, dialing in exact carry distances to the flag or would it benefit more from an App that tracks how far your 'real world' shots go? Would it be better to invest in a GPS watch or an online shot tracker to improve your game? Probably the biggest question to ask yourself is if any of it is really necessary at all?
With every great system, there comes a drawback. For example, with phone Apps, the information they send and receive is only as accurate as the GPS in the device that is using them. If you have a highly accurate phone, you'll undoubtedly get good results. If you don't, well you may as well go back to pacing off distances from the 150 marker. If you use a range finder, you can accurately measure most distances, but unless you cheat and use the slope measuring system, you might trick yourself into a few short shots without even know it. Of course, probably the biggest issue with any of the golf tech solutions is, what's the actual cost of the system to use it to its full potential?
Starting off with the easiest and most simple solution, the range finder. These typically run between $150-500 and for the most part, are a "You get what you pay for" item. The lower cost models may not have as strong of zoom, or as high of quality of optics or even a rechargeable battery system. While it may seem crazy to spend this much on a range finder, getting accurate yardages on the course can benefit your game immensely. At the bottom of the range, you will find accurate readings that take longer to lock. At the top of the range, you will get laser focused high speed readings. For my money, a unit like the sub $150 Golf Buddy LR5 is a great option. Just make sure to pick up some extra "CR2" batteries to put in the bag, just in case you go dead mid-round.
Moving on from lasers to satellites, GPS units offer a pretty good deal for most players, if you shop the fine print. If you aren't picky about color, you can score deals on watches like the Bushnell Neo Ion for well under $100. Of course, they won't have fancy stat tracking options, but they do get the job done on identifying hazards and flag stick distances. Callaway, Garmin and TomTom also make some exceptionally strong offerings in the Golf GPS watches, though I highly recommend checking out course listings prior to purchasing one. Moving on from wrist worn units to handheld devices, GPS industry leader, Garmin has one for just about every budget available. From the simplistic Approach G10 to the full-featured Approach G8, Garmin's GPS's are second to none in quality and compatibility. Of course, that name comes with a price as the value based G10 come in at $129.99. The line begins to blur on the G8 model, as this $349.99 model can actually recommend clubs to you based on past performance. This unit also take into account the slope of the hole for adding and subtracting distance. The biggest question to ask yourself when you are getting ready to make the move to a satellite based system is if you are accurate enough with your distances to worry about it or not and how much are you willing to spend if you need to update it later?
Again, we begin blurring the tech lines when we start talking about Apps for devices. Take that old phone you have laying around in your desk drawer. Did you know you can turn that into a fully functional Golf GPS for nothing? Popular Apps like TheGrint, 18Birdies, Hole19 and a many others, give users a chance to use Google's own mapping system to plot out distances to greens all over the world. Even better, most of these Apps feature some sort of a "free" version, whether it's disabling certain functions or placing small advertisements on the yardage pages. Either way, using a smartphone as your gaming GPS is not a poor move - unless you need your phone for other activities as well or that it has one of those batteries that just isn't what it used to be. From the freemium Apps to shot recorders, your smartphone can do far more for you game than you ever imagined, and it only gets better with some additional investment in hardware.
Yes, those Apps with additional hardware. It's the best of both worlds, at least sometimes, but it's not without a serious hit to the pocket book. From GolfPadGPS's Link and Tag system to GameGolf's Live system and even the Arccos 360 system, every single on-course shot tracking system has some good things, and some bad things going for it. Starting with the GolfPad system, the obvious drawback is the $229.00 price tag and the $19.99 a year premium membership cost. GameGolf Live features a lower price tag at $99.99 (normally $149.99) and no membership fee. While I liked the "membership free" GameGolf system, I chose the GolfPad one due the fact that the App is Android Wear compatible and it shows distances on my smartwatch. Finally the last player that I really checked out before making my plunge was the Arccos 360 tracker. Instead of leveraging NFC tags like the previous two, Arccos actually built the sensor into the grip cap and those caps then transmit a signal to the club when it senses the head impact a ball. The entire system is rather stellar, but many of the courses I would play have holes that crossed back and forth, tricking the system into being on the wrong hole. Also, it was a bit nerve racking hoping that there was enough battery left Both GameGolf and GolfPad had minimal issues with this, but again, GolfPad won out narrowly by having that Android Wear feature built in.
UPDATE: I just came across another "new" option that seems like it could be the best of both, no all, worlds. The Shot Scope V2 GPS watch/tag system may be the perfect solution to the tech scene. I read about this in the latest "MyGolfSpy" email chain, so check out this link to the Shot Scope V2 and see what you think. Keep in mind, this is a VERY new product, so I have not tested it, used it or even tried to see how well it works over all. I'm extremely interested in getting my hands on a setup for a round or two to try it out, so if anyone has a connection to try it out, please let them know!
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