GPS for golf!
A GPS for golf can give you the precise distance to the green and measure individual shots, helping you improve your game. Most come with preloaded courses and some even have color maps of fairways, hazards and greens. There are no subscription fees on the Garmin units shown below and course map updates are free for life. The North American models include over 19,500 courses as of the latest update. Here’s a run down on a few key models, with the more recent releases shown first:
Garmin Approach S2
The Approach S2 (shown below) is a non-touchscreen golf sportswatch that offers 30,000 preloaded courses around the world and includes a digital scorecard. Check out our hands on review for all the details.
The Garmin Approach S2 comes in a range of colors
Garmin Approach G6
Smaller and lighter than the G3 and G5, the top of the line Approach G6 (shown below) can fit in your shirt pocket. Like the S3, the G6 comes with 28,000 preloaded courses worldwide. It also offers advanced features such as adjustable handicaps and scoring options such as Stroke Play, Stableford, Skins and Match Play.
Garmin Approach G6 showing sandtraps and start screen
Garmin Approach S3
The Approach S3 (shown below at right) improves upon the S1, showing the shape and layout of each green, adding 28,000 worldwide courses (not just North America), a digital scorecard feature and the ability to save and review your scores on a computer.
Garmin Approach S3 colors
Garmin Approach S1
The Approach S1 was the company’s first golf sportswatch, bringing basic stats such as precise yardages to the front, back and middle of greens.
Garmin Approach G3
The Approach G3 brought most of the G5 feature set to a smaller form factor touchscreen unit. But it’s missing some detailed stat tracking found on the G5 — putts per round, greens & fairways hit, and average distance
Garmin Approach G5
The touchscreen Approach G5 was Garmin’s first golf GPS, touch-targeting, manual pin positioning, course preview, digital scorecard, computer scorecard review, and a high-sensitivity receiver.
Other golf GPS options
There are other options out there besides Garmin. Here’s a list of Amazon’s best-selling golf GPS
do these GPS devices cover all of the golf courses in the US?
Many list their course offerings on their website. Here is Garmin’s: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=35302
mm they cover all the areas my parents would go to
thanks for the link!
You’re welcome!
Purchased and registered a Sureshot GPS in March 2011 – device stopped working early in April 2012.
Is there any way this could be related to ‘leap year’ issues?
Sureshot (based in Australia) have adopted the ‘send it back for repair’ or ‘we’ll sell you a newer version’ attitude.
Is it just refusing to lock onto GPS? TomTom hasn’t specified the third party involved, but I suspect it could be the chipset manufacturer. If that’s the case, it could be. A Google search doesn’t turn up similar complaints about the Sureshot though. If it is failing to lock onto satellites, try powering it on and setting it out under open sky for 30 minutes, without moving it.
Is there any way to Turn OFF the scorecard feature? I NEVER use it. I wear my G-6 clipped onto my belt and it frequently goes to the scorecard screen or alphabet screen by the time I next need to use it, and sometimes it’s hard to get back to the hole screen for the hole I am playing. Today I had to turn off my unit to get away from the alphabet screen, and then had to move through all the holes I had already played to reach the hole I was on.
Also, when I am saving a location, Using Current Location, whey does the screen not show 0 yds for the spot I am standing on, instead of showing about 50 — 60 yds? Thank you for your reply.