January 2012 - unbiased reviews, ratings and rankings of the best golf GPS devices. Our editors test and compare the newest golf GPS devices for 2012 head-to-head to help you determine which golf GPS is best. Golf GPS devices tested include offerings from Callaway, Garmin, Golfbuddy, Skycaddie, Bushnell, Celestron, IZZO, Sonocaddie and Golf Guru.
All the basic features of the Garmin Approach G5 in a slightly smaller (though still as rugged) body and at a lower price point. A solid device that warrants a look from anyone considering purchasing a golf GPS device. More…
Retail price: $269.99
Three year total cost: $269.99
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Score
92
Grade
A-
Intuitive touchscreen interface, the ability to determine the distance to any point on the hole, and ready to go out of the box (just add AA batteries). Recently added the ability to track statistics (although only for the round in progress, not for multiple rounds over time). Better course coverage would be the icing on the cake. More…
Retail price: $349.99
Three year total cost: $349.99
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Score
91
Grade
A-
As the only golf GPS watch on the market, the Garmin Approach S1 stands out among the crowd. Just a bit thicker than standard watches, the S1 has an easy-to-use interface providing distances to the near, center and far edges of the green. While hazard distances aren’t available, the S1 provides hole and par information, along with shot measuring capability. If you are looking for just the basics and don’t mind wearing a watch while you play, or simply miss your Finnish Suunto G9, the S1 is the way to go! More…
Retail price: $249.99
Three year total cost: $249.99
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Score
91
Grade
A-
With its “Plus” series, Bushnell joins the growing number of manufacturers offering golf GPS devices that come with courses pre-loaded, and, even better, requiring no membership fees for access to the course database. The neo+ is one of the simplest devices we tested, providing text distances to the front, center and back of the green and up to four other hazards/targets on each hole. If you are looking for ease of use, the neo+ ranks among the top devices. More…
Retail price: $149.99
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Score
90
Grade
A-
The GolfBuddy World is a nice combination of an intuitive user interface, quality graphics, a full set of features, exceptional course coverage with pre-mapped targets, and no annual or per-course fees. While users can use the touchscreen to target any point on the hole and receive distances both to that point and to the green, as well as select the flagstick location, touchscreen sensitivity fell short of our expectations. The screen isn’t as bright as we would like, but hole and green graphic images are crisp. Though still not as well known as SkyCaddie and Garmin, GolfBuddy is making good progress. More…
Retail price: $299
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Score
89
Grade
B+
The Sonocaddie V500 brings you the latest features, including satellite images and video flyovers. But uneven implementation of certain interface elements left us disappointed. Combine that with overall poor image quality of satellite views, lack of ability to zoom, limited mapped points, and buggy software, and you’re left with a device that gets lost in the noise. Oh, and it finished last in our course coverage analysis at a mere 21% of courses available. Not compatible with Macs. Read our detailed Sonocaddie V500 review.
Retail Price: $399 plus fees
Three year total cost: $428.95
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Score
88
Grade
B+
With the release of the Platinum, GolfBuddy joins the ranks of devices that offer full hole graphic layouts and the ability to target any point on the course for distance readings. The device is extremely easy to use and information is presented in a clear manner. But with poor course coverage, whether the GolfBuddy World Platinum should be on your short list will hinge on if they have your courses mapped. Not compatible with Macs. More…
Retail price: $399.99
Three year total cost: $399.99
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Score
88
Grade
B+
The SkyCaddie SGX has some of the latest features, including full hole graphic views and detailed green maps that show contours and false fronts. But course coverage for these new maps is still sparse, a user interface that feels overloaded (maybe it’s time to move to a touchscreen?) and a steep price tag, keep the SGX from rising higher in our rankings. More…
Retail price: $299.95 plus yearly fees
Three year total cost: $419.80
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Score
85
Grade
B
The Celestron CoursePro Elite suffers from being a “tweener” – caught as neither a compact basic device nor a full featured top-end unit. Most consumers are likely to find a better fit elsewhere. The exception is that the CoursePro Elite may appeal strongly to those who enjoy customizing their own course maps or need a device that displays one of the whopping twelve different languages that the CoursePro Elite supports. More…
Retail price: $149.95
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Score
83
Grade
B-
Overhead hole maps, friendly interface and lots of features will make this device appealing to many users. However, multiple bad experiences with significant distance errors make the V300 difficult to recommend whole-heartedly. Not compatible with Macs. Read our detailed Sonocaddie V300 review.
Retail Price: $349 plus fees
Three year total cost: $378.95
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Score
82
Grade
B-
The Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC+ has a good form factor and is quite light, with solid buttons, an intuitive menu and a color screen that works fine in different lighting conditions. Hole map usability is an issue – the device can move the target point you have selected on a whim, creating a maddening experience. Only green points and selected pre-mapped targets come installed – if you want the overhead hole maps, you’ll have to download individually (annual fee required). More…
Retail price: $299.99
Three-year total cost: $369.97
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Score
78
Grade
C+
The Golf Guru 4 aims to be jack of all trades, but ends up master of none. The release of the device seems premature, as course coverage for AerVu maps is poor and the software was tremendously buggy. Not compatible with Macs. More…
Retail price: $399.95 plus per course fees
Three year total cost: $509.95
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Score
74
Grade
C
We like the concept of a basic, lightweight device that comes cheap and has low annual fees. But little functionality, coupled with numerous distance errors, keep the SWAMI at the bottom of our rankings. Not compatible with Macs. More…
Retail Price: $99.99 plus yearly fees
Three year total cost: $129.96
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Score
72
Grade
C-
Bushnell, makers of the “#1 laser rangefinder on the PGA Tour” now offer the Bushnell Hybrid, the first combination GPS and laser rangefinder on the market. Leveraging Bushnell’s course database, the Hybrid offers over 16,000 courses in North America out of the box, without any yearly fees.
Retail price: $499.99
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PLEASE NOTE: The Callaway upro mx is currently not available from Callaway or Callaway Authorized Retailers.
Read our detailed Callaway upro mx news update for further information
Retail price: $199 plus $59.99 for unlimited ProMode courses
The Expresso AG50 comes loaded with front, center and back green distances along with pre-mapped targets. With a paid membership via iGolf.com (the same company that provides data for Bushnell XGC/XGC+ golf GPS devices) of $34.99/year , players will also have access to full hole images and the ability to determine distances to any point on the course.
The Expresso AG50 isn’t just a golf GPS device, however. It is equally a car navigation device, and multimedia player. With its smorgasbord of offerings, it is a member of a unique category of golf GPS devices that also includes Golf Guru.
Check back for our Expresso AG50 review, or follow us on twitter (twitter.com/criticalgolf), where we tweet all our latest reviews they are released.
Retail price: $199.95
Three year total cost: $304.92
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The Expresso WR62 golf watch not only allows users to see distances to the front, center and back of the green along with hole number and par, but also provides distances to pre-mapped hazards – the first golf GPS watch to provide this level of information (with no additional fees to boot). We found ourselves big fans of the watch form factor in the Garmin S1, and are looking forward to testing a device that provides even more information.
Check back for our upcoming Expresso WR62 review, or follow us on twitter (twitter.com/criticalgolf), where we tweet our latest reviews as they are posted.
Availability: March 2012
Retail price: $179.95
Three year total cost: $179.95
Garmin has just released their latest handheld golf GPS device, the Garmin Approach G6. The Approach G6 maintains the color touchscreen of the previous generation of Garmin golf handhelds but has a sleeker design mand rechargeable battery. As with the G3 and G5, the Garmin Approach G6 features preloaded courses, and no additional yearly or per course fees. To quickly select your target points, the Approach G6 comes with layup arcs to augment the ability to touch anywhere on the screen to receive distances, as well as the ability to add new target points to the existing courses. The device comes with a scorecard and multiple scoring options, statistics and club averages. The G6 also features two new buttons (we are fans of this addition) so players will have instant access to Green View, Shot Measuring and the digital scorecard.
The device is expected to be available in February 2012, but you can pre-order today.
Retail price: $299.99
Three-year total cost: $299.99
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The GolfBuddy Voice (available in April 2012) is a small device with a clip that can easily attach to a hat, bag, or belt and speaks the distance to the front, center and back of the green with a push of a button (in 8 languages, no less) and can track shot distances.
Availability: April 2012
Retail price: $199
The SWAMI 3000 brings a number of significant improvements to the original SWAMI 1500, including course name displayed on screen, pre-loaded with over 19,000 courses, and no subscription required (though a fee may apply to map your course if it is not in their existing database – yuk!).
Retail price: $99.99
Three year total cost: $99.99
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Please note that as Shotsaver products have an extremely limited number of courses available within the U.S. and are manufactured and distributed within Europe, we are not offering a full review at this time.
Retail price: £249.99
For those in the UK, Shotsaver S430 is available directly from Snooper.
SkyCaddie builds upon the SGX with the addition of Wi-Fi capabilities in the new SkyCaddie SGXw. This should mean more easily updating your SkyCaddie course maps and syncing scoring information with your Wi-Fi at home, compatible hotspots, and certain smartphones with qualified data plans. We’ve taken the SGXw to the course for our testing, and our review is in progress. Stay tuned!
Retail price: $399.95
Three year total cost: $519.80
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With the V300 Plus, Sonocaddie is starting to rival SkyCaddie with the sheer number of devices they have available: 6 versus SkyCaddie’s whopping 7 devices. A marketer’s dream!
The Sonocaddie V300 Plus has a color screen and comes preloaded with basic distance information, including course hazards, targets and a graphic indication of whether they are on the left, center or right side of the hole. It does not, however, provide a map of the hole. Accessing hole maps, which include both color graphic layouts and satellite images, requires an additional membership fee of $29.95 per year.
Retail price: $229.95
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