Can we become too dependent....

[garyinderry]

I played happily for years without a GPS until I came to England. everyone here uses one so I thought I would join the party. glad I did !


You don't need one to play golf, it just makes things a little easier. working out yardages isn't that hard.


The GPS comes into its own when you have blocked a drive 100 yards right on a different fairway. 9/10 you will guess the wrong yardage from way over there. If you have a clear line to the green then its a hell of a lot easier to recover! SIMPLES!

 

[DAVEYBOY]

I'm lost without my S3

 

[shivas irons]

In the past ive always been anti GPS but as I'm reaching half a century the thought of just pressing a button the get my yardage seems quite attractive.No more getting yardage by course markers and just pressing a button on a device on my cap will make life a lot easier.Powercaddy next I reckon

 

[MadAdey]

I can't understand how a gps stops you hitting the green ? And knowing a distance messing with your concentration isn't the fault of the GPS - that's the fault of the golfer. Blaming a gps on hitting poor shots ?

I played for nearly 20 years without one so learnt how to judge distances grab a club and hit it. Decided to try GPS and found I was spending to much time working out exact yardages to the pin, which in turn was filling my head with too much crap. Then when it came to the shot I wasn't really concentrating. I play on feel, like shots from within 100 yards, I look at it and play it, I do not get an exact yardage and then use the clock face method to hit an exact shot.Bottom line is I hate using DMD's. Not saying they are bad and sometimes I have asked others for distances to obstacles from the tee, but only on a rare occasion.

 

[RobRob]

I hardly use my bushnell during the winter, stops that dependency that could really harm me when the battery in my bushnell dies lol

 

[garyinderry]

I quite often wont bother to charge my garmin if only going for a friendly knock. My lack of preparation is starting to irk Liverbirdie! :mmm:

 

[Oddsocks]

It's funny that I can now play my course equally as good or bad with or without it, the main time I find I use it is courses that I don't know if if I'm in weird positions,,, such as after a bad shot from a place where I'm second guessing, a lot of the tome I've already my my club choice, it's just to confirm the choice I've made.

 

[Slime]

Oh, and whats all this "pacing out yardages stuff"? Walk to ball, look at nearest marker post, think "That looks about 20 yards", take out club, hit ball, walk on.... Seriously, who paces out yardages?

People who don't have a DMD but want to know how far it is to the front/centre of the green. Like me before I had a DMD.

Slime.

 

[Liverbirdie]

I quite often wont bother to charge my garmin if only going for a friendly knock. My lack of preparation is starting to irk Liverbirdie! :mmm:

No that lack of preparation is due to you not carrying:-

1. A pitchmark repairer (a tee doesn't do the job anywhere near good enough).

2. A proper ball marker, ok to use anything, except when you are on or near someones line - then you should use a proper marker.

3. A spare ball in your pocket. 3B. your own phone, instead of forgetting yours then ringing half of Ireland with my moby.

1 and 2 - every golfer should have, 3 is optional but shouldn't be. 3b get me an orange voucher for £3.63 next week.

 

[garyinderry]

Duly noted! You might make a proper gentleman of me yet! :ears:

 

[Liverbirdie]

Duly noted! You might make a proper gentleman of me yet! :ears:

Don't listen to me about shoes though - keep running with that dexys midnight runners look, you rock so well.

 

[Liqdaddymac]

More of a feel player and only use my laser if unsure I.e. False fronts, hazard carry or raised green to work out where flag is etc.

 

[williamalex1]

I don't have one so.... No :lol:

plus 1

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

How does he cope away from home? I can understand that at home you get used to the course and know based on where you are on the hole, ie, next to a bunker or 150yd marker.

I've played courses where they easily trick you with false fronts, and on very flat courses I struggle to get distances, especially if there aren't objects directly behind the green.

One aspect of learning to play the game of golf - comes with experience.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Not me! look at watch when i am about 5 yards away from my ball, park trolley, remove club, hit ball, repeat. having a GPS adds zero time to my game.

Well you are in the fortunate part of 'the rest'. And when I'm standing with a PP 50yds to the green and he's faffing about getting his DMD/GPS distance measurement sorted - hmmm...I sense a dependency as at these distances and closer I don't think you should be asking yourself 'how many yards to go?'

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The GPS comes into its own when you have blocked a drive 100 yards right on a different fairway. 9/10 you will guess the wrong yardage from way over there. If you have a clear line to the green then its a hell of a lot easier to recover! SIMPLES!

Oh dear - you've strayed off topic into my discomfort zone as this statement clearly demonstrates that for you in some scenarios having a DMD would give you a clear advantage over someone without one in the same position.

But we are not talking whether they should be allowed or not - but whether users can become too dependent upon them.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I played for nearly 20 years without one so learnt how to judge distances grab a club and hit it. Decided to try GPS and found I was spending to much time working out exact yardages to the pin, which in turn was filling my head with too much crap. Then when it came to the shot I wasn't really concentrating. I play on feel, like shots from within 100 yards, I look at it and play it, I do not get an exact yardage and then use the clock face method to hit an exact shot.Bottom line is I hate using DMD's. Not saying they are bad and sometimes I have asked others for distances to obstacles from the tee, but only on a rare occasion.

@MadAdey - on this you are precisely my sort of golfer with my sort of thinking

 

[garyinderry]

Oh dear - you've strayed off topic into my discomfort zone as this statement clearly demonstrates that for you in some scenarios having a DMD would give you a clear advantage over someone without one in the same position.

But we are not talking whether they should be allowed or not - but whether users can become too dependent upon them.

I see what you are saying. In short, yes, some can become dependant. Especially those that have used them since taking up the game.

If you play long enough you can develop the ability to judge what club is required for a certain shot. You could look at a flag and say that's an 8 iron. you might not even be pretty sure of the yardage. Its an internal calculation of distance and the conditions.

 

[ger147]

I have always played to yardages. Spent a lot of time annotating course guides on the courses I played regularly to save time pacing out yardages etc. Don't have to do that any more now I have a DMD.

 

[MadAdey]

@MadAdey - on this you are precisely my sort of golfer with my sort of thinking

how many people have actually tried guessing a distance, then checking it against a DMD? I have done it several times and find I am accurate enough for golfers of our standards. I even beat my mate to a distance once because his DMD had lagged on him a bit, I was 3 yards different to his DMD.