Could these offer you a GPS option for under £50?

[palindromicbob]

Many of us will have tried the GPS apps and many of these are very good. I use a Huawei U8850 Vision that I paid £60 or so for along with Freecaddie. Works without the need for a sim card as well. This does mean I can't access map views or download courses without wifi but I still get FMB distances. I could put my sim in and get maps view etc via data but no real need.

Anyway I've seen a few similar (actually more powerful) options recently and though they could be worth a look for anyone that wants a phones cased GPS that is compliant. This means it can happily be used were a local rule for DMD's. Also a handy back-up phone.

Could these provide a low cost GPS solution or would you sooner go for a dedicated device?

A few have caught my eye recently for being in the sub £50 bracket.

Smart 4 Mini

http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/pay-as-you-go/vodafone-smart-4-mini-payg/sku81427-white

ZTE Kis 3

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2812870.htm

Lebara Kazam Trooper 2 4.0

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3072420.htm

 

[PIng]

I've tried phone based GPS before and never really got on with them - short battery life, screen locks, hard to read in sunlight etc. When you take into account the cost of the phone and the GPS app (are the free ones any good?) then you may as well buy a basic GPS imo. I have the Bushnell Neo plus handheld, dead easy to use and the battery lasts at least 10 rounds. Only cost £80 from DG (when they had one of their £20 discount offers on). It gives FMB distances, bunkers, ditches etc, the ability to manually edit the course and to add your own reference points. Can't fault it.

 

[palindromicbob]

I've tried phone based GPS before and never really got on with them - short battery life, screen locks, hard to read in sunlight etc. When you take into account the cost of the phone and the GPS app (are the free ones any good?) then you may as well buy a basic GPS imo. I have the Bushnell Neo plus handheld, dead easy to use and the battery lasts at least 10 rounds. Only cost £80 from DG (when they had one of their £20 discount offers on). It gives FMB distances, bunkers, ditches etc, the ability to manually edit the course and to add your own reference points. Can't fault it.

Freecaddie is excellent. £3 for the pro version or simply stick to the free one.

Another great option is Skydroid, paid version is £1.49.

Golfshot is probably the most expensive to pay for but can offer a plethora of features that you'd need to spend quiet a bit more to get on a dedicated GPS.

 

[MJBett]

are the free ones any good?

Have you tried the app Hole19? it's free and pretty solid - both GPS and score-tracking wise.

I understand there are people who prefer having a specific GPS device just for golf, but in my honest opinion, after having started using Hole19 I really don't see the need to anymore.

 

[PIng]

I've used the free version of Freecaddie, and thought it was ok, but my problem is with the phones themselves, far too fiddly to use. I'm also a firm believer in using devices designed specifically for the job - I use a camera for photos rather than a phone for example. My daughter laughs at me because I use my phone to talk to people rather than Whatsapping or Facebooking them.

 

[MJBett]

I guess it's all about the learning curve when it comes to using a new product. I'm more of the opposite - I'd rather have everything centralized.
Well, kids will always laugh at their parents, regardless of the reason!

 

[Scotty Cameron]

Have you tried the app Hole19? it's free and pretty solid - both GPS and score-tracking wise.

I understand there are people who prefer having a specific GPS device just for golf, but in my honest opinion, after having started using Hole19 I really don't see the need to anymore.

Will have a look at this as my Golfshot app is very buggy since it hasn't been updated for Android 5.