GolfBuddy GPS

[Matty]

I've had a GolfBuddy Tour GPS device for a few years now and thought I'd post a review of the good bits and the bad bits.

The good first - it feels like a well built and sturdy device, fits comfortably in a trouser pocket and is usually pretty fast at picking up satellites and locating the course you are at automatically. This process takes about 2-5 minutes in total.

It gives distances to the front, middle and back of the green from any direction and also contains hazard information for a lot of courses.

This gives you solid information to aid shot selection and club choice on the course and overall I'd say it gives a small benefit in speeding up play.

GolfBuddy is also subscription free so course data is available for the lifetime of the product after purchase for no extra fee.


Now to the bad - the software for updating the device has never been good and as it's old now it's getting worse. I use Macs and while it used to work about 5 years ago it plain refuses now so I have to use an old Windows XP computer to update course information.

That brings me to my next point. My course was renovated in Autumn last year, one hole was taken out of play and changed into a practice area and a new hole was added further into the course. Despite 3 requests to have the course remapped, numerous phone calls and emails the course data remains incorrect.My device therefore has no yardages for me on the 4th hole and gives me the wrong hole number until I get to the 6th. Surely it's not too much to ask that the course is updated. My regular playing partner owns a Garmin and that has been updated (they push updates 4 times a year I think).


So, in summary, I'd say it a good product but I've had some pretty awful after sales support in remapping a course. Would I buy one again? Almost certainly not. I'd be looking at a laser as it needs no updates or possibly a Garmin as their after sales service seems better.

 

[Fish]

That brings me to my next point. My course was renovated in Autumn last year, one hole was taken out of play and changed into a practice area and a new hole was added further into the course. Despite 3 requests to have the course remapped, numerous phone calls and emails the course data remains incorrect.My device therefore has no yardages for me on the 4th hole and gives me the wrong hole number until I get to the 6th. Surely it's not too much to ask that the course is updated. My regular playing partner owns a Garmin and that has been updated (they push updates 4 times a year I think).

Any calls to them directly are fruitless as they have no control on when updates can be done as they only rely on third party aerial imagery, which could take months or even years.

So, if you ask any GPS brand (other than SkyCaddie) when they can visit to update the new information on your course changes, they can't answer you because they don't employ any ground mappers and they don't know when it will be updated themselves!

 

[Matty]

Any calls to them directly are fruitless as they have no control on when updates can be done as they only rely on third party aerial imagery, which could take months or even years.

So, if you ask any GPS brand (other than SkyCaddie) when they can visit to update the new information on your course changes, they can't answer you because they don't employ any ground mappers and they don't know when it will be updated themselves!

That doesn't explain the email and verbal responses I've had telling me it would be done soon (i.e. within weeks) and it also doesn't explain how Garmin have managed to push the update out within 6 months of the request being lodged and GolfBuddy so far haven't looked like getting close in a year.

Last contact I had said this:
"The course has been mapped and we are currently waiting for it being uploaded by the mapper.

I will chase this today and let you know."

That was a month ago and still no update showing and no further contact despite me sending a reply to the email.

 

[Fish]

That doesn't explain the email and verbal responses I've had telling me it would be done soon (i.e. within weeks) and it also doesn't explain how Garmin have managed to push the update out within 6 months of the request being lodged and GolfBuddy so far haven't looked like getting close in a year.

Last contact I had said this:
"The course has been mapped and we are currently waiting for it being uploaded by the mapper.

I will chase this today and let you know."

That was a month ago and still no update showing and no further contact despite me sending a reply to the email.

It's nothing short of a lie, ask your Course (pro) when they saw or allowed a mapper from GB on to do the changes.

They rely solely on third party Ariel imagery, Garmin admit it in their paperwork but GB lie & deceive their customers.

 

[Jacko_G]

It's nothing short of a lie, ask your Course (pro) when they saw or allowed a mapper from GB on to do the changes.

They rely solely on third party Ariel imagery, Garmin admit it in their paperwork but GB lie & deceive their customers.

That is horrendous if true but would explain why an update at a course I played recently wasn't on his device. A hole had been altered two years ago but his device showed the old green position.

I was previously critical of Skycaddie and their yearly fees but it is by far the best out there (imo) and worth every penny.

 

[Matty]

It's nothing short of a lie, ask your Course (pro) when they saw or allowed a mapper from GB on to do the changes.

They rely solely on third party Ariel imagery, Garmin admit it in their paperwork but GB lie & deceive their customers.

I have no major reason to dispute what you are saying but why on earth do these companies think it is right and acceptable to lie to their customers? Why not just be honest? Good customer service, in my opinion, starts from a level of honesty - don't say you are going to do something when you know fine well you are not in a position to do it! It's always nice when companies go above an beyond but simply being honest is a great place to start.

 

[MarkA]

Skycaddie are expensive but when I was last out in Portugal there was a guy mapping the course on foot with a gps receiver. Thats what you pay for!

 

[Timb52]

More Golfbuddy nonsense....a new course in Portugal, West Cliffs opened in June last year. As a member of it’s sister course Praia del Rey and West Cliffs, I requested a course update from Golfbuddy before the course opened. I got the 4 to 6 week message back which was fair enough. However it’s now 8 months on and still they haven’t loaded the course which has been ranked in the top 25 European courses by 2 organisations already and has recently hosted the Portuguese ladies amateur championships. I offered to map it for them, have sent tweets, emails etc but all I get is it’s “pending”. They have even told me they can’t send the mapping package outside of the USA.
In the meantime Skycaddie were up and running on the opening date, followed soon after by Bushnell, Garmin and Strokesaver. Incidentally contrary to other comments, Bushnell did walk the course via one of my fellow members using their mapping software. Strokesaver had a guy here for several days.

Anyway bottom line is Golfbuddy don’t seem to care about anyone other than US users in my view. If West Cliffs had opened in the US and been ranked straight away in the top 25 courses there can you imagine them not mapping it 8 months later? Needless to say my next gps won’t be one of theirs. It’s time this lack of updating service is highlighted by the golf press.