GPS; Its just a gimmick!

[Deleted member 1147]

The difference between the two situations was that I was played well in the first round and dreadfully in the second. My point being that when hitting the ball beautifully, I have a very good idea of how far it will travel with a given club with a full shot. Consequently, the precision of a GPS is very helpful. Conversely, when my timing was miles out last Thursday, I didn't really know if my 3 iron was going to go 75 or 220 yards. Therefore, knowing the precise distance was utterly irrelevant......

My GPS is a very simple affair which basically gives front, back & middle of the green.
When playing well I make use of the front & back parts.
When not playing so well I only make use of the middle part. On the basis that if miss-hit then it may still get on the green (be it a slightly fat or thinned connection).

 

[sweatysock41]

Thing is Homer some members didnt want to debate at all,I was just slagged off and by one "moderator" in particular,ok say what you think but the initial abuse was unnecessary.Let me put it this another way then, if you GPS is such an asset to your game surely your handicaps cant be correct as you already have the advantage over somebody who does not have or cant afford GPS but would find it beneficial.Basically as far as i`m concerned if you have the advantage on somebody else shots should be "added" to your handicaps because you are making the game easier for yourself.If you guys with GPS are gaining so much I would love to see your scorecards over a period of time without using GPS,and I bet you you scores will increase,and if they dont well whats the point in having it?.

This takes the debate in a whole different direction - you are now stating that people who can afford certain devices should be punished. Let's take that to another level are you also saying that in a competition where caddies are allowed and someone elects not to use one the person with the caddy should have strokes added? You really are spouting some rubbish - GPS are allowed if the local rules in competitions permit therefore no one is breaking any rules by using one if they are allowed so why should they be punished. Welcome to the 21st century it is human nature to get assistance where you can - if you choose not to then that is your decision - but don't expect others who utilise the legally available item to accept your view that their handicap is wrong and they should have shots added for your lack of insight.

 

[USER1999]

Since buying my dmd, my handicap has dropped 3 shots.

I cannot directly attribute this to owning a dmd, and would never try to. Other things in my game have changed too. However, I have spent the best part of 15 years playing off twelve, and last year got down to 9. I hope to go lower this year.

Is a gps cheating? No. All this information was available to me before I bought one, through yardage charts, and pacing from 150 markers.
Thing is, I either didn't bother (course planners are full of naff heiroglyphics which make no sense to me, and pin placement charts, 6 on, 4 left ditto) or I was rubbish at it.

The dmd gives me the information, which every one else can have (in paper form) in a manner that I can understand without a degree in cartography.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Thing is Homer some members didnt want to debate at all,I was just slagged off and by one "moderator" in particular,ok say what you think but the initial abuse was unnecessary.Let me put it this another way then, if you GPS is such an asset to your game surely your handicaps cant be correct as you already have the advantage over somebody who does not have or cant afford GPS but would find it beneficial.Basically as far as i`m concerned if you have the advantage on somebody else shots should be "added" to your handicaps because you are making the game easier for yourself.If you guys with GPS are gaining so much I would love to see your scorecards over a period of time without using GPS,and I bet you you scores will increase,and if they dont well whats the point in having it?. Constructive replies only please.......

Why should wealth come into handicaps for golfers?

If one person can afford CF clubs and another can't should handicaps alter.
If one person can afford lessons but another can't should handicaps alter.

I can afford a GPS and I'm sure it has helped my handicap come down.
I can afford CF clubs and I'm sure it has helped my handicap come down.
I can afford lessons and I'm sure it has helped my handicap come down.

There are plenty of other ways in which one person can have an advantage over another and handicaps shouldn't be altered because of them:
Height, weight, strength, fitness, suppleness, age, availability to play more often etc etc

Constructive enough?

 

[USER1999]

The other thing with handicaps is that they are designed to level the field. If my handicap drops because I am playing better, and Smiffys goes up because he is Smiffy, then when we meet, he gets more shots (whether in match play or stroke play). It doesn't really matter what my handicap is, or how I managed to reduce it. I just have to play to it. If I knock 3 shots off it tomorrow with some amazing new gadget, great, but then it will stabilise out, and I am back to square one.

 

[chrisd]

Thing is Homer some members didnt want to debate at all,I was just slagged off and by one "moderator" in particular,ok say what you think but the initial abuse was unnecessary.Let me put it this another way then, if you GPS is such an asset to your game surely your handicaps cant be correct as you already have the advantage over somebody who does not have or cant afford GPS but would find it beneficial.Basically as far as i`m concerned if you have the advantage on somebody else shots should be "added" to your handicaps because you are making the game easier for yourself.If you guys with GPS are gaining so much I would love to see your scorecards over a period of time without using GPS,and I bet you you scores will increase,and if they dont well whats the point in having it?. Constructive replies only please.......

I will try and be constructive - There are hundreds of devices, equipment, balls and clubs that are at the top end of cost. Anything that is legal to use under the rules is available to each and every golfer but there are many things that are financially out of the reach of some golfers. Every golfer is entitled to buy and use a measuring device (so long as their club rules allow their use) and no golfer should/could/would have his handicap adjusted on the grounds of having more disposable income to spend on getting better at the game. For this reason I believe your argument to be fatally flawed as even the financially poorest of golfers can use a GPS if they care to buy one as, after all, a golfer using the dearest driver doesn't have a handicap adjustment compared to a golfer using his fathers 20 year old persimmon driver just because he cant afford a new one.

There, pretty constructive, but I still think that you are on a total wind up as precious liitle that I read from you makes any sense at all.

 

[Snelly]

One question Snelly. Should a higher handicapper who's keen to improve, act on the course as the handicapper he is, or, should he carry himself in the manner a good golfer would and hope, as a result that he will get better.

When I was a 24 h/cap hacker I still had good clubs, balls and ancilliary equipment because I knew that the only blame for a bad round was squarely down to my swing - if I had high handicapper cheap and nasty gear I would always have had something else to blame and even in the early days I had to have a yardage (measured with pacing and strokesaver) as I always harboured the expectation of hitting some shots properly.

I found that when I first got a measuring device, which was before the R & A allowed them, so a while ago, my shots improved rapidly. No they don't help you hit the ball better, and God knows I hit many a duff, but I always stood over a shot confident that I was weilding the correct bat for the job and that helped no end and often stopped me trying to force the shot. It also stopped the frustration of the times when I guessed the club wrong, nailed it and saw it come up 30 yards short when if I got the club right with knowing the precise distance when, on the odd occasion I happened to nail it, I wanted the reward of being close

All golfers should carry themselves well on course, irrelevant of handicap.

I don't think I said you should have cheap and nasty gear if you are a high handicapper though? If you inferred that from my post then I am sorry as that isn't my view. What I am saying is that all the latest kit, custom fitted and so on, won't make the blindest bit of difference if you don't have a decent swing. Same goes for GPS. You cannot buy better golf scores and the only way to get better is by playing a lot and hitting thousands of shots. There are no short cuts.

So what I am saying is good for you that you feel confident as a result of your GPS, but I don't think that it is affecting your scores positively. You need to be further up the learning curve before the difference a GPS makes is tangible in any other way apart from between the ears. You say that it helps you - how much has your average score dropped by since you got a GPS? And how attributable is this improvement to said device? I would argue that the improvement has resulted from hitting more balls and getting better as a player. Nothing to do with knowing precise yardages.

Just my opinion of course...

And again, I am not knocking anyone for using one, just at odds with the view that it makes a major difference to the gross scores for most users of these things.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Thing is Homer some members didnt want to debate at all,I was just slagged off and by one "moderator" in particular,ok say what you think but the initial abuse was unnecessary.Let me put it this another way then, if you GPS is such an asset to your game surely your handicaps cant be correct as you already have the advantage over somebody who does not have or cant afford GPS but would find it beneficial.Basically as far as i`m concerned if you have the advantage on somebody else shots should be "added" to your handicaps because you are making the game easier for yourself.If you guys with GPS are gaining so much I would love to see your scorecards over a period of time without using GPS,and I bet you you scores will increase,and if they dont well whats the point in having it?. Constructive replies only please.......

Hard to be constructive to something so ridiculous. My game is where it is primarily because I have the short game of a 28 handicapper. It is a weakness and it is something I'm stringently working on. Not an area GPS makes a difference to in the slightest.

You are saying I need t openalised now on my handicap for making the game easier. So where do you draw that line. Two ball putters for better alignment. SGI clubs to get the ball in the air. It is a device open to anyone. If they choose not to use one then that is choice. You simply cannot peanlise those that do. If not why not make everyone use standardised equipment.

Sorry but you seem intent on causing a backlash with inane comments like this and I can't see any merit in your comments. It seems nothing more than a simple wind up

 

[User20205]

mmm levelling the playing field based on income. sound like some kind of communist golf manifesto

not really sure it would work, are we all going to play with dunlop drivers and top flite lack balls because they are cheap and therefore fair ?

I've got a laser range finder, it hasn't knocked any shots off my handicap, I don't always use it, but if I want to I can & will.

 

[Snelly]

We all have those games Snelly, some more than others but we still need to choose a club, and by having the correct distance helps us with that decision.

I agree and this is essentially my point. The higher the handicap, the more often the days when precise distances are less relevant.

 

[chrisd]

All golfers should carry themselves well on course, irrelevant of handicap.

I don't think I said you should have cheap and nasty gear if you are a high handicapper though? If you inferred that from my post then I am sorry as that isn't my view. What I am saying is that all the latest kit, custom fitted and so on, won't make the blindest bit of difference if you don't have a decent swing. Same goes for GPS. You cannot buy better golf scores and the only way to get better is by playing a lot and hitting thousands of shots. There are no short cuts.

So what I am saying is good for you that you feel confident as a result of your GPS, but I don't think that it is affecting your scores positively. You need to be further up the learning curve before the difference a GPS makes is tangible in any other way apart from between the ears. You say that it helps you - how much has your average score dropped by since you got a GPS? And how attributable is this improvement to said device? I would argue that the improvement has resulted from hitting more balls and getting better as a player. Nothing to do with knowing precise yardages.

Just my opinion of course...

And again, I am not knocking anyone for using one, just at odds with the view that it makes a major difference to the gross scores for most users of these things.

No apology necessary Snelly, some times we read things in a different way than meant

I am certain that measuring devices have helped in my improvement but I have also changed equipment, had lessons, had 2 replacement hips and therefore cant quantify what has improved because of what change.

I am sure that knowing correct yardages has been part of the overall improvement but couldn't prove that claim.

 

[Val]

I disagree as to these devices getting your handicap down as mine cannot swing a club for me.

 

[dave]

i have a laser range finder, personally i find it just as quick as working out the yardages on my own, and definatly more accurate. knowing the yardage doesnt stop the pratt on the end of the stick skulling it over the target.

 

[garyinderry]

300 squid wha you buying? There is no way you need to spend that to get a gps or laser.

are new lasers not £300?

 

[bobmac]

are new lasers not £300?

You can get them for as little as £90 new

 

[MarkA]

Thing is Homer some members didnt want to debate at all,I was just slagged off and by one "moderator" in particular,ok say what you think but the initial abuse was unnecessary.Let me put it this another way then, if you GPS is such an asset to your game surely your handicaps cant be correct as you already have the advantage over somebody who does not have or cant afford GPS but would find it beneficial.Basically as far as i`m concerned if you have the advantage on somebody else shots should be "added" to your handicaps because you are making the game easier for yourself.If you guys with GPS are gaining so much I would love to see your scorecards over a period of time without using GPS,and I bet you you scores will increase,and if they dont well whats the point in having it?. Constructive replies only please.......

What happens if the pro shop runs out of shotsavers in the middle of a competition ? does that mean that those who bought them have an unfair advantage? Similarly what about those who have a Caddy during Club competitions?

 

[Region3]

I am certain that measuring devices have helped in my improvement but I have also changed equipment, had lessons, had 2 replacement hips and therefore cant quantify what has improved because of what change.

I am sure that knowing correct yardages has been part of the overall improvement but couldn't prove that claim.

Ditto, except the hips.

I think the confidence that knowing the right yardage gives you is worth having one by itself.

Yes, some people are more likely to hit the right distance than others, but knowing you have the right club in your hands is one less thing to think about standing over the ball, and that is definitely a good thing as anyone who's been asked if they breath in or out during their swing will attest to.

Certainly for me, probably for lots, before dmd's you might be torn between 2 clubs to use. It doesn't matter which one you pick there will still be a doubt in your mind before you swing.

You stand there thinking it's not quite enough club, try to give it a bit more and thin or slice the ball. If you think you have too much club you try to take a bit off and fat it.

Knowing the right yardage for me just gives me one less thing to worry about before I take my shot.

 

[Neddy]

If I was 95% confident I could hit my 7 iron 140 yards then it would be useful for me to know when i am exactly 140 yards from the pin.

As it is I only do it 2 times out of 10 so therefore knowing i am somewhere between 135-145 yards is more than sufficient.

If I am really not sure/there are no markers i use a simple and free app on my phone.

Most courses have 150 and 100 markers these days and tbh, I find it hard to believe people aren't capable of working out what distance they are within say, a 10 yard window. If someone thinks they are 120 away and they are actually 140 away, on a course with a 150 marker, then they need a trip to the optician, not a gps device.

That said I am not going to criticise people for spending their money on one. Each to their own.

 

[shivas irons]

Hard to be constructive to something so ridiculous. My game is where it is primarily because I have the short game of a 28 handicapper. It is a weakness and it is something I'm stringently working on. Not an area GPS makes a difference to in the slightest.

You are saying I need t openalised now on my handicap for making the game easier. So where do you draw that line. Two ball putters for better alignment. SGI clubs to get the ball in the air. It is a device open to anyone. If they choose not to use one then that is choice. You simply cannot peanlise those that do. If not why not make everyone use standardised equipment.

Sorry but you seem intent on causing a backlash with inane comments like this and I can't see any merit in your comments. It seems nothing more than a simple wind up

No Wind up,If these "devices" you feel really improve your game and you need them you are gaining an advantage over somebody who would benefit from one but does not have one,Are you saying your scoring would be higher without GPS? wheres the wrong in head to head just using your clubs and your own skill with a same handicapper to you(non GPS) in the monthly medal?.In my time in retail we used to love you guys queuing up for you devices cos we knew you would be convinced that your game would improve no end if you bought the next best device/club,but hell if it didnt work so what you`ll be back.Apart from some guys like a club pro I know who wouldnt sell you anything you didnt need the modern golf industry is based on the punter having this "get better quick"attitude,good grief how many drivers do these manufactures produce in a short space in time with promises to hit it like a pro!.I caddied for a guy pre groove rule change on the seniors with a twenty year old set of rusty 1-sw and driver who was knocking it around in sub par,now I know your going to say if you have not got this guys ability these aids help but thats what the handicap systems for so you can play guys like this fairly.Theres no sustitute in this game for a fitted set of clubs your comfortable with,initial lessons and practise.If you got a feel for distance and can read yardage(which is part of the game) you dont not need GPS,be interesting to see the results if some of you guys "dared" not using it for a while.

 

[USER1999]

I quite often don't use my dmd. I also quite often go out with 5 clubs in a pencil bag. I still shoot a similar score.

Would I enter a medal with 5 clubs in my bag? No.

Yes, I could shoot my average round, but I would struggle to beat my best round, and that is what I would be looking for.