GPS Waste of money?

[evahakool]

After posting comments on the Forum Yardages post about me not thinking anyone would need a gps in the 15 to 28 h/c range some of my comments were taken the wrong way.

I would never say that a high h/c shouldnt have the same right as a low h/c to use a gps,just the NEED to use one,big difference there.

So Im ready to be shoot down and put this out there,I think anyone in this h/c range would be better of in the long run spending there money on lessons rather than buying a gps,also when they look at the gps and choose a club its the wrong one.

Anyone useing one if you look back on your round how many times did you really need one? If you hit a poor tee shoot with driver/3wood and go on to a differant fairway most of the time you will need a bigger club as possible for your next shoot - no need for a gps. If you walk past the 150 marker for 10-20 paces-no need for a gps.If your at the 100 yard marker or less-no need for a gps,please dont say "I need my gps for my wedge distances" at this h/c your not that good.

Lets use a 5i for example and you say " if I hit it well I can hit a 5i this distance", Yes you might hit this distance but how consistantly? and its genrally based on your best shoot instead of a average shoot,which I would argue would be 10 yards less therfore your useing the wrong club anyway.

 

[CrapHacker]

Nah

The thing about a GPS is that it gives you INFORMATION. It's how you decide to use that information that matters, and that is irrelevant to your handicap.

OK so a higher handicap player can't hit the ball as consistantly as a better player, but they still have to make decisions, and the more information you have, the better chance you have of making the right decision.

Once you are confidant in your shot choice, then it's down to the execution. And the more confidant you are about your shot, means you are maximising your chances of playing the best shot you can.

We'll still cock it up more times than a better player, but we'll cock it up less than we would if we made a poor choice.

If you are counting paces as you pass the 150 marker you are gaining information to help you with club selection anyway, why not make that information as accurate as possible?

As for a higher handicap player choosing the wrong club, I say don't make assumptions. Once a player gets used to using a GPS, he will probably stop working on his maximum distances pretty quickly if he seems himself regularly coming up short, and the GPS will actually help him make a better club choice more often than not. Just because we have high handicaps does mean we are stupid as well. ( Of course anyone who has played with me knows I am crap AND stupid, but that's a moot point )

Lessons are great, but many people's swings are so far ingrained that they are never going to be able to change it for a beautiful swing, no matter how much they'd like to. So rather than waste money investing in short term changes which will collapse under pressure, it might well be better to spend money maximising your confidence, and they using what talent you have to the best of your ability. That will improve consistancy as far as is possible, THEN we can start thinking in terms of improving our short game from 100 yards in.

In every option, a GPS is going to help a high handicapper as much, if not more than it helps a lower handicapper.

 

[Imurg]

Wot he said!

All GPS does is give you the information that you get from pacing/guessing the yardage. Nothing more...
If you count 20 paces beyond the 150 marker then you are getting the same information, just in a different way.
Can't see the issue. If you can afford it, go for it.
And I'm with CH on lessons too...

 

[Oddsocks]

Ref the original post, if I'm honest I was totally against gps, but it was when I played with two guys last year i was swayed. One off 15 and one off 23. Both players had their key points of their game and both had their bad points as do we all, yet both come in with 40 points or more for the simple reason being their second shots were always around 10ft from the pin. No matter how bad they were from off the tee, they hard their yardages spot on.

Now for me it's different, current off 13 I'm bordering cat2, yet constantly struggle with assessing distances. What looks one length by eye is another by gps, so it's good for me. Now my ball striking of late has improved but even at it's low through jan what was a better option

A) being a club short and being off the fringe at the front, leaving me a bump and run or short pitch
Or
B) being two clubs short Which may bring sone other hazards into play, and then if missing sand/lakes etc being left a 40 yard pitch in

Personally I can see what the original poster is getting at to a point. But the fact is I'd rather be behind a group of 28 hc Players with gps who know their distances that a group without then that don't have that information to hand and take more time trying to work out which club to play. Whether they play the shot well is another thing as well/correct could and is different by everyone's standard.

Me, id like to see gps banned as gauging distances from markers us half the skill and course planners are another skill all together, but in my opinion here lazy course owners are to blame!!!!! If courses made more effort to have better course markers instead of just 150 and/or 100 then we wouldn't have needed them in the first place. The track z played as a junior had 250/200/150/100/50 markers in the fairways as well as a mini course planner on the reverse of the card, no good for people finding different fairways, but isn't that half the punishment of being on the wrong fairway to start with.

 

[Tiger]

evahakool you are on a hiding to nothing here. What makes you think that a high h/c can't afford lessons AND a GPS? How does consistency of ball striking affect knowing your yardage? You also seem to have a preconceived notion of how a high handicapper plays. There are some who have been off a high number for 40 odd years, some who played off a lower figure but as age has caught up on them lost distance and others who are just starting to play.

You also have a limited understanding of what new GPS can do. I have a Shormiser that gives you distance to any point on the course. When I'm on the wrong fairway I get all the information including revised distance to the pin and obstacles. The right club is not the longest one. The right club is the one that has the least risk for the most reward. My course management has improved ten fold with a GPS.

I use mine when I practice to figure out my wedge yardages. I take mental notes when I play to figure out my other club yardages.

The reason I play off 27 is consistency and short game (chipping). I don't chip it close enough to make scrambled pars consistently and I'll occasionally hit a poor tee shot or approach that gets me in trouble. In my last medal I scored 54 going out (mainly due to a 10 on the 5th and some poor putts and chips) I scored 43 coming back (+7) which if not for my putting malaise should have been 3 shots better.

Sorry for the tirade but I'm fed up with inaccurate stereotypes. Maybe all us high handicappers should stick to par 3 goat tracks, play Dunlop balls, use a mish mash of handy down clubs and get our clothes from oxfam because heaven forbid we should spend any money to improve our enjoyment of this game and our ability to get better!

 

[Oddsocks]

Tiger ........,,, and breathe

We had the same thing in mx, people would spend fortunes on their bikes and expert / good clubman would take the piss. Better them spend it on a hobby they live than snorting it up their nose ir pissing if up the wall in my opinion.

 

[Tiger]

Tiger ........,,, and breathe

We had the same thing in mx, people would spend fortunes on their bikes and expert / good clubman would take the piss. Better them spend it on a hobby they live than snorting it up their nose ir pissing if up the wall in my opinion.

But Oddsocks it's not just about being able to spend the money it's about the fact that it's a useful tool. My swing is still maturing so my accuracy is a little off. I often pull my shots a bit or leave the clubface open and fade it too much. More often than not I'm pin high and that's from 70 yards upwards. The problem is I'm not on the pin. So I two putt or chip and two putt! Majority of my pars I hit GIR. As my chipping and putting improve I'll hope to scramble and one putt more often. That's what will get my scores down.

I just get fed up of all this cr@p about high h/caps shouldn't do this and can't do that. People questioning your yardages or why you are working on your wedge distances. It's all buzzcocks! How the feck can I get better playing with rocks, guessing yardages and picking clubs at random from my bag.

I'm off to breathe now

 

[richy]

Totally agree with Tiger. Better to know how far you have to to go and putting a positive swing on it, on the basis that you'll hit a good one rather than thinking well it's around 150 I'll hit a 7 iron as I could shank/slice/hook/fat/thin this one anywhere.

For me if you do the latter you're on to a loser before you've even addressed the ball!

(I don't hit my seven iron 150 by the way)

 

[sweatysock41]

After posting comments on the Forum Yardages post about me not thinking anyone would need a gps in the 15 to 28 h/c range some of my comments were taken the wrong way.

I would never say that a high h/c shouldnt have the same right as a low h/c to use a gps,just the NEED to use one,big difference there.

So in your opinion I don't have the need to know how far I am from the hole - what b*ll*x!!!

For your information, I am in the handicap group you refer to,I have a GPS and I am having lessons.

The GPS is a godsend on courses that I don't play regularly.

Would you also say that a high handicapper shouldn't be using a yardage chart?

As said before by other posters a GPS only provides information what gives anyone the right to say that certain handicap groups shouldn't need to have the same information that is available to another lower group.

 

[CliveW]

I too agree that high handicappers benefit from GPS. Not all courses have distance markers, nor are all markers accurate. If you feel high handicappers don't benifit from GPS do you feel the same about Strokesavers?

 

[Lawrence22]

As a soon to be high handicapper (1 more card to go) I would love one of these devices, but haven't got one yet. My second shot with shorter irons at the moment would be my strong point. It's my driving and short game letting me down. My course has markers at 100 and 150 and yes I can pace from them, but as my driving tends to be not too straight I would have to be good at mental trigonometry to get a good yardage. The biggest problem I have had with yardages is over estimating them and hitting too much club. It really is quite annoying to watch a perfectly hit shot go straight over the green and into a hedge/pond/OOB behind. This is a situation where a GPS would be invaluable to me. If I hit a poor shot and am short/in bunker or hazzard I can take that and I expect it, but when you hit it sweet and end up in trouble cause you've got the yardage wrong it doesn't matter what handicap your playing off, it's very annoying.

 

[Midnight]

Hi,

I am with Tiger on this one, I play off 26 and own a GPS, I have found it to be a very useful bit of kit.

I now find that because I know the distances to the green,bunkers and water amongst other things. I now have more confidence in picking the right club.

I know what the OP is saying about just pace it out past the 150 marker, but on some courses I have played the markers have been out by a huge distance.

Yes my swing is still arse and I do hook,shank and lots of other things but that is what I will be improving as the season goes on.

At the end of the day it is each to the own , however I know that this bit of kit has improved my pace of play and also when I do hit that good shot it will be to the right distance.

Midnight...

 

[MikeB]

My tuppence worth, off 22 I need all the help I can get, my gps means I can walk to the ball, look at gps, add a club because I'm inconsistent & chances are I won't hit it perfectly, grab said club & hit it.
20 seconds saved per fairway shot can equate to 15 mins off the round time.
In answer to the O.P. I think high handicappers benefit themselves & importantly those playing behind them more than better players using gps.

 

[turbowoowoo]

As everyone has stated, what this gives you is confidence and more importantly a PLAN.

If you hit your 7 iron great and you know it is 145 yards, then you can plan your tee shot to give you this as your second shot.

The difference IMO between a 28 Hcap and an 18 is 90% golf course management, and these babies give you that in adundance.

 

[Mark_Aged_42]

I love my SGX.
1)One thing all the nay sayers have forgotten when stating that you can pace off distance from the 150 markers is that the distance is 150 from the centre of the fairway. I may be in the minority here but I often find myself at the side of the fairway, which adds yardage.
2)Also, how is the yardage measured around doglegs?
3)When at a new course the SGX is excellent because there may be optical illusions which deceive into thinking the yardage is less than it really is.
4) Particularly on long shots, say 180+ yards, it does help with club selection
5) As said above, pay should be a bit quicker because you are more likely to have the right club in yoour hand more often.

 

[Macster]

I agree that everyone is entitled to buy/use whatever they like if they think it will help, and a GPS is no different, so buy away.

However, .....personally, I cant see the point on wasting the money if you're swing is inconsistent and you really dont have an idea how far each club is actually going to go ?

I'm off 10, - not that low, but I know my yardages, and when I miss a green, its because its left or right, or bunkered etc, and not because I'm short or long.

So perhaps the only requirement for getting the best from a GPS is not how low/high your handicap is, but how consistent your distances are ?

 

[CrapHacker]

However, .....personally, I cant see the point on wasting the money if you're swing is inconsistent and you really dont have an idea how far each club is actually going to go ?

....

So perhaps the only requirement for getting the best from a GPS is not how low/high your handicap is, but how consistent your distances are ?

The thing about most golfers is that they ( we ) are not high handicappers out of choice, but out of uselessness.

The GPS helps us by KNOWING what we are trying to do, so we can make our best ( albeit rubbish ) swing at the ball every time - there's no need to force it, or to decellerate on the shot, or any of the other bad mistakes we make.

This means we will actually get better, quicker, by removing much of the indecision which plagues us.

So

A) the money isn't wasted,

and

B) It's not about consistancy of distance, it's about consistancy of swing.

Like I said earlier, we can sometimes hit a smooth 7I 160 yards ( say ) but if we force it it might only go 110. So if we learn that by not forcing it we hit 1 in 10 perfect, 6 in 10 about 90% of perfect, and the other 3 out of ten are all the tops, shanks etc, we will pull out the 7I for shots of exactly 148 yards, and get a fair response for that.

If we pace the distance to be somewhere around 140 - 150, because we have our inconsistancy of decision we could tried and force a 7I, hit a perfect 8I, mishit a 6I, so we eventually choose the 6, but decide to lay off it a bit, so we end up decellerating into the shot and hitting it fat and watch it dribble 60 yards down the fairway.

Because you hit consistant distances, you could pace out 140 - 150 yards and know that your 8I goes 140, and your 7I goes 155, you know that the 8I will not get you into the bunker at the back of the green - you have fewer questions in your mind for each shot than we have

So, in reality, it's the high handicapper that benefits more from the GPS than you do.

So maybe GPS's should be allowed only for people with handicaps of 18 and above, to make the game fairer, and all you good players then have to suffer from more indecision like we currently do.

 

[funkyfred]

Almost everyone here is talking about hitting their shot to the green, but surely what us high handicappers should be doing is finding the fairway. First from the tee, then hopefully from the mowed grass, yes we would all love to hit our drives 260 yards, which leaves us a good wedge or high iron into the green but in theory we dont.

I think Craphacker mentioned course management, thats the key to good scoring, plotting your way around the course, now if that means you need the distance to carry bunkers 130 yards away (meant for long drivers) because you have hit a poor drive, then thats the information you need, it hasn't got to be a shot to the green, its to put your ball into the position you want it to play your next shot.

Personally I haven't got one, but i played with Bratty last week at a course i had never played before(Redlibbets) and his GPS was great, the problem was not the information i was given, it was the idiot with the club in his hand.

 

[Macster]

Personally, I think a GPS for a High Handicap'r is a distraction too many, and I stick to that.
There is no point in knowing that the fairway Bunker up ahead is 162yds, and then choosing a club that 'should' get you over it, but then hitting it fat and going into it.
Play away from it, with whatever club you want, you dont need a GPS for that.

Knowing an exact yardage to either a hazard OR a Green is only useful if you know what club to take as a result of the information ??????
Back to my point, - if you dont hit to a reasonably consistent yardage with each club, its useless.

I changed from a Laser Rangefinder to a Garmin GPS Watch, and I'm loving it, as it tells me the only info I want to know, ie Front/Middle/Back of Green.

But hey, its your money, its your choice, so no-one is going to stop you.

 

[evahakool]

Interesting replys

First of all let me say this post was never about personal attacks on anyone useing a gps,more of a general point, we are all entitled to our views on this and you may not agree with me (and clearly most dont)no problem with that. But dont come on here and say Im talking Bxllxxxs. There is to many posts recently that are getting to personal imo.

Tiger think you need to chill out,never my intention to have a go at any high h/cer,its not as if Im a single diget player no problem with anyone buying a gps and having lessons but there are some that cant afford both,and the whole point of my post is that in my view the money would be better spent on lessons.

You must know your differant to the norm. in that you are trying to get to scratch from a 28 h/c.I admire your commitment and good luck to you.

Oddsocks
Cant really understand why you would rather be behind 28h/cs with a gps when most times they will not be able to hit there yardages anyway.Would agree that gps should be banned (but thats another can of worms) and clubs should have better yardage markers.
Clive W
No problem with strocksavers.

Most players on here are what I would term serious golfers
and I will concede that a gps will help some, but at the same time there are alot of golfers out there using a gps that I would still say would benifit more from lessons.