GPS Waste of money?

[Smiffy]

A half swing with my PW will often travel 120 yards

 

[Tiger]

A half swing with my PW will often travel 120 yards

Smiffy it's 45 degrees so virtually a 9iron!

 

[Imurg]

GPS Gizmos are toys. Pure and simple. They don't affect your score to any great effect (maybe 2-3 points/shots a round)

Great - so the fact I have a GPS and a Laser at the moment means I'll be off 1 in no time!!

Fantastic.

2/3 shots per round would make a huge difference to ANY handicap.
Surely all factors are equal in the distance you hit the ball. It is irrelevent how well you hit the ball if you overshoot the green because you chose a 7 iron over a PW. You have to know the yardage first, before any other factor. Do you think Schwartzel on Sunday night looked at his 2nd shot to the last and instantly thought "now which way is the wind blowing?" - Of course not, his first thought was " is this 150 or 160 to the pin?" Then you factor in the lie, wind, slope, adrennalin etc etc. If a GPS/Laser gives you that data then any, and I mean any, handicap can benefit from it.
To say GPS is useless to higher handicaps is saying that there is no need for Strokesavers or 150 yard markers.
Why?
All Golfers need to know how far they are from the hole/green. It is the pre-requisite for selecting a club. Why does it matter how this yardage is acquired? As long as it is within the rules it is irrelevent.
Just because you don't think it would help you doesn't make it wrong.

And when was the last time you were short or long on an approach? Maybe having a GPS could have saved you a shot or 2 and got you nearer to scratch.....

 

[Losttheplot]

Just spent 25 minutes reading this thread...

Interesting points here.

I'm someone who has a GPS but doesn't use it.
The course markers are accurate so I reference myself from them so feel the GPS redundant for that purpose.

The one good thing it does do is tell you how far the bunkers in the fairway are (and other hazards) so it is very useful for that and I do recommend ALL HANDICAPPERS to use one for this purpose if they feel they need exact yardages.

If I was at an unfamiliar course I would use my GPS all the way round as yardages are needed due to unfamiliarity.

On my home course you learn quickly how far hazards are and what clubs you normally take for certain shots on each hole so the GPS becomes less necessary.

Can't see a problem why high or low handicappers can or can't use one personally. I've been there at the high end and now at the lower end and have used my GPS as and when needed and found it very useful.

 

[evahakool]

Sorry but your last post is nonsense. I play off 27 so long as i dont duff one I consistently hit to 120, 105, 100, 95 and 90 yards. Not always straight (I do pull a few) but distance is spot on. Come to Suffolk and I'll show you!

Tiger you say my last post was nonsense,if you can hit these yardages consistantly well well done and Im sure your going to turn into a very good player.

But I will say if you took 10 20 50 or any number of 28h/c and ask them to hit these yardages consistantly well I doubt if any of them could do this. So nonsense, I dont think so.

Please dont take this as me knocking high h/cs I am just using this to put a point across.

 

[Snelly]

Let me be a bit more controversial, without wishing to cause offence.....

GPS Gizmos are toys. Pure and simple. They don't affect your score to any great effect (maybe 2-3 points/shots a round) and are nice to have items if golf stuff floats your boat.

However, they do not affect in any way, the way that you hit the ball. In other words, they don't enhance skill or increase talent. That is a fact.

All they do is show you the yardage. This is just one of a few factors that affects your shot. The most influential is how good you are at the game we love and how well you hit the ball.

And even then there are further complications. What if you can, thanks to your satellite technology, get within 20 feet and pin high every time but can't putt for toffee? What good is a GPS then? Sod all really...

Seems to me like there are too many posts on this thread that are over-emphasising their value. They are fine for those that want them but a glofing panacea, they are not.

I can't see what is controversial in your post, but I can see a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense...

Firstly, surely saving 2/3 shots per round is a pretty big effect on your scoring? And if a GPS COULD put me within 20 feet and pin high every time as you say, then assuming owning a GPS wouldnt have a negative effect on my putting stroke, I WOULD IMPROVE AT GOLF!!

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that GPS devices will lower your handicap, its just that your argument for why they are useless makes no sense whatsoever...

GPS deviced are good in that they save time working out the distances manually (pacing out yardage markers etc) and can also give you yardages off the tee that you can sometimes only get in a course guide.

Buying the GPS device itself is not going to save you strokes, but if you learn how to properly use the information it gives you, you will undoubtably save strokes all over the place.

First, I have never said they are useless. Far from it. They provide information that people find useful. That is fine but at the level that 99% of golfers play, I would question it's genuine value. Again, I am not saying they are not of some value, just pondering as to what real difference they make to your round.

For example, if you are next to the 150 yard marker then you are going to hit probably one of two clubs, say a 7 or 8 iron. You then factor in the lie, wind, elevation and temperature and make a choice. You then have to hit a good shot. If your handicap range is for arguments sake between 5 and 36, there is some crossover between those club yardages dependent on quality of strike. All important factors that render the precise distance to a secondary consideration. I would further argue that if you left your GPS at home and when in doubt, took one more club every time to ensure that you got past the pin, then this would have the same positive effect on your score, if not better.

Secondly I said that they maybe save you 2-3 shots but that is a big maybe and unquantifiable. Again, take one more club every time you aren't sure and you could see similar benefits.

Thirdly, pacing out yardages? You must be joking. I have never done that in my life and nor would I because I think it is a waste of time. I can tell how far I am away from a 150 marker with a quick glance. Pacing out is not worth it unless you are a caddie for a pro, marking out precise distances for your man who knows exactly how far he hits the ball every time.

And finally, if GPS devices, make such a difference, can we have some examples from people who say things like, I was off 15 then I got a sky caddie. 3 months on and I have cut 1.5 off my handicap? Then I would be more open to persuasion.

 

[Oddsocks]

This debate will never be settled. All i know is wedges from under 100 yards are more accurate using mine, so it staying.

 

[Snelly]

GPS Gizmos are toys. Pure and simple. They don't affect your score to any great effect (maybe 2-3 points/shots a round)

All Golfers need to know how far they are from the hole/green. It is the pre-requisite for selecting a club. Why does it matter how this yardage is acquired? As long as it is within the rules it is irrelevent.

Just because you don't think it would help you doesn't make it wrong.

Good point, well made. It doesn't matter how the yardage is aquired, I agree with you completely.

But again, I am not saying that these devices are wrong or useless. I am just offering a counter argument which is you have a shot to hit and roughly know that you will hit one of two clubs. Several factors influence your final choice but when they are all considered, you still have to hit the club properly and it is this that governs where your ball goes rather than whether you knew if it was roughly 140 yards or precisely 143. In essence, an approximate yardage is good enough for the amateur golfer and always has been in my view.

This does not mean that I am negative at all about GPS devices or people who buy them. They are nice toys for sure.

 

[chrisd]

if it was roughly 140 yards or precisely 143. In essence, an approximate yardage is good enough for the amateur golfer and always has been in my view.

Yes Snelly .... so long as your guessed approximation isn't 120 yards as I often found mine to be!



Chris

 

[Snelly]

if it was roughly 140 yards or precisely 143. In essence, an approximate yardage is good enough for the amateur golfer and always has been in my view.

Yes Snelly .... so long as your guessed approximation isn't 120 yards as I often found mine to be!


Chris

Good point and fair enough mate!

 

[upsidedown]

Been umming and arring about getting a GPS app for when I eventually get an Android but have now decided against it.

At our home course some of the greens are 2-3 clubs long and as they don't produce a pin placement chart it's still guess work as to where the pin is.

To that end have gone for a range finder to measure distance to flag. Played today with a guy who has one and it certainly helped. You can also measure other distances by using relevant trees, bushes for when deciding on club to lay up with to avoid trouble.

 

[timgolfy]

Wow, such a long thread with so much opinion. What strikes me most (and from my own threads) is how defensive people are over golf, their handicaps, and their opinions. It's all very tribal (low -v- lower -v- mid -v- high).

I have a GPS device (Garmin Approach 3) bolted to my trolley which gives me an instant readout of yardages, which I know are +- 3yards at my end, and +-15 yards at the flag end, depending on pin position. I use this on the tee and fairway as a quick reminder of bunkers, etc.

I have a laser (Bushnell Pro 1600) to get exact readings to the pin from within 200 yards.

The laser is useful for identifying the shooting shots. The GPS is useful from the tee.

 

[Mark_Aged_42]

Just done a bit of Pythagoras here:
On a 60 yard wide fairway, two balls are in line with the 150 yard markers, Ball A is in the centre of the fairway, ball B is at the edge of the fairway. How much further away is Ball B than Ball A?

Answer: just 3 yards

Interesting.

 

[timgolfy]

Where's the pin?

 

[Tiger]

Sorry but your last post is nonsense. I play off 27 so long as i dont duff one I consistently hit to 120, 105, 100, 95 and 90 yards. Not always straight (I do pull a few) but distance is spot on. Come to Suffolk and I'll show you!

Tiger you say my last post was nonsense,if you can hit these yardages consistantly well well done and Im sure your going to turn into a very good player.

But I will say if you took 10 20 50 or any number of 28h/c and ask them to hit these yardages consistantly well I doubt if any of them could do this. So nonsense, I dont think so.

Please dont take this as me knocking high h/cs I am just using this to put a point across.

Fair enough view but I still think there are enough high h/caps out there that know how far they hit a full SW, full GW and full PW and for most all if those will be under 120 yards.

I guess I'm another in the camp of agreeing to disagree

 

[doubletripledouble]

Been umming and arring about getting a GPS app for when I eventually get an Android but have now decided against it.

I'm using a free one on my Galaxy S called Swing by Swing. Surely worth a try?

My take on GPS is why guess/estimate? Fair enough, high handicappers and even those of a handicap similar to myself aren't going to hit exact yardages, but that piece of information is in your head.
Does it really take that long? Longer than looking at strokesavers then trying to get your bearings from that?
The cost v's lessons arguement is a good one, but only if you don't have a smart phone and have to buy off the shelf gps systems. There are free and many apps at sub £20 that are more than adequate for the task.
I can do without at my course for the most part but it does come in handy as we have lots of multi tier greens and being on the right one is a big advantage.
Knowing the distance to x,y or z part of the green is all well and good. Knowing distances to hazards, distance through dog legs etc, on the hole from where you are is fantastic for better course management.

 

[evahakool]

Yea I agree with(about the first time) you Tiger Im sure there are plenty of high h/cs who know there distances.But that was never my point,it was can they hit them consistantly enough.

Anyway I think we are going round in circles now,but its been interesting

I would also like to wish you all the best with your golf.

 

[Tiger]

Yea I agree with(about the first time) you Tiger Im sure there are plenty of high h/cs who know there distances.But that was never my point,it was can they hit them consistantly enough.

Anyway I think we are going round in circles now,but its been interesting

I would also like to wish you all the best with your golf.

Cheers. Hoping to lose some more shots over the next few months.

 

[Imurg]

Im sure there are plenty of high h/cs who know there distances, can they hit them consistantly enough.

This is the bit I can't get my head round.
Why do you have to know how far you hit your clubs to benefit from knowing how far it is to the pin/green?
Yes it's obviously better to know you hit your 8 iron 135 yards so if you get a shot at 136 you know what to take. But even if you can't consistently hit an 8 iron 135 yards, you still need to know how far you have left to go - am I wrong? You may vary by 25 yards but you still need to know the yardage. And, again, all the GPS does if give you that yardage.

 

[Leftie]

It seems to me that all high h/cappers (say 18 and above) should be banned from using DMD's, and banned from looking at the on course yardage markers and stroke savers. They have no right to know how far they need to hit the next shot 'cos they they can't hit that distance consistently anyway.

That'll learn 'em.





What a load of nonsense