The Golf Buddy Platinum II (2012) has been retired. Check out our current recommendations for today's best golf rangefinders..
New and improved in 2012! Take a look at our preview of Golf Buddy’s newest handheld GPS for golf. We’ll get our Golf Buddy Platinum Review up as soon as we find some customer feedback. Be careful not to get this model mixed up with its predecessor, the Golf Buddy World Platinum, or the other similarly named Golf Buddy World. We have no idea what they were thinking when they came up with these names, but we’ll help you sort it out.
Golf Buddy Platinum II (2012) User Rating:
3.35 out of 5 (26 reviews)
Score compiled from multiple sources.What’s New in the Golf Buddy Platinum
- Improved high contrast TFT-LCD screen (optimal under all conditions)
- Improved sensitive touch screen (for easier navigation)
- Nearly double the battery life (last up to 18 hours)
- Refined design
- It’s a tiny bit wider and a tiny bit heavier
Since many of the complaints about its predecessor, the Golf Buddy World Platinum, had to do with battery life and difficulty reading and maneuvering on the touchscreen, it seems Golf Buddy may be on their way to another successful golf GPS device.
Golf Buddy Platinum Features and Specifications
| Golf Buddy Platinum II (2012) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Course Download Fees | N/A | |
| Pre-loaded with Courses | Yes | |
| Full Hole Views | Yes | |
| Slope / Elevation | No | |
| Battery Life | up to 18 hrs. | |
| Battery | Li-poly rechargeable | |
| Size (Width x Height x Depth) | 4.3 in. x 2.46 in. x 1 in. | |
| Measure Shot Distance | Yes | |
| Screen Size | 3 in. | |
| Resolution | N/A | |
| Display Type | Color TFT LCD | |
| Weight | 5.65 oz. | |
| Rainproof | water resistant | |
| Touch Screen | Yes | |
| Touch Targeting | Yes | |
| Manual Pin Positioning | Yes | |
| Stat Tracker | Yes | |
| Digital Scorecard | Yes | |
| Computer Analysis Tools | N/A | |
| Ground Verified | No | |
| Alternate Targets | Yes | |
| Green Rotates to your shot angle | N/A | |
| USGA Compliant (local rule) | Yes | |
| Notes | Water and shock resistant case - improved high contrast TFT-LCD screen (optimal under all conditions) - Improved sensitive touch screen (for easier navigation) | |
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I purchased my Platinum last summer, for $349.99.
I think it should have come with a cd or other training book.
I have had difficulty learning how to use it.
I have increased the brightness to the max, but it is still not bright enough in this California sunlight.
I don’t use the score card, it is too difficult to figure out, and don’t know how to bypass it.
It is too hard to move on to the next hole, and sometimes keeps giving distances to the previous hole. Should be able to scroll up or down to the desired hole.
As you can see I am not too happy with it, and give it only 2 or 3 stars.
It may not be the Platinums fault, but I need more instructions.
Thanks for the feedback Jerry. Here’s a link to the online manual – http://www.golfbuddyglobal.com/doc/usermanual_platinum_english.pdf and also to some training videos. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE864DEEA0B759AC1
Hope there is something in there that will help.
I have just purchased the Golf Buddy Platinum and am really disappointed in it. I battle to read the screen in the sunlight – and here in South Africa we have bright sunlight most days. I also find that once I have finished a hole and start moving off to the new hole, it keeps telling me how far I am from the previous hole instead of bringing up the new hole straight away. Frustrating. In addition, it only allows the screen to stay “bright” for a maximum of 15 seconds before it dims away and I find that 15 seconds is often not long enough for me to evaluate my next shot. I have owned it for two weeks and used it for three games. On the third game it starting bleeping on the 4th hole and the screen froze. I had to turn the device off and restart it which meant that my 18 hole game became divided into 2 separate games – one of 3 holes and one of 15. I have no idea why it behaved like this – it seemed to have lost connection with the satellites.
The poor screen visibility in sunlight is my main complaint followed by the limit of 15 seconds for keeping the screen “bright”.
Hi Geraldine. Thanks for leaving feedback on the Golf Buddy Platinum. As you can see from the review score, the user feedback for this device isn’t very good. If you can still return it, you might consider replacing it with the Garmin Approach G6.
Otherwise, have you tried adjusting the brightness settings? From the instructions in the user manual, I think you should be able to turn off the auto-dimming by ‘unchecking’ all three choices in the Screen Timeout Settings. If you haven’t already tried these steps, check sections 5.6 and 5.8 in the user manual – https://www.golfrangefindershop.com/garmin-golf-gps/garmin-g6-approach-reviews/
Good luck and let us know how things work out.
I use a Golf Buddy in England, and sun or no sun, despite having the brightness up fully, it is very hard to read the screen. Most disappointing.
Chris. Although GolfBuddy increased the brightness on this model, it is still one of the top complaints about this model. Some users are okay with it and others are not. Hopefully they will get it right in the newest model, the PT4.