The Bushnell Neo Ion has been retired. Check out our current recommendations for today's best golf rangefinders..
Our Bushnell Neo Ion Review is based upon lots of user feedback. We look for common themes, whether they are praise or complaints and summarize our findings.Bushnell Neo Ion User Rating: 4.24 out of 5 (443 reviews)
Score compiled from multiple sources.Although there are golf watches that do much more than the Bushnell Neo Ion, this is the golf watch that we believe most golfers should buy! It is simple to use, provides distances to the front, middle, and back of the greens, as well as hazards. In our experience, that is the information that most golfers need and want on their golf watches.
Don’t get us wrong, we love the Garmin golf watches that have smartwatch features and fitness trackers built in, but for the basics, the Bushnell Neo Ion is our top pick!
It’s also available in white and usually it’s much less expensive than other colors. Check it out!
- Pre-loaded with 35,000+ courses from 30 countries
- Outstanding Battery Life will last three full rounds
- Auto course recognition and auto hole advance
- Up to 4 Hazard/Layup distances per hole
- Shot distance calculator
- Comfortable dual injected silicone sports band
- Round odometer
- No membership or download fees
Let’s just say the ratings on this golf watch are excellent – among the best we’ve seen for a golf watch. Bushnell doesn’t get fancy with a touchscreen or graphics, but they continue to make significant improvements with each new golf watch they release.
The best part of the Bushnell Neo Ion is the battery life. This was the most talked about feature and users loved they could play three full rounds before charging it.
Accuracy in golf GPS devices is often misunderstood and very difficult to compare. The reason is that there are multiple factors that determine the accuracy of the distances, which means that each user’s experience in any given situation may be different. Therefore, most of the time we’ll find both positive and negative comments regarding accuracy. Amazingly, we haven’t heard anything negative about the accuracy of the Bushnell Neo Ion’s accuracy. We’re not saying it will always be perfect, just that there were lots of positive comments and zero negative comments in the feedback we reviewed.
Besides battery life, we think “ease of use” should be the biggest factor in choosing a golf GPS. There was no shortage of positive comments on the subject and again, not even one negative. With that said, there were several users who complained that there were only two hazards or layups listed per hole. Most likely the reason for the complaint is that these users didn’t know how to scroll down to the second page. (FYI: the button on the bottom right of the watch will do it!)
Users really like the look of the Bushnell Neo Ion and felt it improved their games. They overall felt great about the value and also the number of courses.
There weren’t all that many complaints about the Bushnell Neo Ion, but several people did mention that the Auto Course Recognition was slow. After it found the course, there no complaints about the responsiveness.
A few users had defective units and a couple of those users were unhappy with the customer service. There were also a few complaints about the durability of the watchband. Several users also struggled with getting the charging clip connected. I don’t believe any of them considered that a deal breaker, but rather were wishing it was a little easier.
Keep in mind that 80% of the user feedback was positive. We think this is an excellent choice and as of this writing, are putting it at the top of recommended golf watches list.
Bushnell Neo Ion | ||
---|---|---|
Course Download Fees | No | |
Pre-loaded with Courses | 33,000 | |
Full Hole Views | Yes | |
Slope / Elevation | No | |
Battery Life | 16 hours GPS | |
Battery | rechargeable | |
Size (Width x Height x Depth) | .59 in. x 1.77 in. x N/A in. | |
Measure Shot Distance | Yes | |
Screen Size | .91x.91 | |
Resolution | N/A | |
Display Type | monochrome LCD | |
Weight | 1.8 oz. | |
Rainproof | Yes | |
Touch Screen | No | |
Touch Targeting | No | |
Manual Pin Positioning | No | |
Stat Tracker | No | |
Digital Scorecard | No | |
Computer Analysis Tools | No | |
Ground Verified | No | |
Alternate Targets | Yes | |
Green Rotates to your shot angle | N/A | |
USGA Compliant (local rule) | Yes | |
Notes | - | |
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Does this watch/GPS pick up golf courses in Cancun Mexico
Here’s the list on the iGolf website for golf courses in Cancun. You can also do specific searches on this page.
https://www.igolf.com/courseList/home/cancun
would like to replace battery. have old battery in hand just need new one with leads attached. is it available anywhere?
Hi Mike,
I can’t find any replacement batteries anywhere and Bushnell says it can only be replaced by a “qualified technician” and does not offer the battery for sale. You can see the information on this Bushnell Neo Ion support page and contact them. My expectation is that they won’t be of any help since the watch is likely out of warranty. But maybe they will offer a discount on a new one. Let us know what you think of their customer support.
Thanks for contacting GolfRangefinderShop.com