What is the best GPS for golf? (drum roll please)….. well, that all depends on the type of golfer who will be using it. We’ll break it down for you here or just head on over to our Personalized Golf GPS Quiz. Golf watches are not included in our recommendations below.
Recommendations by Golfer Description:
- The Course and Game Manager: Knows enough about golf to engage in some course management. Appreciates detailed information as long as it’s easy to come by.
- The Typical Golfer: Interested in distances to the green and to hazards.
- “Speedy”:: Plays fast, likes things quick and convenient, doesn’t obsess over details.
- Big Numbers, Please!: Has difficulty seeing the scorecard or a normal GPS screen.
- The Hybrid: Desires accuracy, but not satisfied with yardages to only visible targets, which is all that you can get from a traditional laser rangefinder.
| The Course and Game Manager | |
|---|---|
| Garmin Approach S60 - Read Full Review Garmin's newest golf watch looks to be a sophisticated golf watch, fitness watch, and smartwatch. It will be released in the summer of 2017 and we look forward to exploring all the features here very soon! Rating:  Weight: 1.8* oz. Legal: Yes |   Order from Amazon |
| Garmin Approach G30 - Read Full Review This full-featured little golf GPS unit comes preloaded with over 40,000 golf courses. You'll get full hole views of every hole and touch targeting to anywhere on a hole. When you bring up Green View, you can even adjust the pin placement for more precise distance. Although the G30 drops the "Plays Like" feature found on the Garmin Approach G8 that adjusts for elevation, it does connect with your smartphone to display, text messages, emails, etc. It is small enough to carry in a pocket but also comes with a clip and a lanyard for your belt or golf bag. This model also has 'Big Numbers' mode for distances to the front, middle, and back of the greens. Rating:  Weight: 2.5 oz. Legal: Yes |  Order from Amazon |
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| The Typical Golfer | |
|---|---|
| Garmin Approach S10 - Read Full Review We are thrilled that Garmin finally has a new basic golf watch. We think this will be the best-selling golf watch on the market for awhile to come. Why? Because it does everything most golfers want in a golf watch and it's lightweight and compact. On the main screen, you will see distances to the front, middle, and back of the green, plus the hole number and par. The shape of the green is also right there on the same screen. If you need hazard information, it's one screen away. Many golfers won't ever touch the watch after starting a round. A simple glance will tell them what they need to know. You can also keep score on this watch and upload your scores to Garmin Express so your playing history is always available. It doesn't offer a way of tracking your stats, so if you are looking for that feature, check out Garmin's other golf watches. Rating: Weight: 1.2 oz. Legal: Yes |  Order from Amazon |
| Bushnell Phantom 2 - Read Full Review The Bushnell Phantom 2 is ready to go right out of the box. It has everything you need with no fuss. You turn it on and it finds the course and the hole and is typically ready for play in less than a minute. The large font and transreflective display make it easy to see in all conditions. The new stronger and larger BITE magnet holds firmly to your cart. If you’re walking, the included belt clip or carabiner will make it easy to find distances when you need them. It also has a new GreenView feature that allows you to get a more precise distance to the pin location. It has up to 18 hours of battery life and charges in less than three hours. And, by the way, it's fully waterproof so you can leave it up on those rainy days! Rating: Weight: 2.75 oz. Legal: Yes |  Order from Amazon |
| Garmin Approach G12 - Read Full Review As expected, Garmin impressed us with this feature-pack golf GPS device. The most exciting thing about the Garmin G12 is the 30-hour battery life! That doubles the battery life of the Garmin G10 and it's 10 hours more than the Bushnell Phantom 2. At this price point, this will be the deciding factor for many golfers. Others will choose this model to use with the Garmin Approach CT10 Club Tracking System. The Garmin Approach G12 matches or exceeds the features of other golf GPS units in the same category. The price is a little bit higher, but if it's in your budget, the battery life, stat tracking, and analysis tools, make this worthy of your shortlist! Rating: Weight: .9 oz. Legal: Yes | |
| Izzo Swami 6000 - Read Full Review This is one of our favorite golf GPS devices to look at. The screen is bright and colorful and the numbers are large and easy to read. It's also at a price point that we love! Even with the large bright screen, the battery life is still up to 16 hours. Although it has a scorecard, we don't think it's user-friendly and would not recommend this model to anyone looking for a scorecard feature. In truth, most users don't use their golf GPS devices for scorekeeping. If that is important to you, we suggest checking out models from Garmin. The Swami 6000 comes with a strong magnet for easy mounting to your cart or the included belt clip. It has distances to hazards and doglegs, and it has an IPX3 rating which should be good enough for most rainy weather conditions. Rating: Weight: 3.4 oz. Legal: Yes |  Order from Amazon |
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| Speedy | |
|---|---|
| Bushnell Phantom 2 - Read Full Review The Bushnell Phantom 2 is ready to go right out of the box. It has everything you need with no fuss. You turn it on and it finds the course and the hole and is typically ready for play in less than a minute. The large font and transreflective display make it easy to see in all conditions. The new stronger and larger BITE magnet holds firmly to your cart. If you’re walking, the included belt clip or carabiner will make it easy to find distances when you need them. It also has a new GreenView feature that allows you to get a more precise distance to the pin location. It has up to 18 hours of battery life and charges in less than three hours. And, by the way, it's fully waterproof so you can leave it up on those rainy days! Rating: Weight: 2.75 oz. Legal: Yes | Order from Amazon |
| GolfBuddy Voice 2 SE - Read Full Review GolfBuddy increased the battery life in the GB Voice 2 SE to 20 hours. That's six more than the previous model and we are thrilled! Its ease of use is what makes it so popular. This compact, lightweight model has an LCD screen with distances to the front, middle, and back of every green. You can also switch to see the green shape. There are over 40,000 courses preloaded and you can update it with new courses anytime using the GolfBuddy GB Manager. Rating: Weight: 1.1 oz. Legal: Yes |  Order from Amazon |
| GolfBuddy Voice 2 - Read Full Review Every time GolfBuddy comes out with a new Voice model, it seems to get a little bit better. The GolfBuddy Voice 2 makes a huge leap with extended battery life. It boasts 14 hours which makes it the first one to be able to make it thru three 18-hole rounds. They've also added a choice of male and female voices. It's water resistant, has distances to the front, middle, and back of each green, and a shot measuring feature. The watch band can be ordered separately on Amazon. Rating: Weight: 1.02 oz. Legal: Yes |  Order from Amazon |
| GolfBuddy Voice X - Read Full Review We've been a fan of the GolfBuddy Voice line of GPS rangefinders for a long time. Each new iteration seems better than the one before and we hope that holds true for the new GolfBuddy VoiceX. The VoiceX adds quite a few features and a design change. Our favorite new feature is the automatic course update via Bluetooth and your smartphone. We also like the Big Numbers mode and manual pin positioning capability. Additionally, the new activity tracker could be a hit with walkers and runners. Watchband is available separately. Rating: Weight: N/A oz. Legal: Yes |  Order from Amazon |
| GolfRangefinderShop.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you. | |
| Big Numbers, Please! | |
|---|---|
| Izzo Swami 6000 - Read Full Review This is one of our favorite golf GPS devices to look at. The screen is bright and colorful and the numbers are large and easy to read. It's also at a price point that we love! Even with the large bright screen, the battery life is still up to 16 hours. Although it has a scorecard, we don't think it's user-friendly and would not recommend this model to anyone looking for a scorecard feature. In truth, most users don't use their golf GPS devices for scorekeeping. If that is important to you, we suggest checking out models from Garmin. The Swami 6000 comes with a strong magnet for easy mounting to your cart or the included belt clip. It has distances to hazards and doglegs, and it has an IPX3 rating which should be good enough for most rainy weather conditions. Rating: Weight: 3.4 oz. Legal: Yes | Order from Amazon |
| Garmin Approach G30 - Read Full Review This full-featured little golf GPS unit comes preloaded with over 40,000 golf courses. You'll get full hole views of every hole and touch targeting to anywhere on a hole. When you bring up Green View, you can even adjust the pin placement for more precise distance. Although the G30 drops the "Plays Like" feature found on the Garmin Approach G8 that adjusts for elevation, it does connect with your smartphone to display, text messages, emails, etc. It is small enough to carry in a pocket but also comes with a clip and a lanyard for your belt or golf bag. This model also has 'Big Numbers' mode for distances to the front, middle, and back of the greens. Rating: Weight: 2.5 oz. Legal: Yes | Order from Amazon |
| GolfRangefinderShop.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you. | |
| The Hybrid | |
|---|---|
| GolfRangefinderShop.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you. |
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I HAVE BEEN USING A GARMIN G5 FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND IT HAS PERFORMED VERY WELL. BUY THE RECHARGABLE 3 A BATTERIES AND ONE PACKAGE HAS LASTED MORE THAN 5 MONTHS. I RECHARGE AFTER EVERY ROUND. PLAYING 3 OR 4 TIMES A WEEK THE GARMIN IS TOPS. RANGE FINDERS ARE OKAY BUT WHEN YOU PLAY UNFAMILIAR COURSES AND NEED THE DISTANCE TO FAIRWAY BUNKERS OR HIDDEN WATER HAZARDS YOU CAN’T BEAT THE GARMIN. THIS IS A GREAT VALUE FOR THE MONEY.
Thanks Bill. I agree, it’s a real benefit to have hazards and layups when you are on an unfamiliar course. The Garmin G5 and G6 are solid performers.