Compare Golf GPS – Part 2

This is PART 2 of a four-part series where we compare golf GPS top rated models. We have divided them up into categories, so that you can compare apples to apples.

Our four categories are:

  1. Full-Featured Golf GPS (Part 1)
  2. Mid-Featured Golf GPS (Part 2 – You Are Here!)
  3. Basic Golf GPS (Part 3)
  4. GPS Golf Watches (Part 4), overlaps some with Basic

MID-FEATURED GOLF GPS COMPARISON

The golf GPS devices in our mid-feature category will at minimum show a graphic depiction of each green. They may show hole views and have other advanced features, but do not have the ability to get distances to any point on the hole.

Golf Buddy Tour Review
The Contenders:

Our Pick: Golf Buddy Tour – because it is preloaded and has no annual fees. The SkyCaddie SG5 gets slightly better ratings, so if you don’t mind the annual fees and downloads, it’s also a really good pick.

Check out the comparisons below.

Golf Courses SkyCaddie has nearly 30,000 golf courses mapped, but the SG3.5 and the SG5 will only store 10 at a time. Of course that means downloading them from your computer and also paying an annual fee to do so. The Golf Buddy Tour comes preloaded with thousands of courses. It will hold up to 20,000, but we’re not sure if Golf Buddy has that many in the database. We believe they have about 16,000 courses in their library, but hope to find out definitively very soon.
Screen All three models have color LCD screens and the only one with complaints was the SkyCaddie SG3.5. Some users had trouble seeing it in bright sunlight.
Size / Weight The SkyCaddie SG5 is the largest and heaviest of the three units. Its screen size is the same as the SG3.5 and only slightly larger than the Golf Buddy Tour. The SG3.5 is a little smaller than the GB Tour.
Battery Type The Golf Buddy Tour takes a rechargable Li-poly or three AAA batteries. We like that option the best. The SG5 uses a Li-ion rechargeable and the SG3.5 uses three AAAs.
Battery Life The Golf Buddy Tour and the SkyCaddie SG5 both claim up to 14 hours of battery life. The SkyCaddie SG3.5 make a claim on this, but users indicated that it used batteries quickly and recommended rechargeable AAAs.
Rainproof The Golf Buddy Tour is water resistant and to our knowledge, neither of the SkyCaddies are.
Other None of these units have touch screen, touch targeting, or stat tracking. They all have shot measuring, scorecard, auto course recognition and auto hole advance. The SkyCaddie SG5 offers hole layout views on some courses and QuickVue which gives some indication of the hole shape.
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Compare Golf GPS Top Rated Models

This is PART 1 of a four-part series where we compare golf GPS top rated models. We have divided them up into categories, so that you can compare apples to apples.

Our four categories are:

  1. Full-Featured Golf GPS (Part 1 – You Are Here!)
  2. Compare Golf GPS Part 2 (Part 2)
  3. Basic Golf GPS (Part 3)
  4. GPS Golf Watches (Part 4), overlaps some with Basic
FULL FEATURED GOLF GPS COMPARISON:

GPS models that have full hole views and the ability to determine
distance to any point on the hole using a touchscreen or a cursor.

Garmin G6 Approach ReviewThe Contenders:

Our Pick: Garmin Approach G6 – the early reviews are very strong and number of preloaded courses make this the model to beat right now!

Check out the comparisons below.

Golf Courses The Garmin G6 has over 27,000 courses, while the G5 now comes with over 18,000. The Golf Buddy World has a course capacity of 40,000, but they don’t advertise how many courses are actually preloaded. We have contacted them about this and hope to hear back soon. It appears that Golf Buddy has only about 16,000 courses in their library, so we expect the number to be 15,000+.
Screen Early indications are that the new Garmin Approach G6 may have the best screen. Both of the other models get some complaints about readability issues in bright sun.
Size / Weight The Garmin G6 is the smallest and lightest of the three, but also has the smallest screen. The Golf Buddy World and Garmin G5 have larger screens, however the GB World is smaller and lighter with almost as much screen real estate.
Battery Type Both the G6 and the Golf Buddy World have rechargeable batteries which is nice unless you forget to recharge. The Garmin G5 takes AA batteries, so you can use rechargeable if you want, but keep an extra set in your golf bag.
Battery Life Both Garmins claim they get up to 15 hours of battery life. The Golf Buddy World only claims 10.
Rainproof All three units are rainproof, but both Garmins can survive if you drop them in water and it’s not clear whether the Golf Buddy World could.
Other All three units have a touch screen, touch targeting, shot measuring, scorecard, stat tracking, auto course recognition and auto hole advance.

If you’re wondering why there are no SkyCaddie models in our list, it’s because in our opinion, the reviews just don’t support spending the extra money in annual fees. We love the SkyCaddie Ground Verification and if you don’t mind annual fees, aren’t afraid of computers and don’t mind a little hassle, you probably should consider the SkyCaddie SGX or the SkyCaddie SGXW.

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Bushnell Laser Rangefinder Review Roundup

Character look through golf rangefinder.In our Bushnell Laser Rangefinder Review Roundup you will find all of the currently available models from the top manufacturer of golf rangefinders.

Bushnell has a wide variety of laser and GPS rangefinders, and they are almost always the highest rated when compared with similar models from other brands. We believe this is most often because users find it easy to lock onto the target, even at long distances.

We approach every review that we do with an open mind, but if we had to pick a favorite brand for a laser golf rangefinder, Bushnell would be our pick, hands down! Find a model that fits your needs and you’ll likely be happy with your choice.

Current Bushnell Laser Rangefinders
Bushnell Tour V5 - Read Full Review

Size, speed, and accuracy evolved with a new generation of tech — featuring PinSeeker with Visual JOLT, BITE Magnetic Mount, and next-level clarity and brightness.

Rating: 4.74 (510 ratings)  Magnification: 6x  Slope: No
Weight: 8 oz.   Legal: Yes		Bushnell Tour V5
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Golf Buddy GPS Reviews

Check out our Golf Buddy GPS Revews:

Be careful not to mix up the three devices that share very similar names!

All of these models have distance to the front, middle, and back of the greens, plus distances to hazards. Some include the shape of the green, scorecard and stat-tracking, and some models have audio/voice readings.

Best Clip-on Golf GPS
GolfBuddy Voice 2 SE - Read Full Review

GolfBuddy has a winning formula with its GB Voice line. It's small, easy to use, lightweight, with an LCD screen, as well as voice distances. Plus, it's budget-friendly. The GolfBuddy GB Voice 2 SE increases the battery life over previous models to up to 20 hours. That's the most important feature of this solid performing compact golf GPS. We love it! We also love that you can see distances to the front, middle, and back of each green and also switch over to see the shape of the green when you want. It comes preloaded with 40,000 golf courses and can be updated using GolfBuddy GB Manager.

Rating: 4.41  
Weight: 1.1 oz.   Legal: Yes		GolfBuddy Voice 2 SE
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GolfBuddy Voice 2 - Read Full Review

GolfBuddy just keeps building on a winning theme. The GolfBuddy Voice 2 claims 14 hours of battery life. That's four hours more than the GolfBuddy VS4! It's water resistant, has the choice of male or female voice, and of course provides distances to the front, middle, and back of the green. It's available in three different colors as well. The wristband can be ordered separately on Amazon.

Rating: 4.40  
Weight: 1.02 oz.   Legal: Yes		GolfBuddy Voice 2
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GolfBuddy Voice X - Read Full Review

The GolfBuddy Voice line has been a huge success from the beginning. The VoiceX is the latest in this line and has a few nice upgrades from its predecessor the GolfBuddy Voice 2. The most notable improvement is that it adds Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone for automatic updates to the golf course you're playing when you enter golf mode. The screen is a little larger and it has a Big Numbers mode and manual pin placement capability. It also adds a fairly detailed GPS activity tracker for runners and walkers. It may sacrifice some battery life for the extra features, but should still easily get 2 full rounds. A watchband is available separately.

Rating: 99.00  
Weight: N/A oz.   Legal: Yes		GolfBuddy Voice X
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GolfBuddy BB5 - Read Full Review



Rating: 3.27
Weight: N/A oz.   Legal: N/A
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Comparison of Golf GPS Watches

Golf GPS WatchesIn our comparison of golf GPS watches, it’s a big surprise to see the relatively unknown Expresso WR62 at the top of the ratings chart. However if you look closely at the features and price on the WR62, you can see how it climbed over the highly successful Garmin S1 golf watch. There are two additional contenders in the new Garmin S3 and the MOTOACTV Golf Edition watch. Check the comparison chart below and see which one fits your game.

  • Garmin Approach S1 – This watch became hugely popular in 2011 and the ratings are at the top of our GPS charts. It is preloaded with 18,000+ golf courses and provides distance information to the front, middle and back of the green. Convenience and simplicity may be the key to the success of the Garmin S1, but still there are some users who wish for more. Available in black or white.
  • Garmin Approach S3 – Garmin’s latest GPS golf watch quite a few features, including a touchscreen and layup yardages. It is preloaded with 27,000 golf courses, has shot measure and scorecard features and an odometer. Plus it has Garmin’s reputation and experience behind it. Available in black or white.
  • MOTOACTV Golf Edition – Motorola has added a feature-rich golf watch to their popular MOTOACTV line and it comes preloaded with 20,000+ golf courses. In addition to green distances , it provides hazard distance information, a shot measuring feature, plus wireless uploading and detailed analysis tools. It’s also got a few fitness tools.
  • Expresso WR62 – Expresso adds a nicely priced golf watch to their golf GPS collection. It also will have preloaded green and hazard distances and shot measuring capability, along with the best price and battery life of all the watches.
  • Bushnell neo+ Golf Watch – Released in 2012, the Bushnell neo+ golf watch has nearly the same feature set as the successful Garmin S1. It’s preloaded with distances to the front, middle and back of every green and it has the shot measuring feature. The battery life matches that of the Expresso WR62, but the Bushnell watch lacks the additional features of the other 2012 watches.

The new Garmin S3, the MOTOACTV and the Expresso WR62 will all begin shipping in April, so we won’t know for sure who does well in this battle for a couple of months, but let’s break down the features right now.

 

Garmin Approach S3 Watch Garmin Approach S1 Watch Expresso WR62 Golf Watch MOTOACTV Golf Watch

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Read Review Read Review Read Review Read Review
Display 1″ x 1″ Display 1″ x 1″ Display 1″ x 1″ Display 1″ x 1″
2.06 oz. 1.8 oz. N/A oz. N/A oz.
Li-ion recharge Li-ion recharge Li-ion recharge N/A
4 wks / 8 hrs in GPS 3 wks / 8 hrs GPS 12 hrs w/ GPS on N/A
Rainproof Rainproof Rainproof Rainproof
Touchscreen No Touchscreen No Touchscreen Touchscreen
No Stats No Stats No Stats Full Stats
Scorecard No Scorecard No Scorecard Scorecard
Print scorecard from PC     PC Stats Analysis
Layups & Doglegs No layups or hazards Hazards Hazards
Measures Shots Measures Shots Measures Shots Measures Shots
27,000 courses preloaded 14,000+ courses preloaded N/A 20,000 courses preloaded
No fees No fees No fees No fees
Odometer. Available in Black & White, Time, Date, Waterproof IPX7 (30 min. immersed at a depth of 1 meter) Odometer. Available in Black & White, Time, Date, Waterproof IPX7 (30 min. immersed at a depth of 1 meter) 62-channel satellite receiver, Waterproof up to 30 meters, Stopwatch, Time, Date, Alarm, Odometer Syncs wirelessly to MOTOACTV.com and provides virtual representation of your round using satellite course view. Can display texts and calls from your smartphone. Tracks heart rate*, pace, distance and calories burned.
We work very hard to obtain the correct information about product features, but cannot make any guarantees about the accuracy. Please double check with the merchant or manufacturer before making a purchase.
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