GPS and Golf

Check this out...

http://www.discountgolfworld.com/products/garmin/golf-logix-...

There are a number of golf specific GPS units on the market now. They come loaded with the golf course info already in them. I guess you can also download additional course info. I am not aware of a way to get the golf course info loaded into a Nuvi.

Thanks for your posts.
The golf specific units are sweet but ideally I would like to use one unit for both. Have my Nuvi direct me to the golf course and then peel it out of the car and drop it in to my powercart and have it direct me around the course.
I know, I want too much but it would be great!

Pls let me know if anyone has heard of a loadable module of some kind.
Thanx
-Rob

I don't think the Nuvi is capable of indicating how far you are from a poi in feet.

You'll need a mapping GPSr.

My 76CSx switches to feet once you get under .1 mile (528 feet). The nüvi shows feet when you are routing and get near to a turn so it must have the capability but it doesn't seem to use it for approximating distance to a POI.

I walked out into the parking lot at work just now and told the 760 to find my office. It said it was .1 mile away. Then I said to route to the office and, since it uses the address at the street, it said it was 400 feet away. It seems that the unit won't give a value of less than .1 mile when estimating distance to the POI.

Typically the Nuvi battery won't last for 18 holes, or just barely if it does, and then only when it's brand new. Even golf specific GPS systems aren't good for more than 2 rounds between charges at best. The Nuvi just isn't designed for extensive use out of the vehicle.

sounds like we need to start adding cigarette lighters to the carts

That would be awesome if you can load that up on a nuvi. I would use that out on the course.

I've used the Nuvi 205 for golf GPS. It's not ideal for the job, but it works. I've posted a how-to on my website. There's also free GPS golf maps for download and a web-based tool for creating your own maps.

Check it out:
www.wideopenwest.com/~don_barger/nuvi-software.html

I prefer to use the Etrex series GPS for golf since they display distance in yards. With a cigatette lighter adapter connected to the golf cart battery, I always have an in-cart GPS.

While I have an eTrex for hiking and geocaching, I'd find that to be a royal PITA to use for golf. I mean, why bother when a dedicated golf GPS can be bought these days for a little over $100 (Igolf Neo)? With a regular handheld you'd have to program each course yourself... fine I guess if you have lots of time and never play but one or two courses, but if that's the case you probably know the course well enough that you don't really need a GPS for it anyway. It still won't be nearly as functional as a golf dedicated unit.

I have a Golf Logix by Garmin... it knows what course file to open automatically, starts me right out on the 1st tee, and never has to be touched again unless you want to measure a shot or look farther ahead than just to the fairway hazards. For less than $200 plus a $29.95 annual subscription, it's well worth the convenience.

I used to work for ProLink (before they merged with their competitor) and those systems are fantastic, and custom from the hardware to the maps. and the maps take a lot of work, circling and tagging everything. The beauty of the systems is the integration with the clubhouse, the communication, how they speed rounds and such. The maps are great fun to test too, but to duplicate that with a handheld device your going to spend a lot of time for much less benefit -- as a rangefinder, and a trainer for you to calculate distance, a gps can help you, but if you want the perfect map you can spend so much time on the course that you'll know it with your eyes closed anyway.
that said, why not take your GPS everywhere you can and pull down what you can - at the very least, it will give you an idea of your distance and such, even with a map, and that will teach you about your game (plus you can review your zig zag track through the course after)

I shoot 100 if I golf once a week or once a year. I suspect if I had a golf GPS I might get that down to 99.

I guess you could make your gps golf maps with as much or as little detail as you want. It would be a simple matter to just mark front/back/middle of the greens and location of hazards. That would certainly only take a few minutes.

I prefer to sketch the fairways as well- in case you want to know how far to drive into a dogleg. Layup shots are by far the most useful yardage that my Etrex gives me, since there's usually not a marker on the course for that.

If anyone's interested in what the maps look like, there's a picture of the Nuvi's display here:
http://www.wideopenwest.com/~don_barger/nuvi-software.html

Don

I live in NY and golf from April to October. I have used the gps in a golf cart before and I believe it helps,but for a once a week player, no great improvement.

I agree that the nuvi would not be suitable for a golf course due to its lack of sufficient accuracy. The golf dedicated gps' show the distance very accurately (if mapped properly) as that's what they are designed to do.

If you do get one, you will be pleased as long as you recognize (as with any gps) it's limitations.

This may be a bit off topic, but I have used both the golf gps units and a laser range finder, and I prefer the laser. It's accurate to the pin, not just giving distance to green areas.

If you play a specific course(s) periodically, you could save the hole positions, in your favourites as you go around. Then create a file using the GPS coordinates for each hole. Put the GPS in Off Road mode and it should give you the distance and direction for each hole.

Unfortunately, this is only useful, if you've played the course before. Alternatively, you could use Google Earth and pick off the coordinates, if the resolution is sufficient.

Google earth should be enough for my skill level.

Garmin Approach™ G5 is available for golfers. "A rugged, waterproof, touchscreen golf GPS packed with thousands of preloaded golf course maps. Approach uses a high-sensitivity GPS receiver to measure individual shot distances and show the exact yardage to fairways, hazards and greens."

Link to Garmin Information:
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=261&pID=31070

Sounds great, but the only thing I don't like is the MSRP -- $499. Ouch!!

The way I play golf, the "exact" yardage won't make a real difference anyway.

Your tutorial on "Using the Garmin Nuvi Series" inspired me to give it a try. I have not gotten into mapping yet but maybe someday.

What I wanted to share with you was that in addition to walking the course and recording locations while holding my 260W, I am using Google Earth with some success. By "stick pinning" locations on the course in Google Earth and sending these to my Nuvi as "favorites" I have in effect created a tool that has proven nearly as useful as the GPS on golf carts at other courses. I have now used both devices at the same time and confirmed the Nuvi/Google data.

Using the settings for my Nuvi you described in your "how to" works well. For extending the battery life I chose to carry on my golf cart a portable 12V car jumper with a built in socket for the Nuvi cable. I used the stick-on disc that came with my Nuvi to mount the suction cup holder to a hard shell briefcase that sits on the seat next me in the golf cart.

The procedure I use on each hole is the same as you suggested except I choose by name from my favorites list. Names like "Hole # 2 short of water" or "Hole # 2 Middle of Green".

Thanks again,

Michael

Garmin is already marketing seperate GOLF GPS devices both under their own name and through Golf Logix. They all use the same comminucation satelite.

A second choice wouild be to use your smartPhone. If you have a SmartPhone, like an Iphone, Storm, or other Blackberry phone, you can download an app from Golf Logix that will download the course map to give you dictances, and allow you to record scores and stats. The Gotcha - you must update your phone contract to include GPS.

Oh someday, technology and marketing will become one, but for now we must deal with the money...

Have you seen this site? Page 7

http://home.comcast.net/~ghayman3/garmin.gps/index.html

I used one of the early sky-caddy devices during a round. While they are pretty plain, they told me the distances I was really looking for. I'm interested to see if the new garmin model will offer any other functions that are useful rather than just filler. I agree that the GPS can make a round go faster and give you better yardage than pacing off the marker or trying to lock in on the pin with a rangefinder, but I'd just buy a golf specific one rather than hooking up a nuvi to a battery pack/briefcase. If you play enough it's not a bad investment.