Golf GPS

[+WARTIDE]

I need a little help from the experts. I currently have a GPS V that I've been using for years for driving and geocaching. Some of my golfing buddies have these new SkyCaddy GPS receivers for using on the course. I really thought the on course yardage markers were good enough since I play the same course 90% of the time. However, I find myself asking for yardage several times per round from my GPS enabled partners.

 

I checked into SkyCaddy, IGolf, etc. They are stand alone units but require a yearly subscription fee of $30 as far as I can tell.

 

I wanted to use my GPS V and just mark the center of all the greens, but unfortunately the thing cannot be set to measure in yards. It measures in feet and tenths of miles or in meters. I don't want to be doing calculations in my head trying to convert distances on the course.

 

I need a BASIC and hopefully inexpensive GPS that has yards as a distance option. I'm thinking the Etrex yellow, Geko 101, Explorist, etc. The problem is that I don't know which can be set to measure in yards. Could anyone with these units or something similar verify that they can be used for yardage?

 

Thanks

Wartide

[+casey97]

Great question, I should be getting a GPS for Christmas either a plain Yellow eTrex or (hopefully) a Venture CX. Along with GeoCacheing, one of the uses I have used to sell my wife on getting me a GPS is that I can use it while playing golf (I hope I am being truthfull to her). Additionally to the question asked above, would I be able to pre-program the names of all the center of tee box and center of greens, then plot them when I play? Also would averaging the tee box (etc) waypoints everytime I play golf make them more accurate? How many averages are enough?

[+Timpat]

The eTrex Legend will display in yards. I use yards often when doing a projection for caches that give small distances. I've seen it recently offered for about $130 online. Do a search to find the best price. For the slight extra expense over a Yellow I'd go with the Legend. You will then have a good inexpensive mapping unit for purposes other than golf.

[+WARTIDE]

Timpat,

Thanks for the info. I know the legend will work with yards, my father in law uses one on the course. However, I don't need the mapping. I currently have a GPS V that will actually be upgraded to a i5 very soon. I may go with the legend before it is all said and done. I really hoped to pick up a used yellow etrex for $50-$60 though and just leave it in the cart or my golf bag.

 

Casey,

You don't have to mark the tee boxes unless you want to find out the distance of a long drive or something like that. I helped my father in law set up his Legend by just marking the center of the greens and naming them by their number. For example, our course initials are AGCC. There are AGCC1-18 on his waypoint list. At each hole, he uses the thumbstick to change to the current hole. You could mark the back, center, and front of the green, but it would require you to thumb thru more waypoints to find the correct one. As long as the unit you get uses yards, it will work for golf.

[+casey97]

"Long Drive" LOL. I can tell you have never played with me. One more question, would I be able to set each corse to show as a seperate map, or would it just be a collection of way points?

[+huskerrich2000]

I use a etrex legend for geocaching, also I have gone out on the course and premarked the pin positions, remember there is no need to worry about most tee shots because you are only concerned about yardage when you are shooting for the green. Remember the pros get get thier accuracy because they are told each day how far from the front of the green the flag will be placed.

[+WARTIDE]

Casey,

I think it will be a collection of waypoints. I know all the units have at minimum several hundred waypoints you can set so it would be no problem having multiple courses on the gps. I think the legend may have folders where you could group different courses.

 

Come on guys with an etrex yellow, can you select yards as an option?

[Vlad]

nope, at least not on mine - i have one of the first generation etrex's (version 2.14 os, prior to waas capable on the yellow) and for units i can only choose metric, statute and nautical.

 

the legend, as others have suggested, would also indicate "yards" in that list of choices...

[+WARTIDE]

Thanks for the info Vlad. Anybody with a second generation yellow that could check their unit for me.

[+WARTIDE]

Seek and ye shall find! I went to the garmin website and the 2nd gen Etrex yellow (WAAS version) does indeed list yards as a measurement option.

 

Also, it looks like the Explorist 100 does also, even though I need confirmation from an actual user on that.

 

The Geko 101 does not have yards as an option.

Edited November 27, 2006 by WARTIDE