 Garmin Approach G5 |
| Review Date: February 2, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Erland Persson, Walnut Creek, CA USA |
| I bought the Garmin Approach G5 recently and due to winter weather have only used it on the course twice so far. These were at two different courses and the Garmin made a big difference in my enjoyment of playing each of them. The comfort in knowing the distance to the center of the greens reduced considerably the uncertainty/anxiety of trying to make an estimate based on somewhat obscure course markings. That was my primary reason for getting a range finder. The GPS feature makes it very easy to use and the huge built-in database of courses greatly exceeds my needs. So far, the original set of batteries has not needed replacing. The display is clear and easy to read in cloudy and sunny conditions. |
Cannot read dispaly outdoors (works fine indoors)!
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| Review Date: January 28, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Fred Ford, San Diego, CA USA |
| First of all, no where on this unit's box or its instructions, does it mention that you must register this unit first before trying to use it. I guess that they think that everyone should already know these things. Trust me, there are a lot of people that play golf that do not know this. Actually tried two of these units. The first one that I had resulted in a call to tech support and we determined that the backlit feature was not working. So, I returned that one for another unit. Checked it out to determine that it was working properly. However, I tried to use this on two consecutive days of golf, one sunny & the other overcast skies, and I could NOT read the display when outside on the golf course. The display lighting on this device really needs to be increased considerably so that you can read it. So, after trying two units, I bought my SkyCaddie SG5 and it works great! |
Good Device-Bad Support
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| Review Date: January 16, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Nicholas T. Mancini, |
I've had the Approach 5 GPS device for a full season now. The device works great. The problem is if there is an error on a course map, it's impossible to get someone to change it.
There is a system in place to make a change on the website. I've submitted multiple changes on different courses and not one was fixed. On one course, the Golf Club changed the order of the holes. I made a submission 3 times over a 4 month period and nothing was ever done. The most frustrating part of making a change is that after you make the submission, you never hear anything from Garmin.
I also own a Golflogix GPS device. I've submitted changes to them and have gotten responses back the same day.In some cases Golf Logix didn't have a course I was about to play. I emailed them a scanned scorecard and I received the course via email in 24 hours.
The Garmin device looks great. The features are great. It's easy to use, but without accurate course data, it is not your best choice of GPS devices.
For the high premium they charge for the device, I suggest that you spend it on a GolfLogix device.
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I play golf instead of playing with my GPS
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| Review Date: January 15, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Love the Game, Bay Area, California |
I received my Garmin Approach in early January and it is exactly what I wanted and expected. When I walk the course I attach it to my bag, glance at it before selecting my club and I can CONCENTRATE ON MY GOLF GAME. I did a lot of research and it has really paid off. There are many things to think about when you are walking or riding toward your ball. You want to be thinking about the next shot and how to best play it and not the GPS unit. Adjusting the pin location, selecting the best distance to lay up to, etc. only takes a couple of seconds do do on the touch screen. Also, it is great to measure your shots to get a better feel as to how far a specific club really carries the ball. I don't score with it as I want to record other information in addition to the raw score.
UPDATE: I played the last 3 holes yesterday in a rain. Left the GPS on the bag without fear of the rain ruining my investment!!! On the 18th hole it was getting hard to see the pin with the rain and fading daylight so I checked the water soaked Garmin screen. I could tell that the pin was on the upper tier of the green. Quickly I adjusted the pin location on the Garmin, 135 yards to the pin, picked my club and left the ball 4 feet short for a 1 putt and par. |
It's a keeper
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| Review Date: December 23, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Matherapist, Myrtle Beach, SC |
| Got mine off of amazon about 2 weeks ago, $370 plus $6 shipping. got here in less than 6 business days and was loaded with latest versions of SW, Gps SW and courses. Finally got a chance to play and it works fine. My eyes aren't the best, and sometimes the image was a bit dim and the #s a bit small, but with glasses, everything was clear. I especially liked the features of finding a course near you (it popped up the name of the course i was on immediately, and the feature that shows your distance to green and hazards from where the ball is. drawings of holes are like the ones on the scorecard (fairways only). Distances same as my playing partners sky caddie. but the advantage is you can see all say 3 traps and water location around the green in one picture with distances from where you are. A nice unit for the casual player. I also have a skycaddie 2.5 which I'm willing to sell. My handicap is about 1.5 strokes for each club in my bag plus 6-8 for the putter. The garmin give me instant information which I am occasionally able to make use of in my choice of club. Rememember-"old golfers never die- they just lose their balls" Energizer batteries have lasted 36 holes with some charge left . I estimate about 10-11 hours) |
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