Is A Golf GPS Watch Very Helpful On TV Executive Courses?
 

It seems that with relatively short tee box to greens distances, and being able to see the flags with the naked eye, and the very few par 4s on the executive courses - is a golf watch all that necessary?

I am just trying to decide if I should spend money on one.

Pros? Cons?

Thanks

Our boys have app on their Iphone which transfers to their Apple Watch. They use it on every course. Of course you need to decide club up or down due to wind factors. They both use regularly at home while playing their private clubs at home.

I have a free Apple Watch app - it kills the battery, but if are in a routine to charge it, you’re fine.

I have a golf watch too, prefer Apple Watch, since i am always wearing it

Does it help - depends how good you are. The plate markers at each tee are pretty close.
If you can control your club differently for a 125 yard and a 131 yard shot, it will help. But you are probably not playing execs a lot, you’re good.
If you want to get on the green, not much of a difference.

Just remember, GPS is mapped to the center of the green.
Laser range finder can get you the flag, depending on the size of the green. .

I use the laser when I can't find the range markers or there are big greens.

otherwise, I just train my brain. .

Likewise, its not worth it for an executive, but more on the GHIN recordable courses

Use a free app on phone. swing u , 18 birdies among many

For execs only? No.

Several years ago I downloaded a free app on my phone called SwingU, it works great.

How many people playing in the Villages can do that?

I am amazed at how many pros miss the green on their approach shots!

The Truth about Greens in Regulation - The Left Rough

I like the idea for the Apple Watch apps. The price of FREE is certainly right.
A subscription is required to add functionality beyond the basic. At annual rates of $50 to $100, you could buy a fairly well featured golf watch after a couple of years of paid subscriptions.
Are typical golfers subscribing, or are the basic free features adequate?

Swing U is free app you can download and use from your phone while playing. Buy a phone holder that gets attached to golf cart metal support of roof next to windshield. Don't forget to yell "FORE"...

Waste of money. Most golfers I see have no idea what is going to happen when they swing at a ball. Knowing the exact yardage does them no good.

I think you played with me!

And with me, early morning at an Executive GC, hitting from the Black tees when he should have been hitting from the Green. :duck:

Those figures are a bit misleading. If you notice, the statistics show that Scratch & + Handicaps hit the Green more often than Touring Professionals. Pin locations on the Pro Tour are much more difficult than the average golfer faces.

That said, I think you're right. Most of the players I see in TV hit 2-3 Greens/round in regulations. A GPS approximation of distance, should be more than accurate enough.

I use the visual far method.
Far , too far , or way too far....works for me.

Only helpful for your second shot on the Par 4s.

I have a Garmin Approach which gives me the distance to the front, back, and center of each green. That helps in club selection for me. Also, having it on your wrist makes it more convenient than pulling out your phone. If your are one to think about your game afterwards, it will give you a fair amount of info about your game. However, it is a pricey gizmo. If your goal is to get to the bar afterwards, ….well, that money will buy a lot of beer.

LOL! i look at the markets and say to self, what would tom brady do with this yardage,
then i select the club, and wail away . . sometimes it works, sometimes Brady gets intercepted. . .

I use one not only to measure distance on tee shots but my pitch and chipping.

Rangefinder is more accurate and do not need to be re charged after every 1-2 rounds.

Most will not benefit from gps device on exec courses.

[QUOTE=Mike3461;2240655]It seems that with relatively short tee box to greens distances, and being able to see the flags with the naked eye, and the very few par 4s on the executive courses - is a golf watch all that necessary?

I am just trying to decide if I should spend money on
Save your money people with them play championship courses, not needed on exec courses ,only if you want to impress your friends.

Depends on the level of your game, but I find also knowing front and back distances helpful. Also makes the game a little more fun and let’s you know your iron distances.

I have the Apple Watch 7 and golfpad installed. The 7 has independent GPS so if I walk away from the cart/phone the yardage follows me.

Golf watch
 

I have the T9 from Voice Caddy and love it! It shows me the undulations of the greens to help me get a better read on them.

I have Garmin , working very well , love it

Villages golf question
 

Reminds me that I have a specific golf question that I'd like to put out there in this forum, but I'm inept. I've searched multiple times to figure out how to start a "thread" here. Embarrassing, but there it is. . .

Magic!!
 

And this magically appeared!


Quote:
Originally Posted by Whitley View Post
How would I go about posting a new post.?
Do you mean start a new thread? If so, click on "forums" and "all forums home". Then, select and click on a forum topic. Click on "Post new thread".

"Forum Tools"
 

Ahhh. Under "Forum Tools". Whew, finally. . .

I use a free app on my phone: GolfPad. It reads the GPS from the phone and (usually) gives me yardage as accurate as the radar rangefinders my friends use. For me, even on the executive courses, the difference between my eyeball "about 120 yards" and the GPS "132 yards" makes a difference.

I tried the 18Birdies free app yesterday. The images of the course and the info on the iPhone screen are pretty impressive. The info on the Apple watch, however, was much less so. The watch displays yardages on one half of the watch screen making the font size pretty small. Add bright sunlight and it's difficult at best. Maybe I'll find a way to enhance the watch display.
Since I walk with a push cart and sometimes with just a bag, juggling a phone is out of the question for me. It's easier to just wing it without the added electronic assistant.
I'll try SwingU free app next.

GolfShot is typically rated the best iPhone App for golf and it's probably the most friendly for an Apple Watch. I have well over 1000 rounds logged on GolfShot and in my opinion, it's head and shoulders above any other App.

I highly recommend the Garmin Approach S10-If you plan on getting better at golf, then at some point, you are going to want to know the exact distance to the front, middle and back of green, so you can make your club selection correctly. Your watch will teach you how you swing by tracking the yardage per shot. Sure there are apps, rangefinders etc.-but the convenience of having it on my wrist and giving me distance to hazards and greens, as well as telling me how far I hit every shot is invaluable.

I tried SwingU free app. I prefer SwingU watch interface over 18Birdies. SwingU's repeated pop-ups, to purchase a subscription, throughout my round was an annoyance. I deleted the app.

I like the Golfshot watch interface best. Their smartphone screens were fairly similar to SwingU and 18Birdies. All very cool. I tried a free 7 day trial of Golfshot's $70 annual subscription (by accident actually when I inadvertently clicked on the subscribe button on my watch in bright sunlight :-). Cool thing about their premium service is the aerial view of hazards. For example, I had a better idea of a sandtrap's area and directional extent that is not evident at a distance using eyesight only. I found this helpful in avoiding the traps.
For free and for the purpose of knowing the distance to the hole and for a basic scorekeeper, I think that basic Golfshot is adequate. I'll use it for a while longer until I find something that I like more.:crap2: