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Are you looking to find the best golf GPS device for your money’s worth. The biggest thing in favor of a GPS device is its cost. GPS units can cost as little as $100. GPS devices are available in forms like a watch or handheld unit that provides all the information you may need.
The device will give you distance to the pin, bunkers, water, any hazards which help you select the right clubs. It also gives you information about the size and shape of the green which can be crucial for good course management. The GPS will be able to tell you more information than you will ever need; such as your last shot length and even elevation changes on the hole
Types of Golf GPS Devices
The most common type of GPS devices are a watch and a handheld device that looks like a smartphone. A watch is definitely convenient to use but will provide limited information when compared to a handheld device. Handheld devices have a larger screen size and will provide a bit more information, as well as useful features like scorecards and advanced stat tracking.
You would need to choose between these two options depending on your preference. A best GPS golf device will come pre-loaded with thousands of golf courses that the company has mapped. In addition to that, a units few will have the ability to sync up and add additional courses and data if you need to, which helps you and other users as well
Best Golf GPS Devices
| Name | Where To Buy |
|---|---|
| GolfBuddy Voice GPS Rangefinder | Buy on Amazon |
| Garmin Approach G7 Golf Course GPS | Buy on Amazon |
| Bushnell NEO XS Golf GPS Rangefinder Watch, White/Blue | Buy on Amazon |
| Puksic IZZO Swami 4000+ Golf GPS | Buy on Amazon |
| Bushnell 368221 Bushnell NEO Ghost Golf GPS/Rangefinder, Charcoal | Buy on Amazon |
| Garmin Approach X40 GPS Golf Band – XL Black/Gray | Buy on Amazon |
Best Golf GPS Device – Top 8 Reviews
1. Golfbuddy Voice GPS
- Audio Distance Information (It tells you the distance)
- Pre-Loaded with 35.000+ courses worldwide
- 8 different spoken languages pre-loaded
- Distance to Front / Center / Back
The GolfBuddy Voice GPS is a good, reliable device that provides accurate distance to the pin to help you select the right club. Along with showing the distance, the GPS unit also talks to you. It comes pre-loaded with 35000+ courses worldwide. The unit is really very compact with a size of just 1.7 x 1.7. The biggest plus to this product is the form factor. You can easily clip this onto the side of your hat or your belt and almost tend to forget it is there. It can also be used as a watch with the purchase of a GolfBuddy wristbrand
The GolfBuddy Voice GPS has no additional costs or fees associated with it, and is our choice as the best-value buy on the market if you are looking for a entry level GPS
Pros:
- Shows you the actual shape of the green, and rotates that shape depending on your approach angle
- Records the distance between any two points
Cons:
- Battery Life: Generally lasts for one full round of 18 holes
2. Garmin Approach G7 Golf Course GPS
- Plays like Distance Gives The Golfer Distances To The Target, Adjusted For Uphill Or Downhill Shots
- Smart Notification Receive Email, Texts And Alerts From Your Iphone (4S Or Later) Directly On Your Golf Handheld
- Garmin Connect Online golf community lets you play, then share and compare your round; visit connect.garmin.com to find out more
- Club Advice Remembers how far you hit each club, and provides recommendations on which club to use based on your shot distances
This is the best golf GPS device that is made by the market leader Garmin. The unit is just perfect who hate looking at small screens. It comes with 2.6″ color display that gives a similar feel to a smartphone. It has a compact design, tough and is very durable along with being waterproof. Preloaded with around 30,000 courses and free updates for the lifetime of the device.
This GPS handheld device gives you more distance measurements than you can really imagine. Measurements like front/middle/back of green, hazards, layup points, precise pin locations, etc. The G7 also provides advanced stats, and a variety of scorecard options, so you can analyze your round to track your improvement. You can also set the device up to receive emails and messages from your phone!
With its variety of useful features, and accurate measurements, the G7 is the best handheld golf GPS device on the market today!
Pros:
- A great measurement feature of the G7 is its PlaysLike feature, which automatically adjusts distances for uphill/downhill shots.
- One cool feature of the G7 is the Smart Notification which can be setup to receive emails and messages from your phone!
Cons:
- The main drawback of something like this is it does not know where the pin is, and it may not be easy to locate the pin on the green setting.
- Accuracy of yardage is also a question at times
3. Bushnell Neo Xs Golf GPS Watch
- Ready to play right out of the box; no membership or download fees
- Pre-loaded with 33,000+ courses in over 30 countries; Auto Course Recognition and Auto Hole Advance
- Easy-to-read front/center/back distances; hazard/layup distances (up to 4 per hole)
- Long battery life provides over 3 rounds of golf between charges or 2-year battery life when used in watch mode
The Bushnell Neo Xs is the lightest, thinnest golf gps watch in the market. Very comfortable to wear, while packing more features than you can wrap your head around. It comes pre-loaded with over 33,000 international courses (with free download updates) perfect for you golfing globetrotters.
This best golf gps watch automatically begin to load the course info as you enter the golf course, so you dont need to waste your time looking through screens looking for the correct location. Once you start playing your round, the watch will also automatically progress through each hole, so you can worry about your swing instead of how to your new tech. The Neo Xs provides accurate yardage distances to front/back/center of greens, hazards, and also layup distances. It also will tell you how far your shot distance is.
Overall the Bushnell Neo XS is one of the best golf GPS device in the market.
Pros:
- On a single charge you can expect over 12 hours of GPS tracking (about 3 rounds); and if you use it as just a watch, the battery will last for two full years!
Cons:
- The only downside of the Neo XS is that some people have experienced the band breaking after limited usage
4. IZZO Swami 4000+ Golf GPS
- Preloaded with 30,000+ global courses; search full course library at Swamigps.Com/course-library
- No subscription or download fees required; auto-course recognition at start-up
- Front/center/back distances to green; layup/carry distances to hazards and doglegs
- Large, vibrant, easy-to-read 1.8 inch color display
This is the most the budget friendly handheld golf GPS device that you will find in the market. This simple GPS unit has everything that you may be looking from a best golf GPS device.
It comes pre-loaded with over 30,000 courses from around the world. There are also no subscription or download fees for the updating the device. The GPS gives you distance measurements to the front/center/back of green, hazards, and even doglegs.
The LCD screen is large, clear, and easy to read, so you will not have to squint, even under bright sunlight. The device also features auto-hole advance, and shot distance measurement, so you dont have to worry about pushing any buttons as you progress through the course.
Pros:
- The Swami 4000+ is a no-frills, accurate, and reliable golf GPS. then this is the device for you. It may lack may lack some fancier features like 3D maps and scorecards. But for around $100, you wont find a better deal than this!
Cons:
- The only flip side to the product is the belt clip. The grommet is made of plastic and when attached to the belt, tends to break Other than that it appears to be a handy device. If that part was made of teflon and not plastic, it would probably last a bit longer
5. Bushnell Neo Ghost
- Tournament legal pocket-sized easy to use golf GPS pre-loaded with 30,000+ courses
- Long battery life means you can play three rounds before charging
- Auto course recognition and auto hole advance
- Easy to read distances to front center and back of greens
The Neo Ghost from Bushnell is a very basic pocket sized handheld golf GPS device. The unit comes preloaded with 30000+ golf courses. The auto course recognition and auto hole advance feature ensures that you can focus on the game.
The display on the unit is very large which makes it easy to read front, center and back accurate yardages. The unit provides up to four custom hazard and layup distances per hole. This is definitely a no frill device that has a really long battery life which easily lasts up to 3 golf rounds. It is available in a variety of 5 colors.
If you’re looking for a feature strapped device that offers the basic golf GPS functionality, for a mere $50 – we think it makes it to the list of best golf GPS device in that price.
Pros:
- Accurate yardage measurement that does not fluctuate up and down like its guessing
Cons:
- The GPS does take a little while to connect, so its better on the Neo Ghost while you’re getting your gear out and ready, rather than right before you tee off.
6. Garmin Approach X40 GPS Golf Band
- GPS receiver – high-sensitivity GPS acquires satellites quickly to Show distance to greens, Hazards and doglegs -even under Tree cover
- Auto shot – round analyzer measures shot distances with auto-recording for post-round analysis on your Garmin connect account
- 24/7 Heart rate monitoring – Elevate wrist Heart rate technology allows you to track your Heart rate all day and night – Activity Tracking Accuracy (go to garmin.com/at accuracy)
- Activity Tracking – reminds you to stay active on or off the course with move bar alerts. Display size : 1.00 Inch x 0.42 Inch (25.4 x 10.7 mm)
A golf band is for those who don’t prefer GPS watches and handheld devices. The X40 golf band from Garmin is a sleek and lightweight device which shows precise distances to the front, back and middle of each Green, as well as hazards. The auto shot tracking measures your shot distances and auto records for post-round analysis and mapping on your Garmin connect account.
The unit has a battery life that lasts upto 10 hours in GPS mode an 5 days in activity mode. The activity tracking monitor feature allows you track your heart rate all day and night. This heart rate monitor as actually comparable or even better than the ones available in Fitbit devices.
The smart notification feature connects to your phone, thereby keeping your phone safe and ensuring that you do not miss any messages. Available in two sizes and priced at around $250, makes a great buy.
Pros:
- High-sensitivity GPS acquires satellites quickly to Show distance to greens, Hazards and doglegs
Cons:
- Weak battery life in GPS mode when compared with other products in the market
7. GolfBuddy PT4 Golf GPS
- Bigger 4″ LCD with higher resolution
- New user interface with capacitive touch panel
- Slim body design
- Replaceable battery and Water resistant
This device is definitely for those who love large handheld GPS devices. The PT4 golfbuddy device has an enlarged 4 inch high resolution LCD display, one of the largest in golf handheld devices. This gives you a feel of a smartphone. The device is pre-loaded with 38000+ international courses.
The LCD screen is a capacitive touch screen as the reaction to commands is twice as faster when compared to other handheld GPS devices in the market. The unit comes with all the features you can think of like Automatic course and hole recognition, moveable pin placement, statistics analysis module and scorecard tracking.
The GPS device is water resistant and has a 8 hour battery life. The big benefit of all Golfbuddy’s is the cost of ownership as there is no annual subscription and therefore your investment as the device is all you need to pay for. If you love big devices and have extra cash to invest for your game, this is one piece you must go for.
Pros:
- For those who love big screens, the GolfBuddy comes with a 4″ inch LCD screen with high resolution
Cons:
- Many users have complains regarding the device crashing periodically
8. TomTom Golfer 2 GPS Watch
- Smart shot detection; Automatically detects and records your shots to show your distance potential and gives insights about your game
- Ultimate round; Creates a virtual summary of your best holes on a course you’ve played regularly; See your potential as you look at the best combination of holes you could have played
- Automatic scorecard; Track your score without worrying about the pencil; Plus, your shots are recorded and categorized for postgame analysis
- Pre-loaded with full course data of over 40,000 international golf courses
This ultra-slim GPS device is designed to help golfers improve their game by detecting tee and approach shots automatically. This GPS device comes pre-loaded with full course data of over 40,000 international golf courses.
The automatic scorecard feature tracks your score from beginning till the end without really worrying about the pencil. The game is recorded and can be analyzed later using the MySports app. The GPS watch shows very precise distances to hazards ahead, greens, and lay-ups, to help you master every hole. Rounds can be studied hole-by-hole in order to build on your strengths and improve your weaknesses.
The watch offers a lot of features along with being stylish. It is very comfortable and lightweight, so you will hardly realize you’re wearing one. The device can be adjusted to fit any hand thanks to sung, no slide fit making it to our list of best golf GPS device.
Pros:
- Automatic shot detection built-in to the watch recognizes a shot and lets you know with a subtle vibration on your wrist after your swing
Cons:
- The large size of the watch may not be suitable for those with small wrists, especially women