Garmin Approach G5 Touchscreen Golf GPS (Old Version) by Garmin
|
List Price: Our Price: $199.98 You Save: $300.01 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: GPS or Navigation System See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Garmin Approach G5 Touchscreen Golf GPS (Old Version)
Digital camera Review: Approach G5
Summary: 4 Stars
The G5 is bigger than I expected, but light enough that it doesn't bother me while hanging on my belt. The touchscreen is a bit 'touchy' and it's not always easy to make an accurate pin placement or select a spot on the fairway. The display is great in the right sunlight, but if there are shadows I find myself angling the unit to get better light. I love that there are no subscriptions or fees, just buy the unit and you're done. I've used it in groups where other players have Skycaddies and the Callaway model, and this one does everything those do, plus keeps track of fairways, greens, and putts. I love it!Digital camera Review: As Advertised
Summary: 4 Stars
Have used product now 15-20 times. Am very happy with yardage accuracy, pre-downloaded courses, no annual fee, and it seems to function very well. If I had anything to pick on, it could be brighter. The fairways are quite skinny, sometimes necessitating the zoom feature to touch a specific location. Battery life is good, would rate 5 stars except for the minor irritations I mentioned.Digital camera Review: Awesome increase in enjoyment of Golf game
Summary: 5 Stars
My son and I used this on a local course for the first time and it performed great. No more looking for markers or taking the time to walk off an estimate (er, OK - especially when I'm not in the fairway). We have some large greens thankfully and being able to simply move the flag on the device for a much more accurate reading is super. Also, those few great drives I had - the G5 made it simple to get the exact yardage (did not break any records though). Only 1 of my 7 (regular home area) courses is not programmed in yet but I see it's on schedule in the next update. If yours isn't, simply let Garmin know like I did. Great unit, now if only my golf got better :-)
Update note: Today (4/26) I downloaded Garmins latest course database to the device and now all my courses are available.
Digital camera Review: Best Golf all around GPS unit!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned the GolfBuddy Tour, Calloway uPro and now this one, G5 Approach.
GolfBuddy Tour is great that it's loaded with courses (20,000+), battery lasts a long time. But, no flyover type view. Just pin location.
Calloway uPro is great with flyovers...just it's going to cost you to buy those. Cons that I could not get over: battery only really lasts for one round (even at low backscreen settings). If you ever play two rounds in one day it won't last through the entire second round. And if you ever forget to charge it...well, you're out of luck. Another con is that you have to pick and pick and pick to add courses...and that is EXTREMELY cumbersome. You have to click on EACH course on their website to add it...plus, to connect to uPro site you can only have 50 courses or less loaded on it. Anything more on your uPro and you have to delete to get under 50 before you can sync with their website. Why is 50 not enough? Well, I travel quite a bit and I play a lot of different courses...plus, there are well over 100 courses around me, so, it was a pain for me to load and reload and change and reload...etc.
G5 approach - best overall. Has all of the courses. Has overview with hazards in view. drag and drop for where you want to go. 2 AA batteries last about three rounds. I use eneloop batteries so they keep their charge when not in use. I also keep a set of AA's in my bag just in case. So, AA batteries actually are easier cause you don't have to worry about plugging it into something mid-round to charge it up. Easy to use, accurate (made by GARMIN). I've never had a problem seeing the screen out on the course? So, i'm not sure what people are complaining about low light, etc...My buds have golf GPS' as well and we always just end up using my G5...most simple, quickest, has a great view of entire hole, can pin point where you want to get yardage, battery lasts, has every course. No more annual fees, easy. I would recommend this unit to ANYBODY.
Hit em long, hit em straight!!!
Digital camera Review: Best Overall
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had the Garmin G5 for several months, but have just recently had the opportunity to use it for a couple of rounds, and as you can guess by the 5 star rating, I like it. One of the biggest reasons for selecting the G5 is the Garmin brand. They make quality products, and the G5 is no exception. It's actually one of their "On the Trail" hiker GPS units, called the Oregon, fitted with golf GPS software. It is a somewhat hefty unit. You can put it in a pocket, but you won't like there for very long. However, I wasn't looking for a pocket device, so this wasn't an issue for me.
What really sold me on the Garmin:
- Free course updates. (Garmin states that a nominal fee may be required in the future.)
- Had most of the courses I have played.
- Holds their entire golf course database. Currently about 12,000 and growing. (Courses updated quarterly)
- It shows the entire hole, and yardages to hazards. (Zooms in as you advance towards the green)
- Has a good "green view", showing any surrounding bunkers and other hazards, with all the necessary yardages.
- You can get yardage to any spot on the hole.
- In the green view, you can move the flag anywhere on the green.
- Easy shot measurement. You can even keep distances for each club*. (It will maintain the average distance for each club)
- Easy score keeping for up to four players. (It can keep statistics for each player about fairways hit, greens in regulation, and number of putts, if you want to take the time to enter all that data*)
- Manual or automatic hole advance.
- Allows you to jump to any hole.*
- Uses AA batteries. (You can't recharge a built-in lithium battery in the middle of a round)
*These features require latest software. (Free download from Garmin)
After actually using it, what I experienced:
- Initial satellite lock was within a minute or two and was solid. Never lost the signal.
- While it was very accurate, within a yard or two, a couple of times it was as much as five yards off until I repositioned the GPS.
- I had no problems seeing the display in sunlight or shadows wearing prescription glasses that get dark outside. However, I did try a pair of regular (very dark) sunglasses, and found that I could not read the screen while in the shade of the cart.
- If you are keeping score, it automatically presents the "Enter Scores" screen as you get to the next tee. A nice touch.
- Touching the screen to get a distance is problematic. It usually jumps far from your intended target. However, you can zoom in after the initial selection and more accurately get the spot you want. Using a tee seemed to work better than a finger.
- It does eat batteries.
About the batteries: You can use alkalines, lithiums, or rechargeable NiMHs (nickel metal hydrates). Length of rounds, and keeping scores and stats will affect the life of the batteries, but generally speaking, 2-3 rounds is all you'll get on one set. Also, there is a setting to indicate what type of batteries you have installed. This is significant because the setting will affect the brightness of the screen. The default is alkalines which dims the screen. If you put in lithiums or NiMHs, you need to change the setting to get the maximum brightness. Tip: If you are using lithiums or NiMHs, and you notice the battery level is low, you can change the setting to alkalines to extend the battery life. (The dimmer screen may or may not be a problem.) Note: According to Garmin, you'll get the best battery performance with NiMHs with a capacity greater than 2500 mA.
Overall, I found the G5 easy to use, and very accurate. As I mentioned, it's not a pocket device. If that's important to you, then look elsewhere. Also, some people have reported difficulty with reading the display in certain sitations, usually in the shade, so this could be an issue. Another factor is the course availability. I think it's unfortunate that some people happen to live in an area that is not, as yet, well covered, and therefore they dismiss an otherwise very capable GPS. My feeling is, Garmin wants to be competitive with the other manufacturers who have 20,000+ courses mapped, so they are nowhere near done adding courses.
It may not be perfect, and it may not be cheap, but for me, it's the best GPS out there.
UPDATE: After many rounds of golf, I can report my G5 has worked very well. There have been some very minor gliches, like not advancing to the next hole when it should, but overall, nothing to really complian about. One important note, it has NEVER lost its satellite link. Impressive.
Also, I should address a comment I made in my review about changing the battery type to Alkaline even though you are using NiMH to extend battery life. I'm not sure, but this may affect how the unit measures your remaining battery life. It may or may not be a good idea.
I've done three (free) course updates since I got it, and we're up to 13,000+ courses. I play a lot of different courses in Ohio, PA, Virginia, and West Virginia, and there's only one course not available, and I fully expect it to be added soon. Accuracy has been good. Most of the time it's within 1-3 yards, and occasionally off by 5 yards. This has been verified with a laser range finder. I should also mention that I have yet to have a problem reading the screen, except for the one time I tried wearing really dark sunglasses.
It's still a winner for me.