Free your mind & lower your scores.

[Wi-Golfer]

We have talked about this & I have had small snippets of it happen to me at times. Played 9 at my local course where lately my scores have been in the 41-44 range. Wasn't too concerned about the score, just wanted to relax & work on shots as well as look for balls. When I played last week I found 17 of them & was trying to outdo that. Found 4 on the 1st hole & ended up finding 14 today. Couple Pro V1X's, a few NXT's & the rest your typical crap.

Anyways i really wasn't thinking about golf as much as I was about where to search for balls. Hot 4 out of 7 fairways, had 5 GIRs & shot a 39. Started out bogie, par, bogie, bogie & then ripped off 5 straight pars to finish. Got done & realized that I didn't even think about making any shots, they just happened.

Will have to try this approach more often & see if it repeats.

[warbirdlover]

EXACTLY how I was playing today. I got my new igolf neo GPS and was just going out to play with it and work on my swing and ended up shooting 36 on Washington Park (where a low capper will usually be in low 30's)..

It's that "don't give a dang" attitude that frees up your swing. I even putted good today with no 3-putts and 13 putts total.

It's also easier to putt when you have a GPS to get your shots on the pin. Amazing.

[Wi-Golfer]

I love my GPS unit, actually feel lost playing without it.

[Rideguy]

How accurate are these GPS units really? My Gps that I use on my bike accurate to say 10 Meters..... That would be a whole iron......

Can you program them?

How many different types?

T.I.A.

[rubber314chicken]

Thats how I played yesterday and I shot really well.

[warbirdlover]

These GPS are accurate to a yard or so I would guess. There is a thread in the reviews section that compares a GPS to a rangefinder.

[Wi-Golfer]

Originally Posted by warbirdlover

These GPS are accurate to a yard or so I would guess. There is a thread in the reviews section that compares a GPS to a rangefinder.

I would agree with this. Only issues I have seen are if the batteries are low, the readings will be off. And for some reason everytime I play the front 9 at Sun Prairie, the 9th holes readings are way way short. It gives the total distance fine, but layup just in front of the pond & the GPS will state 120-130 yds when actually it's 150-160. So far that's the only hole I have found which reads inaccurate & I have played probably 25 different courses with this unit so far.

[WMitch6]

I don't use a GPS on the course. I still look for markers/sprinkler heads. I have one in my car and love it.

I'm curious if you think it adds or reduces time on the course. I usually walk and by the time I get to my ball I know the yardage within my ability (+/- 6" is not in my repetoire).

[DouginGA]

Originally Posted by WMitch6

I don't use a GPS on the course. I still look for markers/sprinkler heads. I have one in my car and love it.

I'm curious if you think it adds or reduces time on the course. I usually walk and by the time I get to my ball I know the yardage within my ability (+/- 6" is not in my repetoire).

I would say a break even with time goofing around with the gadget being the same as hunting the sprinkler head.

Question- think removing the ability to judge distance by the use of rangefinder/gps lessens the game?

[Wi-Golfer]

Originally Posted by DouginGA

I would say a break even with time goofing around with the gadget being the same as hunting the sprinkler head.

Question- think removing the ability to judge distance by the use of rangefinder/gps lessens the game?

Playing with the gps is much faster. "Goofing around" with the gps is a non issue since you don't have to do anything except turn it on. I have golflogix & it automatically switches hole, no need to press any buttons, etc. Either walk or ride up to the ball, look at the unit & I know immediately how far it is. I have spent a fair amount of time in the past searching for a sprinkler head & then pacing off yardage.

[Harold]

Question- think removing the ability to judge distance by the use of rangefinder/gps lessens the game?

I don't think so. It's no different than a yardage book or caddie. I believe the trick is to use GPS' as a tool to help make decisions rather than a say all, be all, end all instrument. There are a lot of other potential variables that go into a shot. Yards or meters is but one of them.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by DouginGA

Question- think removing the ability to judge distance by the use of rangefinder/gps lessens the game?

After almost 2 years of using a GPS, I actually think I am now a better judge of distance.

Probably in large part because I am constantly seeing an exact distance in relation to yardage points on the course. So I not only see exactly what 13 yards looks like in relation to the 150 yard marker when I am 137 yards out, but I also constantly see what it looks like in relation to say being 20 yards wide of a mark and seeing that the distance is now 157 yards or so instead of 150 in relation to the target.

When it is cart path only, or I am on a hole like maybe a par 3 and come up short, I usually no longer bother to take the GPS out with me as I have found my guess is usually within a yard or two.

Because I use Pelz short game teaching, it is usually important that I know the distance even inside 60 yards, and I have found I am a very good judge of this now. Where before having a GPS I usually felt I was a pretty lousy judge of distance and would step everything off and try to calculate in my head how the angle of attack would effect this distance. Now I usually can visualize it just by looking at the markers.

edit 1 - I also now think more in relation to markers. For instance, many coursed mark their cart paths with distance, although in more cases than not, that is simply in line with the center marker. So 150 on the path may actually be something like 168. Never gave this much thought prior to having a GPS or Range Finder.