GPS Golf Pro: Anyone Heard of This Thing?

[Mors Ab Alto]

I have been shopping for a range finder. I played with a guy who had the Bushnell 1500 Pinseeker (awesome performance, but just too expensive) and reda about the SkyCaddie (liked the idea, but just too many extraneous things required). I happened upon something called the GPS Golf Pro. It's a lot like the SkyCaddie, but their "membership" is less expensive, and they have some awesome features, like a program that tracks everything from what distances you hit each club, to every stat a golf nerd like me could ever want to track but was just to lazy to write down before.

I just wanted to see if wnayone has every heard of it, and if so, what you think.

http://www.gps-golfpro.com/

[Davebud]

I got my Skycaddie yesterday, still have to figure it out though.

[Pa Jayhawk]

If you intend to spend that kind of money, you may also check out the Sureshot GPS. Most of the reviews I saw said it is likely one of the best on the market and will track stats as well. It is about the same cost
http://www.sureshotgps.com/
Personally, I don't care to spend that kind of money, but still want to be able to enter my own points. So come March I will likely get the iGolf
iGolf GPS
http://www.igolf.com/igolfindivprods.php?prodid=2
Skycaddie doesn't have any of my courses so it would likely be useless to me, and I would just stick with the range finder.

Intelligolf has most of the same features of the one you linked if you already own the palm.
www.intelligolf.com
Downloads are free, but they don't have many with GPS points as of yet, plus you would need to pick up a GPS for around $100 if you don't already have one.

[Mors Ab Alto]

Originally Posted by FKA Pa Jayhawk

If you intend to spend that kind of money, you may also check out the Sureshot GPS. Most of the reviews I saw said it is likely one of the best on the market and will track stats as well. It is about the same cost
http://www.sureshotgps.com/
Personally, I don't care to spend that kind of money, but still want to be able to enter my own points. So come March I will likely get the iGolf
iGolf GPS
http://www.igolf.com/igolfindivprods.php?prodid=2
Skycaddie doesn't have any of my courses so it would likely be useless to me, and I would just stick with the range finder.

Intelligolf has most of the same features of the one you linked if you already own the palm.
www.intelligolf.com
Downloads are free, but they don't have many with GPS points as of yet, plus you would need to pick up a GPS for around $100 if you don't already have one.

The Sure Shot and iGolf products are between $80 and $200 more than the GPS Golf Pro, and the intelligolf would require me to get a GPS. The GPS Golf Pro has all the features I want, and requires not extra stuff or exobatent fees. I just want to know if it is a good product from a reputable company.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Mors Ab Alto

The Sure Shot and iGolf products are between $80 and $200 more than the GPS Golf Pro, and the intelligolf would require me to get a GPS. The GPS Golf Pro has all the features I want, and requires not extra stuff or exobatent fees. I just want to know if it is a good product from a reputable company.

One of us is confused here I believe. Maybe it is me. The GPS Golf Pro has a couple options. The option that I assumed you were looking at, and the one in the picture from the link was the all-in-one which has I believe a PPC with GPS and the software for $349. I believe when I checked these out, just the software runs about $79, and more than intelligolf. It may however have a few more features. In either case both would require you purchase a GPS, which can be found for around $100 or so and either own a palm or buy one. They also have an option to buy a GPS and the software for $149, however you then need to own a palm or a PPC. That price is just for the GPS

Again maybe it is me, but I just wanted to point out the Compact Flash or Bluetooth GPS with the software is just a GPS, it still requires a PPC or Palm to run the software. Were you aware of this, or maybe I was missing something???

[Pa Jayhawk]

Just to throw into the mix. Should anyone be looking at something similar. Intelligolf is currently offering a promo through Delorme for a Bluetooth GPS, and Street Atlas software for 20% off. I do not believe you even need to purchase the intelligolf to get the deal. Be aware though that this does not come with intelligolf. I can tell you I have used Street Atlas for about the last 10 years, and own the current version and they make great software. If you own a Bluetooth Palm, phone or PPC this may be a cheap Navagation system option for you car, as well as giving you what you would need for the intelligolf option.
http://www.delorme.com/golf/?&promotion=869

edit 1 - I do not use the software as a Navagation system, as I own a Garmin Nav system. So I can't answer how well that works. I do know from a laptop it works fairly well but is bulkier than I care for. However I do use it to transfer data waypoints to my GPS and Transfer Maps to my palm.

[JEFF4i]

If anyone posts anything, put in a review. Wouldn't mind this for some new, not well marked, courses.

[Mors Ab Alto]

Originally Posted by FKA Pa Jayhawk

One of us is confused here I believe. Maybe it is me.

I saw one on Bay for $150, software, GPS and all. IT's up to $175, but still a better deal than SkyCaddie or the others. Just apprehensive about buying from a company I've never heard of.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Mors Ab Alto

I saw one on Bay for $150, software, GPS and all. IT's up to $175, but still a better deal than SkyCaddie or the others. Just apprehensive about buying from a company I've never heard of.

I understand now. Sorry. Based on the price you mentioned, I just wanted to make sure you didn't think the GPS and software part for $150 on the site was the entire thing. That's not a bad deal as it looks like the Unit will operate as a PPC as well. If you end up getting one you may check out the 2007 Delorme Software as well if you do not already have a navagation system for your car.

I will simply say based on my experience I may shy away from that unit for golf. Years ago I had a PPC (the original iPaq when Compaq still sold the unit), the battery life on the unit was very short and to try and get 4-5 hours out of the unit on the course was a slim possibility. At the time I used Golfwits, which was a poor mans GPS. Even getting a round in when I turned it off between shots was a stretch, with a GPS unit it would need to stay on all the time. Battery life was the main reason I went to a palm. Granted, the battery lifes may be better now as this was about 5 years ago.

Even with my current palm, 5 hours would be a real stretch. The only reason I considered the intelligolf as an option was that my palm has bluetooth. So if I got a bluetooth GPS powered by a seperate battery, I could leave the GPS on all the time and just turn my palm on between shots. In the end, it just seemed easier for me to opt for a seperate device that was all one unit. Plus it is weatherproof, for which I will not take my palm out when there is chance of rain.

Again, just based on my past experience with all the different sides of the equation, and I may be wrong about the battery time for this device. I'm not sure how this device is powered, but I think I would be leary of any device on a golf course that uses lithium ion, built in batteries, as in time it will likely not last a round, where if it takes replacable rechargables, you can swap them out on the course if required.

I would only imagine trying to turn the unit between shot and initialize with the satelites to get an accurate distance, which may likely be required with any palm or PPC with the GPS built in, would be more trouble than it is worth to me on a golf course.