Look, we all want to score well, don’t we?  We go out on the course, armed with our scorecard representation of the course layout.  We look at the marker near the tee box and try to guess the distance to that tree, that bunker, or that crossing stream.  How far out there does the fairway open up?  Some of us have a decent idea of how far we can hit a certain club, but how good are we at judging distances?  Probably not as good as Mr. Spock, Lt. Data or we wish WE were. And what is it worth to you to know?

How many times have you rolled a shot too far and had it end up in the water, sand or out-of bounds?  I have played a few courses that had GPS units installed in the carts.  Wow, now THAT was handy.

Leupold GX-II

Laser rangefinders, like the Leupold GX-II, are independent units, not dependent upon satellite imagery to give you the information you want, which means you don’t have to buy and download courses. They can also be used on the course or the driving range to give you some pretty accurate readings about the length of your shots. Similar to binoculars, they have advanced with the use of optic steadying technology.

But unless you've played this course before, you can only take readings on what you can see.  What about those courses that have surprises lurking just over that rise? If you can't see the hazard, you don't know enough to play for it...

When it comes to GPS units, there are also a lot of choices, all of them giving you the basic information you want to know: from where you are, how far to the center of the green, the back edge and the front edge.  Many will give you similar info regarding hazards.

Garmin Approach G5 Golf GPS

From what I have seen, the Garmin Approach G5 Golf GPS costs the most but gives you the most for your money.  A waterproof, touchscreen unit, this Garmin unit comes with thousands of already-loaded courses installed.  If you travel when you play golf, it probably will end a better value than some others.  If you mostly play golf locally, the Callaway uPro Golf GPS System might be better for you.  Priced lower, it comes with a package that includes 50 courses which you will have to download.  If you do happen to travel, additional courses are available to be purchased.

This hand-held device operates from a rechargeable lithiom-ion battery, weighs only three ounces, and is so slim it can fit comfortably in your pocket. The basic mode starts with the functionality of lower-priced units. It has options like a fly-over view (that ends up zooming in on the green) and additional functions that Callaway claims are not available anywhere else.

So whether the rangefinder uints or the GPS units appeal to you more, there are lots of makers and models, so do your research before deciding to spend a lot of green; hopefully I’ve provided some help.  After all, the premise is that you can use these things to improve your score.  Better scores mean more fun!

And isn’t more fun why you’re here?

Of course, I could be wrong (but I don’t think so).