Smartwatches and golf

[BillyClone]

Doesn't anybody step off yardage anymore??? HA!

My daughter's rangefinder battery went dead in the middle of a meet a couple of years ago - she was completely lost as to how to figure yardage. Basically, just eyeballing between yard markers. Afterwards I suggested to Coach that he teach the team how to step off yardage and use either flag color or the position of the small flag to determine pin depth on the green. He laughed and said it would be easier to just make sure that everyone has a spare battery before the meet starts.

 

[MJN]

https://www.precisionprogolf.com/product/nx7-pro-slope-golf-rangefinder/

Best valued rangefinder on the market. I don't have it but know people who do. Has slope that you can turn on or off to make it tournament legal. Also lifetime of replacement batteries free.

GPS yardages are unreliable IMO.

This was rated Mygolfspy's best value.

https://mygolfspy.com/best-golf-rangefinder-2018/

 

[Beerbrat]

I've got a Garmin S20 watch, which I like a lot. If it's a new course, I download the course to the app on my phone beforehand otherwise, the watch knows the course by my location. It takes a couple minutes to find the GPS satellites to start, but after that it is almost instant. I track my score in it too. It has more advanced stuff like club tracking and such, but I'm not good enough to take advantage of those things.

The only thing I miss is that it only reports front, middle, and back of green, so I don't get yardage info on fairway bunkers and such.

You sure it doesn't do hazards and other stuff?

 

[stateofmind]

I don't mind that this has become the best way to determine yards, but was not the intention of my OP. I use the old step-off from yard markers, gps, laser, etc. But I wanted to see what other people use on their watch, and how to keep music playing when I walk away so that I don't have to restart the music when I return to the bag.

 

[HardcoreClone]

Buy a rangefinder IMO, hands down the best thing I've ever bought for golfing.

But I think Golfpad has an app for Gear watches and I like that app.

What rangefinder do you recommend? I've always wanted one but can never convince myself to spend the money. Seems like they are $200 up to $400.

 

[BoxsterCy]

That works if you are near the fairway you are supposed to be playing. As a 14 handicap I tend to be in another fairway often. Unfortunately at Briarwood two-thirds of the holes have at least one side OB, so I'm very intrigued by the new distance and two-penalty rule.

We used that rule for a long time in the work league I used to play in to speed up play.

 

[3TrueFans]

What rangefinder do you recommend? I've always wanted one but can never convince myself to spend the money. Seems like they are $200 up to $400.

Everyone says Bushnell is the best but I couldn't handle the price, especially since I'd never used a range finder before. I ended up buying this one last season just hoping it was ok and it's been fantastic. I compared it to a guy with I think a few year old either Bushnell or Nikon (can't remember) and it was a yard off of his.

https://www.rockbottomgolf.com/electronics/rangefinders/golf-buddy-lr7s-laser-rangefinder/

 

[3TrueFans]

I don't mind that this has become the best way to determine yards, but was not the intention of my OP. I use the old step-off from yard markers, gps, laser, etc. But I wanted to see what other people use on their watch, and how to keep music playing when I walk away so that I don't have to restart the music when I return to the bag.

I don't know about the music thing, could you keep your phone in your pocket rather than your bag so it's always close to your watch?

 

[stateofmind]

I don't know about the music thing, could you keep your phone in your pocket rather than your bag so it's always close to your watch?

Yep, and then it gets too far from the speaker and has the same issue.

 

[3TrueFans]

Yep, and then it gets too far from the speaker and has the same issue.

Well then the obvious solution is the put the speaker in your pocket too!

 

[stateofmind]

We have the older version of this and it works great for $180, I might've gotten it a little cheaper through Groupon or something. Amazon product

I'm guessing that this one for $150 is just as good. https://www.cabelas.com/product/NIKON-ACULON-RANGEFINDER/1745134.uts?slotId=1

But looking on Amazon I'm thinking of getting one of these: Amazon product

 

[Cyclonepride]

Doesn't anybody step off yardage anymore??? HA!

My daughter's rangefinder battery went dead in the middle of a meet a couple of years ago - she was completely lost as to how to figure yardage. Basically, just eyeballing between yard markers. Afterwards I suggested to Coach that he teach the team how to step off yardage and use either flag color or the position of the small flag to determine pin depth on the green. He laughed and said it would be easier to just make sure that everyone has a spare battery before the meet starts.

Well, yeah. That's what caddies are for

 

[wheels686]

I got my Bushnell v2 at a pawn shop when I was buying my wife a gift (and ye. So I got mine for like $50. Been a great buy. Saves time and very accurate!

Everyone says Bushnell is the best but I couldn't handle the price, especially since I'd never used a range finder before. I ended up buying this one last season just hoping it was ok and it's been fantastic. I compared it to a guy with I think a few year old either Bushnell or Nikon (can't remember) and it was a yard off of his.

https://www.rockbottomgolf.com/electronics/rangefinders/golf-buddy-lr7s-laser-rangefinder/

Bushnell is the best. So I found one at a pawn shop and got a great deal on it. Loved having it last year. Made life alot easier on the golf course.

 

[1100011CS]

A couple things. I have a Gear S3 and play a lot of golf.

First thing, what golf app do you use that gives you fairly accurate yardage?

Second thing, and this is the biggest pain for me. I use my phone to play music while playing, hooked up to a bluetooth speaker. The issue that I have is that as soon as I leave my bag/phone to go putt, my watch drops connection with my phone and for whatever reason Pandora stops even though the bluetooth speaker is still connected. Is there a setting or an app that I can use to prevent this from happening so that I don't have to shut off my bluetooth on my watch in effect killing my opportunity to use a golf app on the watch.

Not positive this will work but... Go to your bluetooth connection settings, select the gear icon next to your watch, deselect 'Media audio'. HTH