GPS: Watch vs. Small Handheld

[tdc1]

I am thinking about getting a GPS watch or small handheld ($150±).  Anyone have experience with Shot Scope G3, Bushnell Phantom or Garmin S10/G10?  Thanks.

[cnosil]

2 hours ago, tdc1 said:

I am thinking about getting a GPS watch or small handheld ($150±).  Anyone have experience with Shot Scope G3, Bushnell Phantom or Garmin S10/G10?  Thanks.

I have the predecessor to the phantom and think it is great.  Provides distances to front middle and back and give me some hazard distances.   Perfect for what I want and the strategy I follow for playing golf. 

[SmoothG]

I use the phantom and love it. Easy to use.  I generally only need the front/center/back numbers. There are hazards and aim points listed but I generally don't use them. Love the magnetic bite to stick on the cart. I also use the "shot" feature which measures drives.  I charge it in between each rounds bc I only get about 30 holes on a charge. 

[Larryd3]

I'm using the Phantom and it's great for Front, middle and back.  I can get 2 full rounds out of one charge with some leftover.  I have the one with the magnet built into it so great to just stick on the golf cart.  

[tdc1]

Have you found it to be accurate?  10-20 yard difference between sprinkler heads/yardage bricks and a friend's Phantom.

[azstu324]

I kind of took the unconventional approach and bought a Garmin Vivoactive 3. $130. Actually ended up being like $115 from Target with some discounts my wife had.

My pops has the S10. For golf, they seem to function nearly identically and connect with Garmingolf for round and performance stats. The Vivoactive however has color AND the golf function is just 1 of many different functions as it's a smartwatch for tracking activity as well. Ultimately you get 10X the watch for less $

the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get..

[Larryd3]

On 8/2/2020 at 12:46 PM, tdc1 said:

Have you found it to be accurate?  10-20 yard difference between sprinkler heads/yardage bricks and a friend's Phantom.

I've checked mine vs laser and found it to be really close not perfect but a couple of yards off isn't going to matter to my game.  I've also noticed that Bushnell vs Garmin GPS don't always match on distances but only a few yards.  That I don't understand, same satellites....  

[KurtActual]

I use the SS V3. Really simple, finds the satellites quickly. Shows all the yardages I need to know, without too much info. I still find sometimes I need a niche distance though. Perhaps I need to know where I want to layup, and how much of a shot would be left from that spot. I use "The Grint" golf app for those measurements.

[Firebird]

I use the mScorecard app on my phone, it is free. I use it mainly for scoring as it does stableford but there are several doglegs on the course that I need to use GPS as I do not have line of sight with the laser. I bought a Laser, cost me $110AUD - is just a copy of a Sureshot 3000 with pin lock. I prefer it as our course is not flat and there are a number of pins where you cannot see where they are on the green. Plus I use it quite a bit to find distances to a trap, water a tree etc and it is easy to use.

[Jamesm1997]

I would look at the Shot Scope V3.

[Jamesm1997]

Look at the Shot Scope V3

[dcherif]

On 7/16/2020 at 2:57 PM, tdc1 said:

I am thinking about getting a GPS watch or small handheld ($150±).  Anyone have experience with Shot Scope G3, Bushnell Phantom or Garmin S10/G10?  Thanks.

I had a bushnell phantom, liked it a bunch. I use a rangefinder and an app so all three was a bit much. I have an apple watch so I put the app on there and use it instead so I didn't need the phantom anymore. Just really depends if you want to wear a watch when you play.

[DStar]

I'm using a G10 and, as my 1st GPS unit, I really like it. Use a carabiner clip on the bag rather than the clip just to be safe. 

Accuracy seems to be great when compared to other players distances and the GPS on my phone when I used Hole19 as a comparison. 

Has enough info for me with F/M/B and hazards/layup distances. 

[Pandaman]

I like the convenience of a watch (Garmin S60), I can just glance at my wrist to get basic distances, but the map features give me the option to get more specific when I need to.

Not really a lot different to using a handheld in functionality, but a much smaller display obviously, which could be an issue for some.  For me that is the trade off for always having it on me, as opposed to clipped on my bag.

[Stuka44]

I also prefer the watch.  Garmin S40.  Main display shows front middle and back.  Swipe then you can check hazards, 200, 150, 100 yard layup distances etc.  It will also keep score for you as well.  Its also a smart watch that you can connect to your phone.  Battery is very good.

[tdc1]

On 8/10/2021 at 11:24 AM, dcherif said:

I had a bushnell phantom, liked it a bunch. I use a rangefinder and an app so all three was a bit much. I have an apple watch so I put the app on there and use it instead so I didn't need the phantom anymore. Just really depends if you want to wear a watch when you play.

Tried a Phantom, which I liked, but lost the darn thing somehow.  Went with a ShotScope G3 wearable and am quite pleased.  The V3 had more bells and whistles than I think I need at this point.

[tdc1]

On 8/11/2021 at 11:05 AM, Pandaman said:

I like the convenience of a watch (Garmin S60), I can just glance at my wrist to get basic distances, but the map features give me the option to get more specific when I need to.

Not really a lot different to using a handheld in functionality, but a much smaller display obviously, which could be an issue for some.  For me that is the trade off for always having it on me, as opposed to clipped on my bag.

Currently using a ShotScope G3 watch and am happy I went the wearable route.

[tony@CIC]

On 7/16/2020 at 5:57 PM, tdc1 said:

I am thinking about getting a GPS watch or small handheld ($150±).  Anyone have experience with Shot Scope G3, Bushnell Phantom or Garmin S10/G10?  Thanks.

With a price point of $150, I'd spend the extra 30 or 40 bucks (various promotions) and get the SS V3. You'll get the GPS watch info plus the added benefit of capturing shot data should you choose to go that route in the future. I'm not sure of the other brands like Garmin, but I can attest to the V3 picking up the course a lot faster than my wife's GolfBuddy (clip on GPS).  

[GaDawg]

I have had both, but just don't like having something on my wrist while playing golf, especially during this heat and humidity. Currently, I have a laser and handheld on courses that I am not familiar with.

[PBH3]

I've been using the GolfLogix GPS and scoring app on my phone this season and it's been great.  Also much cheaper to give you the hole overview benefits of a handheld.

[dcherif]

On 8/26/2021 at 6:56 AM, tdc1 said:

Tried a Phantom, which I liked, but lost the darn thing somehow.  Went with a ShotScope G3 wearable and am quite pleased.  The V3 had more bells and whistles than I think I need at this point.

My buddy left his in a cart and lost it. I gave him mine which is bright green when I went to the watch