Bushnell Phantom 3 real life experiences?

[johnspies]

What's the verdict? I've never used one before and in fact have only used rangefinders so this is all new. For sure, I want slope/distance to front/middle/back and distance to hazards. I'm not a smart guy and have to concentrate on my game because it's all over the place so don't want something requiring a bunch of manipulation/interaction with pressing buttons. Basic intel and less than $300 is what I seek. Will this fit the bill?

[Nickb333]

I have the 2. It's a perfect companion for walking. It doesn't have slope. Otherwise it does everything I need. Easy to use without pushing a lot of buttons.

 

I haven't tried to keep score with it but that doesn't look too tough. 

[KhiloD]

I've had and lost 2 Phantom 2's. They are great for grab and go yardages F/M/B. Going to grab a 3 as with slope I won't need to pull my rangefinder out as much.

[RCGA]

I have the Phantom 2 and would highly recommend it to anyone. Yeah a phone app could probably do the same thing but the always-on display is way better than having to unlock your phone 1-3 times per hole. 

 

Personally, I think real buttons are way better than the digital buttons on the Phantom 3. And slope, meh, if it's that important to you, you're probably lasering the hole anyway. 

[johnspies]

Right. I've never used a rangefinder with slope before but lost in a horse race this past weekend when my partner pointed out the green was elevated and uphill. I clubbed up.....and went over the green....behind a tree.....on a root. Of course it was Alternate Shot and he suggested the club change so....

Anyway, I want to try one but might just give it a miss if this is a huge pain in the a**.

 

Screw it....just bought the Phantom 3; will advise.

 

Edited June 28, 2024 by johnspies
added info

[realmfg]

Got mine and already have to send it back to bushnell.   Mine keeps going back to the main screen leaving the round.  I then have to resume golf, and it keeps me on the same course but back to hole 1.  Probably like 2 better.

[fzrmaverick]

Just ordered mine. Should be here Wednesday, and I'll be using it Saturday. Currently game the 2. Love it. The group I play with don't trust my distances, since no slope. But, looking forward to using the 3. 

[JPG44]

On my second phantom 2. Same as the first it is 15-20 yards off every hole. Had buddies with laser and other gps and theirs are within a yard or two and mine is way off. Anyone have this issue?

[storm3]

4 hours ago, JPG44 said:

On my second phantom 2. Same as the first it is 15-20 yards off every hole. Had buddies with laser and other gps and theirs are within a yard or two and mine is way off. Anyone have this issue?

Nope mine is fine at most courses. It may be the course mapping for those particular courses that you are playing, not the actual device (pretty much all major GPS devices are going to have roughly the same accuracy). 

[Nickb333]

22 hours ago, JPG44 said:

On my second phantom 2. Same as the first it is 15-20 yards off every hole. Had buddies with laser and other gps and theirs are within a yard or two and mine is way off. Anyone have this issue?

Mine is within a yard of the marked sprinkler heads every time. 

[LukeDonaldsTiger]

On 7/12/2024 at 9:21 AM, JPG44 said:

On my second phantom 2. Same as the first it is 15-20 yards off every hole. Had buddies with laser and other gps and theirs are within a yard or two and mine is way off. Anyone have this issue?

Have you ruled out metric vs. imperial units?

[JPG44]

4 hours ago, LukeDonaldsTiger said:

Have you ruled out metric vs. imperial units?

I have. Not sure what's going on.

It has been off on every course I play. Tried getting ahold of customer service but no call back. 

[SnowPlow]

7 hours ago, JPG44 said:

I have. Not sure what's going on.

It has been off on every course I play. Tried getting ahold of customer service but no call back. 

Yeah..  if it was meters versus yards issue you would be seeing readings on longer holes far more than 20 off. Is it consistently long or short or a mix of both long and short? 

[JPG44]

Consistently short. Quite a few different styles of rangefinders and gps I have tried it against and still way off. 

[SnowPlow]

21 minutes ago, JPG44 said:

Consistently short. Quite a few different styles of rangefinders and gps I have tried it against and still way off. 

If every reading is short it’s not related to mapping. If you had said always short and always about 10% off it would be meters versus yards issue in settings. I do have some contacts at Bushnell. I’ll try and get some info from them. 

[JPG44]

2 hours ago, SnowPlow said:

If every reading is short it’s not related to mapping. If you had said always short and always about 10% off it would be meters versus yards issue in settings. I do have some contacts at Bushnell. I’ll try and get some info from them. 

Thank you! Appreciate it. Tried several times to get ahold of someone and never got a call back

[realmfg]

On 7/13/2024 at 7:22 PM, JPG44 said:

Thank you! Appreciate it. Tried several times to get ahold of someone and never got a call back

https://www.bushnellgolf.com/support/warranty-and-repairs

 

Just fill this out.  They already replaced my Phantom 3.

[KhiloD]

On 7/12/2024 at 3:21 AM, JPG44 said:

On my second phantom 2. Same as the first it is 15-20 yards off every hole. Had buddies with laser and other gps and theirs are within a yard or two and mine is way off. Anyone have this issue?

Edited July 16, 2024 by KhiloD
didn't read the whole post history

[rainkingjr]

I 've been using a Phantom 2 for at least a year and a half and absolutely love it. Mine is always within a yard or two whenever ai compare it to my Laser. I use mine to keep score/stats as well. Really nice unit for the price. I have zero complaints. I'll probably pick up a 3 at some point.

[Sparty4202]

I just picked up a phantom 3 and have a question…
Does anyone know if you can load your score and stats on the Bushnell app after you close out your round on a Phantom 3? 
I don’t like doing all the scores and stats while playing on a device, it’s just to distracting for me while I play.

[holdem75]

Not as familiar with the product, but surprising to see some of the issues. 

[Sparty4202]

On 6/28/2024 at 12:10 PM, johnspies said:

What's the verdict? I've never used one before and in fact have only used rangefinders so this is all new. For sure, I want slope/distance to front/middle/back and distance to hazards. I'm not a smart guy and have to concentrate on my game because it's all over the place so don't want something requiring a bunch of manipulation/interaction with pressing buttons. Basic intel and less than $300 is what I seek. Will this fit the bill?

I have had the Phantom 3 for about a month now. I find it to very accurate for distances and very easy to use. Had a Garmin watch prior and it was ok and fairly accurate but the battery was barely good for one round….Phantom 3 is good for 3 rounds! I also use a Bushnell rangefinder but use the Phantom 3 for the F/M/B distances which is really more important at my club. 
I do not use the scoring function at all, I don’t like dealing with the distraction while playing. 

[MGN01]

I have had a Phantom 2 for years and loved it better than a rangefinder.  I thought I lost it and so bought the Phantom 3.  Because the 3 lacks buttons and uses touch based screen navigation, I found that it 'strays' from the hole I am playing to another or several holes forward and backward when I keep it in my pocket to walk up to a ball (get off the cart but still want to be assisted with distance).

The 2 is easier to navigate with side buttons and never 'strays' to another hole unless you hit the button.  Since I located my 2 again, I will revert back to it.

[Twohey]

Been playing with the Phantom 3 for a few rounds and like it overall.  Easy to read and quickly navigate.

 

Does anyone elses P3 not show front yardage if your about 40yds or closer to the green?  Mine just shows 2 hash lines when I get within that distance.  It still shows the center and back yardages.  I've had this happen on 3 different courses.

 

There's no mention of this in the manual.  Also, my buddy's P2 does not behave like this, so it shouldn't be a mapping issue.

[cristphoto]

I have the Phantom 2 model GPS and it works fine.  Strong magnet so unit stays on cart (or metal object on bag) even going over bumps.  I have a laser also and occasionally check the accuracy of the 2.  Pretty much dead on (allowing for couple yard deviation of flag position since laser reads true flag yardage and GPS only gives F,M,B).  In the off-season I will take some time to see about any course updates for places I play.  Only takes a couple seconds per course after initial pairing up of cell phone and GPS.  Very simple process.  Assuming the new Phantom 2 model works just as well it should be a safe purchase.  Plus the new model has a few new features the 2 doesn't have.  

[Alex-NZ]

On 11/28/2024 at 3:29 PM, Twohey said:

Been playing with the Phantom 3 for a few rounds and like it overall.  Easy to read and quickly navigate.

 

Does anyone elses P3 not show front yardage if your about 40yds or closer to the green?  Mine just shows 2 hash lines when I get within that distance.  It still shows the center and back yardages.  I've had this happen on 3 different courses.

 

There's no mention of this in the manual.  Also, my buddy's P2 does not behave like this, so it shouldn't be a mapping issue.

Alex Watson, Christchurch, New Zealand.

I too have recently bought a Bushnell Phantom 3 GPS and have encounter exactly the same problem.
Namely: when approaching a green, at about 30 metres out, the ‘Front Distance’ measurement no longer registers, i.e. left with a couple of short horizontal dashes. The middle and back measurements still operate.

I contacted the local NZ Bushnell representative, who after a few telephone conversations, kindly sent me a replacement device. Only for the same problem to reoccur.

The one thing common to both Phantom 3s was the downloading, via the app, of the latest version of the software. I’m left wondering if this is where the problem lies

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Twohey]

3 hours ago, Alex-NZ said:

Alex Watson, Christchurch, New Zealand.

I too have recently bought a Bushnell Phantom 3 GPS and have encounter exactly the same problem.
Namely: when approaching a green, at about 30 metres out, the ‘Front Distance’ measurement no longer registers, i.e. left with a couple of short horizontal dashes. The middle and back measurements still operate.

I contacted the local NZ Bushnell representative, who after a few telephone conversations, kindly sent me a replacement device. Only for the same problem to reoccur.

The one thing common to both Phantom 3s was the downloading, via the app, of the latest version of the software. I’m left wondering if this is where the problem lies

Any help would be appreciated.

 

I've chalked this up to how its designed.  I've tried 3 different P3 units and all behaved the same way at 40yds to the center reading.  I double checked my buddy's P2, and it actually does the same (so my initial comparison was wrong...)

[Alex-NZ]

On 12/22/2024 at 8:39 PM, Twohey said:

I've chalked this up to how its designed.  I've tried 3 different P3 units and all behaved the same way at 40yds to the center reading.  I double checked my buddy's P2, and it actually does the same (so my initial comparison was wrong...)

Alex-NZ here again

       I’d agree with the suggestion that the disappearance of the front reading may be part of the Phantom 3 design, but I’ve not seen mention, or the supposed advantages of this phenomenon in any of Bushnell’s promotional material.

Hence, I remain quite skeptical. Basically, it’s a design failure.

[ChaosTheory]

Santa brought me a Phantom 3 for Christmas.  After 2 rounds, I'm returning it.  The touch screen is a big step backwards from having physical buttons.  First, as noted by someone earlier in the thread, if I put it in my pocket, most of the time it comes back out of the pocket showing a different hole.  So I have to arrow-arrow-arrow back to the current hole. 

 

And getting to the second page of obstacle yardages take too many steps.  It's not as good as my old Bushnell Neo+.  Don't need slope, don't need scorekeeping.  Bah Humbug.

 

 

[ChaosTheory]

Further to the above.  I bought the Izzo Swami KISS 2.0 GPS to replace the Phantom 3 that I returned.  I just played a round with the Izzo and it's just what I want.   The Phantom 3 is more sophisticated, but the functionality of the Izzo is much better for normal play.  I'll start a separate thread on it. 

 

And, it's on sale at Amazon for $81.77 USD. 

https://www.amazon.com/Swami-Handheld-Ragnefinder-Integrated-Magnets/dp/B0DGW5V5HL/ref=sr_1_2?crid=K8N55VF6VVDW