Garmin Approach G5

[phil75070]

OK, now I'm confused. I looked for a link for On Pas golf GPS. Anyone have one?

 

 

http://www.onpargps.com/

[tbowles411]

OK, now I'm confused. I looked for a link for On Pas golf GPS. Anyone have one?

 

 

http://www.onpargps.com/

Wow. This may come down to price.... and thanks Phil!

[BirdieBob]

Course listings are available:

 

http://www8.garmin.com/intosports/golfcourse.html

[DH48]

I was really getting fired up about the Garmin but my home course isn't listed. It is the only one of the major GPS companies that doesn't have it.

 

DH

[milfordj]

Thanks for the info Birdiebob. Unfortunately, like DH48, NONE of MY courses are listed. I know it takes time for them to add courses, but this is certainly going to slow down their marketing ability. Can't wait to read about a comparison of this unit and the OnPar from one of our more adventurous, and properous, reviewers.

[BirdieBob]

Please note there is a form on the site to request a course be added. Please make use of this feature.

 

http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/forms/golfcourse.jsp

[milfordj]

Can you request a course if you do not have an account (i.e. don't presently own one)? And can I request 10 - 12 courses be mapped (the ones I play fairly regularly)? Wonder how long it would take them to complete this request.

[Q-Ball]

Can you request a course if you do not have an account (i.e. don't presently own one)? And can I request 10 - 12 courses be mapped (the ones I play fairly regularly)? Wonder how long it would take them to complete this request.

 

Since Garmin added the name to Golf Logix, they get all the courses and more. Using the GolfLogix list, they have every course within 50 miles of me that I play. I think it was over 22,000 courses mapped.

 

 

My guess is most of the courses you want are already mapped.

[milfordj]

"My guess is most of the courses you want are already mapped. " Nope -- Just ONE, and it's not one I play very often. I forgot to put in my post yesterday that I was having the same problem with U-Pro, and when I requested course mappings for the courses I wanted, I learned that I could only request ONE Course at a time, and I had to have a U-Pro account before I could request that course. I have since decided that I would prefer one of the larger screen / touch screen GPS units and want to get whichever one of them is easiest to see in full sunlight and in cloudy conditions. But, I'm not interested in either of those until they have most of my desired courses mapped. I'm presently using the Sonocaddie V-300, and previously owned a Guru, and Both of those GPS units had most of my courses mapped before my purchases, and promptly obliged in mapping the two or three unmapped courses after my request. I'm just gonna have to be patient til they get around to some serious mapping activity.

[Q-Ball]

They have the preliminary course list up, and several I play near me aren't on it. I wont buy it til they are.

 

I contacted them about that and they wanted me to send them scorecards and info on the courses! If Im paying $500, at least $100 more than all the others, they are doing their own dang leg work!

[Gsco]

In stock at gpsnow.com

 

Hear they have limited units.

 

Got to mess around with one. I really can't give it a fair review because I was not on a course. Also, I was told the maps enlarge when you are on a hole, which is good because the map is really small to begin. The big plus this has over the Onpar is that is lists distances to hazards without user input.

 

The one thing I do not care for with these touch screens is positioning it on a map. Your finger kind of gets in the way and it is very hard to position it on an area of choice. It moves back and forth and sometimes when you let your finger go it moves to a different location.

 

I drove to a course and sat on a road by a hole to try to compare with my Upro. To my surprise I liked it, although I really couldn't compare anything but distances to points which were pretty much the same. I did notice the map zoom but I was not in a position to really judge. The one thing I thought was more accurate was measuring shot distance. The G5 never wavered off a number like the Upro did, but I'll compare them better next Wednesday.

 

It is also very solid and much heavier and thicker than the Upro. I felt like I wouldn't care if I dropped it at all. It's like a tank in comparison. If you held the G5 then handled the Upro you almost don't even feel it in your hand. The Upro is definitely a better choice for your pocket.

[Gsco]

Oh, one more thing. The G5 is very easy to see in direct sunlight. I always struggle with my Upro in the sun while in pro mode and usually abandon it and just use basic mode after a while.

 

I also did not need my glasses to see the numbers on the Garmin. Nor do I with the Upro. The only real negative (without actually being on the course) that I see is the size and weight. I would have liked it better if it showed trees or the woods as well. That would be great at home, but maybe don't need to see it while on the course.

 

They also really need a way to adjust the touch targeting. Maybe a more and less sensitive option. Works much better with a tee.

 

*It also has a place for a storage card under the batteries. Wonder if they have plans for future enhancements?

[Q-Ball]

They need more courses. They have course on their "course" list that are closed. That have a few goat ranches. They don't have my goat ranch. They have very few upper end courses in my area. They dont have any military courses in my area.

 

They gots work to do.

[Gsco]

Yeah, it looks as though they mapped these courses in house. A lot of the courses mapped have the wrong par info. Very easy to change though.

 

It's funny hearing they don't have many courses in the database. In my area almost every course that I play or know of is mapped.

 

The more I play with it the more I like it. It's just so thick, likka bigga meat-a-ball. I'll get a better view Wed.

[Q-Ball]

But the other GPS system they have (GolfLogix was it?) has every course in my area. I mean every course. Why cant they toss that out until they get the scorecard and pictures.

 

Seriously, buy a SG5 and a UPro and extract the info! :rolleyes: :good:

 

From a review site:

 

Course Availability

 

Critical Golf Test: The GolfLogix course database flexed its muscle in our course coverage test, with best-in-class coverage of 99% of the courses we sampled and strength across all types of courses and in all regions of the country. The GolfLogix GPS-8 scored big points with our reviewers on this front – after all, what good is a fancy device if the course that you are playing isn’t available?

 

Manufacturer’s Claims: GolfLogix claims to have over 22,000 courses available worldwide in its course database, the largest number of any of the GPS devices tested.

[phil75070]

But the other GPS system they have (GolfLogix was it?) has every course in my area. I mean every course. Why cant they toss that out until they get the scorecard and pictures.

 

Golflogix is a separate company that uses the Garmin GPS receiver. I bet they are real happy that Garmin came out with a GPS of their own. :)

[Gsco]

Golflogix is a separate company that uses the Garmin GPS receiver. I bet they are real happy that Garmin came out with a GPS of their own. :)

 

 

Wonder what one's better internally?

[Q-Ball]

The Garmin Oregon based GPS systems have been getting rave reviews, and that is what the garmin Approach G5 is based on.

 

As a side note, you can go to places like GPS City online and get the mounts for 2/3 the price that Garmin charges on their website.

[milfordj]

Gsco, Did you get to play on Wed (17th)?? Was really looking forward to your review, particularly in comparing it to the U-Pro, as these are the two units I am most imterested in. Thanks in advance for any comments comparing these two units.

[Gsco]

I did. Played with the Garmin the other day and really liked the unit. I had my Upro with me but didn't take it out of the bag because it only had the basic for the course and my partners wanted to play golf and gave me that 'your not gonna do that' look.

 

I still believe that the touch targeting is a pain in the a**. You need a tee to get an accurate result. From the tee the bunkers were way to small. It did zoom in when you travelled further down the course, but by then you didn't need it.

 

When scoring I was constantly picking the wrong hole. I'm not sure why but using my finger was probably a big issue. You really need to just use a tee. It was accurate from the markers and the best feature was shot distance. It was very accurate as I made someone laser a couple shots.

 

As much as I did like the unit there is no way I would get rid of my uPro. It's just, to me, far better than any product out there.

[BirdieBob]

1. It seems that the touch screen is the future and the best gps devices for this type of activity will have them;

2. The Garmin uses this approach to measurement, and appears to have most of the important points (hazards, etc.) marked with yardages;

3. It seems logical that using a tee would help pinpoint a measurement better, but if you cannot zoom in to do that it would be questionable on the accuracy. But how accurate do you need to be for determining a layup distance when you just want a general idea of location. So, this may work out ok. Also, when using this feature and looking for a layup distance, it will show the distance of the layup and to green distance all at the same time. So, pinpoint is not needed as the finger will move until you get the to green distance you want, ie 100 yds to green, and that will show layup distance as well. Seems like this should work well.

4. I like the uPro idea, but I think it is now behind in the technology with these touch screen units. uPro will most likely come out with a touch screen to do what it now does with cursor movement given the large database of courses. And it seems overly complicated to the Garmin Approach idea.

 

Bottom line: the Garmin Approach is simplicity. I see one button on the right side! Plus touch screen and aerial view... :D

 

Just waiting it out with my SG2, now in its 5th year of use. :rolleyes:

[BirdieBob]

"Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I would be glad to help you with this.

 

I just received word that we are expecting an update to the course database within the next 6 weeks to include, close to, an additional 1000 courses. However, we will not know what courses will be included until the update has been released. "

 

--Garmin

 

RE: when additional courses will be available

[Q-Ball]

"Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I would be glad to help you with this.

 

I just received word that we are expecting an update to the course database within the next 6 weeks to include, close to, an additional 1000 courses. However, we will not know what courses will be included until the update has been released. "

 

--Garmin

 

RE: when additional courses will be available

 

 

Well I might wait and see between this update, the supposed SG5 course overview update, or buying a UPro. Have a little time now until the next round of tourneys away from my course, so I'll wait. Maybe.

[BirdieBob]

Yes, the waiting is the difficult part, but my SG2 does what it does...yardages.

 

I think if we wait long enough, we will find the others, ie Skygolf, etc. are now in a rush to get a touch screen out on the market in order

to stay up with the latest and greatest gps method. Of course they do have the courses so they then would have the edge once again.

[StratPete]

Just got one on the way. Hopefully will give it a try this weekend. Surprisingly the course coverage in my area is good.

[Golfdude2]

Got my new Approach G5 last Sat. March 28th

 

Used it yesterday for the first time. I enjoyed using it, it was simple and easy to use. I do wish it had some of the On Par statistics features as I am buying the unit to help me improve my game, not to use in touraments. (Which I think is the case for the majority of golfers) The 5000 pre-loaded courses covered my local golf courses nicely. No issues at this point.

 

My only negative comment at this point is about the battery or lack there of. The unit does not come with batteries. For $499 you would think Garmin would throw in some good batteries. And when you considee that the 2AA batteries only last for one outing, that adds up to a lot of batteries. I had to buy 2AA Nicad rechargeables and a charger for $20. Seems like the only way to go. Considering the substantial smaller price of other Garmin GPS units, this unit price feels like a rip off.

 

Bottom Line:

I like the device

I hope Garmin adds some additional features.

Too expensive for what you get.

[Q-Ball]

Got an email from Critical Golf, their G5 review will be up Sunday 5 April, they had trouble doing the review because of course availability in their area.

[Giantbear]

Got an email from Critical Golf, their G5 review will be up Sunday 5 April, they had trouble doing the review because of course availability in their area.

I find the reasoning funny

[BirdieBob]

My only negative comment at this point is about the battery or lack there of. The unit does not come with batteries. For $499 you would think Garmin would throw in some good batteries. And when you considee that the 2AA batteries only last for one outing, that adds up to a lot of batteries. I had to buy 2AA Nicad rechargeables and a charger for $20. Seems like the only way to go. Considering the substantial smaller price of other Garmin GPS units, this unit price feels like a rip off.

 

 

A couple of months ago when Garmin announced this unit, I made a suggestion to them that they use rechargeable Lithium battery tech. They said it was designed after the Oregon unit so batteries could be easily changed in the field. I told them that was poor sighted, and a golf gps was not a unit that would be used in the field like an Oregon.

 

Yes, some rechargeable nicads or Lith. and a charger and that should take care of it.

 

BB

[Golfdude2]

I have not found any 2AA rechargeable lithium batteries .... so I went with the Nicad as the Approach G5 requires the 2AA size.

 

The higher the battery mAh the longer the battery charge will last ..... 2700 mAh is the highest i've seen

 

http://www.batteriesandbutter.com/Merchant...egory_Code=rcaa