Bushnell Golf challenged Shawn Royster, an avid speed golfer, to play a round of golf with the Bushnell neo+ GPS rangefinder and one without it. Royster captured his day on the links and created this video to show how the Bushnell neo+ improved not only his score, but the time it took him to play his round.

Bushnell Golf  neo+ GPS Rangefinder

• The neo+ is the smallest, most compact golf GPS unit available and is simple and easy to use as it works right out of the box.
• The key to the performance is an improved technology that helps provide “Instant Course Recognition” and “Auto Hole Advance” to enhance the golfer’s experience as the device automatically displays a map of the golf course and begins to interact with each hole. Once you get to the course and turn the unit on, you can play your entire round without ever touching another button!
• With no membership fees ever throughout the life of the product, users have instant access to more than 16,000 pre-loaded North American golf courses.
• The neo+ gives the user quick and accurate readings to the front, center and back of the green, as well as up to four preloaded, customizable hazards per hole with minimal interaction.

Bushnell neo+ GPS Rangefinder $149.95

Last month Bushnell introduced the Hybrid Golf Rangefinder, which combines a laser rangefinder with a GPS for the ultimate all-in-one distance and measurement device. Watch this video of John Novosel from Bushnell, walk through the features of the Bushnell Hybrid Golf Rangefinder from the 2011 PGA Merchandise Show.

Bushnell Hybrid $499

Laser rangefinders are great for finding distance to the hole, hazard, etc. But sometimes a laser rangefinder isn’t helpful when you have a blind teeing shot/approach and have no point of reference. To solve this problem, Bushnell Golf has combined a laser rangefinder with a GPS to give you the Bushnell Hybrid golf rangefinder.  Debuting at the PGA Show, January 27-29, and available at retail in February, at a retail price of $499, the Hybrid is the first of its kind in the market.

GPS + Laser Rangefinder
The Bushnell Hybrid is a revolutionary combination laser and GPS product.  The laser rangefinding technology engineered into the Hybrid provides golfers with precise distances within one yard to virtually any point on any course in the world.  Over 90% of PGA Tour pros and top amateurs trust Bushnell laser rangefinders to provide them the most accurate distances available in golf today.

The Hybrid’s GPS function allows users to access more than 16,000 North American golf courses which have been pre-loaded onto the device, making it ready to use right out of the box without ever having to pay any membership fees.  The Hybrid’s GPS provides simple, at-a-glance distances to front, center and back of the green.  The Hybrid also offers four custom points on a hole that can be extremely helpful to reference on blind tee shots/approaches on a golf course.  The GPS distances are also convenient on days when it is “cart paths only” when golfers are deciding what clubs to bring with them.  Another great feature is the shot distance mode that makes it easy for the golfer to gauge how far a drive or an approach was hit.

With the Hybrid, you can now acquire exact distances to the flag, lip of a bunker, tree, or any other object on the course.  Knowing the exact lasered distance to the flag, as well as the GPS provided distance to the front, center and back of the green, enables the golfer to strategize and hit every approach shot with confidence.  Having the ability to use both laser and GPS technologies, the golfer now has the best of both worlds in one unit.  The Hybrid is legal for tournament play under USGA decision 14-3/0.5 that permits a committee to establish a local rule that allows a player to use a distance-measuring device to obtain distance information.

Available February. MSRP $499

www.bushnellgolf.com

Finding the right golf gift can be a little stressful, with so many options out there. Here are our picks for the best golf gadgets  for the golfer in your life.

rulesixteen Divot Repair Tool

rulesixteen from rulegolf is the first divot repair tool and putting alignment ball marker designed to make both green repair and putting simpler. The rectangular shape of its ball marker allows you to visualize your putting line and sink more putts. Its well-weighted stainless steel body is easy to find in your pocket. And its flip-and-slide action even gives you something to fidget with between shots. On the greens, rulesixteen puts precision within reach. www.rulegolf.com $15

Trion: Z Active Wristband

Rickie Fowler, Brittany Lincicome, Rory MciLroy, and Ryo Ishikawa wear them, so why not give the Active from Trion:Z wristband a try. Active combines the negative-ion and magnet technology that has made Trion:Z products so popular among professional athletes with a waterproof silicone band to be the perfect combination for active sports enthusiasts. Colorful, stylish and comfortable, the Active™ is sure to be a hit among young and old alike. www.trionz.com $21.99

Ladder Golf Tournament Edition

No this isn’t a gadget, but this game will be a huge hit at your next party. Leave the Corona Beer (maybe not the Corona) and frat boy lifestyle behind and graduate to some serious fun with Ladder Golf. Just setup the ladders 15 feet apart and start hurling your balls (bolas are made of real golf balls, specially designed brass inserts and premium nylon rope) and hope for it land on a rung or knock your opponents off. First person to score 21 points wins! Comes with 2 ladders, 4 sets of balls, and nylon carrying case. www.laddergolf.com $104

Golfscape Augmented Reality Rangefinder iPhone App

Golf GPS and rangefinders on the iPhone are nothing new, but this app takes the cake as the must have app for your iPhone. Why? Golfscape is unlike any other rangefinder because it uses augmented reality to pinpoint your position on the golf course, allowing you to identify potential hazards, choose your desired landing area and see real 360-degree viewing while on the course. With over 35,000 courses mapped and no annual subscription fees, this will be your first and last GPS rangefinder app for your iPhone. Golfscape iPhone App $19.99

Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC+

So you don’t own an iPhone, but you want a GPS rangefinder with no subscription fees, a color screen, and won’t break the bank. Problem solved with the Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC+. The Yardage Pro XGC+ features 16,000 course preloaded and ready to play, distance to any point on the hole, auto course recognition, and hole advance, and 2.2″ color screen. Best of all it’s tournament legal. www.bushnellgolf.com $180

Oh, you shouldn’t have

OptiShot Golf Simulator

You don’t need a ton of space or a ton of cash to have an indoor golf simulator thanks to this affordable golf siumulator from OptiShot. Optishot Infrared Golf Simulator combines Dancin’ Dogg’s award winning accurate swing and shot analysis with our own proprietary three dimensional visual golf software called “3DD Golf”.  All in the comfort of your own home. OptiShot $399

AccelGolf: GPS Rangefinder App for iPhone

Do you have a copy of AccelGolf’s GPS Rangefinder for the iPhone, Blackberry, or Android? If so, one lucky user who posts the most golf rounds using their app via Twitter starting 12:00AM EST Saturday, July 31 thru 11:59PM EST on Friday, August 6, will win a $50 gift certificate to the golf retailer, driving range, or instructor of their choice.

AccelGolf: GPS Rangefinder is a mobile app for the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry, that provides statistical analysis of your golf game, calculates yardage, keeps score, and more! The best part is there is no annual fee to use the app or download courses.

What have you got to lose, except maybe some pride and a few dollars?

www.accelgolf.com

If your on the market for golf GPS, there are tons of options available to choose from and at varying price points. What if your looking for a basic golf GPS unit that only gives you Front, Middle, Back of green measurements, and has only 4 buttons? You might want to check out the new IZZO SWAMI 1500 GPS.

[View with PicLens]

Look and Feel

The Swami is IZZO Golf’s answer to a simple golf GPS that is utilitarian in design and easy to us. The SWAMI is about the size of a garage door opener and features a large easy to read display with four buttons to operate the unit. The up and down arrows are meant for you to cycle through the holes your playing and the FCB (Front, Center, Back) for changing the reading to the front, center,or back of the green. The ENT button is used to power on and off the unit. The SWAMI body is made of plastic and has a slight curve at the top of the unit, and also features a mini-usb port for syncing and charging the unit. Also included is a belt clip for wearing the Swami on your belt if you feel inclined to do so.

Performance

The SWAMI 1500 GPS features Insta-Lok Technology & powered by the latest SIRFStarIII chip, which instantly calculates distance to the Front, Center and Back of the green of 12,000 US courses. The minute you fire up the SWAMIi, the GPS automatically recognizes the course you’re playing. This is a great feature, because you no longer have to cycle through a bunch of menu screens to start playing golf.

In order to begin using the SWAMI 1500 GPS, you need to install their SWAMI Map Manager desktop application on your PC (the SWAMI Map Manager is not MAC compatible) to load the courses on your SWAMI. After you have registered your unit and purchased the annual golf course map fee of $35 for an entire year, you can begin to add courses to the SWAMI. The SWAMI can store up to 10 courses at a time. Just locate your courses with its easy to use search by name or zip code, and hit the Load to SWAMI button.

In terms of battery life the SWAMI does come with a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that holds a charge for a minimum of 12 hours at time. During my tests, the SWAMI held its charge and lived up to its specs. I like having a long lasting battery, because the last thing I want to worry about is the GPS running out of power or having to constantly recharge the unit.

How accurate is the IZZO SWAMI 1500 GPS ?
I discovered in my tests that the SWAMI was extremely accurate and quick at getting my measurements to the front, center, and back of the green. As mentioned before, the minute you power up the unit, it automatically recognizes the course your on. I compared the distance reported on the SWAMI against the course markers and with a laser rangefinder. I was very impressed by the Insta-Lok technology and how accurate and reliable it was.

The SWAMI is very easy to use and accurate, but it does have a couple of small drawbacks. First, I’d like to see the SWAMI Map Manger be available for MAC or at least offer a web based version of the software. In this day and age you really need to offer both a MAC and PC version of the software. Next, I’d like for the SWAMI to automatically advance to the next hole, after you completed your previous hole. It doesn’t take much effort to press the up arrow, but it would be one less thing to have to remember to do. I found myself several times expecting the SWAMI to advance to the next hole, only to realize I had to press the down arrow to advance to the next hole.

Overall the IZZO SWAMI 1500 GPS is great value for a no fuss golf GPS. If you’re looking for a simple and intuitive golf GPS, that is lightweight, accurate, and has great battery life, then pick up the IZZO SWAMI 1500 GPS.

IZZO SWAMI 1500 GPS retails for $99.99 with a one time $9.99 activation fee. No annual fee required.

A big trend at the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show had to be the number of companies offering a GPS for golf. One company in particular, OnPar stood apart from the others because it was the first touchscreen GPS, similar to that found on an iPhone. I had to go checkout what was being dubbed as the iPhone of Golf GPS, with its easy intuitive touchscreen.  

[View with PicLens]

The OnPar has your standard GPS Rangefinder features, like distance to the targets, hole overview, etc. But none of them offer you the ability touch anywhere on the screen get your layup distance from anywhere on the course, zoom in on the target, track your location, distance, club used and stroke, and give you personalized club suggestions based on your average distances.  

A feature that isn’t talked to much about, is the Statistics Screen and Golf Bag Screen. These two features are in my opinion the coolest and biggest differentiators.  The Statistics screen can keep track of up to 18 rounds of golf, it can track how well you play each hole at that course, and it can give you a cumulative average over 18 rounds. The Golf Bag screen allows you to pick and choose the clubs in your bag, with a simple touch of the screen. What cool about this is that when you use your 5 Wood on your home course it will track how far you hit that club on a particular hole in the Statistics screen, but it will recommend your next club you should hit based on the data it collects as you play each round of golf.  So if your on the 9th Hole and you have 160 yards to the green, OnPar will recommend the club in your bag that will get you on the green based on the statistics it has tracked. It’s like having a caddy play with you all the time and get the advice the pros get on Tour.

To load up your courses there is no software to download just connect the OnPar GPS to your computer with the supplied USB cable and sync the unit. And there are no membership fees or course map fees. Also included is a protective sleeve for the OnPar GPS.

I can’t wait for the weather to warm up in Chicago, IL so I can test out the OnPar GPS. 

The OnPar GPS retails for $ 479 http://www.onpargps.com/index.php

Congratulations to Joe Meissner Jr of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Joe has won the uPro GPS! Thanks to everyone who entered. Check back soon for other contests.

Touted as “the Apple iPhone” of GPS Technology. The uPro™ distance measuring device gives golfers the best of both GPS and Laser technologies in a sleek, user-friendly system. With aerial photography, video flyovers and high resolution color display, the uPro is the most functional, and intuitive hand-held rangefinder in the industry. Golf Views and uPlay have teamed up to give away a new uPro GPS to one lucky reader.

uPro GPS Features:

• Easy to understand graphics that display golf hazards such as sand traps and bunkers, as well as your current location on the golf course.

• Large 2.2 inch, high-resolution 320 x 240 color screen that is easy to view outdoors in bright sunlight.

• Through the use of SmartView™ technology, the uPro automatically presents dynamically generated “viewports,” which show you information based on your next potential shot. As your position on the course changes, so does the view of the course.

• The uPro is thinner, sleeker, and lighter than any other product on the market. It fits easily in the pocket or on a belt without obstructing your swing.

• As an add-on software download, the device can accept voice commands to make menu navigation virtually hands free.

• Provides the user with a list of all golf courses in the U.S. The GPS technology programmed in the uPro provides an automatically sorted list of golf courses closest to the current location of the user.

• The uPro™ does not require the additional download of any drivers or software to use.

• No Annual membership fees

uPro GPS retails for $399.99

How to Enter

Answer the following three  questions correctly to be entered to win the new uPro GPS:

1) What is the uPro GPS touted as?
2) The uPro GPS gives golfers the best of what two technologies?
3) What is the screen resolution of the uPro GPS?

Once you have answered the above questions, send it (all in one email) to contests@sandbox8.com with the subject “uPro GPS Contest.” One uPro GPS will be awarded to a randomly selected contestant with all three questions answered correctly. All entries must be recieved by Noon PST on December 14th,  2008.  Good luck!

Contest Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE CHANCES OF WINNING.
All winners must be 18 years of age or older
Eligibility is limited to residents of the United States
Only One Email Entry Per Household Daily.

To provide fair and equal chance of winning to all Golf Views Sandbox8.com readers, the following are the official rules for all contests on Golf Views Sandbox8.com.

1. Entering Contests and Choosing and Contacting Winners
Winners of random email contests will be chosen at random from emails received.

Entrants must send entries using the correct contest entry email address, subject line, and any other specific entry information requested in the contest announcement. Golf Views is not responsible for and will not consider incomplete or incorrect entries, or emails sent but not received by Golf Views for any reason, as potential contest winners.

Winners of all contests will be contacted at the “sender” email address used to enter the contest, and the person receiving and replying to the winner announcement email will be considered the winner unless they specify another person within the reply email as the winner.

Only one entry per email address used to send the email will be considered for contest entry, unless multiple entries are specifically allowed in the contest posting. Unless otherwise specified in an individual contest post, no person may enter any contest more than once using multiple email addresses.

Claiming of prizes requires an email response to Golf Views or Contest Sponsor from the winning sender email address within 30 days of being notified of winning at the email address used to enter. Failure to respond shall mean that the winner forfeits the prize. Golf Views is not required to award elsewhere any prizes forfeited by the chosen winner(s).

2. Awarding Prizes
Winners are solely responsible for all taxes and/or fees that may be incurred.

Each prizewinner must supply Golf Views or Contest Sponsor with his/her legal name, mailing address, birth date, daytime and nighttime telephone numbers.

Winners may not request substitutions of prize winnings. All winners are solely responsible for any and all taxes and/or fees, and all such additional costs that may be incurred.

Neither Golf Views, Golf Views sponsors, nor employees of Golf Views or sponsors may be held liable for any warranty, costs, damage, injury, or any other claims incurred as a result of usage of any winners of a prize once possession has been taken of the product by winner. Golf Views is not liable for any loss arising out of or in connection with or resulting from any contest promoted by Golf Views Sandbox8.com.

If the specified prize becomes unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances, Golf Views Contest Sponsor may substitute a prize of like or equal value.

Management, employees and families of Golf Views are prohibited from winning any prizes awarded by Golf Views Sandbox8.com

Golf Views reserves the right to alter any rules of any contest at anytime. If you have any questions or complaints about a Golf Views contest, please send an email to contact@sandbox8.com.

How would you like to have your very own professional caddy, that can give you detailed course information no matter where you play?

The SkyGolf SkyCaddie SG5 is for golfers who want advanced features, a large color display and a long-lasting rechargeable battery. SkyGolf’s advanced GPS technology is integrated with the very best Swiss engineering to provide unmatched reliability. The SG5 includes SkyGolf’s patented IntelliGreen® technology, enabling golfers to measure the full depth and shape of the green from any angle of approach and shows distances for all targets and hazards on any of SkyGolf’s many thousands of professionally mapped courses. Its vibrant color display features automatic backlighting to ensure easy readability indoors and outdoors.

Look and Feel

The SkyCaddie SG5 is very compact, weighing only 5.5 Ounces and easily fits into your palm for single handed operation. The black matte, textured, water resistant case allows you to grip the SkyCaddie easily and without having to worry about the unit slipping out of your hand, even while wearing a glove. The buttons on the SkyCaddie SG5 are easy to operate and have a nice tactile feel. Navigation is primarily done using one of the seven main buttons on the front of the unit. A 4 way scroll pad with the look and feel of a golf ball is used to scroll (up/down/left/right), this is especially helpful when navigating through the lists of targets. The LCD screen is extremely bright, both indoors and out, thanks to the automatic backlighting of the color 220 x 176 pixel display. In my tests I was able to view the screen easily in direct sun light, with little or no glare.

Operating the SkyCaddie SG5

The following steps need to be performed in order to use the SkyCaddie for the first time:

Install software (Available for MAC and PC)from the supplied disc or via the Skygolf website; I opted to get the latest version from the website for MAC. I did have a minor glitch syncing to the courses I had added to my playlist using the SkyCaddie Desktop Software with my SkyCaddie SG5 GPS. A single email to SkyCaddie technical support and the issue was resolved in under an hour. I was impressed with the quick and responsive customer service. Also, rest assured that the technical support is not outsourced to another country.

Create a SkyCaddie Account
Fill in your account login information and select the appropriate membership level for the yearly plan you wish to purchase. You have a choice of the following options:

Membership Level Birdie         Eagle         Double Eagle
Cost per Year $29.95         $49.95        $59.95
Coverage Sub-Regional Regional      World
Number of SkyCourses 10                10                10
Number of Playlists 5                  10                10

I opted for the Eagle plan which allows me to select from unlimited amount of courses in the SkyCaddie GPS database across the United States; store up to 10 course in my SkyVault playlist, have a maximum of 10 courses on my SkyCaddie, and maximum of 5 user-recorded courses on the SkyCaddie.

Load your Courses

Easily browse thousands (17000+) of courses by name, city, and state. Just go to http://www.skygolfgps.com/SG_SkyVault_SearchCourses.aspx Choose your region (i.e. United States, select your  State, and enter the name of the course you are looking for. Don’t know the name of the course your looking for? You can also browse the course directory alphabetically by city. The user interface is really easy to use and I like the search options  for adding a course to my playlist. Once you find the course you want to add to your playlist, just select the course and click on the ‘Add to Playlist’ button. The final step is synchronizing the SkyCaddie Desktop with your unit. It is easily done by hooking up the SkyCaddie to your computer via the supplied mini-USB cable then selecting the DirectConnect button to begin synchronization. This is a  painless process and quite easy to do in a matter of minutes. After synchronization is complete, you are now ready to go play golf. Depending on the type of subscription plan you choose, you can put up to 10 courses from your playlist onto your SkyCaddie GPS. If for some reason you are unable to find a golf course in the SkyCourses Database of courses, you can map it yourself using the SkyCaddie SG5 and upload it to share with other SkyCaddie members. I did not get to test this function out, because all the courses I play are already in the SkyCourses database. But the SkyCaddie SG5 does come with detailed instructions on mapping your own course.

Performance

The unit works flawlessly. After you turn on the unit the SkyCaddie boots up in less than a minute. When you select one of the courses you have downloaded to the SkyCaddie you are prompted to choose the hole to start on and that’s it. You are now ready to take advantage of SkyCaddie SG5 GPS. The simplicity of the unit is what makes this GPS stand above other GPS units on the market. SkyGolf’s exclusive IntelliGreen technology gives you an eagle’s view of each hole from anywhere on the course. During my tests at Wildfire Golf Club in Scottdale, Arizona,I was able to get yardage information to the center of the green from a dogleg on the course without being able to see the pin. This was extremely useful information, and something you would not be able to do with a laser rangefinder. In addition to the front and back yardages to the center of the green, you can also get the safe distance to either layup in front of, or fly right over, any hazard on the course. This detailed information can lead to better course management skills and an overall lower score. When you finish each hole the SkyCaddie automatically advances to the next hole on the course and updates the yardage information as you approach the tee box. In the event you forget to turn on the SkyCaddie when you begin your round of golf, you can always click on the ‘Select Hole to Play’ button on the unit to choose your hole.

The SkyCaddie SG5 comes with a rechargeable lithium battery that claims 14 hours of battery life. In my tests of the SkyCaddie SG5 over the past 3 weeks I’ve been able to play 6 rounds of golf with about three-quarters of the battery life remaining. So it’s safe to say you can easily get 14 hours of battery life as advertised from one full charge.

Want to know how far you have hit your ball? That’s easily accomplished by pushing the ‘Mark Ball’ icon on the SG5. Simply press the button from where you hit your shot and hit the ‘Mark Ball’ button again from where your ball has landed. SkyCaddie will tell you exactly how far the ball has traveled. I loved using this feature, because it gave me a more accurate measurement of how far I hit my shots without having to use the sprinkler head markers as measurement gauge.

30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee

SkyCaddie comes with a generous 30 day satisfaction guarantee. SkyCaddie is so confident it will improve your game, they guarantee that if you play at least three rounds with the SkyCaddie within 30 days, and you don’t agree that it helps you play better, play faster, and have more fun, you can return it for a refund (excluding shipping and handling).

I found a few minor drawbacks to the SkyCaddie SG5, one is that you need to download the courses in advance onto the unit instead of on-the fly via some sort of radio link. On my recent trip to Arizona, I loaded up the Boulders South Course on my unit. But when I got to the course, they had closed the South Course so I played the North Course instead. Since I did not download the Boulders North Course to my SkyCaddie, I was unable to use the unit. It would be nice, if in the future they made it possible to download the courses directly to the SkyCaddie via an internal device, without having to synchronize them with a computer. Or if it could download the course onto your unit based on your location as determined by the SkyCaddie satellites. Another minor drawback that I found, was not being able to keep score on the SkyCaddie SG5. While at times I did think this would have been useful, I feel that it was probably a smart decision on SkyCaddie’s part to leave that functionality off. The SkyCaddie SG5 is intended to give you course information to play smarter and faster golf, not waste time entering your score at the end of each hole. I would think such a feature might slow you down.

I’ve really enjoyed using the SkyCaddie SG5 and will definitely recommend it as an invaluable, easy to use product. You really can’t go wrong with the SkyCaddie SG5. Now if it could only help me with my golf swing….

SkyCaddie SG5 Retails for $429.95