Bushnell Yardage Pro Golf GPS Unit (Orange Black, Model 368100)

Amazon.com Golf GPS Guide
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Having a golf GPS unit in your bag is a bit like playing with your very own PGA-quality caddie. These little electronic wonders have evolved a great deal since the USGA deemed them legal for tournament play in 2005. Most models these days can provide you with quick and accurate information regarding distance to the hole and other targets and hazards; length of prior shots (often storable for future reference); course layout; distance to the front, middle, and back of the green; and more.

With a wide range of golf GPS device, feature, and subscription choices available on the market today, finding one that's right for you can be like finding the middle of the fairway when the winds are swirling. Amazon.com has put together a list of the top GPS units and their key specifications, below, to help you select your ideal model.

Navigating Your Options
Unit	Available Courses/Capacity	Membership Fees	Screen	Battery Type/Life
Bushnell Golf GPS 368100 Yardage Pro	12,000 (download up to 100 annually)/10	$34.99 annually	Black and white backlit LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/16 hours
Bushnell Neo Golf GPS	12,000 (download up to 100 annually)/10	$34.99 annually	2.1-inch, black and white backlit LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/16 hours
Bushnell Yardage Pro Golf GPS	12,000 (download up to 100 annually)/10	$34.99 annually	Black and white backlit LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/16 hours
Bushnell Yardage Pro XG Golf GPS	12,000 (download up to 100 annually)/20	$34.99 annually	2.2-inch, high-contrast black and white LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/16 hours
Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC Golf GPS	12,000 (download up to 100 annually)	$34.99 annually	2.2-inch, high-resolution backlit color LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/16 hours
Callaway Golf uPro Golf GPS	18,000/50	None	320x240 high-resolution color LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/12 hours
Callaway Golf uPro Go GPS	18,000 pre-loaded	One-time $49.99 activation fee	240x320 high-resolution color LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/10-12 hours
Garmin Approach G3 GPS-Enabled Golf Handheld	12,000/unlimited	None	160x240 transflective color TFT touchscreen	Two AA batteries/up to 15 hours using NiMH or lithium
Garmin Approach G5 GPS-Enabled Golf Handheld	12,000/unlimited	None	240x400 transflective color TFT touchscreen	Two AA batteries/up to 15 hours using NiMH or lithium
GolfBuddy Plus GPS Rangefinder	Over 14,000/1,000	None	High-resolution black/white LCD	Rechargeable lithium-polymer
Golf Buddy Pro GPS Range Finder	All available courses in North America/20,000	None	High-resolution black/white LCD	Rechargeable lithium-polymer with AAA backup
Golf Buddy Tour GPS Range Finder	All available courses in North America/20,000	None	Backlit color LCD	Rechargeable lithium-polymer with AAA backup/14 hours
GolfLogix GPS by Garmin (2008 Model)	15,000/20	$39.95 annually	1.25-by-2.25-inch backlit black and white LCD	Two AA/22 hours
GolfLogix GPS Smart Phone Membership and Ultimate Retail Accessory Kit	24,000/varies by smartphone	$39.95 annually	N/A	N/A
GPS Golf Guru 4 Precise GPS/PDA Golf Rangefinder with Multi-application capabilities	20,000/200	None	3.5-inch full color touchscreen	Rechargeable/14 hours
IZZO Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit	12,000/10	$9.99 annually	Black and white LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/12 hours
OnPar Golf Touchscreen GPS	13,000/300	None	Full color backlit touchscreen	Rechargeable lithium ion
SkyCaddie SG2.5 Golf GPS (Black)	16,000/varies based on membership plan	$29.95-129.95 annually, depending on plan	120x80 backlit black and white LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/14 hours
Sky Caddie SG3.5V GPS Unit	16,000/20	$29.95-129.95 annually, depending on plan	High-resolution 2.2-inch backlit color LCD	Three AAA
SkyCaddie SG5 Golf GPS (Black)	16,000/10	$29.95-129.95 annually, depending on plan	220x176 high-resolution backlit color LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/14 hours
SkyCaddie SGX Golf GPS	30,000 pre-loaded	$29.95-129.95 annually, depending on plan	Three-inch, high-resolution transflective TFT-LCD screen	Rechargeable lithium ion/14 hours
Sonocaddie Auto Play Golf GPS	Pre-loaded with 18,000/30,000	None	220x176 high-resolution backlit color LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/12 hours
Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS Unit	22,000/30	One-time $29.95 or $49.95 fee, depending on plan, or $5 per course after first five free downloads	2.2-inch high-resolution backlit color LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/15 hours
Sonocaddie XV2 Personal Golf GPS	22,000/20	One-time $29.95 or $49.95 fee, depending on plan, or $5 per course after first five free downloads	Black and white LCD	Three AAA/10 hours
Sureshot GPS Golf System	14,000/10	$29.95-199.95 annually, depending on plan	Full color backlit LCD	Rechargeable lithium ion/typically lasts for 36 holes

Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
6/26/09 update: After using the device for 3 rounds, the battery would no longer hold a charge long enough to get thru a full round. It quit on the 3rd hole twice in a row. It's possible that I overcharged the device. There is no indication of when the device is fully charged so it's a guessing game. But it should have overcharge protection. I sent the device back to Bushnell with $10 to cover the cost of shipping the repaired device or a replacement back to me. I did receive a postcard from Bushnell acknowledging receipt approximately two weeks after mailing it providing a service number and web site for checking repair status which does not exist on the Bushnell web site. The postcard also said it would take an addtional 3 to 4 weeks for the repair/replacement to be made. At this point, I'm starting to think I wasted the purchase price because even if I do get a replacement, there's no reason to believe it will be any better than the first unit. And I am especially disappointed with Bushnell. Their customer services is very poor and there are significant disconnects between their web site and their communications. Original review: I can see why folks aren't happy with this product. Bushnell may be great with optics but their software capabilities leave a lot to be desired. It took me more than 2 hours to figure out how to install the software and get it working after I had downloaded it from the Bushnell web site. The download gives you a .zip file and then it's all trial and error from there. The documentation that comes with the product isn't even close. And the software for down-loading golf course data still doesn't work the way it should on my PC. In fact I develop software for a living and I've never seen anything like this. To launch the software, I have to go into Windows Explorer and double-click on the .exe file there. I tried to set up a shortcut but it won't launch the software even though I copied the application path from Windows Explorer. Forget the icon the installation is supposed to create. Darndest thing I have ever seen. The good news is that once you have the application running, it is pretty easy to figure out how it works. And once you've paid the $35 one year membership fee you can download as many courses as will fit on your hard drive. Once they are on your HD, you can "Send" them to your GPS fairly easily and quickly. The documentation says the GPS holds up to 10 courses. That's true but there may be some problems getting to 10. For some reason I had to delete a course to get past 6 and then I added it back. I've played one round with the device so far and it worked flawlessly. It's a bit of a pain to have to manually advance to the next hole but you can do that at any time. I found myself doing it when I wanted to get the yardage to the green. This product does not possess all the bells and whistles of the more expensive units but for[..], it gives me what I need at this point. I highly recommend that you download as many courses as you could possibly play during the one year membership. I don't plan to renew my membership but you never know. It's hard to know what courses you could play. I do not know if the courses can be sent to other PCs. Good luck.