Throughout my high school and college golf days, I always turned to my trusted laser-based range finder when I needed a key distance even though it slowed down my pace of play. While I sometimes struggled to shoot pins and get accurate distances for bunkers and water hazards, it didn't really bother me since I had never experienced a product that would help deliver the distances to me quickly and easily. Fortunately that all changed when I stated wearing a GolfBuddy GPS last spring. I can't deny my skepticism of wearing what I then assumed to be a dorky watch around the golf course. I never wore anything on my wrist when I played outside of the Trion Z band I sported in high school. Needless to say, my expectations weren't high when I charged up my GolfBuddy on my computer and brought it out to the course.
Distances Available Immediately for Improved Pace of Play
I used to carry a range finder in my bag and had a go-to-process of pulling it out of my bag first before I even pulled out a club to hit the shot. I would say on average I spent 20 seconds pulling the device out of my bag, shooting a couple times to find the proper target, and then putting it back and zipping it up. The beauty of a GPS watch is that it automatically calculates your distances as you move around the course and can save you time in your effort to play #ReadyGolf.
Find out how the NCCGA is speeding up pace of play with #ReadyGolf
How far to carry that trap?
When I first put on my white GPS GolfBuddy watch, I didn't even know that it did anything beyond just tell me the distances to the front of the green. I soon was pleasantly surprised to learn that the device calculated the distances to all hazards on the course and the required carries. This ability to remove the guess work made a huge difference in my game because it made me focus on a certain type of shot that was needed. I found the watch to be extremely useful in club selection off the tee for that reason.
Favorable Price Point
Top of the line laser-based range finder will run between $300 to $500 dollars. GolfBuddy GPS, on the other hand, start at $119 and provide a better in course distance-measuring experience than the old-school ranger finders.
Nextgen Collegiate Members Save 30% on all GolfBuddy Products
No More Battery Issues
One of my favorite GolfBuddy GPS watch features is the ability to charge it from my computer. I'll never forget the hopeless feeling I had once in a college golf tournament when my range finder ran out of batter on a poorly marked course that I was playing blind. While the watch only has approximately 8 hours of battery life, the ability to wear it on and off the course and charge it conveniently on our computers which we are constantly using is a great feature.
37,000+ Golf Course Database
Never mind the 16,000+ courses in the United States, GolfBuddy has pinpoint accurate distances at 37,000+ courses across the globe that they update every single Friday to ensure that #AccuracyMatters. In the off chance that you do find a course that is not in the GolfBuddy course network, they will map it within the next month at the latest for you.
Regarding the company's relationship with Nextgengolf & NCCGA, Edna Lee, GolfBuddy Global Marketing Manager explained:
The future of golf lies in the hands of the younger generation of golfers out there. The NCCGA is a great organization creating interest in the sport of golf for young adults and college aged participants. We, at GolfBuddy, strive to provide a wide range of golf products for all golfers, at any skill level. It’s invaluable for us to communicate directly with the NCCGA and for our products to be placed in hands of next generation golfers.
**Mike Belkin is a Co-Founder of Nextgengolf and Director of College Golfer Happiness
