Customer Reviews

Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC Golf GPS

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I did alot of research on the Golf GPS units before I made the decision to purchase the Bushnell XGC unit. I am extremely happy with this unit. Heres my summary-
- works like a charm
-battery life is excellent. I'd say I burn about 20% of the battery life for a round of golf.
-the golf course map and the scorecard features are really cool and very useful.Most courses I've played have the map feature. Some do not. At any time during the round you can get a scoring summary (birdies, pars, bogeys, putts etc).
-the contrast on the color screen is excellent. Plus you can change the contrast at any time.
-yardages are right on. A stroke saver.
-real easy to download the courses from the Bushnell website to the unit.
-price is really good for what you get.

I just received the device today and obviously I was excited to get started on it. The installation experience of the software was horrible. I don't think the software that came with the CD is compatible with Windows 7 yet, the installation always gets stuck at 99%. The Bushnell site had a zip file of the software that says it is compatible with Windows 7 but that didn't work either. I had to move to my other computer which still had Windows Vista to be able to get the software installed. The software is simple but not intuitive. It relies on igolf gps mapping and I dislike how they name the golf courses. I also feel I wasted credits (you get 100 credits for $35/yr) by downloading golf courses twice because they named them (example) Griffith Park course 1 and Griffith Park course 2 but when you look at course 1 download it says 36 holes already the same with course 2.

I will update my review after I played with it this weekend.

Update: 03/14/2010

Finally able to take it out for a round. The device is accurate. I was using the scoring feature and after I enter my score for each hole, it automatically changes my map for the next hole. It's awesome that it keeps statistics of your game like number of putts, number of pars, bogeys, double bogeys etc. but as soon as you turn it off all that information is gone. It would've been nice if it had a score keeping feature that I could download to my computer for analysis later on.

The device is small enough to fit in your pocket and not be bothered knowing it's there.

Pointing to a custom point on the map is not that great because you can only move the target by up down and sideways and it moves by a fixed scale. I was actually disappointed with it. But all in all it does what it advertises.

Update: 08/08/2010

I have now used the device for about 15 rounds or so. I noticed that the device now no longer gets fully charged, battery life has been noticeably shorter and I'm one of those people who are really careful about not overcharging devices. So I know I took really good care of my GPS unit. The map feature doesn't always work, maybe 1x per round I'll notice that I can't point to a custom point on the map because the pointer does not appear.

Pros: Easy to use on course. Great yardages. Probably taken 5-7 strokes off. Holds 100 courses

Cons: The interface to download courses is a little slow. Be patient when donloading, then check downloads to make sure the course was fully downloaded. For $35/yr you get 100 course downloads (credits), BUT if a course has 27 holes, that counts as 3 credits used. If a course has 18 holes, its only 1 credit.

Overall, I saw the value in this unit over the others. The hole maps, distances to hazards are great, and using the unit was easy. It fits in my pocket without being distracting and battery life seems great.

This is a nice product, simple to operate, and a great tool for your disposal at the course. Yardages are accurate, easy to read in all conditions, I recommend. Customer service from Bushnell also good.

This GPS is awesome. It has a color screen, you can mark spots on the course, and on some courses you can see the distance to just about any spot on the course. Sometimes it does take a minute to pick up a signal but the majority of the time it is pretty quick. You can view how many satellites you are picking up.

Really the only negative I can say about this GPS is that you cannot save your score after a round. It tells you your score with number of putts, pars, birdies, etc. but it doesnt save it so you can look at it later although I think that is common on golf GPS's.

I was hopeful that the Bushnell GPS would have been as advanced as their line of sight products. No so. The color and digital display of yardage are good but that is where it ends. Difficult to set up, poor visual on the course selection and the map function has only worked once in the last 10 times I played. Also, when charging, there is no indicator showing the the charging is complete. If you are looking for yardage only this device is acceptable.

I am now a total expert on Bushnell Golf GPS's having owned the Yardage Pros XG, XGC and Neo.
Of these, the XGC was the only one that worked properly. It has problems, but I was able to read yardage.

Pros:
Good Satellite Reception.
Good data (with $35 subscription to iGolf - annual. But you can cancel after a year if you've already downloaded all the courses you want)
Solidly made (though very bulky)
Good Buttons
Works! (more than I can say for my experience w the Neo and XG models)

Cons:
About 3x bigger than my cellphone (why? My phone has a gps...)
A lot of extra crap menus (do you really need an option for News and for course Reviews on this device? Even if you did, the content is totally worthless)
BIG CON: The map function didn't really work on the courses I tried. Sometimes the unit would display the correct yardage to the pin in the main display, but the map didn't match the hole. It would show 800 yards because the map would actually be for a different hole). I returned it because I figured if the maps didn't work, I may as well have a NEO which has bigger yardage display and is smaller.
TERRIBLE Menu Display: Why would anyone choose to highlight a black menu with dark gray? You can't tell which selection is highlighted in sunlight. Period. Fortunately, you don't really need to choose from those menus during play. Still - the interface options were designed by a lab rat.

The Bottom Line: If the NEO actually worked for me (mine wouldn't let me install course data) I would buy a NEO over this in a heart beat. I'm sure the NEO does work for some people, so it might be worth your time to give it a try.

BUT since the XGC DID work and seems to be a little bit more modern electronically (e.g. seems to recognize USB natively without pretending it's an old fashioned 1980s serial port), I think I may have to go back to the XGC if I want a golf GPS. As stupidly designed and old fashioned as this device is, it may still be the best out there in terms of simply being a good tool to have on the course without being a hassle.

ALL I really want is something that tells me how far to the pin. How far to hazards or dog legs would be nice, but mostly I want distance to pin. Maybe I need a rangefinder, but I don't want to slow down play by pulling out a rangefinder on every shot. I want something where I can just glance at my bag and see the yardage. That's it. The NEO has its own issues, but if it worked, I think it's the most sensible tool for most golfers simply because it is the least intrusive.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT: AWFUL!!! Bushnell provides no support email on their website. It takes at least 10 minutes to get someone on the phone. If you do get someone on the phone, they'll be able to answer routine questions, but not much else. They were supposed to get back to me about my defective unit.
No call or email back. I get the feeling Bushnell simply doesn't want you to bother them.

If you have Windows 7 DO NOT BUY THIS MODEL...Nothing but a big headace. Go for the XGC+ model..preloaded..ready to go.

Having problems with support from Bushnell. GPS unit does not work properly. Cannot get any help from Bushnell. When I do get connected, with support ,which takes forever. Wait time is 15 to 20 minutes on average. They cut me off. Very P Oed. They need an email address so customers can or maybe get some response, if they don't want to speak with you.

I bought the Yardage Pro as a replacement for an iGolf Triton that was stolen. I decided to upgrade to the color version and I'm so happy that I did. The added storage (100 courses vs 10) and the hole map are great additions. Also, I don't have to delete then reload a course to play it again just to reset the score features as with the Triton/XG. Also, I don't have to search for the course I'm playing because it automatically calls up the correct course based on location when it's turned on. Just an amazing unit.