In the old days of golf, a golfer needs that reassuring nod from a caddy to determine the distances to the green. It can be an educated guess or just a fair estimate. and since Golf is a precision sport, depending on your caddy can be frustrating and at times maddening. But for most of the times, we had to trust our own judgment regarding the distances and pacing and on decisions like what club to use and that judgment can either make or break the game for you. The first commercially available laser rangers come into play in early 90's. This equipment locks in the targeted range and gives a fairly accurate reading. This is great especially for close range but is pretty much useless in out-of-sight situation.
New Age of Golf
With the inherent limitation of a laser rangefinders, a more sophisticated equipment is needed to meet the needs of a high standard golfer. Enter the Golf GPS.
The GPS was first used in the military and finally found its way into the world of Golf. We have a hunch that military commanders are behind these innovations as most generals and officials in the military are fond of golf. The functionality and features of a GPS leads naturally to the development of an Golf GPS. When the first batch of Golf GPS started to appear in the late 90's they were bulky, too slow on updates and pretty much expensive. The market improved gradually with new and improved chips made specifically for the Golf GPS. But these can be very expensive which is sometimes why golfers tends to rent out a golf GPS than own one.
Rangerfinders VS GPS?
A lot of golf players still recommends laser ranger as an indispensable piece of equipment that should always be in a golfer's bag, They are fast and accurate with a point and shoot type of efficiency. Unlike a gps which needs to update its course data often and is prone to error and inaccuracy. These purists would shot down any advantage a gps might have. The price bundled with the gps units sometimes outweigh the need of having one, not to mention existing annual fees.
The Izzo Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit, the Affordable and Effective golf GPS
The Izzo Swami 1500 Golf GPS is the the first entry of Izzo into the world of Golf GPS. Izzo, the top maker of golf bags, shoes and other golf accesories, offered this unit for below than a hundred dollars. It is considered the smallest and most unsophisticated (unsophisticated in a sense that it has only four simple button and easy to read interface)
But inside the sturdy exterior lies the latest SIRFStarIII chip which boasts of the Insta-Lok Technology that instantly calculates distance to the Front, Center and Back of the green of some 12,000 US courses. (The Swami can store up to 10 courses at a time, It is yours to keep once downloaded,but for those who play on a lot of courses, a meager $ 9.99 annual subsription is required to be able to download the additional courses)
And for those of you who are still using laser range finders, now is the time to try a GPS. Priced below a hundred dollars, or even more (you can find lots of interesting GPS at this Golf GPS review site that currently sells this GPS for a mere 70 dollars.) While a laser ranger is basically a point and shoot type to measure the yardages, it isn't exactly the holy grail of golfing as its measurements can be hindered by an object obstructing its path.
Speaking of reliability, just how accurate is the Izzo Swami? 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.(These courses are readily available and downloadable via their software that you install on your PC) The minute you fire up the SWAMI, the GPS automatically recognizes the course you're playing. This is a great feature, because you no longer have to go through layers of menus to find the courses you'll playing to.
The four buttons really do speak volumes on the GPS. The up and down button is used to cycle through the holes (although personally, I think it will be a really, really cool feature to have the holes automatically adjust as you advance from hole to hole), and the FCB buttons stands for Front Center Back of the green. Pretty obvious and pretty simple. Thats what's the Swami is all about.
Rants
No review is complete without the should have's and the should not's. The Izzo Swami definitely has cut down on features so that it could cut down on the price, so the should have's must come within the confines of reason. If you are looking for the capability to, say, locate bunkers and hazards, then you probably should be looking at a uPro Golf GPS by Callaway. Its in full color, with lots of dials and knobs and a whole lot of other features and function that the only thing missing is an Arnold Palmer autograph. The Software is exclusively for PC only. or more specifically, a Windows based PC. For Mac users, there are lots of workaround, one is the Windows for Mac virtual environment, but why go through all the hassle? why not just have a web based software that virtually runs on all machines? As stated earlier, automatic advancement of holes without pushing the up button will definitely be a big plus. Some senior members would sometimes forget in the midst of the things to push the next button which may result in ruining the game for him/her.
The Golf GPS that is for everyone.
The Izzo Swami is a 'small but terrible' piece of GPS gadgetry. The people behind the Izzo Swami took the time to sit down and trim down the unit, in size, in weight and more importantly, the price! Now, owning a GPS is more practical and affordable than ever. Its PGA approved and very easy to use, I wouldn't be surprised if I will keep reaching on it in my bag even if I had a more advanced unit in my hand. What's Included Charger USB cable Instruction manual.( with only 2 buttons that does majority of the functions who needs the manual?) Belt clip. Software CD The installation is a breeze, just pop in the CD and follow the instructions on screen. after which you will be asked to register and after activating, you can use it immediately.
For more reviews and general information you can have a look at this Izzo Swami Golf GPS No Frills Review Izzo's Website and specification of the Izzo Swami Golf GPS Golf GPS reviews. More news and feedback about the world of Golf GPS than any other sites. Check it out now.
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