ONPAR OnPar Touchscreen GPS

Looking more than a little bit like the iPhone, the OnPar Touchscreen GPS offers a few features not yet seen in a golf GPS.

The OnPar has a lot of neat features. Players can touch the hole image at any point and the device will calculate both the distance to that point, and to the green. The flag on the green can be moved to new locations, so the measurement is not always to the center of green. The device will suggest clubs based on the internal stat tracking system. You also can view shot and yardage history.

The device will hold up to 300 courses, and the company apparently won’t charge for downloading courses.

The key, however will be how many courses are available. A GPS is no good if you don’t have the course data to download. Unfortunately, the company’s site is not yet fully running, so I can’t run my usual set of test courses to see if they’re covered.

The golf GPS market has become quite competitive over the last year. The CALLAWAY uPro Golf GPS looks like a real winner, with its rich display and alliance with Callaway. On the other end of the spectrum, the IGOLF Neo GPS looks like a good choice for a minimalist utility. Then there’s the BUSHNELL Yardage Pro GPS and the SONOCADDIE V300 Color GPS.

uPro Golf GPS

Reader Martin alerted me to the recent acquisition of the UPro GOlf GPS system. It’s a really great looking system that features photo realistic flybys as well as the usual yardage to the center of the green offered by the more usual sort.

The best part is that the “basic mode” course downloads—the ranges without the satellite flybys—are free. The uPro database is well stocked with courses, showing every one of the half dozen tracks I entered as a test.

The Callaway Press release follows:

Bushnell has a $50 rebate on a couple of its laser rangefinders. I have a Bushnell laser rangefinder and think its one of the best golf buys I’ve ever made. Since I visit a lot of different courses, it really helps me work my way around a course. I use it off the tee to find distances to hazards, and from the fairway to range both hazards and pins. I think my Bushnell laser rangefinder is indispensable.

BUSHNELL Tour V2 With Pinseeker Technology

BUSHNELL Medalist Laser Rangefinder with Pinseeker Technology

A company called Yanko Design has a concept for a golf grip iPhone charger. You swing the club grip to generate power. Then you charge the phone through the grip. At the same time, data is transmitted so that you can see your swing. What will they think of next?

Wilson Golf Compact Brush

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my frustration with the design of golf club brushes. All of the ones I had seen up to that point had exposed wire bristles that, inevitably, I stuck myself with. What the world needs, I thought, is a golf club cleaning brush with retractable bristles.

So I was happy to see that Wilson is offering this club brush with fold away bristles.

But there’s still a design flaw. There’s no clip for hanging it from your bag.

GOLF GIZMACHI

The Golf Gizmachi was invented by an automotive engineer in Macomb, Michigan. As you can tell from the photo, it clips to your club’s shaft and keeps it upright, reducign the chance of loss and keeping the grips dry at the same time.

Not a bad idea.

From the Source newspapers:

Golfer Rick Kujawski, 45, of Macomb Township, left his favorite wedge on the green and out of sight during a 2006 game at Cracklewood Golf Club in Macomb Township. Frustrated over the loss of his club, which he estimates cost up to $60, Kujawski went to work on an idea to keep his others safe.

That’s when the Golf Gizmachi was born. The simple, black plastic A-shaped device attaches to the shaft of all types of clubs and, using leverage, props them up, keeping them off the green and in sight. It also keeps grips off the ground, and clean and dry.

A gizmachi is an engineer’s term for a device that doesn’t yet have a name—similar to a gizmo or gadget.

GOLF BUDDY Tour GPS

From my non-technical, layman’s point-of-view, the hardware in GPS units are all pretty much the same. What makes them different is the software and the amount of data they store. For example, while my Garmin nüvi  and the built in navigation system on my Subaru work pretty much the same—and I’m sure with the same accuracy—the Garmin is for me superior because it has many, many more “points of interest” listed in its internal database.

So I was intrigued when I read that the Golf Buddy Tour GPS comes preloaded with all available courses across North America. Their literature says it has a 20,000 course capability, but I can’t find how many the company has actually mapped.

In Michigan, they have mapped 460 courses—that’s about half of the courses in the state. For my purposes, however, it’s missing too many of my favorites, such as The Grande and Calderone Farms in Jackson. It also doesn’t have Tullymore, Golf Digest’s #14 public course.

Still, they do have a good selection. And the software offers a few nice twists. For example, the green view changes shape to reflect your angle of approach. For courses that you play frequently, you can add eleven custom targets on the course. Golf Buddy also claims that you don’t have to do any fiddling with the unit. You just turn it on, and it automatically finds the correct course and hole.

Intriguing. But I don’t think it’s going to replace my trusty laser finder.