Garmin 010-01231-00 Approach G8 Golf Course GPS
The Garmin Approach G8, at $399, is the more expensive of the two Approach models Garmin is releasing this spring.
The unit features a 1.5” x 2.6” (3.9 x 6.5 cm); 3.0” diagonal TFT multi-touch color screen, with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels. That’s slightly larger than its sister G7 model.
The Approach G8 features:
Plays like Distance Gives The Golfer Distances To The Target, Adjusted For Uphill Or Downhill Shots
Smart Notification Receive Email, Texts And Alerts From Your Iphone (4S Or Later) Directly On Your Golf Handheld
Garmin Connect Online golf community lets you play, then share and compare your round
Club Advice Remembers how far you hit each club, and provides recommendations on which club to use based on your shot distances
PINPOINTER Provides blind shot assistance by pointing you in the right direction when you are unable to see the pin (G8 only)
Big Numbers Mode For easy viewing on your screen, increase the font size for distances to the front, back and middle of the greens
AUTOMATIC COURSE UPDATE Device automatically updates courses with a Wi-Fi connection for no additional charge (G8 only)
For me, the bigger screen and automatic course updates probably are worth the additional $100 premium over the G7.
This may very well be on my spring buying list.
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I answered my own question. These new Garmin devices are not USGA compliant and even when the Local Rule allowing distance measuring devices (DMD’s) is in effect, these DMD’s are not able to be used under the Rules of Golf.
The only Garmin units that are USGA compliant are the S1, S2, S3, G3 and the G5 if the software has not been recently updated.
This information is not prominently displayed in the Garmin website, which is unethical and borders on dishonest.
I wonder if many of the “advice” features like “plays like” and club selection might not be permitted by the USGA. Laser rangefinders with “slope” are not permitted, even with the feature turned off. Cell phones face a similar problem. Does the advertising state the unit is USGA compliant or have some such assurance?