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
.
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Comments
Hopefully I have no reason to buy another rangefinder for some time, so unless OnPar wants to send me one, I won’t be reviewing!
This gps does look pretty cool.
There would be one way I could see getting a different gps, although it wouldn’t be another unit. If Callaway/uPro, Bushnell, or even Sky caddie (someone with a name and support) - put out an iPhone app which loaded professionally done and accurate courses, I would be interested. I have looked at a couple, and I am not sure there is a way to get accurracy up. I am going to be experimenting with iPhone’s GolfCard to see if it is an adequate basic rangefinder - but I will really just be using that to track stats (and for that purpose, it looks pretty good). Another iPhone app I think would be neat, or a good golfcard modification is to keep a tournament scorecard online. My golf group has 4-6 foursomes in our regular times, if there was a way to track everyone live, it would be pretty cool.
Posted by martin on 02/11
Buyer Beware! Check their website first for available courses. You get one “Home Course” download that can take 14-30 days for them to get to it. All your other requests can take months…no guarantee, not time frame. This is not like other brands that pretty much work right out of the box. I have also read a few reviews that say the yardage acuracy is not good.
They say they’re trying to “increase mapping capacity to better meet customer demand”. That remains to be seen. They are very friendly and the customer service seems to be “OnPar” (pun intended).
However, mine is basically sitting back in the box right now, when it should be charged up and in my bag. Pretty much useless. Very foolish purchase at this point.
Posted by Not Happy on 04/07
ONPAR OWNERS….call OnPar and complain about the frustration you are having with the courses not being available.(866-976-6727) or (713-331-0363) THEY WILL SEND YOU A TEMP CART MOUNT $59.95 free. Demand one or something else. They won’t turn your down. I got two of them, already. At least I can sell one. Demand something from them. This was the most screwed up Golf GPS marketing failure I have seen. They are 2 years behind the times for course availability. I have one and have my home course. I must say the device does work GREAT. I love the features, but disappointed I can’t play more of the courses around me. There are 3 courses within 25 miles outside my home course that I can use it. What happened ONPAR?
Posted by Mike on 05/01
ONPAR is not useable. There are no courses near me that I can use. I am still waiting for my HOME course 7 weeks now. There are over 30 courses within 20 miles and non are on the list of being made available. I call them and beat around the bush stating that only people that request HOME courses are priority and they won’t even give a person an idea that other course will even be available EVER. THIS PRODUCT SHOULD NOT BE SOLD. IT’S NOT USEABLE.
Posted by Jake on 05/01
There ability to get courses mapped is a joke.
I requested my HOME course over 4 MONTHS ago and now, for the past 6 weeks, when I check the status of the course it has said 1 to 2 weeks!!!
I emailed them this:
Hello,
There isn’t a single golf course that I play in Indiana available for download.
How long from the time I submit a request for a course should I expect to wait before It’s available for download?
They responded with this:
Since the maps are processed based on registered user requests, we’re unable to give you a definitive answer on when a course in your area will be requested & mapped.
We are mapping about 1000 courses a month and adding them daily to our website (home courses have priority over others).
Could be a nice product but, WHO KNOWS!! I haven’t been able to uses it yet and I’ve had it for over 4 MONTH.
Posted by Kevin Foster on 05/16
OnPaR is the biggest flop in the GOLF GPS industry. They will not be able to sell enough of these devices after the blitz they may have had after the Golf Show in March or April. The sales will drop off dramatically and then they will have to pull the plug on putting courses up on the web site. This will become a big screw up. I feel bad for all the OnPar users. I have one and then bought the cheap GOLFLOGIX. You can get any golf course that is out there. Every single course near me is available. I realized I only need distance to hazards and the front center and back of green. For my golf ability that is all I need. I am a 10 handicap. Onpar has great features but are completely useless when you can’t find a course to use it on Plus the fact that you can not use them in Tournaments or other events because of the stats and club suggestion feature. USGA is screwed up but that rule. Enjoy all your GPS purchases.
Posted by Richard on 05/17
Bought my OnPar at Golfmsith Memorial day weekend and loving it. Touching to get distances and move the screen is cool and quick. I just like tracking my drives (since my putting sucks) and seeing the distances in the Stats screen and the Club Power screen. Course availability seem fine in Texas. Like all new GPS (my old uPro for example) they all launch with a few thousand courses and build up over the months. I requested another course just outside Austin that wasnt mapped yet and just got an email saying its ready to download. Sounds like maybe the mapping department has kicked it into gear.
Id’e rather have them map courses I want instead of just mapping a bunch of goat ranches just to get thier numbers up. my 2 cents.
Posted by Greg Williams on 05/30
Of course Texas courses are being mapped since the headquarters for OnPAR is in Houston. Maybe they should have just sold these in TEXAS. Its a great device if one can use it. I agree 100%. But that is only about 10% of the people that purchased them. I may be high on that number. Too bad OnPAR made the decision to come out with this product when they did. Big marketing F. U.
I put my ONPAR in the my desk to collect dust.
MY SUGGESTION TO ALL CONSUMERS WHO WANT TO PURCHASE A GPS. D O N ’ T BUY ONPAR unless you live in Texas…and that’s a maybe. GOLF LOGIX WORKS FINE AND YOU WILL FIND ANY COURSE YOU NEED TO DOWNLOAD.
Posted by Richard on 06/01
I got a discount and bought the OnPar system at a golf tournament. There are a lot of courses on the system to synch. Its really a good product. I wish it could calculate handicaps though.
Posted by Ron on 10/20
No problems here in Louisiana, Hope they add more courses in your area soon. This thing is way better than my old sky 3.5. Buddy of mine has a upro and wished he would have bought the on par.
Posted by Max on 11/23
This is hands and feet above any golf gps’s out there, and I ‘ve tried alot. If you want more realistic features other than having your own caddie this is the one to get. All this nonsense about not having any courses to download, obviously they’re still running Windows ME Operating System. If you have the dough this definetly worth the price.
Posted by Larry on 12/09
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