Golf technology has come a long way in the last decade. Long gone are the days of stepping off yardages from sprinkler heads, humming that song you heard as you got out of your cart, or taking off your watch while you play. These days, even the pros use technology like golf rangefinders and GPS smartwatches in their practice rounds so their yardage books have all the data included once they get into competition.
Let’s face it, we’re living in a Golden Age of golf technology. From golf clubs and balls to wireless speakers and talking GPS apps, there’s no shortage of tech for newbies and techies alike. One of the best parts about golf tech today is how quickly it’s advancing.
What’s more, golf technology is largely accessible and affordable nowadays. With portable launch monitors, bluetooth speakers for your golf cart and rangefinders that tell you which club to hit, golfers have never had so much tech at their fingertips. Make no mistake, it’s worth the investment.
Below, you’ll find a wide array of golf tech gadgets and gizmos that will help your golf game. From traditional laser rangefinders to personal launch monitors to help you dial-in your game, GlobalGolf.com has something for every golf techie - including drills and games.
Shot Scope G3 GPS Golf Watch
One of the most common questions on the golf course is some form of “What’s the yardage?” It’s the number that drives many of the choices that follow. So, it’s important to have a piece of golf technology that will provide quick, simple and accurate distances. Enter the Shot Scope G3 GPS watch. This affordable (under $200), lightweight GPS smartwatch is a great model for those who don’t mind wearing a watch while they play but also want something incredibly simple to use.
The Shot Scope golf watch has more than 35,000 preloaded courses and free firmware updates, so you can be sure your local club or future resort destination is covered. With an easy-to-use interface, the Shot Scope golf GPS watch features front and carry distance for every hazard and dynamic front/middle/back green distances to ensure you’re selecting the right club on every tee and approach shot.
Bushnell Tour V5 Shift Laser GPS/Range Finder
If wearable golf technology isn’t necessarily your thing (or you just like to be more unencumbered while swinging golf clubs), you need a solid rangefinder. Everyone has that period where they don’t have one and are constantly asking their buddy who does have one when they’re stuck in the rough without a sprinkler head in sight. Pro Tip #14: Help yourself, and your playing partners, by buying a rangefinder.
One name has become synonymous with the golf rangefinder category for years: Bushnell. If you don’t know Bushnell, they are the trusted rangefinder brand for more than 97% of TOUR players. Not only are Bushnell rangefinders extremely accurate, but they are also now even more compact while retaining ergonomics.
One such model is the Bushnell Tour V5 Shift. The newest version of their V-series, the V5, builds on golf tech innovations from the V4, making it their best consumer rangefinder yet. The V4 introduced Bushnell’s “JOLT” technology, where the golfer receives a short vibrating pulse to give tactile confirmation that the laser has locked onto the flag.
The new Bushnell V5 rangefinder takes this golf tech to another level whereby the viewfinder shows a red circle (plus the physical vibration) once locked onto the pin. So, if you don’t feel the jolt, you’ll get visual confirmation of the yardage anyways.
Additionally, if you’re not playing in any tournaments, you should definitely consider a rangefinder like this one that includes slope calculation. Golf rangefinders with slope might be one of the coolest subtle golf tech advances in the last number of years.
These golf rangefinders not only calculate line-of-sight distances but also adjust the distance based on uphill and downhill elevation. This allows for a player to see the “plays as” distance and can adjust golf club selection accordingly (which means more shots land closer to the hole). And if you are going to play in a tournament, you can just switch off the slope function and it will still be completely tournament-legal.
For those golfers riding in a cart, the Bushnell Tour V5 rangefinder also features the new nifty, built-in BITE Magnetic Cart Mount. This sturdy magnet on the side of the rangefinder sticks to any metal cart bar. So, instead of fumbling it in and out of a cart cubby or carrying case, the rangefinder is quickly accessible and won’t go missing over any cart path bumps.
Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor
What good is a sweet golf rangefinder if you don’t actually know how far you hit each of your golf clubs? Most golfers only have a general idea or recall that perfect 7-iron they once hit 200 yards (and think they can do that every time). If you want to get better, sometimes you need a little help. Start by learning your distances.
You can go to a range and try to guess distance with your eyes by the 50-100-150 yard markers, or you can heed Pro Tip #32 and check out the Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor (MLM). The Rapsodo portable launch monitor is a handy device that’s small enough to fit in your golf bag but packs enough tech wizardry to improve your game.
Unlike other golf launch monitors the Rapsodo MLM is the only launch monitor that uses the power and convenience of your own iOS device to deliver pro-level data to golfers of every skill level. It sets up in under a minute and helps you transform your practice into active sessions that drive progress.
Using the built-in camera on your iPhone, the Rapsodo launch monitor allows for video analysis of every swing, complete with real-time shot data and tracking you can store and analyze at any time. Features like ball speed, club speed and smash factor give you metrics to benchmark and improve upon.
Other features, like shot tracer and club gapping, help you visualize ball flight for each golf club in your bag. This golf technology gapping feature on the Rapsodo launch monitor will help you identify not only what clubs to hit from what distances, but can also show you gaps in your golf bag. Who isn’t trying to decide on a 3-wood or a 5-wood?
Bonus: See Pro Tip #19 for more information on tracking club distances, especially as you demo new clubs with Utry?.
Bushnell Wingman Bluetooth Golf Cart Speaker & GPS
Today’s golf technology arsenal isn’t complete without a bluetooth speaker at the ready. Some days you want to play golf in solitude and others you want to jam to music. Many popular golf cart bluetooth speakers clip to your golf bag, while others sit in the golf cart cup holders or elsewhere.
Until now. Enter the Bushnell Wingman. At the beginning of 2020 Bushnell unveiled this first-to-market all-in-one bluetooth GPS speaker. The Bushnell Wingman bluetooth golf speaker provides golfers audible front, center and back distances, all while listening to the music of their choice.
How cool is this piece of golf tech? Simply pair your Wingman bluetooth speaker with your phone and the Bushnell Golf App, then press the detachable GPS remote button (either in your pocket or on the unit) and get distances from the Bushnell Golf app.
In addition, the Bushnell Wingman golf cart bluetooth speaker’s dimensions either fit in a cup holder, or what most will do is use the built-in magnetic BITE technology to affix the speaker to any metal golf cart bar. And with a 10+ hour battery life from a full charge, the Wingman bluetooth speaker is ready for 36-hole days without missing a beat or a distance. Or set up the device for the next time you’re barbequing on the patio.
SkyGolf SkyCaddie LX5 GPS Smartwatch
If you’re ready to step up your wearable golf technology game, look no further than the SkyCaddie LX5 GPS smartwatch. With golf’s largest, brightest color touchscreen and full HD graphics, the Shot Scope golf GPS watch is like wearing an interactive yardage book on your wrist. It’s preloaded with over 35,000 of SkyGolf's ground-verified, error-corrected maps for unmatched accuracy.
For the golf techie, the Shot Scope GPS smartwatch allows for zoom and pan to get extra details and precise targeting on the course. In addition, the digital scorecard with stat tracking allows you to leave the scorecard and pencil at the starter shack. Another golf technology feature in the Shot Scope golf watch that takes your game more towards fitness is the built-in heart rate monitor and step counter with distances.
Golf Tech for Anyone at GlobalGolf
So, whether you’re looking to perfect your game, enjoy music or know your distances from a golf rangefinder or a GPS smartwatch, GlobalGolf has options to fit a wide variety of budgets, levels of tech prowess, and features.