I’m a tech guy. Always have been.
I’ve often said if I wasn’t writing about golf shoes, I’d be writing about headphones, handhelds and other dope tech.
So when I had a chance to try out the new Garmin Approach G82, a two-in-one GPS and launch monitor, I promptly put on one of my 75 pairs of golf shoes and whisked off to the course.
And after using the Garmin Approach G82 across several rounds of golf and multiple practice sessions, I’m left somehow more disappointed than I am satisfied.
Let me explain.
Sum it up for me, champ!
In case you don’t want to read the whole piece, here’s the skinny on what I liked and disliked about the Approach G82:
Likes
- Beautiful display
- Excellent battery life
- Accurate GPS numbers
- Strong magnet to attach to the golf cart
- Intuitive user interface
Dislikes
- Launch monitor numbers were iffy
- Is a little too bulky to carry around in a pocket`
Let’s dive in
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk in a little more detail about why the G82 left me wanting more.
First and foremost, the device itself is well-crafted. It feels premium and looks premium. The five-inch touchscreen is the perfect amount of real estate for doing things like surveying hole maps, pinpointing hazards and more. It’s plenty responsive, plenty bright and managed to work almost flawlessly from a GPS standpoint.
If you are looking at this device only as a GPS or rangefinder alternative, you’re going to be very happy with it. I’ve been using a Garmin GPS watch for the better part of the past three years and I’ve found myself opting for the bigger, brighter and more usable display of the G82 over the last few weeks.
But if you’re also shelling out the $599 to get a usable launch monitor, you’re going to find yourself a bit disappointed.
Not because it doesn’t work. But because it just doesn’t work well enough.
As is the case with many radar-based launch monitors, the Approach G82 struggles to capture accurate distances. It does, for the most part, do well with ball speed and club speed.
Setting it up and using it is as easy as plopping it down next to your ball (about a foot away) and turning it on. From there, you’ve got a few modes to choose from. I had a blast with the “target practice” mode, which prompts you to set a target distance.
I probably spent three hours on the range total with the device and it only failed to register a shot twice, which is great.
It’s just that the numbers I care about, like carry distance, aren’t very accurate. In fact, more often than not it was about seven to10 yards off when compared to the industry standard in the GC4.
Sometimes, it was more than that.
Weirdly, the number the G82 offered as the total distance was more in line with my actual carry distance.
Better than nothing?
Yeah, probably. Especially if you’ve never been on a launch monitor before and have no idea how far you hit each club, at least the G82 can help you figure out something in the ballpark of what you’re working with.
And, honestly, for someone who tends to just beat balls on the range with no practice plan, I found using the target practice mode on the G82 greatly improved how purposeful my practice was. So that’s cool, too.
But if you’re buying this device with the idea that you’re getting a great two-in-one GPS and launch monitor, you’re going to feel the same as me: disappointed, wanting more.
It’s more of a one-and-a-half device, with a great, feature-rich GPS and half-baked launch monitor that is, of all things, still better than your buddy trying to gauge how far you’re hitting it with a tuning fork.
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