Why is my golf watch so far off?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
Topic Author
dodgy55
Posts: 100
Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:28 am

Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by dodgy55 »

A few months ago I purchased a Garmin S10 golf watch that measures the yardage distance to the next green. I play a couple of times a week with three other guys who also have golf watches. One guy has a more expensive Garmin watch, while the other two guys have a different brand golf watch. I notice that on many holes all four watches are pretty much in agreement on the distance to the green, but on certain holes my watch is 8 to 10 yards higher in yardage distance. The other three watches always seem to be in agreement. Can someone explain why if all watches are using satellites to calculate the distance to the green, why is my watch so far off? Do watches access different satellites?
Fond memories are the best investment
User avatar
Brianmcg321
Posts: 1875
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2019 8:23 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by Brianmcg321 »

Does your have slope accounted or maybe theirs does and yours does not?

If you are on a hole with a large elevation change and one watch has slope and the other doesn't then they are going have different readings.
Rules to investing: | 1. Don't lose money. | 2. Don't forget rule number 1.
GmanJeff
Posts: 945
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:12 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by GmanJeff »

If one of you also has a laser rangefinder, you could compare the various watch readings to the directly measured distance.
dak
Posts: 178
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2016 6:31 pm
Location: California

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by dak »

dodgy55 wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 6:26 pm I notice that on many holes all four watches are pretty much in agreement on the distance to the green, but on certain holes my watch is 8 to 10 yards higher in yardage distance.
Your watch is being motivational...or possibly its locational fix is not as good as the other watches due to not receiving data from the same number of satellites.
tim1999
Posts: 4205
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:16 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by tim1999 »

I've had golf gps watches do this on occasion, though my current 2021-purchased Garmin does it less frequently than any of the past ones I've had. Usually resolved by setting it to end the round, start over, and reacquire the satellites or whatever. Essentially a reboot.

That being said, I've owned 3 different golf gps watches, and there is a particular dead-straight, slightly uphill par 3 hole at a local course that all three of these watches have read 10-15 yards short on from the tee vs. what a laser rangefinder and the tee yardage plate say. I never figured that one out.
User avatar
arcticpineapplecorp.
Posts: 15081
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2012 8:22 pm

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by arcticpineapplecorp. »

wow, learn something new every day. didn't know these things existed. how did people play golf before these watches were invented?
It's hard to accept the truth when the lies were exactly what you wanted to hear. Investing is simple, but not easy. Buy, hold & rebalance low cost index funds & manage taxable events. Asking Portfolio Questions | Wiki
tim1999
Posts: 4205
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:16 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by tim1999 »

arcticpineapplecorp. wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:24 pm wow, learn something new every day. didn't know these things existed. how did people play golf before these watches were invented?
Pacing off distances from yardage markers in the ground, mostly. Unfortunately many courses have taken advantage of the rise in GPS watches, GPS screens in carts, laser rangefinders, GPS golf phone apps, etc. to stop maintaining sprinkler head yardage markers and rip out things like 150 yard posts and bushes. Makes it harder to be a traditionalist, although if need be (like I forgot to charge my gps watch) I am pretty good at eyeballing yardages within 15 yards or so.
User avatar
Brianmcg321
Posts: 1875
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2019 8:23 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by Brianmcg321 »

arcticpineapplecorp. wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:24 pm wow, learn something new every day. didn't know these things existed. how did people play golf before these watches were invented?
I would count my steps from sprinklers and yardage markers. Before that I just guessed and was wrong most of the time. These little golf GPS things have been one of the best things since sliced bread. I will never play without mine. Just makes it a bit easier.
Rules to investing: | 1. Don't lose money. | 2. Don't forget rule number 1.
livesoft
Posts: 86079
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:00 pm

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by livesoft »

I have a Garmin watch. I read the instructions. My watch can use two of three different global navigation satellite systems simultaneously. The user has to select which one(s) they want to use. Hint: More generally means more accuracy. I will hypothesize that your watch is not using the same settings as your co-players' watches.

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=1 ... ekc3F2eVmA
Wiki This signature message sponsored by sscritic: Learn to fish.
bgf
Posts: 2085
Joined: Fri Nov 10, 2017 8:35 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by bgf »

tim1999 wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 9:05 pm
arcticpineapplecorp. wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:24 pm wow, learn something new every day. didn't know these things existed. how did people play golf before these watches were invented?
Pacing off distances from yardage markers in the ground, mostly. Unfortunately many courses have taken advantage of the rise in GPS watches, GPS screens in carts, laser rangefinders, GPS golf phone apps, etc. to stop maintaining sprinkler head yardage markers and rip out things like 150 yard posts and bushes. Makes it harder to be a traditionalist, although if need be (like I forgot to charge my gps watch) I am pretty good at eyeballing yardages within 15 yards or so.
it infuriates me still when i see a perfectly good sprinkler head with no yardage on it. i dont use any of this GPS stuff, and i almost always carry my bag.

might get a rangefinder at some point.
“TE OCCIDERE POSSUNT SED TE EDERE NON POSSUNT NEFAS EST"
User avatar
Sandtrap
Posts: 19591
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:32 pm
Location: Hawaii No Ka Oi - white sandy beaches, N. Arizona 1 mile high.

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by Sandtrap »

Just observations:

I have 2 Garmin "handheld" GPS units. One is lst generation (ancient), the other is 3rd generation (not so old), and both are accurate enough for senior bogey golf and dependable, "and very simple".

I've played with others that have the latest greatest units or gps watches and also cell phone apps. Not all, but many spend more time messing with the units than playing golf. I'm not sure if it's because of the wide range of features or learning curve, or the units themselves.

A bit long ago, before technology, good sense of distance, knowing one's ranges, and course knowledge, went a long way to scratch golf rounds. With GPS technology, there was a time savings to calc each shot. However, I've seen many get so immersed in the gadgets that the time savings per shot went away. Not all, but many.

OP: is it too late to return the GPS watch for a full refund?

For myself, the greatest benefit to accurate GPS units (handheld) is for short iron/wedge green shots from 150 yds in.
**But. . . then again. . . I've used a rangefinder far more often on the golf course than a GPS unit.

dislaim er: zillions of opinions and points of view on zillions of things.
j :D
Last edited by Sandtrap on Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Wiki Bogleheads Wiki: Everything You Need to Know
musicagogo
Posts: 29
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2020 4:43 pm

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by musicagogo »

I had similar problems with my S60. Have you tried turning it off for a minute then turning it back on? It fixes *many* issues with mine.
mike@jb
Posts: 178
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2020 10:19 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by mike@jb »

bgf wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 8:33 am
tim1999 wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 9:05 pm
arcticpineapplecorp. wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:24 pm wow, learn something new every day. didn't know these things existed. how did people play golf before these watches were invented?
Pacing off distances from yardage markers in the ground, mostly. Unfortunately many courses have taken advantage of the rise in GPS watches, GPS screens in carts, laser rangefinders, GPS golf phone apps, etc. to stop maintaining sprinkler head yardage markers and rip out things like 150 yard posts and bushes. Makes it harder to be a traditionalist, although if need be (like I forgot to charge my gps watch) I am pretty good at eyeballing yardages within 15 yards or so.
it infuriates me still when i see a perfectly good sprinkler head with no yardage on it. i dont use any of this GPS stuff, and i almost always carry my bag.

might get a rangefinder at some point.
I got a rangefinder this year because very few courses have reliable distance markers these days.
I like my <$200 laser, but don’t use the slope mode. I try to be somewhat old school on elevations...
TN_Boy
Posts: 4135
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:51 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by TN_Boy »

livesoft wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 5:02 am I have a Garmin watch. I read the instructions. My watch can use two of three different global navigation satellite systems simultaneously. The user has to select which one(s) they want to use. Hint: More generally means more accuracy. I will hypothesize that your watch is not using the same settings as your co-players' watches.

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=1 ... ekc3F2eVmA
The golf watch knows where YOU are. It knows the GPS coordinates of where the green is because a human at some point entered those coordinates into a database.

I suspect the OPs watch has, for whatever reason, incorrect coordinates in its maps, especially if the error is consistent every time you play the course.

This sort of thing becomes very obvious if you play a course after it has been updated and the yardages change a bit. (I played one course that had completely changed a hole, from a par 4 to a short par 5 and if you believed the GPS on that hole you were really in trouble. And also not believing your own eyes). You should update the maps occasionally.

I'm not saying the watch didn't lose GPS a couple of times, just noting another possible reason (and I think maybe more likely) your watch could be off.

I almost never use the GPS to figure out yardages to the pin. I use the laser rangefinder for that (shoot the pin, shoot the front of the green/bunker). My main use for the GPS is to help me know where the back of the green is, which can be hard to shoot with the rangefinder.

And when I'm walking up to the ball in the fairway, the GPS is letting me know what clubs I'll be choosing from. Or a course with a blind shot. It's also a crosscheck on the rangefinder. Ever shot a flag and realized as the ball soars over the green you actually missed the flag and ranged the tree behind the green. Well, I have ...

If I had to pick, I'd much rather have a rangefinder than a GPS, though I find both helpful. I will say I got pretty good at pacing off from yardage markers before I had the various tools. Except, a lot of my shots were actually not that close to yardage markers. The latter are especially scarce in the woods.
TN_Boy
Posts: 4135
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:51 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by TN_Boy »

tim1999 wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 9:05 pm
arcticpineapplecorp. wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:24 pm wow, learn something new every day. didn't know these things existed. how did people play golf before these watches were invented?
Pacing off distances from yardage markers in the ground, mostly. Unfortunately many courses have taken advantage of the rise in GPS watches, GPS screens in carts, laser rangefinders, GPS golf phone apps, etc. to stop maintaining sprinkler head yardage markers and rip out things like 150 yard posts and bushes. Makes it harder to be a traditionalist, although if need be (like I forgot to charge my gps watch) I am pretty good at eyeballing yardages within 15 yards or so.
From some stuff I've read, waaay back when (say the 1930s), the golf governing bodies didn't even want yardage markers on courses where tournaments were played. I reckon they just wanted players to guess.

Apparently Jack Nicklaus was one of the early pros to have his caddie step off various distances on the course (from fairway bunkers, etc). Pros now have yardages already from a bunch of places on the course. And if they hit one somewhere strange, everybody waits while the caddie paces off that yardage.

On a course with good yardage markings (200, 150, etc plus marked sprinkler heads) if you were in the fairway and got good at pacing you had a pretty good idea of yardage to middle of green without any technology. It was easier if you were walking than if you were riding a cart.

Good yardage markings definitely help with pace of play.
livesoft
Posts: 86079
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:00 pm

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by livesoft »

TN_Boy wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:54 amThe golf watch knows where YOU are.
The golf watch does not necessarily know exactly where you are which was my point. I just used my watch to track me mowing my lawn. The plot of what I mowed on the map has me mowing the street and inside my house. That is, the location from the satnav was not particularly accurate.

While I do not have a golf watch nor app, I suppose that one could check on a map in real-time where the golf watch said it was located as that capability is the essence of my backpacking map apps which are reasonably good at pinpointing where I am standing when I want to know that. In particular, a satellite view will show the trees, bushes, greens, benches, paths, ..., the works, so that if one is standing next to a feature (bunker, bridge, tree, whatever), then the displayed map had better have one standing right next to the same feature on the map.
Wiki This signature message sponsored by sscritic: Learn to fish.
User avatar
TxFrog
Posts: 92
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2021 7:45 pm

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by TxFrog »

Not familiar with your specific watch, but have you checked the units?

A few years ago, I traveled to Australia and played a few rounds while there. I downloaded the Aussie courses on my watch and set my watch to meters (played with a family friend who kept asking me for distances in meters). Well, when I came back to the US, I forgot to change it back. For almost two rounds I was short on every green, something seemed off but I couldn't figure it out. Watch would say "150", but it was actually about 165 yards.
tim1999
Posts: 4205
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:16 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by tim1999 »

bgf wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 8:33 am it infuriates me still when i see a perfectly good sprinkler head with no yardage on it. i dont use any of this GPS stuff, and i almost always carry my bag.

might get a rangefinder at some point.
I only caved in and bought my first GPS watch in 2016 because my home course stopped replacing sprinkler head markers a few years prior and it got to the point where probably only 20% of them still existed intact. And, they removed the 150 yard stakes in the rough claiming it cuts down on mowing time and "everyone has their own measuring device anyway." I had a buddy who had every sprinkler head distance on that course memorized but I couldn't duplicate that skill myself and I didn't want to write up some kind of sprinkler head map myself.

I prefer a simple black and white screen GPS watch that doesn't give slope or have extra doodads. All I need is distances to front/middle/back of green and distances to reach and clear hazards.
TN_Boy
Posts: 4135
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:51 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by TN_Boy »

livesoft wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 11:53 am
TN_Boy wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:54 amThe golf watch knows where YOU are.
The golf watch does not necessarily know exactly where you are which was my point. I just used my watch to track me mowing my lawn. The plot of what I mowed on the map has me mowing the street and inside my house. That is, the location from the satnav was not particularly accurate.

While I do not have a golf watch nor app, I suppose that one could check on a map in real-time where the golf watch said it was located as that capability is the essence of my backpacking map apps which are reasonably good at pinpointing where I am standing when I want to know that. In particular, a satellite view will show the trees, bushes, greens, benches, paths, ..., the works, so that if one is standing next to a feature (bunker, bridge, tree, whatever), then the displayed map had better have one standing right next to the same feature on the map.
Well sure. As I stated in my post:
I'm not saying the watch didn't lose GPS a couple of times, just noting another possible reason (and I think maybe more likely) your watch could be off.
Yes, the watch might not know where you are. That is absolutely correct. And they are not accurate to within a yard; maybe 3 to 5 yards is what I expect. The OP says their buddies' watches are all pretty much in agreement. (I would do the check with a laser rangefinder ... maybe the OP's watch is the one that is right! Or maybe they are all wrong!).

But as a golfer and user of golf GPS watches, I know they are generally close if they have a signal. If you walk to the 150 yard marker, they will show fairly close to 150. They don't update instantaneously; I don't know how often they check, but if you briskly walk you will see the yardage updating and when you stop it may be a few seconds before the display updates to the current location.

The way the OP phrased the issue
I play a couple of times a week with three other guys who also have golf watches.
and
but on certain holes my watch is 8 to 10 yards higher in yardage distance
makes it sound more like a map database issue. Which was my point. It's possible that every single time they play, the watch loses GPS signal as they travel from one hole to another, and it loses signal at about the same spot on the same holes, and winds up displaying about the same wrong yardage ..... but an error in the course database would fit the OP's description of the problem quite nicely.
User avatar
Brianmcg321
Posts: 1875
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2019 8:23 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by Brianmcg321 »

bgf wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 8:33 am
tim1999 wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 9:05 pm
arcticpineapplecorp. wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:24 pm wow, learn something new every day. didn't know these things existed. how did people play golf before these watches were invented?
Pacing off distances from yardage markers in the ground, mostly. Unfortunately many courses have taken advantage of the rise in GPS watches, GPS screens in carts, laser rangefinders, GPS golf phone apps, etc. to stop maintaining sprinkler head yardage markers and rip out things like 150 yard posts and bushes. Makes it harder to be a traditionalist, although if need be (like I forgot to charge my gps watch) I am pretty good at eyeballing yardages within 15 yards or so.
it infuriates me still when i see a perfectly good sprinkler head with no yardage on it. i dont use any of this GPS stuff, and i almost always carry my bag.

might get a rangefinder at some point.
I have a Bushnell Ghost. It fits in my pocket and gives me front, middle and back yardage as well as yardage to bunkers and water. Very inexpensive and ideal for the walker.
Rules to investing: | 1. Don't lose money. | 2. Don't forget rule number 1.
User avatar
9Iron
Posts: 339
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:41 pm
Location: South Florida

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by 9Iron »

Have you tried updating the course data on the watch?

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=1 ... VysfHA86q6
GotNoWisdom
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 3:26 pm

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by GotNoWisdom »

I’ve had this happen. Unit of measure under settings changed between meters and yards and I didn’t notice. Swapped back and good to go.
LISD
Posts: 321
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2019 7:52 pm

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by LISD »

Different watches will measure 'distance to green' differently.

Imagine a straight line between you and the center of the green. Dist to the green can be calculated by where the front edge of the green intersects that line.

However, the green may have an odd shape. For example, if it has a 'lobe' off to one side of the line mentioned above, and that lobe also extends out, closer to you, it could also calculate the distance to the front of that lobe.

Even GPS watches from the same brand don't necessarily use the same calculations.

And regarding calculating the 'center of the green' (to determine front and back), is that an average of the far right and left, an area centroid, or what...?

It's all in the details.

BTW - I found this on the web: the G10/S10 watch "will get distances right within 3-4 yards 9/10 times." I'm sure you can find more info on golf watch accuracy online.
TN_Boy
Posts: 4135
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:51 am

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by TN_Boy »

LISD wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 8:53 pm Different watches will measure 'distance to green' differently.

Imagine a straight line between you and the center of the green. Dist to the green can be calculated by where the front edge of the green intersects that line.

However, the green may have an odd shape. For example, if it has a 'lobe' off to one side of the line mentioned above, and that lobe also extends out, closer to you, it could also calculate the distance to the front of that lobe.

Even GPS watches from the same brand don't necessarily use the same calculations.

And regarding calculating the 'center of the green' (to determine front and back), is that an average of the far right and left, an area centroid, or what...?

It's all in the details.

BTW - I found this on the web: the G10/S10 watch "will get distances right within 3-4 yards 9/10 times." I'm sure you can find more info on golf watch accuracy online.
The OP has gone away so I guess our answers and suggestions were not interesting.

I have a G10 (same internally as the S10). Yesterday while golfing I checked a few times on yardage to middle of green versus the yardage markers on the course. The four or five times I checked, it agreed within a yard of the markers. I.e. standing by 150 marker, it says .... 150 or 151. Which was a touch better than I expected. It looks like it takes 2 to 5 seconds for it to settle after you stop moving. I didn't check every hole. I'm sure it is not always within 1 meter.

I agree that irregular shaped greens make "front of green" and "back of green" computations entertaining. Usually middle of green is more "obvious," at least to me. But I think it better to shoot flag and front of green with a rangefinder anyway.
User avatar
Sandtrap
Posts: 19591
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:32 pm
Location: Hawaii No Ka Oi - white sandy beaches, N. Arizona 1 mile high.

Re: Why is my golf watch so far off?

Post by Sandtrap »

I have noticed that on certain unpredictable days, I might overshoot all approach shots to the greens, other days, come up short on the front aprons.
Not sure if it is my GPS, Rangfinder, or some other variable. . . . . . . :shock: :shock:

j :D
Wiki Bogleheads Wiki: Everything You Need to Know
Post Reply