Shotmiser G500
It seems that the Shotmiser hand held GPS device has been hiding in the cabbage since its conception a couple of years ago. But after a serious of bit of marketing in the latter part of 2009 the Shotmiser G500 has started to gain popularity from golfers who are looking for a golf rangefinder that can compete with the market leaders Skycaddie. The Shotmiser is made by Optimize Golf and their first unit the G300 Rangefinder was introduced to the market to coincide with the change in the Rules of Golf that allows measuring devices to be used in competitive golf subject to a Committee Local Rule being implemented. After a few niggles that were brought to the attention to the backroom staff at Optimize they have now upgraded to the Shotmiser G500 unit that encompasses most if not all the features of the Skycaddie SG5 but with the added extra of being able to double as a fully featured Car Satnav
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Touch Screen Performance with the Shotmiser G500
Good looks and satnav benefits apart, its how this swanky device will perform out on the course that will decide whether it can be a contender to the Skycaddie or Sonocaddie GPS units.
Well first impressions are pretty good. If you compare it to the SG5 it seems that the Shotmiser G500 is up for the job.
Screen graphics are clear and display similar hole features that are available on the Skycaddie unit. Where the G500 comes into its own is its touch screen which works in a similar way to an iPhone in that you can navigate your way around a course or particular hole just by touching points on the screen with your finger or tee peg.
This amount of detail is a plus point and having the ability to move around the hole and pick your specific lay up areas is definitely an advantage.
The Shotmizer G500 also shows the yardages to the front, middle and front of the greens as per other rangefinders in this price bracket.
Golfers that like to measure the distance between shots are also catered for with the G500 Shotmiser along with the ability to keep scores and playing stats.
Optimize claim that G500 is waterproof but to date we have had not heard any one doing a thorough test to clarify. Battery life is quoted at 12 hours which is good for 2 to 3 rounds which is about the same as a Skycaddie.
The G500 comes with software to connect the rangefinder to your PC or laptop and getting courses downloaded on to the device is a breeze.
You can download courses at a cost of £5 per course.
Cheap Running Costs
So far so good as the Shotmiser seems well equipped to compete against the major players in the market. It is the running costs of the G500 over other devices that may make it a compelling purchase.
Once you have paid for and downloaded your required courses there is no recurring costs or annual membership fees.
At the moment the number of courses that are available for instant download are not as comprehensive as Skycaddies but Optimize claim that they will get a course ready for download within 15 working days from the date of request. It has been stated on various golf forums that in fact the time it takes them to get a course ready for download can be a couple of days.
Coupled with excellent support and after sales service from Optimize Golf definitely make the Shotmiser G500 Rangefinder a superb device that will no doubt give the big boys in this highly competitive field a run for their money.
What's in the box
- USB cable to connect to PC
- Software Installation CD
- USB wall charger
- Cradle to mount to trolley mount (trolley mount sold separately
- Car charger
- Car SatNav Screen Mount
- Download mapped courses direct from Sky Golf or map your own.