OVERALL RATING: 86. GRADE: B. We loved some of the forethought that went into designing the GolfBuddy Tour. GolfBuddy clearly put a premium on making the use of the device extremely simple. The user interface is remarkably intuitive – the way you access different features is just how you’d think you would access them. We also love that there are no additional fees associated with accessing golf courses on the device. Extremely strong course coverage is an added bonus.

While the GolfBuddy Tour lacks some of the nifty features that are available in other premium-priced golf GPS devices, it’s one of the top picks for someone who isn’t computer savvy – for other users, it’s probably not as clear cut, but we think most will find it to be among the finalists in their purchasing decision.

SCORE
86
GRADE
B
Setup
100
Course Availability
99
Ease of Use
94
Course Details
87
Features
82
Accuracy
90
Cost/Value
86

Pros:

Cons:

Retail price: $289.99
Availability: Discontinued. Replaced by the GolfBuddy Platinum


100 / A+

Setup
The Good: The GolfBuddy Tour scored a perfect 100 for setup, because you simply open the box, remove the GolfBuddy Tour and power cable, charge it for 3 hours (an external LED tells you when charging is complete), and head to the course. No software installation is required, and with courses pre-installed on the device, you don’t have to worry about loading courses from your computer. Now if only the folks at GolfBuddy could get together with Linksys and simplify the process for setting up a wireless network in your home…
The Bad: No Mac support – just Windows 2000/XP/Vista.
Details: “Wait a minute”, you might say, “why are there details on setup if all I have to do is turn the device on? “ Well, you may want to sync your GolfBuddy with a PC to upload a course that you have custom-mapped on your own, to download a course mapped by another user, or to update a course already on your device. If you opt to go down this road, you will need to register for a free web account, install desktop manager software on your PC, and sync your GolfBuddy Tour to the PC through a USB cable.
What’s in the Box: The GolfBuddy Tour comes with the following:


99 / A+

Course Availability
Critical Golf Test: Our course coverage analysis ranked the GolfBuddy in the top tier of devices tested, with impressive 99% coverage of our select sampling of golf courses.

Manufacturer’s Claims: GolfBuddy boasts of having 24,000 courses available worldwide in its course database, the largest number of any of the GPS devices tested.


94 / A

Ease of Use
The Good: GolfBuddy markets its device as simple and easy-to-use, and indeed it delivers. The designers put a premium on automating many processes and making the use of the controls intuitive. Navigating among different screen views is a breeze.
The Bad: The joystick protrudes a bit, and frequently gets accidentally toggled while inside a pocket, advancing the device to random menus. Also, it takes a bit to realize that one can actually scroll down on the menu page to access additional menu choices that aren’t initially visible.
Details:

Suggestion Box: Our reviewers expressed some dissatisfaction that distances to all marked points continue to clutter the screen for the duration of the time the user is playing the hole. It would be nice if marked points were removed after they have been passed by the user, since players rarely hit the ball back toward the tee box.
A chart comparing ease of use across different devices is available here.


87 / B+

Course Detail and Mapping
The Good: The GolfBuddy Tour excels in the ease with which a user can add additional marked points (hazards, layup distances, etc.) while on the course.
The Bad: The GolfBuddy Tour was wildly inconsistent with respect to the amount of detail provided on different courses, ranging from extremely comprehensive to disappointingly limited – so adding additional marked points may be critical. We note that adding these marked points is only useful for the next round you play on a course, something that matters if you travel to play a variety of courses and only get to play one round on each course. And don’t forget to save the targets after the round before powering off the GolfBuddy Tour, because if you forget, all of your work is gone.
Details:


82 / B-

Features
The Good: The GolfBuddy Tour is about average in the set of features that it provides.
The Bad: The GolfBuddy Tour is about average in the set of features that it provides. (What can we say? Average can be both good and bad.)
Details:


90 / A-

Accuracy
Device Accuracy: As is the case for most units tested, the device accuracy of the GolfBuddy Tour was generally within 4 yards of where expected, which is perfectly reasonable. Our test was based on accuracy to specific hazards – since the GolfBuddy Tour does not provide graphics for hazards on the hole, we were forced to estimate specifically which point was being measured by the device. Nonetheless, the distance shown by the device was generally close to those shown by its competitors.
Mapping Accuracy: Our on-course experience with the GolfBuddy Tour did raise concerns with respect to mapping accuracy. We had significant issues on one course with repeated inaccurate readings to marked “layup” points which quickly made us lose faith in the mapping for that course. Strangely, the readings to the front, middle and back of the greens as well as hazards were accurate, so it was limited to the “layup” points, but just a few wacky readings (and seeing your shot sail over the desired landing point and into a creek) is enough to make you think about just turning the device off.


86 / B

Cost/Value

Retail Price: The GolfBuddy Tour retails for $289.99, and is one of the least expensive devices tested.
Fees for Access to Course Database: Zippo. No additional annual fees or course download fees. We like it!
Three-Year Total Cost of Ownership: With no additional annual fees or course download fees, the GolfBuddy Tour winds up being less expensive than a number of its competitors when it comes to the three-year total cost of ownership (which we feel is a much better indication of the actual cost to the user).
Value: A reasonable cost for the device coupled with solid ease of use make the GolfBuddy Tour a device to consider.


9 Responses

  1. My Golf Buddy Tour is less than a year old, and it keeps shutting off on the course. The is very fustrating to say the least. How does Golf Buddy stand behind its produce? Do they offer any form of assistance to the consumer?

    1. Good to hear about your experience – thanks for sharing with the community here. GolfBuddy does have a technical support line (888-296-1428), and also a contact form on their website (https://www.golfbuddyglobal.com/footer/contactUs.asp).
      We haven’t had any luck with contacting them (or their parent, Deca International) regarding review inquiries, but please let us know if you have any luck with their technical support.

  2. My Golf Buddy Tour is less than a year old, and it keeps shutting off on the course. The is very fustrating to say the least. How does Golf Buddy stand behind its product? Do they offer any form of assistance to the consumer?

    1. Good to hear about your experience – thanks for sharing with the community here. GolfBuddy does have a technical support line (888-296-1428), and also a contact form on their website (https://www.golfbuddyglobal.com/footer/contactUs.asp).
      We haven’t had any luck with contacting them (or their parent, Deca International) regarding review inquiries, but please let us know if you have any luck with their technical support.

  3. I just got a golfbuddy tour, took it to my home course and turned it on. My course in New Jersey was not in the system. In fact, upon scrolling through the N.J. courses, only the courses beginning with A, B, or C were listed. I went home and tried to download my home course (which was in the course library), but could not navigate the instructions. I might return it if I can’t get product support.

  4. Bought the golfbuddy tour yesterday and used it for 9 holes on my home course.  It worked very well, identified my course immediately and the yardage was within 2 yards of the posted yardage on the course.  Paid $199 at Dick’s and I’m very happy with my purchase considering I don’t have to download any courses and it was approx $100 less than most of the other devices I have seen on the market (except for the Callaway GPS which received poor reviews).

  5. I have had my Golf buddy for about 3 weeks. the only problem I am having is understanding how to determine the distance to a hazard which may be in the range for my second shot (such as a pond). I don’t seem to understand the directions that came with the unit. can someone explain how to calculate the distance to the hazard and how far to clear the hazard?

  6. The Golf Buddy Tour does not work. First, there was a “CCS error” message on the main screen. I took it to the GB repair center. It now gets past the first screen, only to have no satellite signal. The software fix the repair center sent me for the Firmware Upgrade did not succeed. I am sending it back to the retailer for replacement.

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