We really wanted to like the TomTom Golfer. It’s a bit funky looking, what with the prominent 4-way navigational button bolted on to the bottom of the watch body, but it does a lot of things well. Unfortunately, one of the things that it currently does not do well is present hazard information (see ‘Course Detail and Mapping’ below). There’s hope based on the fact TomTom has already issued software updates to make significant changes on the watch (including, for some reason, replacing the original hazard presentation with the currently featured clunky display). But as it is today, the Golfer is just an okay device.

The user interface is actually quite nice – the 4-way navigational button may not be pretty, but it makes for an intuitive user experience. Course coverage is excellent, and the ability to update course maps by pairing to your mobile phone or tablet is handy.

But there’s a dearth of features. Where’s the shot measurement? Why can’t I record statistics? And of course, we come back to the display of hazards as small blobs located within 50 yard increments. The possibility that TomTom might eventually fix things kept our rating a bit higher than the device probably currently deserves. But hey, we’re eternal optimists!

SCORE
88
GRADE
B+
Setup/Syncing
95
Course Availability
99
Ease of Use
96
Course Details
75
Features
80
Accuracy
86
Cost/Value
84

Pros:

Cons:

Retail price: $249.99
Three year total cost: $249.99
Amazon.com: Check price now


95 / A

SETUP/SYNCING


99 / A+

COURSE AVAILABILITY


96 / A

EASE OF USE

TomTom Golfer

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For more details, check out the Critical Golf comparison of golf GPS device ease of use.


75 / C

COURSE DETAIL AND MAPPING

TomTom Golfer

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80 / B-

FEATURES

For more details, check out the Critical Golf comparison of golf GPS device features.


86 / B

ACCURACY

The TomTom Golfer generally returned distances within our standard expected range of variance for GPS devices, usually plus or minus up to 4 yards from actual distances (based on marked sprinkler heads).

We did encounter one instance where there was poor mapping of the course, as the device was showing 133 yards to the center of the green and 134 yards to the back of the green (the green wasn’t particularly small). Presumably this would be encountered on any device utilizing the iGolf database, including the Bushnell and Expresso Golf watches.


84 / B

COST/VALUE

Retail Price: The TomTom Golfer golf GPS watch retails for $249.99, which puts it slightly above average among the golf GPS watches in our tests.

Fees for Access to Course Database: The Golfer carries no additional fees for course map updates.

Three-Year Total Cost of Ownership: With no additional yearly fees to download the latest course information, the three-year total cost for the TomTom Golfer remains $249.99. At this price point, it is right near the average among the golf GPS watches in our tests.

Value: The current state of hazard information on the TomTom Golfer makes it hard to really endorse the product for its value. We hold out hope that TomTom will issue another software update to improve the presentation of hazards, which would significantly improve the utility of the Golfer.


5 Responses

  1. I recently tried a TomTom Golf watch, I can endorse the fact that the hazards are not well displayed. I have two issues when going back to the Clock display that is ok but when going back to the golf course I always had to reload the course and it did not go to the hole I was on and I had to scroll through the whole course to get to the hole I was playing. I was trying this out prior to buying is this correct or are the settings not right ?

  2. After buying the Tom Tom golf watch, it took me a couple of months before using it because I had injured my leg skiing. (Here in Las Vegas, you could play golf in winter and drive 40 min. to ski). Finally, after using it a couple of times; it works ok once you figure out all of the up, down, left and right features. I accidentally dropped it on tile floor at my house and the screen cracked throughout the face. Cost me over $200 so it really sucks. I’m trying to get it repaired and pay for the repairs of course since I’m the one who dropped it. Tom Tom still hasn’t been able to tell me what to do about getting it repaired. They need my whole life story before they can direct me to a repair facility. Each e-mail reply takes a couple of days and I just got tired of the game. So even though, I really liked the unit and worked good those couple of times, I’m forced to buy a different one.

  3. Strap has broken quickly and at £20 each not sure worth replacing as also very uncomfortable to wear with all the small holes. Very annoying that can’t see the time. I also find middle of green is not correct relative to front and back and have a general question mark about accuracy. Have not used much for hazards. Battery life appears good. I would go back to Golf Buddy just for accuracy and the strap.

  4. I have been playing in Pattaya and Chiang Mai for two weeks now. 90% of the golf courses are out of date. I have spent hours of updating the watch with poor result.
    When contacted to the support they told me that the database is up to date and I should update both watch and course maps!

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