The Loop

Three devices that make your phone a useful golf gadget

January 07, 2015

LAS VEGAS -- The 2015 Consumer Electronics Show has two miles of floor space filled with speakers, phones, smartwatches, battery-powered cars, televisions and basically every other gadget under the sun. Imagine what 35 football fields of gizmos looked like. THAT'S CES. Not all of these devices are useful for golfers, but some of them -- even the ones that weren't built with a golfer in mind -- might help you amp up your game.

On Tuesday, I found three devices that make your phone a useful golf gadget:

PERI Duo Case($79)[#image: /photos/55ad7bb4add713143b42bb4b]|||ces-devices-per-speaker-518.png|||

Listening to music on the golf course or during a practice session can zap your phone of all its power. But here's a set of Bluetooth-enabled speakers in the form of a battery pack. The case offers 150 percent added charge to the iPhone 5 and 130 percent added charge to the iPhone 6. (Battery packs for Droid phones are coming soon.) You can now listen to music without worrying about your phone dying. Genius.

__[#image: /photos/55ad7bb4b01eefe207f70813]|||lifeproof-case-518.jpg|||

Here's another battery pack (golfers need two things: more sunlight and more battery life), except this one makes your phone essentially indestructible. LifeProof, the top-selling waterproof case in the U.S., has designed a case that absorbs shock, repels water, and provides more than two times the battery life for your iPhone 6. You can dunk your phone under 6.6 feet of water for an hour and it won't get damaged. Its price is still unknown, and it'll be available for the iPhone 6 soon.

LifeProof LifActiv Universal Mount ($20-50)[#image: /photos/55ad7bb4b01eefe207f70815]|||universal-mount-lifeproof-518.jpg|||

Another LifeProof debut: A universal mount that helps you attach your phone to ANYTHING. After you stick a locking adaptor to your phone (the locking adaptor adheres to any flat surface), you can connect it to a variety of accessories, including a belt clip ($30), a suction mount ($40) and a bar mount ($40). It's perfect for golfers who take a video of themselves or enjoy capturing their rounds in a fun/unique ways.