Hot List: Master Golf's Digital Game Pinpointing the top GPS devices [$300] No additional fee DIMENSIONS (inches): 3.6 x 2.1 x 0.75 SCREEN SIZE: 2.2 x 1.5 WEIGHT: 3.4 ounces BATTERY LIFE: 15 hours COURSES: 30,000+ VERDICT: So compact, this unit qualifies as handheld even if you still have your baby teeth. But it packs plenty of grown-up features to go with the 30,000-plus loaded courses with hole diagrams. The touch-screen provides yardage to any spot on the green and allows you to quickly adjust to a view of the green. It also has a scorecard and shot-measuring features that can detail your average distance with each club. [$200] Upgrades for $20 to $50 more; membership $30 to $60 DIMENSIONS (inches): 4.75 x 2.5 x 0.75 SCREEN SIZE: 2.6 x 1.6 WEIGHT: 5.3 ounces BATTERY LIFE: 10 hours COURSES: 30,000+ VERDICT: The screen is as easy to read as a Jumbotron. The course library is extensive, and the standard model provides front, middle and back yardages. But the company's well-researched course maps—target information that is unequaled in the GPS industry—come with the purchase of must-have add-on packages, which can be upgraded to the device at any time. Some might find having to download these course maps tedious, but there's no questioning the value of this device on the golf course. [$350] No additional fee DIMENSIONS (inches): 4.3 x 2.5 x 1.0 SCREEN SIZE: 2.6 x 1.6 WEIGHT: 5.6 ounces BATTERY LIFE: 18 hours COURSES: 35,000 VERDICT: The touch-screen gives users the ability to view a diagram of the hole and the green (including adjusting the hole location), distance to any spot on the hole or a list of preselected targets. Users can also add targets to any course. The screen contrast is a noticeable improvement from past models, and the ProPlay mode includes shot-distance measurement, plus multiple-round statistical analysis for fairways hit, greens in regulation, sand saves and putting. [$200] No additional fee FACE SIZE (inches) 1.5 x 1.4 x 0.6 WEIGHT: 1.8 ounces BATTERY LIFE: 16 hours COURSES: 30,000 VERDICT: The numbers on the face are large, but the watch doesn't feel like you're wearing a Dick Tracy Wrist Radio from 1952. On the course, this watch neatly goes beyond the portable sprinkler-head stage by providing yardages not only to bunkers and hazards, but carry distances, too. There's also a shot-distance calculator, and an odometer to track how far you've walked. In addition to the preloaded database, newer courses can be added, or old ones updated, by syncing the watch to the company's website. [$350] No additional fee FACE SIZE (inches) 1.6 x 1.6 x 0.6 WEIGHT: 2 ounces BATTERY LIFE: 10 hours COURSES: 30,000+ VERDICT: The industry leader in the golf GPS watch field provides a sleek new package with touch-screen navigation that lets you position the flag to gauge distance to the hole. Yardages to hazards are generally lacking in the preloaded courses, but users can input their targets. In addition to a scorecard and shot-distance features, the watch's "smart" functionality will allow users to get emails and text messages when the watch is synced with an iPhone. SILVER __HANDHELDS: Izzo Swami 4000 ($120), SkyCaddie Aire ($130). WATCHES: Golf Buddy VT3 ($250), Izzo Swami ($150), SkyCaddie Watch ($170).__ [$180] No additional fee FACE SIZE (inches) 1.6 x 1.6 x 0.6 WEIGHT: 2.2 ounces BATTERY LIFE: 15 hours COURSES: 25,000 VERDICT: We found this relative newcomer a pleasant and—if this matters to you, stylish—surprise. The large numbers didn't require reading glasses, and we like the simplicity of the push-button navigation (easier than postage-stamp size touch-screens). More important, the target information went deeper than some handhelds, including hazard, bunker and (very cool) carry distances. Another bonus: The watch comes in North American and international versions, but users can add up to 50 courses to the watch's database for a golf trip abroad.
