The top ten golf gadgets

A good walk need not necessarily be spoiled if you employ the vast array of golfing aids that have graced these pages over the years. We have often reflected that more inventive creativity seems to be lavished on the sport of golf than on any other single human endeavour and we suspect it’s something to do with the type of people the game attracts (wealthy and presumably intelligent, or at least with a healthy dose of animal cunning), and in order to prove our seat-of-the-pants hypothesis, check out this array of remarkable golfing technology (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). QED! Now if golfers are so smart and so affluent, it’s time that golf courses got wise. A recent survey of 12,000 avid golfers across the United States showed that 72 percent of all respondents prefer to golf at a course that offers GPS over a golf course that did not offer GPS with only 24 percent indicating no preference and 91 percent had already played on a golf course that utilized a GPS system.

That said, the survey was conducted by a company (linksys) that is selling GPS systems but bias aside, golfers are gadget-kinda-guys and the advantages are obvious. Today's most popular GPS yardage systems let the golfers see a graphical representation of the hole they are playing and offer immediate and accurate distance information from any point on the golf course.

"Without a doubt, the results of this survey indicate that GPS yardage systems enhance the golfing experience and golfers want to see this enhancement," stated LinkServ's President, Jeff Zellmer. "When almost three quarters of the golfing public in our survey indicate this strong of a preference for choosing a golf course that has GPS, golf courses in competitive markets will definitely benefit by taking a strong look at new advances in GPS technology."

"Whether this information is gathered in a large survey or simply talking to golfers one on one, golfers tell us every day that they would like to see GPS technology on their golf course," says Zellmer. "The golf pros we watch on TV know the exact yardage for every shot they ever hit. Why can't the rest of the golfers in America have this advantage when they golf?"

LinkServ's RangerPlus product is the company's flagship product and has been installed at golf courses worldwide including The Belfry and Celtic Manor, the host clubs for the Ryder Cup in 2002 and 2010, respectively. LinkServ's goal is to make GPS technology available for all golfers, not just those that play at luxury or resort golf courses. In addition to GPS golf products, LinkServ provides golf courses with a unique program to cover the expense of the GPS product through its Smart-Approach Advertising program.