Garmin Approach Z82, Golf GPS Laser Range Finder, Accuracy Within 10” of The Flag, 2-D Course Overlays

I have used this rangefinder for about 10 rounds on a few different courses. I’ve used other rangefinders and recently have been using GPS software on my phone. I never enjoyed using my phone on the course due to the distraction. This device is just fun to use. There is a slight delay for the device to wake up, but it doesn’t bother me at all. I end up using the GPS functionality even more than the laser. They’ve done an amazing job with the software UI to give you a ton of information very quickly. I do wish there was a shortcut to get to the score card quickly. The pin finder function is surprisingly useful (pro tip, don’t wear a hat with a magnetic ball marker). One drawback is that you can’t use a magnet attachment with this rangefinder due to the compass. I use a bag with a magnet flap and that doesn’t seem to bother it. The laser is very accurate and grabs the flag quickly. The overlay of the ranged distance on the hole overview is just awesome. I end up playing a lot of evenings. One benefit of this device is makes the flag easy to see even when getting dark. It amplifies the ambient light and makes it easy to see. The battery life is probably the only drawback. I usually need to charge about every other round. I keep a backup battery in my bag so even if I forget to charge, I can plug in while getting ready. It actually charges very quickly. The connection to the phone works great and very cool how the score updates from the rangefinder into the Garmin golf app. In summary, this is a premium device at a premium price. At first I struggled with the idea of spending $500+ on a rangefinder, but very glad I did.

I'm upgrading from a Bushnell V2 rangefinder that had slope on and excellent optics. The Z82 is fairly easy to use but somewhat challenging to zero in on your target. I suspect Garmin may improve this with an update. Battery life is excellent. Lasts a few rounds before charging is needed. I like that I don't need to purchase the $11 battery that the older Bushnell used. Where this device excels is when you get to a golf hole that have unknown distances to hazards off the tee, the Z82 will show you in the split screen format distances to those targets. I especially like this feature on courses I don't play often. There's a lot of tech to get familiar with and sometimes when your playing in a competitive round fumbling through menus takes some time. I often have situations when the GPS picks up say hole # 10 distances when I'm playing hole #8. You can change this in the menu but takes time. My Izzo Swami 6000 GPS never has this issue. Overall, I like the GPS/ rangefinder feature along with the OLED color screen. It gives you a lot of information once you get used to the features. The Garmin app pairs with the Z82 as well and can give you wind speed and direction as well but I haven't used this yet.

I was divided between this, and the ultra reliable Bushnell X2. Trusted reliability plus a battery that will last a year or more were powerful arguments for the X2, but the built in GPS feature with downloaded courses on the Garmin were too tempting to pass on. I’m glad I bought the Garmin. I played at a really challenging course with crazy elevation changes, and felt like I was cheating with this thing. Blind areas aren’t a concern when you get a graphic on your viewfinder showing where every hazard is. The pinseeker mode was a lifesaver. With elevation drops of over 100 ft, the “plays like” mode really helped me choose the right club. Also, the oled screen is very sharp, and as just a rangefinder, it’s ridiculously accurate. For the record, I originally bought the older z80 version and had to factory reset it 3 times in the first week just to get it to work, so I returned it. That made me nervous to buy this, but I’m a bells and whistles guy, so I took the risk and I’m glad. It has a video game like feel to the controls, and it takes a little playing around with to get it down. The downside is that after playing 18 holes, using frequently, I’m at 68% battery, so I’ll probably ending up charging this after 2 rounds of play to be safe. It charges via USB, so if you have a cart with a USB slot, you can prevent it from draining. One final downside, I wish this thing had a magnet for the frame of the golf cart, or ability to clip onto my pants. The carrying case has a clip, but I don’t like having to put it in and out of its case every hole.

I’m a gadget geek. I have a Garmin golf watch and a high end Bushnell rangefinder. The watch gives me hazards and front, middle, back of green distances, and the rangefinder gives me pin distance. The Z82 does both in a rangefinder that fits in your back pocket. Pluses: —all the data you need in one place —cool graphics Minuses: —can give inaccurate pin readings (I still use my watch to confirm pin distance accuracy) —rangefinder optics not as clear as my Bushnell —there’s a small delay between hitting the pin seeker button and the rangefinder turning on (I now just push the pin seeker button a moment before I lift it to my eye) Would I get it again? Definitely. It’s super cool, and once you get the hang of it, it’s easy (and fun) to use.

This unit is everything you would need on a golf course. The accuracy is great and it will give you the adjusted yardage for slope. The pinpointer feature works great for a blind shot. The app is also great and lets you track your score, putts and fairways hit. The only downside is the wind tracker. It doesn’t always show up. The unit must be connected to the app on your phone to work but even then, it doesn’t work all of the time. It will sometimes only display a “!” instead of the wind speed and direction. If the wind tracker is a deal breaker, I wouldn’t buy it. Other than that it is awesome. Hopefully this will be fixed as I assume it is a software problem with a new launch.

Can’t believe all the high reviews here. I’ve had this 3 months now. The tech gets in the way of the usefulness of it. Deal breaker for me is the load time to shoot the flag or distance bc it is all digital, it goes into a sleep mode after each shoot and takes way too long to turn back on for the next shoot. So when you’re ready to get your distance, you have to wait for it to load up. If you play slow af, this won’t bother you. Load up time is so bad I don’t even want to shoot the distance anymore. Ugh.

Lovevit. Laser range shooter. Shows on same screen the hole arrangement with a GPS spot showing you. Has over 4000 courses pre loaded in memoty Downside a bit too many options. Like tracking your shots. Cool to have eventually. But too much too soon for me.

The GPS function alongside the view saves time. Lots of information for you to see while looking through the lens. It locks on to flags fast and vibrates letting you know it's locked on. GPS function gives you distances to hazards as well as back of them at the push of a button. A great tool on the course as well as on the practice range. I pair it with the Garmin g80 at the range. Knowing distances to targets and the distances your hitting your clubs is great feed back for an engaging and efficient range session. I'd recommend this product to anyone in the market for a quality range finder/gps unit. The best of both worlds.