Golf GPS on Pre

[diggityd]

Has anyone used a golf pin finder/GPS on their Pre? I downloaded a trial version over the weekend and used it on Saturday. I really liked it and it was helpful, unfortunately I couldn't get through a full 18 holes before the battery died.

I used the GolfPinFinder app. My round started early in the morning so I took my Pre straight off of the charger and went straight to the course with 100% battery. My phone was completely dead before the last hole. The course was pretty busy so it took about 4 hours to finish the 18 holes but still, that sucks.

Anyone have any luck or have any advice/tips?

[AlbanyHDTV]

I downloaded Golf Caddie Trial, but haven't had a chance to use it yet.

As for the battery issues, did you do the obvious and turn off wifi & bluetooth?

[moserjj]

Originally Posted by diggityd

Has anyone used a golf pin finder/GPS on their Pre? I downloaded a trial version over the weekend and used it on Saturday. I really liked it and it was helpful, unfortunately I couldn't get through a full 18 holes before the battery died.

I used the GolfPinFinder app. My round started early in the morning so I took my Pre straight off of the charger and went straight to the course with 100% battery. My phone was completely dead before the last hole. The course was pretty busy so it took about 4 hours to finish the 18 holes but still, that sucks.

Anyone have any luck or have any advice/tips?

First, a disclaimer - I'm the developer of GolfPinFinder.

No doubt that the app is a bit of a battery hog with the GPS running for so long, but here are some tips that might help.

1. Don't run any other apps while playing, or use them and throw them away. Sometimes I fire up the video recorder to record some swings and such, then get rid of the camera app.

2. Only turn the screen on when you need it and turn it off when you're finished. The preference setting of "GPS with screen off" dramatically speeds up distance acquisition since the GPS continues to track when you turn off the screen. That can be turned off in preferences. It saves battery, but takes much longer to get your distances.

3. You can play in airplane mode as no data connection is required during play. That turns off the data connection (and all other radios) and gives quite the battery boost.

4. Extended batteries help. I have the Seido 1350 (purchased from here at PreCentral) and I can easily make 18 holes - I did yesterday in just over 4 hours. I was able to get in 18 holes with the stock battery though by not running other apps and using the app only when necessary.

5. Battery backup - I recently picked up an EnergiStick at BestBuy for $20, a little device I can plug-in for extra battery juice if needed. Haven't used it so far but I got it for those long, slow rounds that are sometimes unavoidable.

New Accessory: Energizer EnergiStick Key Ring Charger for Palm Pre (UPDATE: Pixi, too!) | webOSroundup

6. If you don't want to use airplane mode, you can go into the Phone preferences and turn off data. Data is a big hog and turning it off helps quite a bit while still leaving your phone able to get/make phone calls and send/receive text messages.

Trust me, if there was a way to maximize battery life, I'd be doing it. For the best experience during Golf, I prefer maximum usability so having the GPS tracking nearly all the time is a requirement unless you want to sit and wait for the GPS each time.

If you need more help, email through the Help app on the phone and I'd be happy to help you out.

[diggityd]

Thanks moserjj for the tips. I really like the app and will purchase it and will try out your tips. I used it more on Saturday than I normall would just b/c I wanted to check out the accuracy. So every tee off and pretty much everytime I saw a distance marker I would get out the gps and see if it was accurate. So in the future I probably won't need to use it as much. Since it was a slow round I also checked email a couple of times and checked in on some sports scores so the battery got a workout. Know how much it drains the battery, I will be more careful next time.

Thanks again!

[MilenkoD]

Originally Posted by diggityd

Has anyone used a golf pin finder/GPS on their Pre? I downloaded a trial version over the weekend and used it on Saturday. I really liked it and it was helpful, unfortunately I couldn't get through a full 18 holes before the battery died.

I used the GolfPinFinder app. My round started early in the morning so I took my Pre straight off of the charger and went straight to the course with 100% battery. My phone was completely dead before the last hole. The course was pretty busy so it took about 4 hours to finish the 18 holes but still, that sucks.

Anyone have any luck or have any advice/tips?

I used GPF back when it was in Beta (doing a lot of golfing then, not so much recently).

I've used it along side my laser range finder and another firend's standalone golf GPS. All three were acutare and read the same yardage. Don't be fooled by the cost of standalone GPS units vs. GPF as an indicator. GPF is just as capable IMO.

[Mikey47]

Originally Posted by diggityd

Has anyone used a golf pin finder/GPS on their Pre? I downloaded a trial version over the weekend and used it on Saturday. I really liked it and it was helpful, unfortunately I couldn't get through a full 18 holes before the battery died.

I used the GolfPinFinder app. My round started early in the morning so I took my Pre straight off of the charger and went straight to the course with 100% battery. My phone was completely dead before the last hole. The course was pretty busy so it took about 4 hours to finish the 18 holes but still, that sucks.

Anyone have any luck or have any advice/tips?

Diggityd -- first off let me say that you cannot go wrong with GPF, I've been using it since it was in beta and absolutely love it!! Just wish I could use it more (meaning that I was playing more golf ).

As for battery life, I think moserjj's tips above are the best. I do exactly as he notes (with the exception of the battery booster) and as of yet have not had the battery run out during a round (with the exception of one where I started the round with my battery being only 35%).

I find the two best suggestions being the keeping the screen off exception when using GPF and the using the setting to keep the GPS signal even when the screen off being the best. I've never tried Airplane mode but can see how that would really give you extra battery life.

My only problem with GPF is that Google maps has one of the course I play quite often covered by clouds -- therefore I can not map it online (and I never seem to quite have the time or patience to map it while golfing it ).

Happy golfing!!!

[NordicMan]

Install a Touchstone onto the dash of your Golf cart.. battery problem solved

[ChemEngr]

The other alternative is GolfCaddie. I've tried both GPF and GC - they both have pluses and minuses. Both are very capable and fun to use. Caveat is both need a network signal to work (no standalone GPS capability yet?). I normally go 18 holes with just one battery but regularly bring a spare.

[GUNNole]

I had to turn off the "GPS on when screen off" setting. If the GPS is working that day (I'm on Verizon so it's hit or miss), I find I don't have to wait very long for the GPS to reacquire a signal and give me an accurate distance. If I leave the GPS running the battery drain is too much.

A little bit of anticipation helps. If I'm not confident of the yardage as I'm approaching the ball, I will go ahead and wake up the app before I get there. I usually have a pretty good idea of the yardage just from course markers and visual estimation so I only use the GPS on tee shots (you should have plenty of time to turn the screen back on while approaching the next tee) or in rare instances on the fairway - but even then you can anticipate that you'll need an exact yardage for the next shot and turn it on early.

moserjj - I wish GolfPinFinder had a stats reporting ability. GIRs, Putts, FH over certain time ranges, previous X rounds, etc.. Just "Course Statistics" isn't very useful or interesting to me. Hopefully that's all coming on the web soon.

[Mikey47]

Originally Posted by ChemEngr

Caveat is both need a network signal to work (no standalone GPS capability yet?)....

I would love to hear moserjj's answer on this. Above he said you can go into Airplane mode and still use GPF. I personally have never tried it, but plan to next time I hit the links. That would mean that no data connection is necessary because if you go into Airplane mode you are definitely receiving no data.

It is my understanding that it utilizes data from the cell towers to assist the GPS, if that is true finding your current location could take additional time and not be so quick.

[moserjj]

Originally Posted by Mikey47

I would love to hear moserjj's answer on this. Above he said you can go into Airplane mode and still use GPF. I personally have never tried it, but plan to next time I hit the links. That would mean that no data connection is necessary because if you go into Airplane mode you are definitely receiving no data.

It is my understanding that it utilizes data from the cell towers to assist the GPS, if that is true finding your current location could take additional time and not be so quick.

GolfPinFinder will work in airplane mode or with just data turned off - a data connection is only necessary when searching for or updating course data. Once a course is saved to your phone, you don't need a data connection. It may take longer to acquire a good GPS signal but not much longer than an assisted GPS signal. What works best for me is to turn on airplane mode AFTER I have started the round and acquired the GPS signal already. After that, I usually don't have any problems. But just turning off data in the phone preferences helps quite a bit too and still allows calls and texts to come in.

[Riz Parvez]

These are great tips. My dad's an avid golfer and just started with a Pre+ recently. his biggest complaint with the device in general is battery life. I'll point him to this thread. I'm sure he'll love the app, and find the tips useful. Thanks moserjj.

[foxbren]

I used FreeCaddie Trial three days ago for 18 holes. We took about 4 hours to play. Had almost a full charge when we started. Did not adjust any settings throughout the round. I had >30% battery when we finished. I used it a lot (shot over 100). Even had a few short phone calls during the round.

[AlbanyHDTV]

I'm going to try out Golf Pin Finder today. When I went to the App Catalog to download the demo version, I noticed that the full paid version had a 50% off "Spring" discount. The discount price is $4.99 and the regular price $9.95.

[Mikey47]

Originally Posted by AlbanyHDTV

I'm going to try out Golf Pin Finder today. When I went to the App Catalog to download the demo version, I noticed that the full paid version had a 50% off "Spring" discount. The discount price is $4.99 and the regular price $9.95.

No matter the price, you will enjoy it!!! Have fun golfing, wish I could do the same today :-(

[bakerja]

I've been using GPF for quite a while and I love it. I can usually get through 18 on the stock battery. I leave GPS on so that the updates are instant but turn off data, bluetooth, and wifi once I have the course downloaded.

[AlbanyHDTV]

I used Golf Pin Finder Demo for the 1st time last night. I played at my home course and had downloaded the course to my Palm Pre ahead of time.

FYI...I have a Pre Plus on Verizon and installed the 1.4.1 update earlier in the day.

I had the GPS when screen off set to "YES" so it would track my position all the time. It was a sunny day with clear sky. I mention this because I soon became frustrated by the fact that whenever I went to look at my Pre, I had to first hit the power button to turn the screen on and then wait for the GPS to lock. Nearly every time, the red box in the upper right corner was on the screen stating "Poor GPS reception" or similar. I had the ##477# GPS Information card open in the background and would have to press "GET FIX". The closest I would ever get in horizontal accuracy was 6. I assume this is 6 feet, which would be within 2 yards in GPF.

It soon became a real PITA to have to wait for the GPS to lock before being able to know the yardage to the green. I realize this probably has more to do with the poor phone's GPS function than GPF's software.

Since this was my 1st time using any golf GPS on a smartphone, I frequently stopped at the yardage markers on the course to check them against GPF. I found that GPF was within 2 yards +/- nearly every time. For example, standing directly on top of the white 150 yard circular marker in the middle of the fairway resulted in a reading of 148-152 yards on every hole, which is acceptable to me.

Since I walk my golf rounds and carry my own bag, my real-life experience typically went like this:

1. Walk to ball
2. Reach into pocket
3. Pull out Pre
4. Press power button to turn on screen
5. Recognize that yardage displayed on GPF is wrong
6. See red "GPS reception is poor" box at top right of screen
7. Activate GPS Information card that is running in background
8. Press "GET FIX" button
9. Wait for phone to get GPS info (approx 10 seconds)
10. Toss GPS Information screen to background
11. Return to GPF card
12. See an accurate yardage reading on GPF
13. Place phone back in pocket

This scenario would play out each time I wanted to look at my yardage.

Some positive aspects:

• I liked the ability to keep score for everyone in my group
• At the top of the yardage screen, it showed everyone's stroke total and number of shots over/under par
• By marking the exact location of the tee by hitting the "ball on fire" button, I was able to get a reading for the length of my tee shot when I arrived at my ball
• Having the distance to AND over a body of water (I added these before the round by editing the course on a seperate website)
• Was able to count the number of putts and greens in regulation for everyone in my group
• A nice scoring summary after the round for everyone

I can see where GPF (or any GPS) would come in handy when playing at a course you have never or infrequently play. Since I was playing at my home course, I knew most of the distances from memory. However, having to go through the steps outlined above every time I wanted to know the yardage was a PITA and time consuming.

My playing partners were impressed by the fact my phone had the Golf GPS functionality. However, when they occassionally asked me the yardage and I had to do all the steps listed above with them waiting, it seemed too long of a time.

I have until May 12th with the Demo version and will play at least twice more in that time. One of the these will be at a course I am unfamiliar with and it will/would be nice to have GPS yardage.

If anyone has any tips to help shorten/eliminate the time suck each time I look for a yardage, I'm willing to try. Thanks.

[moserjj]

Originally Posted by AlbanyHDTV

Since I walk my golf rounds and carry my own bag, my real-life experience typically went like this:

1. Walk to ball
2. Reach into pocket
3. Pull out Pre
4. Press power button to turn on screen
5. Recognize that yardage displayed on GPF is wrong
6. See red "GPS reception is poor" box at top right of screen
7. Activate GPS Information card that is running in background
8. Press "GET FIX" button
9. Wait for phone to get GPS info (approx 10 seconds)
10. Toss GPS Information screen to background
11. Return to GPF card
12. See an accurate yardage reading on GPF
13. Place phone back in pocket

That is definitely a bit cumbersome and not how the app is "supposed" to work. The first thing I would recommend is to try a fresh reboot of your phone before you start the round (ORANGE + SYM + R together). When the preference setting of "GPS with screen off" is set to Yes/On, the app starts a 15 minute timer to enable the GPS to run when the screen is turned off. For some reason, it sounds like that wasn't being allowed to run properly since the sole purpose is to keep the GPS locked on (avoiding the red notification in upper right).

The accuracy value provided by the GPS service is in meters. I display it in GolfPinFinder at the bottom of the playing scene and just below the front/center/back distances converted to yards since it's pretty important info when trying to get accurate distances. The best I've ever seen is 3.3 yards. The red notification appears when the GPS accuracy is above 20 yards.

Once in awhile, I've had the GPS completely stop working during a round (in all GPS apps). When that happens, while frustrating, I reboot my phone and then fire up GolfPinFinder, go to Previous Rounds and resume the round I had started. It will pick up after the last hole scored.

If you continue to have problems, post here, send me a private message or email me through the Help menu on the app so I can help you out.

[AlbanyHDTV]

I took moserjj's advice and reset my Pre prior to starting a round of golf with Golf Pin Finder this past weekend. It definitely helped with the problem I previously described where the Pre would continuously lose its GPS lock.

I have a touchstone mounted in my vehicle, so my battery was at 100% when I started my round. I played 18 holes and rode in a cart, so I left my Pre in the cart's cup holder during my round, except when I needed a distance or entered the scores. Golf Pin Finder worked well and I also used it to keep score. I did have to keep a VZ Navigator card open in the background in order for the GPS to work. By the 18th hole, the battery was below 5%. When I entered our scores for the 18th hole, the screen went black. Back in my vehicle, I placed the Pre on the touchstone and a white electrical cord graphic appeared on the screen. After 15-20 minutes, the Pre's clock reappeared on the screen. I was able to recover the scores in GPF and forward them via email to everyone in the foursome.

On Monday, I went to Golf Pin Finder's page in the App Catalog and was surprised to see that the $4.99 "Spring Special" was gone. The price was back at the $9.95 regular price, although, according to my calendar, it is still "Spring". Since the other two Golf GPS apps (Free Caddie and Golf Caddie) are both $10 and have free demo versions, I'll test those out before making a purchase, although I was pleased enough to purchase GPF if the $4.99 special was still available.

[rockandchelle]

AlbanyHDTV,

Have you tried this?

http://forums.precentral.net/webos-p...roved-gps.html

I haven't tried a round yet with GolfPinFinder, but after applying this patch I went for a run yesterday using Jog Stats and had the screen off, and it never lost GPS.