TomTom's Golfer 2 GPS watch tracks your swing
With a built in gyro and motion sensor, it instantly shows how far you hit the ball.
TomTom's original Golfer GPS watch can give your distance and score, but the latest golf devices from Piq and Game Golf also track your swing and distance stats. To keep up, TomTom has launched the Golfer 2, a watch that measures your swing using a built-in motion sensor and gyroscope. That lets you "see at a glance glance how far you've hit each ball, show your distance potential, and create a detailed post-round analysis" on the MySports app, according to the company. It only counts one shot in a 10-foot area, letting you take as many practice swings as you need.
It also has an "automatic scorecard" feature that works with the shot detection to automatically count your score, though you'll have to enter the putts manually. As before, it'll give you precise yardage to greens and hazards, "based on the player's exact location," as TomTom puts it. That's a subtle jab at products like the Piq that use your phone's GPS to measure distances, requiring you to keep it in a pocket and not your golf bag when playing.
Unlike the other devices, all you have to do is put on the slim, lightweight and relatively stylish watch, with no need to install NFC sensors on clubs. However, it's not clear whether the Golfer 2 can record your club selection, as the Piq and Game Golf devices do. You'll also have to remember to enter putting and other info and, as with other devices, may have to tweak data later to get useful stats if you make an error during the round.
Other features include the ability to visualize graphics for greens and hazards before shots, round tracking for time, score and distances, wireless syncing to TomTom's MySports app, daily course updates and 40m water resistance. The Golfer 2 arrives this May for $250, a considerable discount over the original model and less than the Piq and Game Golf devices.
