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 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 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.

The features on this range finder work as advertised, but for me it took too long to use it. On a new course this was great especially the lcd gps screen so i can determine what distance i needed to clear away from trouble. The only downside is that it takes a little time for the unit to turn on and off. since its lcd screen based image there is another lag to create the image. i dont mean to nit pick but all this adds time and if you are already a slow and methodical player, your playing partners will get annoyed. i also have the s62 watch and the garmin golf app seemed to get confused which bluetooth device was keeping track of the round. In summary, i really wanted to like this, but with my need for reading glasses and quick need for distance, it wasnt a right fit for me. On new courses, i will stick with the course yardage book and use my watch and laser only range finder to get precise distances.

The best in the market

I really wanted to love this given all its promise. But I’ll be returning it - the digital screen is far inferior to a normal optical view - there is only a very small angle you must hold it at to be clear; even when you hit that angle the details of the image are too grainy compared to an optical rangefinder - it was harder to site a flag than with a normal finder - it gave several bad readings - both on the GPS and the laser finder ; two were obvious and 2-3 were confirmed with friends range finder, a phone gps and the cart gps - it didn’t show the distance to several hazards that I wanted to see and I had to use the cart gps to get them This feels like it’s several iterations away from being ready. AMENDED - took down from 2 stars to 1 star. This thing is just terrible. Used it in another round. Numerous wrong distances. Hard to site. Slow. Obvious hazards not shown on the GPS distance. The GPS is far inferior to the most basic free GPS you can use on your phone. And the laser finder is inferior to a $100 range finder you can buy online (or a $50 used one you can get). There is no reason at all to buy this thing. Hard to believe how bad it is.

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.

I love the garmin Z82. Very easy to use. Locks on to flag even if you do not have the steadiness of hands. Picture quality is amazing. I love that it is also has the the layout of the hole.

Compact, adapté au plein air.

Artículo muy bien escrito vale mucho la pena. doy 5 estrellas felicidades

Fantasic range finder with some very cool features.

I am playing golf with this instrument, especially for golf country clubs that I don't know, the Z82 is showing distances before and after each hazards. I can calculate most of my distances shots, prevailing that I can shout at the pin first. The clarity of the view through is not as clear as some others rangefinders. The item is finding rapidly the satelite and identyfiing the golf club I am on. It is a bit overpriced, but showing a lot more than other rangefinders. When playing out of tourment, views to pin always add or substract distances based on the slop. Paired with a cellphone, it can give the strenght and direction of the wind, also can keep the score on. Plus a lot more,

Vraiment impressionné par ce rangefinder et tous ses features. Seul bémol, on ne voit pas aussi clairement qu’un Bushnell disons où c’est fait comme des jumelles. Le Garmin, c’est comme regarder dans une caméra vidéo, la qualité n’est pas parfaite et ça peut parfois décevoir, surtout au prix qu’on paye. (Oui j’ai ajusté la lentille)