Bushnell Neo XS GPS watch : Review

"Bushnell has been the industry leader in high-performance sports optics for more than 65 years. Our guiding principle is to provide the highest quality, most reliable and affordable sports optics products on the market. And, our commitment to outstanding customer service and strong retailer partnerships is unmatched."

- Bushnell Golf 

Suffice to say, when it comes to sport optics, you really can't go wrong with Bushnell. When it comes to Golf, the good people at Bushnell offer a pretty impressive line up of laser range finders, GPS range finders and watches. 

Today, I am going to review the Bushnell Neo XS GPS watch, which I un-boxed earlier.

It's standard now for golf gps devices to tell the distance to the green (front, center, back).  

So when it comes to choosing a GPS watch, there are a few other factors such as design, ease of use, features and battery life to consider. 

One of the features that makes the Neo XS stand out is that it provides up to 4 hazard/layup distances per hole. More on this later.

Key Features of the Neo - XS

• Pre-loaded with 33,000+ courses in more than 30 countries
• Long battery life - Over 3 rounds between charges
• Auto course recognition
• Auto hole advance
• Easy-to-read front/center/back distances
• Hazard/Layup distances (up to 4 per hole)
• Comfortable sports band
• Round odometer
• Shot distance calculator
• USB charging/sync cable included
• No membership or download fees

Everything else you need to know here.

1. Design
 

The first thing I liked about the Neo - XS was the design. For starters, it wasn't overly big or bulky. 

The strap too was a soft, sturdy rubber so it was very comfortable to wear during play. In addition, the 'chrome' ring around the face was matte so it wasn't too flashy either.

The face of the watch was big and the display was very easy to read, even under bright sun light.


2. Ease of use. 

If you have worn a digital watch and own a smartphone, chances are you won't have a problem with the Neo-XS. It's really straightforward and easy to use. 

For all things golf, click the "golf" button, select "play golf" and the GPS will automatically search for nearby courses. Pick the course you are playing and wait for the GPS to lock in and then you're ready to go. (Make sure the course is available in the database though). 

Once a course is selected, the watch will automatically detect which hole you are on and will immediately give you the distances you need.

You have the option of setting up the distance in meters or yards. I have mine set in meters. 

The 571m here shows the distance to the middle of the green. 554, to the front and 590 to the back of the green. It will also tell you which hole you are on and what Par it is.

In the event the watch detects a wrong hole, all you have to do is select the right one by clicking up or down (top and bottom buttons on the right) and then press the middle button to select.

Requesting a course:

It's very possible that your home course or a course you want to play on won't be in the 33,000 preloaded courses. But fear not because all you have to do is signup for a free igolf account at www.bushnell.igolf.com and request for a course to be mapped. 

Just fill up a pdf. form, submit it and wait for the good folks at igolf to update you. For instance, I had requested for two courses in Bandung, Indonesia (Mountain View and Dago Indah) to be mapped and it only took 2 days for them to do it. Now, that's customer service!

Then, once mapped, all you have to do is connect your watch to your computer and download the course from the igolf site. 

I especially liked how you didn't have to install a separate software or download manager so all you need is a pc/laptop with a usb port and online connection. Certainly makes things alot easier, especially if you're on the road.

3. Features

The Neo-XS has a round odometer to tell you how far you have walked. Frankly, I am not really bothered with how far I walk a course so I haven't actually made use of these feature. 

What I do like is the shot calculator, which helps you measure how far you hit your shot. For instance, if you hit a cracking drive and want to know how far you hit it. Just press the "Golf" button from where you are standing and it will switch to a measuring mode. When you reach your ball, it will tell you just how far (or near) you hit it and it's a simple press of the button again, to get back to GPS mode. 

What I liked even better was the hazard/layup distance feature. This is an awesome feature. 

So you are standing over your second shot and there's a water hazard in the middle of the fairway in front of you. How far is it to the hazard? or how far do you have to hit it clear the hazard?

Click the select button (middle button on the right) and it will tell you just that.

Now if you are wondering what LFW and LGB stand for? they mean distance to the Left Fairway Water and Left Green Bunker, respectively. 

The hazards are identified by acronyms are listed out in the manual. May seem complicated at first but you will figure it out after a round or two.

Takes the guess work out of play and makes it a whole lot easier to course manage especially if you're playing on an unfamiliar course. This is a BRILLIANT feature.

If there's one thing about the watch though is that I am not too accustomed with the 'back light' feature. Pressing any button on the watch outside golf mode, will activate the back light which will stay lit for 10 seconds. 

With the Neo - XS, its the digits that light up as oppose to the 'back ground' if you know what I mean, so it's kind of hard to read when it's slightly dark. 

It works perfectly in the dark though. But again, this wasn't a big issue and didn't affect play on the course at all.

4. Battery Life

The battery life on the Neo-XS was surprisingly good. I have used it for almost three months now and have consistently been able to use it for 2 rounds (36 holes) in two weeks on a single charge. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

So in summary:-

What I liked:-

1. Nice design

2. Comfortable to wear

3. Easy to use

4. Requesting for course mapping was a hassle free

5. Setting up the watch is easy (no need for separate installation of software)

6. Can't rave enough about the hazard/layup distances.

7. Fantastic battery life.

What I didn't like:-

1. The backlight (I am nitpicking).

2. Would have liked maybe a touchscreen or score card feature which allows you to download your scores.

3. Not the cheapest option around.

4. As far as I am aware, the Neo-XS isn't readily available in Malaysia.

Final Verdict:

If you don't have a GPS watch, buy it! Hunt around online and you could probably find it within the $120.00 - $150.00 range. Not that our plummeting ringgit helps.

Though, if you decide to buy it online, bear in mine the warranty issues that may arise in future. 

To follow:

1. Voice caddie T1 and Neo-XS compared!

2. Why would you need the Neo-XS and a Bushnell V3 laser range finder?   

It's finally time for the weekend and if you're headed out to the course on the weekend, have a good one!