GolfBuddy WT5 Watch Review – A Stylish & Affordable GPS Device!

wt5-golf-gps-watch

Last Updated: Mar 16, 2019 @ 12:05 am

Dimensions: 2.32 x 1.65 x 0.52 inches (without wristband), 2.25 oz
Display Type: LCD/Black
Tournament Legal: Yes
Measuring System: Yards/Meters
Measuring Distance: Distance Only
Waterproof: Water-resistant (IPX7) Submersible to 1 yard for 30 minutes
Battery Life: 8 hrs GPS mode / 35 days watch mode
Preloaded Courses: 40,000+

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

Update - 2018.11.20The WT5 Watch has been retired from the game! GolfBuddy has released their new WT6 which we reviewed here. They also have their WTX which is a Smart watch that connects to the GolfBuddy phone app. Check it out here.

 

GolfBuddy WT5 Golf Watch Review

The GolfBuddy WT5 GPS Watch impresses with more than just the standard 38,000 plus golf courses, automatic features, and distances to the front, center, and back of the green.

It also has a digital score card, pin placement technology, and an actual GPS tracking feature for versatile use. All these features and more are at your convenience with a flick of a wrist.

The WT5 Golf GPS Watch has a solid and strong rating with its reviewers online.

It seems the new and improved wristband of the WT5 is a hit and the IPX7 water resistant capability just adds to the already popular features of the GPS watch. To top it off, even with all these bells and whistles, it still falls in the affordable line with other golf GPS watches on the market.

Update - 2017.06.15GolfBuddy have added to their GPS Watch line with the new exciting WT6 & WTX Golf Watches. With smartphone connectivity, dynamic green view and distance readings from your position on the range, the WTX is everything you will ever want in a GPS watch.

 

PROs:
  • Price
  • Pin Placement Technology
  • Green View feature
  • Stat tracking
  • IPX7 water-resistant
CONs:
  • Some reports of charging issues
  • Can’t replace battery

 

GolfBuddy WT5 Q&A:

Does the watch come with a wall charger included with the purchase?

The WT5 doesn’t come with a wall adapter, nor is a wall adapter technically sold as an accessory for this particular model. But, the watch is charged via a USB cable that can be connected to any laptop, pc, and 12V car charger to be recharged.

If you have a wall adapter with a USB port, you can easily connect your watch USB cable to it. Many cellphones these days come with these types of wall mount adapters and can be appropriately used for charging your GPS watch too.

 

What are the additional holes on the sides of the wristband?

This watch has a breathable, plastic wristband that allows for sweat evaporation for reduced skin irritation. Although the wristband is plastic of a sorts, it’s more of a type of rubber construction like that of silicone that makes it a little more comfortable to wear and makes for a light-weight device.

 

How long can the device function as a watch?

The WT5 is sleek and trendy and can be doubled as a watch if you’re the type to wear one. While in Watch Mode, you can get about 35 days of use before you’ll need to charge it. Golf Mode is another story; it only lasts about eight hours while the GPS is activated.

The watch features the date, time, and day in one display, and in another, it displays the current time, sunrise time, and sunset time. When first setting it up, you’ll notice that you can only change the hours and not the minutes.

Activating the GPS function will automatically and accurately sync the minutes for you. You’ll never be late for another game of golf – er, I mean, dinner at home, again.

 

Does it come preloaded with hazards?

This GPS watch does provide yardages to hazards. The other nice thing about this one is that you don’t have to input the hazard info yourself, it’s already on the course mainframe.

This can save a lot of time and tedious prep work before and during playing the game, especially if you play at a lot of different courses frequently. You can also have more than four hazards and layups per hole.

 

Can you turn off the Auto Course Recognition Feature?

Unfortunately, no. The Auto Course Recognition feature takes the work out of choosing between 38,000 courses for you by using GPS signals. This can present a couple of set-backs. Say, if you wanted to select the course yourself, you can’t.

Some reviewers have complained that when there are clubs that are close together or they offer more than one course, the WT5 can automatically choose the wrong course and you can’t correct it.

An unconventional way around this is to reset the watch when you get to the second or so hole so that it can update to automatically display the correct course.

 

Can you turn off the sound the buttons make when using the watch?

No. This might not be a big deal to some players, but it can be to others. It’s like hearing every keystroke you make when on your smartphone or tablet; it can get irritating. Since the buttons do make a sound, there could’ve been a little more forethought in being able to turn this off.

 

Noteworthy Features:

  • Pin Placement Technology with distance readings to anywhere on the course in Green View
  • Built-in GPS odometer and built-in real-time clock
  • Auto Course Recognition and Auto Hole Advance
  • Green View feature with graphic view of the course
  • Distance readouts of the front, center, and back of the green
  • Distance readouts to hazards
  • Shot distance calculator
  • Statistical tracking features with digital scorecard
  • Free course downloads and updates; no membership fees ever
  • Water-resistant with IPX7 quality standards

 

Our Verdict on the WT5

To ping up the strokes, the GolfBuddy WT5 is a great watch when it works. Apparently, charging issues can be a problem, but this might just be the case with defective products. On the flip side, it’s jam-packed with features that belies its small and compact design.

If you want GolfBuddy’s latest and greatest watch, make sure you check out the WTX Smart GPS Watch – it is everything you could ever want or need!

Outside of the watch design is the GolfBuddy Voice 2 GPS device that’s simple enough to use, but it’s sophisticated enough to get pro use out of it. If you can nab it on sale, you can grab it for the same price as the watch – that’s a heck-load of savings right there.

But, if you’re set on a low cost GPS watch, the WT5 won’t disappoint. Just make sure you don’t have fat finger syndrome and you’ll be good to tee!

Update - 2018.11.20The WT5 Watch has been retired from the game! GolfBuddy has released their new WT6 which is an upgrade on the WT5. They also have their WTX which is a Smart watch that connects to the GolfBuddy phone app. Check it out here.

 

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I am a Tiger Wood's wannabe who was all set to become a professional golfer until an injury cut my potential epic rise to fame down. :-). Now you will mostly find me watching golf, or at my local putt putt reminiscing about what could have been.

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