With Spring officially starting on March 21st this year, and the weather is starting to feel like it, most of us that keep an eye on our favorite golf courses want to make sure that as soon as they give the word that they’re open, they will head on over to hit those balls off the tees and start working on improving their golf game.

If you’re looking for some tips on doing just that, but don’t have the benefit of affording the course knowledge of a golf pro or caddy, you can still get one up on your golf buddies by using a little golfers helper to dial in the exact measurements to the green and more importantly the flag with that little hole at the bottom!

I’m talking about using a new range finder, that comes with GPS functionality provided by the company that is at the forefront satellite plotting to get the exact distances between you and that hole. The Approach Z80 Golf Laser Range Finder with GPS, from Garmin  It provides accurate laser distance measurements, within 10” to the flag, up to 350 yards/320 meters. Along with a Full-color 2-D Course View mapping, which is overlaid on the viewfinder for more than 41,000 courses worldwide. The Approach's Image stabilization reduces shakiness and makes it easier to find and range in on the flag. The "Green View" feature automatically shows the distance to the front and back of the green!

The Approach Z80 laser range finder with GPS is the most accurate laser range finder available. It also gives you a new perspective on more than 41,000 courses worldwide. Plus, you also see accurate distances to hazards at the same time. This speeds up play because there’s no need to range them separately. Approach Z80 automatically determines which hole you are currently playing to provide course layout and par information.

With its Image stabilization feature, it makes it easier to find and range in on the flag. The flag finder locks on the flag of any hole. After flag lock, Green View automatically shows the distance to the front and back of the green through the lens. The view through the range finder shows the hole at 6-times magnification for clear, crisp views with map overlays that show the hole layout.

Additionally, having the yardages on the entire hole is extremely valuable. If you’re on the tee you can shoot a few distances to see where they factor in relation to the trouble. Or, you can simply just look through the lens and take a look at the 2D map. One nice feature is that you can input your average driving distance and it will automatically display where your landing area will be.

Overall, this is an excellent product. Garmin outdid themselves in the GPS category with this rangefinder. As it stands right now, I don’t think you’ll find a better combination of features for a golfer who wants to know all of their yardages, as their playing through their game.
So as we mentioned above if you're looking for those reliable recommendations as your playing your game, think about the Garmin Approach Z80  and see just what a difference knowing just where your ball lies compared to where it needs to drop into that little whole with the flag stuck in it? The laser enabled Z80 can help you get there with hopefully fewer strokes than without it.