PLAYING WITH … BUSHNELL WINGMAN GPS SPEAKER
Cost: $299. Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Deputy Editor (GA Handicap 9.4)
The Bushnell Wingman won’t be for everyone, but for its target market it is an outstanding product.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Music on the golf course certainly isn’t for everyone. But for those of us who do enjoy this fairly recent trend, the new Bushnell Wingman is a terrific accessory. In terms of simple sound quality, the Wingman is outstanding and to the performance levels of many top Bluetooth speakers.
When it came to actual on-course performance, the Wingman was simple to set-up, easy to use and really added to the golf experience. HOW THEY PERFORMED: The first part of any technology testing is the ease of setting up the unit and the Wingman, like other Bushnell products, excelled in this area. Simply downloading the company’s app then pairing the unit to your phone, you are ready to play golf in minutes. The Bluetooth connectivity with your chosen music app is also seamless.
Once on the course, simply play the music of your choice with volume controls that are very reasonable for a product intended to be used in the relative quiet of a golf course, then the Wingman will announce the course you are playing, its distance from your chosen tees and away you go.
The small circular remote goes in your pocket and with the touch of the button distances to the front, centre and back of the green are audibly delivered over the top of your music, or if you are playing with a friend who is not a fan of the combination of golf and music, the distance capabilities can, of course, be used on their own.
The simplicity of simply pressing a button to hear the hole distances on a remote a little bigger than a ball marker is great, and when combined with the magnetic ‘BITE’ technology that easily allows the Wingman to be placed on the arm of a golf cart or buggy, the time to prepare for your shot can be lessened.
Having used Bushnell products with the BITE magnets before I was already a big fan. But having the added enjoyment of my favourite music playing along, distances announced to me as if I had a caddie on board the cart with me, I appreciated it even more.
The combination of the speaker and Bushnell app is also very useful, particularly on a new course. Opening the app on your phone, flyovers of each hole are detailed enough to give you confidence as to what lays ahead. As someone, who has come to really enjoy music on the golf course, this product was perfect and did everything from sound to simplicity of use well. And as a golfer prone to occasionally losing things on the course, the app’s ability to find the remote, which then lets out a beeping noise was a very nice touch. The Bushnell Wingman won’t be for everyone, but for its target market it is an outstanding product, that surprisingly blends sound delivery from two different sources well and will almost guarantee a good day on the course even if you aren’t playing well.
The overall weight of the unit is fairly significant, however, for a speaker, with a built in magnet designed primarily for cart use, this is hardly a major drawback. BUSHNELL SAYS: With a combination of GPS and Bluetooth technologies, Bushnell’s Wingman provides players audible front, centre and back distances, all while listening to the music of their choice through mobile applications. The Wingman GPS Speaker will change the way players take on the course by bringing an entirely new atmosphere to the game. With premium sound quality paired with front, centre, and back distances with customizable settings for game play, the Wingman is the perfect all-in-one accessory for the golf course.
Additionally, the speaker comes standard with Bushnell’s magnetic BITE technology. The BITE magnetic mount allows the speaker to be secured to any golf cart without the need for an aftermarket accessory.
Visit www.championsports.com.au to find out more.