50 Words or Less
The Bushnell ION ELITE GPS golf watch offers slope-compensated distances as well as a stable of other rich features. Color touchscreen is a delight – crisp display and easy navigation.
Introduction
With one glance at their website I was reminded why Bushnell is such a recognized name in golf accessories. Not only do they offer some of the most advanced laser rangefinders like the Pro X3 [full review HERE], and an array of GPS devices, Bushnell even has a launch monitor – the Launch Pro [full review HERE].
Returning my focus to the reason for my visit to the website, researching the Bushnell ION ELITE golf GPS watch, I was impressed with what I saw. And when I got my hands on the actual watch, I was excited to put it through a rigorous test.
Setup & Ease of Use
The slim ION ELITE box was indicative of the simplicity of the watch. In addition to the actual watch, inside the box were a magnetic USB charging cable and a Quick Start Guide. I’m certain the magnetic charging connection isn’t new, but it was something I hadn’t encountered before. I found it genius. The Quick Start Guide was thick, but turned out to only be 4 pages of English. I don’t recall even referencing it before jumping right in.
After holding the only side button down to turn the unit on, I encountered the time screen, with graphic hands as well as digital numbers. Swiping right on the color touchscreen brought me to the initial golf screen with a choice between settings, scorecard list, and “play golf”. A list of the closest golf courses automatically populated from a pre-loaded database of more than 38,000 courses. It took about 2 minutes the first time, but in subsequent engagements the list populated within moments.
The ION ELITE touchscreen face was incredibly intuitive. The front, middle, and back yardages are primary in your view. Around the perimeter of the face, starting at the top right 2 o’clock position, are icons for GreenView, score, current hole number, HazardView, and HoleView. Moving between any of the functions is as simple as tapping the touchscreen or pushing the side button to go back.
The settings mode of the ION ELITE lets you set up things like brightness, language, and units. You can also customize display options such as yardage rings that enhance the HoleView experience. One other key settings option is having slope compensation on or off.
Accuracy & Performance
The HoleView I captured above is a wonderful example of the power of the ION ELITE. The hole has two major hazards to contend with, as well as numerous bunkers on both sides of the fairway. The red, white, and gold lines are stock distances I set: 150, 200, and 225 yards respectively. I was manipulating the white circle in the middle on the touchscreen to check on carry and remaining yardages.
In this photo, I’ve zoomed in to evaluate the carry distance for the hazard off the tee. Shot planning is an amazing feature.
Engaging the HazardView brings up a list of the hole’s most significant hazards. This was when I realized I’d need to consult the hazard glossary which I found in the User’s Manual that I downloaded from the Bushnell website. Some of the abbreviations are obvious as you look down the hole (166 RBnk = 166 to right bunker). However, you’re going to want to familiarize yourself with the glossary to maximize the data.
With Bushnell’s stellar reputation, I wasn’t surprised to find the GPS generated distances in agreement with my laser rangefinder. Having the three data points on approach shots made for smart club selection – something I’ve been working on improving. And having the values accurate on the actual line from where I was playing was also valuable. The GreenView I captured above helped me process the chip shot I had left after missing the green way right.
The ION ELITE not only allows you to enter your score each hole, but also to track fairways hit and number of putts. Want to know how far you hit your drive? There’s a mode for that. You can also pair your ION ELITE with the Bushnell Golf App.
Prefer a handheld GPS? Check out the Bushnell Phantom 3 HERE
Value
The Bushnell ION ELITE retails for $199.99, which I find an attractive price [support PluggedInGolf by buying it from our sponsor PlayBetter HERE]. It’s especially good when you consider slope compensation is included. I’m amazed at the technology that can be assembled in a device that straps to your wrist at an affordable, though not inexpensive, price.
Conclusion
The color touchscreen of the Bushnell ION ELITE GPS watch clearly displays critical information in an easy to use fashion. Slope compensation is a standout feature of this feature-rich watch. I really enjoy the ease of charging via the magnetic connection after every couple of rounds. If you’re looking to purchase a golf GPS watch, the Bushnell ION ELITE should definitely be on your short list.
Buy the ION ELITE GPS Watch HERE
Visit Bushnell Golf HERE
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10 Comments
I had this watch for about 6 weeks. So close to being great and might be great for some. My main issues were 1) my home course has 3 9’s and it was very difficult to select the course combination i was playing. You have to wait for each line to scroll through each one. Very time consuming. 2) kept losing gps in a certain spot and had to keep restarting/rentering my scores. Bushnell support said they were working on it but it was taking too long. On the positive side, slope, screen, navigation were all fantastic. I ultimately traded it in for an S62. I would try this watch before the S62 and see if it works for you. If you don’t have the issues i did and don’t care about other fitness features, etc that Garmin offers I’d buy this all day long. It is a fantastic value at less than half of Garmin s62 cost.
Thanks Matt, Good information.
Sounds really good Matt . Nice review again.
The elite ion watch does NOT score Stableford games, why not?????
Not user friendly to install
Every time I would type in the 6digit code to pair the watch to my phone the message would be- device disconnected try again
Bought the watch after reading the reviews. It lasted 4 rounds before dying. On inspection was found to have a crack on the rear case running from the charging area to the edge. I live in Spain so think sweat has entered to watch and killed it!!
I was given a replacement which lasted nearly 5 rounds before crashing. It also cracked. Think there is a fault. Not going to accept another one.
Charging plug on my Ion Elite golf watch won’t easily stay connected for charging. Out of the box, magnetic plug won’t stay in place without cautiously positioning plug.
I now had this watch for about three months, and what bothers me is the very poor connectivity on blue tooth, it keeps on disconnecting and wil not immediately connect again. Overview of the golf courses are very clear and good besides the fact that not all the courses in de Netherlands are known to Bushnell. Which happens to be one of the courses I play a lot.
Overall 6/10
No way to set the specific tee you play from, so stats, simply as they are, are not accurate. Really, really annoying as a woman golfer. Apart from that it is a great watch and I’ve tried most of them.
I absolutely love the look, style and displays of this golf watch. Unfortunately, this watch failed to work after 3 months of use. Bushnell Support provided a replacement watch five times, all of which failed working within two weeks of receipt (that is correct a total of six of these watches failed working.) I patiently worked with Bushnell Support in hopes they could solve this problem because I liked this watch so much (for the short times the watch(es) actually worked properly).
While Bushnell’s Support Department did their best, it is clear that Bushnell has serious quality problems with this product. BUYER BEWARE!