The Bushnell iON Elite is on the upper end of golf watch’s “budget” category. We’ll rate its performance accordingly.
In terms of features, the Garmin S42, S62, and the Voice Caddie T9 each have more than the Bushnell.
However, for most golfers, the advanced features on these other golf watches aren’t necessary and require a lot of extra input to work optimally. Therefore, for your average golfer, the iON Elite provides more than enough features and data to provide a stellar golf watch experience and improve one’s game.
Most people just want their golf watch to easily and accurately track their shot distances and provide an intuitive method of keeping score. The Bushnell iON Elite is an excellent choice for core features such as these.
In addition, its display is effortless to use and navigate. It indicates the distances to the center, front, and back of the green very clearly.
GPS Map
The GPS Map gives you an overview of your current hole on the course. You can zoom in and out and use the map to get distances from any two points on the hole.
This is where the full-color display truly shines, as each course looks vibrant on the watch’s display, with clear contrasts between the fairway, green, trees, bunkers, and water features.
Then, the screen itself is quite responsive, making it easy to navigate zooming in and out of each hole. The accuracy isn’t perfect, but it does a good job for the price point.
Shot Tracking
Shot tracking is one of the core features of any golf watch. Bushnell’s distance tracking is fairly basic, but it allows you to measure your shot from any spot on the course.
You hit your drive, select ‘measure,’ and then look at the screen when you get to your ball. Viola, your shot distance should appear directly on the screen.
Then, all you have to do is hit the ‘reset’ button on your screen and you are ready for the next one.
If accurate shot tracking is the main feature you are looking for, consider getting a Garmin watch. Garmin golf watches have the option of buying their CT10 shot-tracking system accessory for highly accurate shot-tracking results.
Score Card
Scorekeeping is super easy with the iON Elite’s Score Card feature. After each hole, you can just punch in how many shots it took, and it’ll keep track of your score throughout the course. This data can then be stored indefinitely if you ever want to check on your score again.
You’ll also be allowed to record whether you hit the fairway or missed left or right, which can be useful data to keep over time.
The auto switch from hole to hole works well, making it quite easy to move through the whole course without having to fiddle with the watch more often than necessary.
Current Hole
Current hole is a screen that tells you what the par for the hole is on each course hole. It’s easy to switch between all the different holes on the course to see all the different pars, and once you’re done a hole, you can input your score in the Score Card screen and it will show up here.
When you input your score for each hole, they’ll show up here, plus you can go back to a previous hole on this screen to modify its score.
Green View
The “Green View” allows you to see the green of the hole you’re on and to tap anywhere on it to get an exact distance from your current spot.
The feature works quite well, although not perfectly. Some more expensive watches will show detailed heatmaps and similar advanced features, but the iON Elite does a great job for a basic green overview.
Hazard View
Finally, there is hazard view, which provides you with the distance to each hazard on the hole you’re playing, including all bunkers and water hazards.
It’s a super helpful feature that quickly summarizes this information about each hole. Knowing the exact distance to the different hazards can really change your play, depending on the average distance your different clubs give you.
