When using the Approach G5 golf GPS handheld, people rave about the touchscreen’s ease of use and appreciate the thousands of preloaded courses, meaning they can just turn it on and go play – no fees or subscriptions. But beyond the 10,000+ courses is something harder to quantify: Added confidence in your game. This note from T.J. in Florida explains:

“I have been a proud owner of your Garmin Approach G5 for about month now. I have golfed 8 rounds since the purchase and couldn’t be happier with your product. Knowing a correct and accurate yardage has given me the ability to grab the right club and swing away with some added confidence.

Today, that extra bit of confidence helped me make my first hole-in-one! It was the 3rd hole at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, FL . Hole #3 is a slightly elevated, 170 yard par 3. I adjusted the pin location on the GPS to accurately reflect the actual pin (by the way I love this feature). My adjustment showed 163 to the pin. I grabbed my 8 iron, gave it a swing and after 2 hops and some roll, I had my first ace!

I wanted to write this email to let the staff at Garmin know that you are doing a great job with your products. I’m a Garmin customer for life and I truly believe that your Approach G5 has given me that extra bit of confidence to help me get better at the game of golf. I look forward to a lifetime of rounds with Garmin Golf products by my side.”

We couldn’t be happier for T.J., and he wasn’t the only one to reach out to us recently. When self-described “Ok golfer, decent cyclist” Mark P. asked if Approach is Mac-compatible, he was thrilled with not only our answer (yes, Approach is Mac-friendly) but how quickly we replied. “I have used the “contact us” on numerous websites and have NEVER received a response from any of them. I never expected a response from Garmin much less in so short a time.
This could be the thing that tips the scale on this purchase. (plus Garmin sponsors a pro bicycle team! And my wife loves her Garmin that she uses for tracking her running).”

Glad to help, Mark, and good luck with your winter workouts. And be sure to visit Garmin’s learning center to learn more about how to get the most out of your Approach G5, Edge cycling GPS and Forerunner running watch through online tutorials.

There are only four weeks left until Christmas and if you haven’t begun your shopping yet, it’s time to start. Don’t panic. We’re here to help. Every Wednesday between now and December 25, we’ll give you a few ideas for those you love who need a sense of direction — pilots, boaters, runners, cyclists, golfers, hikers, drivers, geocachers, cell phone users, and hunters, just to name a few. This week we’re focusing on those who love to be on the water.

If you’re looking for the ultimate gift to outfit the helm, give the gift of touchscreen and put put a GPSMAP 5215 under the tree. Any boater would love the true “big picture” navigation offered on the huge 15″ screen of this network plotter. This touchscreen MFD is sleek, super-bright and easy to use – the perfect gift for the boater who wants functionality at their fingertips. If space at the helm is an issue, the new GPSMAP 546 is a compact chartplotter, that packs a lot of punch.    

If the boater in your life already has a full electronics suite at the helm, we recommend the GPSMAP 640- a full-featured marine chartplotter and an on-the-road navigator that comes ready to go with preloaded BlueChart g2 data and City Navigator NT road maps for North America. This amphibian navigator is powerful and portable, and with 5.2-inch touchscreen display, your boater will always know the way whether they’re on land or at sea.

If it’s stocking stuffers you’re after, give your boater the gift of planning with our latest marine trip-planning software – HomePort. This PC application lets boaters plan and organize routes from the convenience of their computer and gives them the ability to view map details such as underwater hazards and hidden obstacles – a gift that even the most experienced navigator will appreciate!

For more information about Garmin’s marine product line, check out the Garmin Marine minisite, or you can always visit our Chicago Store, or marine dealer for closer look.

This years’ Thanksgiving feast at Garmin is going to include a few extra items around the dinning room table. My thoughts are wondering as I can smell the Apple pie, Apple cinnamon cake, caramelized fried Apples, Apple bread pudding, and of course hot Apple cider with a cinnamon stirring stick.  The reason for the extra dishes this year is because Garmin invited a special guest that is worth celebrating.  Mac compatibility has come to flyGarmin, Garmin’s aviation website.  This is a homecoming that many people have been asking about and several of Garmin’s current aviation units are on the guest list.  The list is below and only requires the installation of the Mac version of the Communicator Plug-in to work.  This is one Thanksgiving for the photo albums.

This is the current list of products but there will be more to join the party in the months to come:

• G1000
• Perspective by Garmin
• G300
• G3X
• G500
• G600
• G900X
• G950
• GMX 200
• aera 500
• aera 510
• aera 550
• aera 560
• GPSMAP 496

It’s free, it’s easy and it lets you get even more out of your Garmin handheld. Custom Maps, a free, simple process compatible with Mac and PC, can transform the maps you currently have – in paper or digital form – into downloadable maps for your Oregon, Dakota or Colorado handheld.

“Free Custom Maps can be used by anyone wanting to bring their favorite locations to life,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Potential users include new students on college campuses, experienced hunters on game areas, and the millions of visitors to zoos, amusement parks and botanical gardens.”

Through a few easy steps, Garmin’s Custom Maps can bring the details, labels and landmarks on a user’s existing paper or electronic map to a compatible Garmin handheld.

This free service complements the myriad of mapping products already offered for Garmin devices, including City Navigator NT for turn-by-turn directions on city streets, Blue Chart g2, for marine charting, and TOPO U.S. 24K and 100K map software for incredible terrain detail (each sold separately).

Before you begin converting your existing maps to Custom Maps, be sure to install the latest software for your Oregon, Dakota or Colorado. Connect your outdoor handheld via USB and visit http://my.garmin.com for the fast and free software update. Once software has been updated, the simple steps can begin.

The first step to creating Custom Maps is to save your existing map in JPG format, either by scanning a paper map or converting a digital file. The second step is to georeference your new map image, which can be done easily by using Google Earth to line up key landmarks with those depicted on the map. The final step is to save your Custom Maps to your Garmin device and you’re ready to go explore. To see these steps in further detail, to find and share maps with other users and to join discussions about Garmin Custom Maps, visit www.garmin.com/CustomMaps. Custom Maps should only be created from maps that are in the public domain, for which you hold the copyright, or that you have permission to use from the copyright holder. The original map’s accuracy in scale and illustration is also an important factor in creating quality Custom Maps.

The power of Custom Maps is exemplified through paper and digital maps labeled for specific events and purposes, such as a college graduation invitation that lists campus building names and locations; a roadmap of a parade, marathon, 5K or bike race; a pamphlet for a nearby park that lists trailheads; or a historic illustration of an area as it once stood, allowing you to bridge generations through existing locations and imagination. Give it a try today!

As a fan of the movies “Rounders” and “Fight Club,” I was obviously thrilled with Garmin’s decision to support the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust and its Maasai Marathon team, a group of 30 runners led by conservationist/Oscar nominee Edward Norton and three Maasai warriors, who ran the ING New York City Marathon. As a Garmin employee, I was excited to be a part of such a great global effort by helping the MWCT promote conservation, education and health services within the Maasai community. And as a runner, I was jealous that I wouldn’t be running with Edward through the five boroughs of New York, where last year I loved my 26.2-mile tour. Fortunately, there’s Garmin Connect to help me (and everyone around the world) feel like I was there with Edward and his Maasai friends.

“What a day. Went great. Did 3:48. Hoped for 3:30 but this course was tough! 14-19 was toughest. 2nd wind, sailed from 20 to end. great fun,” Edward wrote on Twitter just hours after the race. Even though I was back home, I was able to relive that tough course and my own second wind thanks to his updates at twitter.com/edwardnorton, where he continues to raise funds and awareness for the Maasai through giveaways and experiences that you can’t buy (a few lucky winners met Edward at his post-race party). “Sponsor Dave $34 in the next 14 hrs for a chance to win 2 Garmin watches. Pink and Blue. I’m running in my Garmin,” he wrote before the race. And everyone who visits www.maasaimarathon.com sees the link to Edward’s Garmin Connect account, where you can find his training runs with Garmin’s Forerunner 405CX and the details for his NYC Marathon. “Just posted my marathon run on Garmin Connect,” Edward wrote (yes, he does his own tweeting), “Very cool app. All details mile by mile w/moving Google Map track.” Very cool, indeed. So whether you’re a fan, a runner or someone who wants to help a great cause, check out www.maasaimarathon.com and give us a shout on Twitter at @EdwardNorton and @JakesJournal.