Several years ago, music on the course took the golfing world by storm. With the popularity of the game booming in the pandemic, swaths of new players entered the scene who had no familiarity with old codes and customs of golf, many of which were frankly unnecessary to begin with. Suddenly, the sounds of birds chirping on the course were replaced by songs flowing over the hills and through the woods.

Admittedly, I was not a fan of music on the course in those early years. Growing up learning a game where peace and quiet were considered essential for concentration, music hit me as an unnecessary distraction. In rounds where partners blasted tunes from the cart, after each poor shot I would turn to the speaker and shake my fist at an ill-timed guitar riff that seemingly threw off my swing.

More recently, however, I’ve realized that I play my best golf when I’m more relaxed. After a few rounds of dabbling with it, I started playing music myself in many rounds, and I think I’ve saved strokes thanks to a more relaxed mindset. It’s also been an excellent way to keep a round of golf more enjoyable for beginners like my wife, as we’ve come to cherish laid-back evenings of nine holes in a cart with tunes rolling.

Playing music on my iPhone, however, was a bit clunky and didn’t provide for great sound quality. This year, I’ve jumped into the golf speaker market in a big way with Bushnell’s Wingman View, which was the perfect upgrade for me to take my music on the course to the next level.

Upgrade your music on the course with the Bushnell Wingman View Today!

Base Features

Introduced a few years ago, the Bushnell Wingman combines high quality Bluetooth speaker sound with useful GPS yardage data to provide a comprehensive boost on the course. As Paul Seifert explored in his review of the first-generation Wingman model, the main features of the model include its strong magnet, remote-controlled audible yardage readings and high-quality sound.

I’ve found the yardages to be tremendously useful with the Wingman, particularly on my home course where GPS screens are not installed in the carts. The front-, middle- and back-of-green yardages provide a nice supplement to my rangefinder-based distances to the pin, allowing me not only to choose the correct club but also to plot out a ball flight strategy on approaches. Even in walking rounds, I usually power up my Wingman for the extra yardage data.

The sound quality of the Wingman is best-in-class. Not only will your music come in at stereo-quality, but the audible yardage readings are excellent as well. This feature is easily prompted with the lightweight, magnetic Bite remote control that can attach to a belt or fit easily in your pocket. In cart path only situations, this can be especially useful, as the yardage info is clearly audible from long distances.

The 10-hour battery life of the Wingman ensures the fun can continue all the way through a day-long golf marathon, and reduces the need to charge between every round. A USB port at the base of the model provides for easy charging of the built-in battery.

What’s New with The View

The first thing you’ll notice about the Wingman View is that it now comes in a triangular shape with flat sides, unlike the cylindrical dimensions of the original Wingman. This has allowed for a flat LCD screen that displays yardage (including front-, middle-, and back-of-green yardages) and music info, a significant upgrade over its predecessor which did not visibly display that information.

Like the original Wingman, the music and course info are controlled by pairing the speaker to a smartphone. The recently-updated Bushnell golf app features GPS mappings of nearly every course, and as long as the internet connection is decent one can find and load a specific course in seconds to set up for their round. However, to be safe I recommend loading the course in the app before leaving for your round, in case the internet connection isn’t sufficient on site.

Hazard yardages are also available on the View, with up to 6 audible and viewable hazard distances per hole. Again, this is a great supplement to rangefinder distances and will save you strokes that may have been lost with poor distance judgments. Pro tip – to use the feature, you must hit the Bluetooth button on the front panel of the speaker. It took me an inordinate amount of research to figure this out!

Pricing and Closing Thoughts

At $199, the Wingman View is priced at just $50 over the original Wingman. I think the added features are worth it, especially for those who play many rounds at courses without GPS carts or are simply looking for best-in-class sound quality for their music. The price point makes for a perfect gift for an enthusiast or to sweeten the pot for a loved one you’d like to see take up the game.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my first golf speaker this season, thanks to the strong features and performance of the Wingman View. Every round played in a cart now comes with an extra degree of excitement as I whip it out on the first tee and get my favorite tunes cranking. For anyone that enjoys music in a cart and could use the GPS yardage assistance, the Wingman View may be the perfect golf speaker for you.

Get your Bushnell Wingman View Today!

Last but not least, we’d love to hear your opinion on music on the course in the poll below and in the Comments section!