For as long as there has been golf, the sounds of the sport have played a key role in its enjoyment. Birds chirping, the distinct ‘thwack’ of club-on-ball, or the early-morning chorus of lawns being mowed and bunkers being raked make golfers’ ears perk up upon arrival at any course across Canada.

But lately a new sound has been added to the mix – the sound of music.

No matter if you’re playing a local municipal layout with family or on a private club with a few friends, it’s more likely than not some group will have a speaker playing some tunes.

Thanks in large part to the technological advances in cell phone technology, the ease of streaming music services like Spotify or Apple Music (giving you thousands of songs to choose from at your finger tips), and of course, the portability of Bluetooth speakers – for better or for worse you’re probably hearing more music on the golf course than ever before.

Given this unavoidable trend it’s important to keep in mind some key rules when deciding on music for the course – keep the volume at an OK level (lower the better) and be sure to ask around on what everyone would like to hear are good starting points – but when you’re looking for a great speaker for the course, Bushnell is leading the way with its Wingman unit.

The first of its kind product combines high-quality audio with the ability to receive GPS distances as well. It also connects to a cart via BITE magnetic technology. You can connect your music source to Wingman, and to the Bushnell Golf App in order to receive distances as well. It’s the idyllic 1-2 punch for both tunes and tracking.

“Our goal at Bushnell is to be the technology leader in golf and we need to spread outside lasers and GPS products,” John DeCastro Global Product Lane Director for Bushnell Golf, told Golf Channel. “We’ve been looking for a few years out there and we’ve seen an increasing number of golfers with speakers in their bags and we thought long and hard about it.”

It’s easy to use. All you have to do is push the button on the detachable remote to get audible front, centre, and back distances from more than 36,000 courses around the world. As a fun addition, you can also program the Wingman with one of three extra sounds including a golf clap, a crowd cheer, or even a custom message for your group.

The rechargeable battery in the Wingman is long lasting and can provide up to 10 hours of charge – that means just because your body might be tiring into that second round of the day, your GPS unit (and your music) won’t be powering down until the day is done.

Another cool feature is that the Wingman actually includes a built-in USB port, meaning it can charge other devices as well. Weighing in at just over a pound, the Wingman is a super easy addition to your golf bag.

So while you may not all agree with your playing partners on their favourite kind of music, one thing you can most certainly agree with is that the Bushnell Wingman is a great new product. It’s modern and sleek, but as all the necessary features of a traditional GPS unit, too.