Japanese golfers will have the opportunity later this month to take high technology to the course and replace their caddies with a Global Positioning System (GPS) service.

PAR72PLAZA, which operates a website to reserve golf courses around the nation, plans to introduce a portable device and offer access to nearly 500 courses, or more than a fifth of the country's greens, a company spokesman said Monday.

Golfers will be able to download maps of courses and measure the distances from their tees to the green using the satellite-based system.

The service was launched because of an increasing number of golfers who are reluctant to pay for caddies, the spokesman said, adding that PAR72PLAZA also plans to soon offer service downloads for mobile phones.

The advance was made possible after golfing regulations that once banned the use of artificial devices to help players' performance were changed to allow GPS devices.