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I still have my same Skycaddie I have had for 2 years now. But my course has them built into carts. I want a UPRO BADLY!!!!
GPS vs Range Finder
MO_Hacker
At the drag strip
BigLeftyinAZ
Well-known member
120 ROUNDS,Wow.Must be nice.I was only able to play 15 times last year and so far 4 rounds. Most I've played in one year in the last 4 has been 54
Harry Longshanks
ILikeBigPutts&ICannotLie
This is off the top of my head, so verify!
Sonocaddie XV2
Sonocaddie Autoplay (all courses pre-loaded)
GolfGuru (all models I think)
Golf Buddy (all models I think)
OnPar
ClairefromClare
Give 'em Helen!
That's just scary, and I'm not so sure it's compliment.
What do I know? My club has LOTS of sprinkler heads.
Harry Longshanks
ILikeBigPutts&ICannotLie
Oh cripes. You don't have a DVR OR GPS?!?!
ClairefromClare
Give 'em Helen!
Harry Longshanks
ILikeBigPutts&ICannotLie
Me and my driver:
Nip-slip from Claire!!!!
ClairefromClare
Give 'em Helen!
Well, if THAT'S all it takes to get you excited...
Harry Longshanks
ILikeBigPutts&ICannotLie
MO_Hacker
At the drag strip
Thanks for the list Harry, I'll check them out.
worst_shot_ever
I leave big divots
I'd love both. But bought a rangefinder for a good price, and can't justify spending a couple hundred to get a GPS also. The rangefinder works well enough for me -- plus I like being able to use it at the range -- and I can usually find a line of sight reference on course that would allow me a rough estimate despite corners or blind spots, at least to a suitable tolerance for my game.
ClairefromClare
Give 'em Helen!
So long as you're keeping your pants up, there's no point in finishing.
Hanks
On the Fringe
Never had either and I'm still looking for a decent app for my iPhone but haven't been able to totally buy into one yet....
calebt17
New member
GPS/Rangefinder Pro's-Con's Rankings
GPS/Rangefinder Pro's-Con's Rankings
I'm thinking I might be in the market for a GPS/Rangefinder.
I have read some of THP's individual reviews on some of the products but I would love to see a comparison chart of some kind.
I've looked around to see some good charts out there but it's really hard to say which one is durable and works well. They all seem to have their flaws.
I'm a mac user, so I was leaning towards to the Skycaddie but the Callaway uPro and the Bushnell V2 look pretty good.
To annual fee or not to fee that is the question. Although, the larger question is which one is reliable and works well. What are most people happy with or wished they would have got?
How would you rank each category, pro's-con's.
Thanks for the feedback.
GPS/Rangefinder Pro's-Con's Rankings
I'm thinking I might be in the market for a GPS/Rangefinder.
I have read some of THP's individual reviews on some of the products but I would love to see a comparison chart of some kind.
I've looked around to see some good charts out there but it's really hard to say which one is durable and works well. They all seem to have their flaws.
I'm a mac user, so I was leaning towards to the Skycaddie but the Callaway uPro and the Bushnell V2 look pretty good.
To annual fee or not to fee that is the question. Although, the larger question is which one is reliable and works well. What are most people happy with or wished they would have got?
How would you rank each category, pro's-con's.
Thanks for the feedback.
Golf Chick
Golf Fashionista
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
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- 8,224
- Reaction score
- 22
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- Southern California
- Handicap
- Decreasing
There are different types of annual fees. If you're just going to local courses (within your state only) then there is a fee for that. If you're doing several states, like you're going to travel, that's another fee, and then there's an international fee if you so choose to go outside the US.
And this is probably why I went with the Golf Buddy. I haven't had much use with it, maybe just used it twice so far. Its pretty accurate and spot on. I'm still learning how to use it so I haven't quite gotten the feel for it and see how it does with bunkers/traps/etc. But there is a really neat thing that you can check your distance that you hit the ball which is pretty neat. And it also keeps score for you. It keeps everything, unless you delete it. So far, I've only used it twice and I have both dates/times and my score for each hole still on my device.
The nice thing about the one that I got is that is already pre-loaded with every single course and there's no annual fee. I can add new courses myself if they aren't listed.
Its super easy, you power it on and it tells you what course you're at and will start doing its thing once you reach the tee box. The very first time it does take a little while to establish your satellite connection, but after that, its pretty quick
When I got mine, it was the exact same price as the Sky Caddie top model (3S/5S? I don't remember which one).
And this is probably why I went with the Golf Buddy. I haven't had much use with it, maybe just used it twice so far. Its pretty accurate and spot on. I'm still learning how to use it so I haven't quite gotten the feel for it and see how it does with bunkers/traps/etc. But there is a really neat thing that you can check your distance that you hit the ball which is pretty neat. And it also keeps score for you. It keeps everything, unless you delete it. So far, I've only used it twice and I have both dates/times and my score for each hole still on my device.
The nice thing about the one that I got is that is already pre-loaded with every single course and there's no annual fee. I can add new courses myself if they aren't listed.
Its super easy, you power it on and it tells you what course you're at and will start doing its thing once you reach the tee box. The very first time it does take a little while to establish your satellite connection, but after that, its pretty quick
When I got mine, it was the exact same price as the Sky Caddie top model (3S/5S? I don't remember which one).
calebt17
New member
Most of the time I'll be staying in state (local stuff), there are the once or twice a year visits out of state that I may be playing elsewhere. I don't have to worry about playing outside of the U.S. not leaving the country anytime soon.
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I have been a Skycaddie user for 5 years and enjoyed mine. However after being able to review and try a dozen other units, I cannot wait to go to another one. A couple of reasons for the want to change. Skycaddie does a couple of things really well, they have a ton of courses, and their accuracy is good. However the accuracy of most of the other stand alone units are just as good now. Skycaddie lacks many of the features as the others and while you may or may not want them, if the price is the same, why not have them. You never know. If everything else works as well, the features are a bonus. Then there is the fact that they came out with new features and charged me $20 for the option of having features that everybody else already seems to have. Not right.
My favorite unit right now is the Bushnell XGC Pro. it does everything I want, has so many great features, and does them all well. It has a yearly subscription, but with what the little guy offers, it does not bother me. News, Reviews, and other features are just a bonus on a device that has awesome accuracy, small footprint, color screen, great battery life, and so much more.
The Hackers Paradise Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC Review
The Callaway UPRO is a strong little device. What it does have is loads of features. In basic mode (that does everything my skycaddie does) it is completely free to use. For advanced mode you get a ton more like cursor movement for distances, flyovers, etc...This would be near the top, but when Callaway took over they changed the pricing structure quite a bit to what was in place and now the advanced features are a little too pricey for me. Still a great device, but just at a different level.
The Hackers Paradise UPRO GPS Review
OnPar makes a great device. Once you purchase the unit, there is no annual fee at all. It does not work all that well with macs. Some have reported buggy units, but we tried 3 of them and not one gave us any trouble at all. The library is very small right now, but growing quickly. This is one to keep an eye on.
The Hackers Paradise OnPar GPS Review
Garmin G5 is currently under review. the device also does not have a yearly fee and seems to work quite well. Touch screen is very responsive, but we are struggling with a few things with it. Hazzard mapping is all over the place. It is missing quite a bit. Pin point measurements are tough and the zoom is a little clunky to use. The overall unit is thick and heavy compared to what we are used to as well. However with Garmin you will assume they get it right because we just love their GPS systems overall. we are not finished with this one yet.
We have also reviewed quite a few options that are less expensive if someone is just looking for front middle and back of the green. The Izzo Swami and the cheaper Bushnell unit have both been reviewed on the main page and both work as advertised.
I hope this helps, and again these are just my opinions and those of the people that assist us in the testing. For the $35 or so dollars that Bushnell charges for national courses (going off memory) it is my favorite right now. I cannot wait to get rid of my skycaddie.
My favorite unit right now is the Bushnell XGC Pro. it does everything I want, has so many great features, and does them all well. It has a yearly subscription, but with what the little guy offers, it does not bother me. News, Reviews, and other features are just a bonus on a device that has awesome accuracy, small footprint, color screen, great battery life, and so much more.
The Hackers Paradise Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC Review
The Callaway UPRO is a strong little device. What it does have is loads of features. In basic mode (that does everything my skycaddie does) it is completely free to use. For advanced mode you get a ton more like cursor movement for distances, flyovers, etc...This would be near the top, but when Callaway took over they changed the pricing structure quite a bit to what was in place and now the advanced features are a little too pricey for me. Still a great device, but just at a different level.
The Hackers Paradise UPRO GPS Review
OnPar makes a great device. Once you purchase the unit, there is no annual fee at all. It does not work all that well with macs. Some have reported buggy units, but we tried 3 of them and not one gave us any trouble at all. The library is very small right now, but growing quickly. This is one to keep an eye on.
The Hackers Paradise OnPar GPS Review
Garmin G5 is currently under review. the device also does not have a yearly fee and seems to work quite well. Touch screen is very responsive, but we are struggling with a few things with it. Hazzard mapping is all over the place. It is missing quite a bit. Pin point measurements are tough and the zoom is a little clunky to use. The overall unit is thick and heavy compared to what we are used to as well. However with Garmin you will assume they get it right because we just love their GPS systems overall. we are not finished with this one yet.
We have also reviewed quite a few options that are less expensive if someone is just looking for front middle and back of the green. The Izzo Swami and the cheaper Bushnell unit have both been reviewed on the main page and both work as advertised.
I hope this helps, and again these are just my opinions and those of the people that assist us in the testing. For the $35 or so dollars that Bushnell charges for national courses (going off memory) it is my favorite right now. I cannot wait to get rid of my skycaddie.
Golf Chick
Golf Fashionista
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JB, do you have a review of the Golf Buddy?
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- #71
No we do not. The company did not send us one to try out.
Golf Chick
Golf Fashionista
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
- Messages
- 8,224
- Reaction score
- 22
- Location
- Southern California
- Handicap
- Decreasing
provisional
Could Care Less
JB, from a marketing stand point, once the GPS market gets saturated, and sales of units drop, would you anticipate that some of these units with no annual fees might have to starting charging some fees just to stay in business?
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- #74
It depends on their business model. I do not think OnPar will for example. They are a hardware company looking to make money on their device. The market is there for both models I believe.
Fourputt
Head Rules Official
I could send you mind to try out and figure out for me
There's an instant downside. Are they going overboard in adding features to the point of overcomplicating things? I personally don't want a toy to try and tell me what club to use, I don't want a video flyover, I don't want it to keep score. All I want is good distance numbers to the objects and points on the course which are pertinent to MY game.
For this reason, my main rangefinding tool is a Bushnell Tour V2 laser rangefinder. I also own and use a GolfLogix GPS-8, but it is only in limited use any more. It was fun to play with when I first got it, but the more I used it, the more I found that it had limitations that made it less useful than the laser. If I could only have one it would definitely be the laser.
Here's my reasoning:
GPS
1) Good for quick reference to fixed points on the course. Also good for measuring shot lengths.
2) Lots of cool features that you may or may not want or use, and which may lead to even slower play due to playing with the toy instead of playing golf.
3) Accuracy depends on several factors. Can vary from +/- 3 yards to +/- 5 yards or worse if the view of some of the satellites is obscured. Can go very erratic if the battery is low. And sometimes they will simply lose the signal altogether for a period (I've seen my buddy's lose the signal for 3 holes while at the same time mine was working perfectly????) :confused2:
4) What exactly are those programmed points? If a stream crosses the fairway at an angle, and the GPS says it's 180 yards to the water... where exactly is the point that the unit is reading from? Is the nearest point 180? Or the farthest? Or is it the center? And if you figure that out, then how far is it to the nearest or farthest point?
These are the negatives that I've had issue with either with my GPS or with guys I've played with who have the fancier models.
Laser (with a Pinseeker feature)
1) You can measure accurately to anything you can see.... anything... tree, bush, mound, bunker lip, stream bank, driving range markers. You aren't limited to what the programmer thought was important.
2) Accuracy... to within +/- 1 yard to whatever you sight on.
3) No fees, no internet connection needed... it's always ready to go.
4) For me, one battery lasts an entire season.
5) The only real downside I've found to a laser is that you can't get a reading if you can't see the target, but that has almost never been a problem. I can usually still shoot something nearby, or take foreground and background sighting to get a safe layup distance, etc.
For most rounds I use both of my units. The GPS is used mostly for determining layup distances to specific wedge yardages on longer holes, or for green distances when I've got trees or something obscuring the direct view to the flagstick. The laser is used for everything else.