Last month THP brought you a preview of the latest ultra-premium watch within Voice Caddie’s catalog, the T9. Over the last few weeks, I have been able to put the Voice Caddie T9 to the test to see just how well this GPS watch pereforms. This device boasts a plethora of outstanding features on paper, but how does it function in real-world situations? Let’s find out.
After acquiring a signal and walking to the first tee, the 1.2″ screen comes to life with various information. Like every GPS watch on the market, we will get the front, center, and back yardages to every green. Here is where the Voice Caddie difference starts to show, as we also get adjusted or slope distances based on elevation changes. All of this is part of Voice Caddie’s V-Algorithm 3.0, which helps calculate these yardage differences. Swipe to the right to see the layout of the hole you are playing, complete with hazards. Looking for yardages to carry a bunker? Just tap on the hazard, and a front and back number is displayed, giving golfers the exact distances they need to avoid a trip to the beach or the drop zone.
A personal touch of the T9 features allows users to input their average driving distance. When in the hole overview mode, a red line demonstrates your average driver landing area. This information is helpful for game-planning for the current hole and valuable on those drives where you don’t quite see the ball land. You can use this to gauge where that ball may have landed.
As we approach the green, the T9 flexes its muscle. Thanks to active green view, the green will rotate on your screen depending on which direction you are approaching. This change in angle helps give more accurate yardages when you are shooting at the green from any direction other than straight on. Voice Caddie T9 also displays green undulation, depicted as a heat map of the green. Each green map has up to 11 different color levels, with blue representing low spots and red being higher ground. When playing an unfamiliar course, this information can be quite beneficial. Voice Caddie has strayed away from a fixed pin location. Golfers can move the pin position on their watch, which will adjust the hole distance and give them a better idea of how the slopes will affect their shot at the flag.
Call me old school, but I usually keep my score in my head or on a scorecard lodged in my back pocket. With the T9, keeping one’s score on the watch is incredibly easy. Shot and putt tracking have been integrated within the T9 so that the watch picks up the motion of you hitting your next shot. On the outer ring of the face is a shot (up to 6) and putt (up to 4) markings. After each recorded swing, a digital marker will find itself under the corresponding number. Once the hole is completed, the face changes to score mode, where users can change their recorded score by altering the penalty shots, regular shots, or putts. After the round, scorecard information can be uploaded to the Voice Caddie app, but more on that later. It is a quick and straightforward process that takes seconds to edit or verify the information. I used this feature much more than I had anticipated during testing.
Along my journey in this game of golf, an uphill battle of mine has always been my quick tempo. I’ve used training aides, metronomes, and other devices to try and dial in a more consistent swing tempo. One of my issues with those gadgets is that while they may work on the range, I can’t take them on the course. With the built-in Tempo Practice mode, I can work to find a better tempo wherever I am, and when I am on the course, I can check on my rhythm after every swing as it displays on the watch.
Another cool feature is how the T9 links up with Voice Caddie’s iOS and Android apps. Within the app, golfers will have the ability to track their scores from previous rounds and critical stats such as their green in regulation percentage and putts per round. There is even a running tally of all the eagles, birdies, and pars you made. If tracking bogies or worse is your thing, you can track that too. This app will even keep tabs on your swing tempo from each tee shot within the round.
Using club data to map a course has surged in popularity. Baked within this app is the ability to see the overlay of shots taken during your rounds. Overall, it gives a general view for those looking back on their previous rounds. Still, I found it to be less robust than other systems as it will miss shots along the way. I consider this kind of a bonus feature, so the fact that it’s even offered here helps Voice Caddie flex their muscle with the T9.
Off the course, the T9 can moonlight as an everyday watch, with some smartwatch capabilities. Users will get a vibration notification when receiving a phone call or text when connected to their phone via Bluetooth. The T9 can track steps, calories burned, and miles traveled as far as fitness features. I’m not one to necessarily use my golf watches as a daily driver, but this one makes it a bit more appealing thanks to the features and style.
Over the last decade, I’ve been a golfer who relies on the yardages obtained from a GPS watch. My watch was pretty basic for most of the time and would give me the bare necessities. Using the T9 and seeing how advanced these devices have become is eye-opening. Except for the on-course tracking, this watch handles everything thrown at it, and I expect that will only improve. The yardages are accurate, switching from hole to the next is speedy, and scorekeeping is easy and efficient. Don’t forget to add that the practice tempo mode could help lead you to more consistency, and you have one incredible device. Overall, the T9 is an easy device to recommend to golfers looking for a feature-rich GPS Watch.
More information on the Voice Caddie T9 Golf GPS Watch is available at www.voicecaddie.com.
The Details
Available: Now
Price: $349.99
Colors: Black or Grey
Fees: Free
Battery Life: Watch Mode – 10 Days, Golf Mode – 27 Holes
