Callaway uPro MX Launch Debacle

We’ll never really know how much the premature launch of the Callaway uPro MX will cost Callaway financially, but we can imagine how disappointed some of the product’s designers are. The uPro MX was one of the most anticipated GPS golf rangefinders ever announced, because it offers more features for a lot less money than any of its competition.

The Callaway uPro MX is slim, sleek, lightweight and has a multi-gesture touch screen. It comes with three different modes, Basic, Go and Pro Mode. Basic and Go Modes are ready to go right out of the box with no fees. Registration and downloads are only required for Pro Mode, which comes with complete detailed hole views and more. There are two options for purchasing Pro Mode golf courses and both options are one-time payments, NOT annual subscriptions like many other GPS rangefinders. You can purchase unlimited Pro Mode courses for $60 or 25 courses for $30. Considering the uPro MX cost about $100 less than its nearest competitor at the time of this writing, that makes this GPS device really attractive. Of course the uPro MX also has shot measuring, stat tracking and a scorecard and appears to be easy to navigate.

So what happened when the product was launched? Well first it was delayed about ten days, but maybe that only heightened the anticipation. Next, it shipped to excited customers who opened the box and followed instructions for registering on the Callaway uPro MX website, where they would also be able to download Pro Mode courses. This is where it gets ugly… the website didn’t work. Many users incorrectly thought that it deemed the product completely useless, while others, who expected to be showing it off at the golf course, didn’t have anything terribly exciting to show without Pro Mode. All were surely frustrated and many showed how they felt in online product reviews.

Callaway responded fairly quickly, explaining that there were technical difficulties transferring data from their existing database of uPro users to the new system. They also offered anyone who registers a uPro MX within two weeks of the site going live, five free Pro Mode golf. Customers who buy the Unlimited package will get no benefit from that, but maybe Callaway expects most users to buy the 25 course bundle.

Back to the designers of the Callaway uPro MX… yes, someone on the team missed something big and it’s likely going to cost Callaway a lot of money. Even though the major technical problems will hopefully be over soon, most of those one (1) star ratings will stay around as long as the uPro MX. Even if most reviews in the future are positive, the average will still be brought down by the flood of reviews from the early adopters. Yes, there is probably much disappointment within the Callaway design team, but they have still set a new standard for GPS golf rangefinders. In the end, the consumer will benefit and maybe (just maybe) Callaway will sell enough of these units to dilute those bad reviews.