The Golf Rangefinder Shop

As a former caddy on the LPGA and Duramed FUTURES Tour, it’s a bit of a thorn in my side that a good golf rangefinder levels the playing field even for the pros. This is especially true on the mini tour level as there are no tour quality yardage books available for sale at each venue. I used to know that my player and I would have an advantage on at least part of the field because we would do our prep work better. There were days when we would be out in the pouring rain getting every yardage we would need and planning our strategy. Only a handful of other players and caddies would be around. Today, it’s pretty easy to get the job done and it doesn’t take nearly as long to do.  In fact, in some tournaments it’s even legal to use the rangefinder during competition.  There are still differences in preparation between the very best and the rest, but it has changed enough to make a difference.

For my own game though, I have to say that I love using my laser golf rangefinder since I definitely don’t do any prep work before my Saturday game. This week I’m even looking to download the GolfLogix iPhone App to see if that’s even more fun. There’s no rule against using both is there?!

Cheers,

Veej

Comments Off Posted by Golf Rangefinder / SkyCaddie

Our SkyGolf Skycaddie SGX Review of Reviews takes into consideration the pros and cons most mentioned by users in reviews all over the Internet. We do the research and pull it together in summary to make your decision a little easier. We also calculate our own GRS Score based on user ratings from a variety of websites, to help you compare devices.

Although the SkyCaddie SGX GRS rating is fairly low, what we noticed is that most users who were actually putting this device to the test ON the golf course, were loving it. The lower ratings were coming from those whose out of the box experience was so bad that they never even got it to the golf course.  SkyCaddie has fixed many of the initial problems, but some customers are still having issues. However if you are willing to take a little risk and possibly invest some time getting it set-up, the SGX may be the golf rangefinder of your dreams. If you’re looking for a safer bet, definitely take a look at our GRS Scores and review summaries for golf GPS devices.

SkyCaddie SGX GRS Score: 6.95 out of 10 (57 reviews)

Most Mentioned Pros:

• Large clear screen
• Easy to read in sunlight and shade
• Acquires distances quickly
• Accuracy
• Good battery life
• Scoring and Stats capability
• SGClub – uploading scoring and stats
• User friendly and easy to navigate
• Mac and PC compatible (see problems under Most Mentioned Cons below)
• HoleVue (when available) giving you the ability to get distance to any point on a hole
• Size
• Stores 50 full-featured courses. Basic information for 30,000 courses is preloaded (requires membership after 30 days)

Most Mentioned Cons:

• Registration and syncing problems with Windows 7
• Bugs that weren’t worked out before release
• Hardware problems (SkyCaddie did replace the units)
• Wait times for customer service (likely has improved since the initial release)
• HoleVue not available on all courses (SkyCaddie claims to be adding hundreds of courses each month). Make sure it’s available on your favorite courses before you buy.
• Learning curve for using advanced features
• A few users felt that some of the numbers were a little small (ex. shot measuring feature)
• Membership fee
• Buttons and joystick a little difficult for some users

Features of the Skycaddie SGX:

• 3 inch display with impressive readability
• Lithium-ion rechargeable battery that lasts up to 14 hours of continuous use
• Intuitive and easier to use, even with a glove on
• TruePoint Precision Positioning Technology – super accurate and fast
• Offers up to 30,000 pre-loaded, making it “Ready to Play” out of the box with basic green information
• Ground-verified course maps… SkyCaddie® mappers walk every single course
• Interactive HoleVue™ with Zoom capability – HoleVue gives access to finding a distance to any point on a hole. Hundreds of courses are being added to HoleVue every month.
• SkyCaddie®’s patented IntelliGreen® technology that displays the exact shape of the green and automatically rotates the green to match a golfer’s angle of approach
• Golfers will be able to use the SGX to learn how far they hit each club almost automatically when SmartClub Technology is launched early this summer.
• Digital Scorecard and Stat Tracking tracks key game statistics, including: greens in regulation, fairways hit, driving accuracy and distance, and total putts

Tags: golf rangefinder, SkyCaddie SGX Review, SkyCaddie SGX Reviews

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Summary of Garmin Approach G5 Reviews takes a look at the pros and cons that we have observed from user reviws on a variety of other websites. We also put together our own GRS Score based on the customer star ratings from multiple sites.

Garmin Approach G5 GRS Score: 8.28 out of 10 (143 reviews)

Overall, we were struck by the number of reviewers who were extremely enthusiastic about all aspects of this device.

Most Mentioned Pros:

• No membership or course fees
• Easy to use
• Durable
• Accurate
• Good selection of targets
• Battery life (when using rechargeable batteries)
• Huge database of courses
• Lists nearby courses and has the phone number for courses in the database
• Easy to read
• Nice Touchscreen
• Displays yardages quickly
• Scorecard feature
• Waterproof

Most Mentioned Cons:

• Not enough detailed info on screen – hazards are displayed, but no detailed information about trees
• Tough in bright sunlight (2 Notes: 1) Users who cited this as a problem did not say what type of batteries they were using. One user indicated that with alkaline batteries, the screen was not as bright as with rechargeable. 2) Other users noted that if you held unit directly at sun, it was easier to see.)
• Bulky
• Not enough courses – Although Garmin has a very large database of golf courses and adds to it at least quarterly, before making this purchase, you will want to check to see if the courses you play regularly are on their list.

There were a few users who wished for larger numbers, particularly on the distances to hazards. However, since most said it was easy to read, we did not want to specifically list this as a Con. This is a pretty large display when it comes to these types of portable units and unfortunately, there is only so much room for information. We’ve included this video, so you can see for yourself.

Comments Off Posted by Golf Rangefinder / SkyCaddie

• Leupold & Stevens, Inc. Files Suit to Defend TBR® Patent – PR Web
  February 19, 2010

  Leupold, the maker of several popular golf rangefinders, has sued Bushnell, the company that has dominated this market, for a patent infringement. The suit relates to Leupold’s True Ballistic Range® technology (TBR®) and alleges that Bushnell’s sales of range-finders incorporating Angle Range Compensation™ (ARC™) infringes upon a Leupold patent. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

• USPTO Affirms Invalidity of Claims in ‘093 Patent Case – The Open Press
  February 24, 2010

  Speaking of Patent infringement cases… this is really a wierd one that sounds like it turned out the right way. A victory for iGolf I guess.

Tags: Bushnell, golf rangefinder, Golf Rangefinder News, leupold

Comments Off Posted by Golf Rangefinder / Golf Rangefinders

Our Callaway uPro Review of Reviews is a summary or pros and cons that we’ve noticed from users on a variety of websites. We have also compiled user ratings from multiple sites to come up with our GRS Score.

Golf Buddy Tour GRS Score: 7.61 out of 10 (159 reviews)

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Most Mentioned Pros:

• 

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  Accurate

• Easy to Read
• Aerial hole view (in Pro mode)
• No membership fee (Courses are free in Basic Mode and you pay for each course you download in Pro Mode)
• Compact size
• Pro Mode shows distance to layup and distance to carry
• Customizable

Most Mentioned Cons:

• A little slow starting up
• Battery life could be longer
• Difficult installation for Mac users
• Course availability
• No stat/score tracking

Tags: Callaway GPS, Callaway uPro Review

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Golf Buddy Tour GRS Score: 7.28 out of 10 (214 reviews)

CHECK THE PRICE

Most Mentioned Pros:

• No Annual membership fees
• Courses are preloaded
• Easy to use
• Accurate – this will also appear in the Cons list, but we noted more mentions of good accuracy than bad
• Good battery life & ability to use alkaline
• Shot measurement
• Score tracking
• Good graphics / easy to see
• Ability to add targets

Most Mentioned Cons:

• Slow to locate course
• Slow to settle on yardage
• Inaccurate – Although we noted more mentions of good accuracy with this unit, a number of users felt the accuracy was a major problem
• User manual did not include information about several listed features
• Customer service availability - several users had problems either reaching customer service or getting issues resolved. However, we also noted a few good experiences with customer service.

Tags: Golf Buddy reviews, Golf Buddy Tour, Golf Buddy Tour Reviews

Comments Off Posted by Golf Rangefinder / Golf Buddy

Click Image to Try GolfLogix iPhone App Free!

I’ve noticed a lot of advertising lately for the Garmin GolfLogix iPhone App. Most of the time when you’re shopping for apps, the price is so low, that you don’t worry too much about making a mistake. Although the $40 price tag (that’s annually)  for the GolfLogix iPhone app is steep compared to other apps, it’s very inexpensive when you compare it the GolfLogix GPS handheld unit, the SkyCaddie or any other golf GPS device. Fortunately, this GolfLogix iPhone app allows you to try it out before you buy it. We wish it would give you a week instead of 24 hours. For most people that’s only one round of golf at one golf course. To fully try it out, I would want to see how it performed on several courses.

A look at the review ratings in iTunes is a little concerning, since thousands have rated it and it only gets 3 stars. I do use 3 star apps that I love, so that isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, but as I mentioned earlier, most of those apps don’t carry much of a price tag. On top of that, I keep noticing another GPS golf app for iPhone that is only $30 (one-time fee) and out of 57 ratings, 52 people gave it 5 stars. The app I am talking about is the ViewTi Golf 2010. I assume the reason they don’t have nearly as many reviews as the GolfLogix app, is because they do not offer a free trial period. I don’t know how difficult that is to set-up, but if I were in charge at ViewTi, I’d be working on that offer.

I’ll be using the GolfLogix trial in the near future and will give my opinion at that time. If you have any experiences with an iPhone GPS app for golf, please leave a comment with your feedback.

There is a whole discussion to be had on what impact apps for smartphones will have on the golf rangefinder business (GPS and laser), but it seems that Garmin is betting that this is definitely part of the future.

Tags: Garmin Golf GPS, Garmin GolfLogix iPhone App, Smartphone Apps

No Comments » Posted by Golf Rangefinder / Garmin Golf GPS and Smartphone Apps

Bushnell Yardage Pro Tour Golf Rangefinder may mean different things to different people. Within its golf product line, Bushnell now uses this naming convention “Yardage Pro” to refer to GPS Golf Rangefinders. However on many retail websites, you will see the same term refer to laser yardage binoculars, usually earlier models. Whatever your preference, here is our summary of various products in both categories.

Laser Yardage Pro Rangefinders

• Bushnell Yardage Pro Sport 450 Laser Rangefinder – this device is a best-seller because of the price point. The customer reviews aren’t nearly as enthusiastic as they are for the Pinseeker 1500, but if you have steady hands, you may still want to consider it.
• Bushnell Yardage Pro Golf Pinseeker 1500 – This unit is rated very highly by consumers and is available with and without Slope.
• Bushnell Yardage Pro Laser Rangefinders Elite 1500 – The technology on this device is more sophisticated than the Pinseeker 1500, but the price point has kept it out of the hands of the masses. Still the user reviews are strong and the prices seem to be coming down quickly.
• Bushnell Yardage Pro Scout Laser Rangefinder - From the name you can tell this unit isn’t just for golf, but it’s a compact device with excellent reviews from golfers and hunters alike.

GPS Yardage Pro Devices

• Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC Golf GPS - The “C” in “XGC” stands for color. Although Bushnell has been on top of the laser rangefinder charts  for years, they are still trying to climb their way to the top of the GPS Rangefinder list. This unit is their current bestseller and gets some very good reviews. The price might make this unit appealing, but Garmin and SkyGolf still lead the way in golf GPS.
• Bushnell Yardage Pro XG Golf GPS – If you want the basics at an affordable price, you might consider this unit. It doesn’t have color, but gives clear distances to the front, middle and back of every green. It seems fairly comparable to the more popular Garmin GolfLogix.
• Bushnell Yardage Pro Golf GPS – We suggest staying away from the earlier Bushnell  models as most reviewers were not happy with these units. Stick with the XG and XGC models until something new comes along.

Tags: bushnell yardage pro golf rangefinder, golf rangefinder

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One of the newer features on some golf GPS units is personal statistical analysis. Stat-Tracking software for Garmin Approach G5 Golf GPS device is now available as a free download from the Garmin website. As described by Garmin, it sounds like this will be fairly easy to use, so if golfers want to track distances for each club, greens in regulation (GIR), fairways hit and putts, they can now do so by answering a few extra questions each hole. Of course the data can be fed back into your computer for analysis on your desktop.

SkyCaddie will be upping the ante with it’s SmartClub technology to be released in June. It’s compatible with their SkyCaddie SGX which will be available by April 2010 and will automatically track your club selections using a chip on the end of your golf club grips. Of course, golf rangefinder GPS devices are not the only way to electronically keep your stats while on the golf course. There are several apps available to smartphone users that will help you keep track of your stats as well as give you GPS based yardages.

Certainly stat-tracking capability will appeal to some consumers, but we’ll be interested in seeing how many people will actually use these features.  Our observation is that most users are just looking for accurate yardage that is easy to use and easy to read.  Having to answer a few extra questions each hole is probably only for the die hard and geek golfers.  That’s not to say that we don’t think most golfers could benefit from knowing more about their own games… it’s just that we don’t think they will make the effort. We’ll be conducting some informal polls later this year to see if they support our “guess”!

That said, the Garmin Approach G5 is one of, if not the best, selling devices on the market and they added a nice feature set that is available NOW.

Tags: garmin approach g5 golf gps, golf range finder, golf rangefinder

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SkyGolf has always been #1 in the world of GPS golf rangefinders, but if the promises they are making about the soon to be released Skycaddie SGX, they may lap the field. The SGX is scheduled to be released in April, but some sources say it will be availble in March!

Skycaddie SGX Key Features:

• 3″ Display with greatly improved readability
• Long-lasting lithium-ion rechargeable battery (up to 14 hours continuous)
• More intuitive – the touchscreen has been eliminated to reduce problems caused by large hands and golf gloves
• TruePoint Precision Positioning Technology – ultrafast with unmatched accuracy
• Offers up to 30,000 pre-loaded, ground-verified course maps making it “Ready to Play” out of the box with basic green information
• SkyCaddie® mappers walk every single course
• Interactive HoleVue™ with Zoom capability – HoleVue enables the golfer to know the distance to any point on a hole. Hundreds of courses are being added to HoleVue every month.
• SkyCaddie®’s patented IntelliGreen® technology that displays the exact shape of the green by automatically rotating the green to match a golfer’s angle of approach
• Golfers also can use the SGX to learn how far they hit each club
• Digital Scorecard and Stat Tracking option to track key game statistics, including: greens in regulation, fairways hit, driving accuracy and distance, and total putts

The Skycaddie SGX looks like it’s taking the golf rangefinder game to a whole new level.

Tags: golfrangefinder, Skycaddie SGX, SkyGolf Skycaddie SGX

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