SkyCaddie SGXw Reviews

The SkyCaddie SGXw has been retired. Check out our current recommendations for today's best golf rangefinders..

'SkyCaddie SGXw'

SkyCaddie SGXw
Not Available


Check Newer Models
Laser
GPS
Golf Watches

Quick Recommendation:

Save yourself the fees and choose one of our top picks for a golf GPS rangefinder.

Pros:

SkyCaddie SGXw User Rating: 3.65 Stars 3.65 out of 5 (46 reviews)

Score compiled from multiple sources.
  • SkyCaddie’s marketing efforts suggest their distances are more accurate because they hire people to actually go to every golf course to “verify” the data they have.Other brands and GPS mappers would argue that using satellites is every bit as accurate. To our knowledge, there are no studies that confirm this one way or the other.
  • Like its predecessor, the SkyCaddie SGX, the SGXw utilizes an Omni-Directional, High Performance GPS Antenna which purports to work well in all terrains and under trees.
  • The SkyCaddie SGXw gives you the ability to download courses from any Wifi connection that doesn’t require a web-based login. That last part of that sentence is important, see the Cons below.
  • Large clear screen
  • Scoring and Stats capability
  • SGClub – uploading scoring and stats
  • 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)
Cons:
  • If you use Wifi much, you know that many hotels and coffee shops require you to go through a website to get access to the Wifi network, so that type of connection will not work. Still, wifi is a big improvement over GPS units that require you to hook up to a computer to download golf courses.
  • You still have to download the golf courses you want to play.
  • Annual Membership fees

Is it worth it?… On some golf courses, SkyCaddie may perform enough better to make it worth the price of the device plus fees. However, if accuracy is the most important feature for you in choosing a golf rangefinder, why not get a hybrid or laser rangefinder. If you’re going to spend that kind of money, the Bushnell Hybrid will give you EXACT yardages to any target you can see AND you get GPS yardages to the front, middle and back of the green, plus hazards.

If “pretty darn accurate most of the time” is good enough for you and you’re not so confident about using a laser, the Garmin Approach G6 comes pre-loaded with more than 28,000 golf courses, has NO ANNUAL Fees and is getting much better reviews than the SkyCaddie.

For those who want to make it even simpler and less expensive, check out the Bushnell neo+ or the Izzo Swami 3000.

We applaud SkyCaddie for the ground-mapping that they do, but just don’t think they understand what most golfers want. SkyGolf obviously does a good job marketing their products, but they don’t get great reviews because their devices are more complicated than others on the market. When you’re paying top dollar plus annual fees, you don’t want hassles, you just want it to work. We think they would do well to offer a simpler device that doesn’t require membership or downloads. They could probably still charge a little more than their competitors by touting the accuracy.

SkyCaddie SGXw
Course Download Fees Yes
Pre-loaded with Courses Yes*
Full Hole Views Yes
Slope / Elevation No
Battery Life N/A
Battery Lithium-ion Polymer
Size (Width x Height x Depth) 4.8+ in. x 2.48 in. x .75 in.
Measure Shot Distance Yes
Screen Size 3 in.
Resolution hi-res
Display Type TFT-LCD
Weight 5.6 oz.
Rainproof water resistant
Touch Screen No
Touch Targeting Yes
Manual Pin Positioning Yes
Stat Tracker Yes
Digital Scorecard Yes
Computer Analysis Tools Yes
Ground Verified Yes
Alternate Targets Yes
Green Rotates to your shot angle Yes
USGA Compliant (local rule) Yes
Notes -
Order Golf Rangefinders from Amazon
GolfRangefinderShop.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you buy anything after clicking through, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps us keep the site up and running, so thank you! We work very hard to obtain the correct information about product features, but cannot make any guarantees about the accuracy. Please double check with the merchant or manufacturer before making a purchase.

Comments

  1. I have been using the Skycaddie SGXw for 6 months now. The wi-fi is pretty useless. So far I have only been able to use the wifi at home on my wifi or at a friends house. Otherwise I have not found a public wifi that I’m able to access because of the web based systems. Therefore if the only place I can use the wifi is at home what is the point of having it? Also the unit only holds 50 courses, so if you are at thatlimit and you are lucky enough to find a wifi you can use you are still out of luck because you cannot delete courses by wifi. In order to delete courses from the unit you have to connect it to your computer. So once again you have to be at home to delete and add a course. The wifi is useless. Save the money and get the regular SGX and use the savings to pay the annual subscription fee.

    • Golf Rangefinder Shop says

      Thanks for the feedback. Just curious, Is the reason you recommend the SkyCaddie SGX over Golf Buddy World or Garmin G6, the ground mapping?

  2. My wife wanted to get me the best of the best GPS, so she got me the SGXw to the tune of almost $400. The hardware was terrible – the battery could hardly last a round, the unit would simply turn itself off in the middle of a round, requiring you to re-boot and pray it would find the satellite before your buddies yell at you for slow play. Never understood all the graphics and different views, and you never knew which view it was going to come up with. Hardware seems cheaply made. Stay away!

    • Golf Rangefinder Shop says

      Sorry to hear that Tom. SkyCaddie does seem to have the best marketing, but the products really don’t seem to measure up. Sounds like you might really like the Bushnell neo+, the Izzo Swami 4000 or even the Bushnell neo-X watch if you’re inclined to wear a watch. All are preloaded with courses and have no annual fees. They don’t have all the fancy graphics, but will help you get the information you need when you need it.

Leave a Comment or Ask a Question!

*