Callaway uPro MX Review

Update 08-06-2011…
Callaway has issued a voluntary recall of the recently released uPro MX. Our Callaway uPro MX Review advice is as follows: If you own it and love it, keep on using it. if you own it and are unhappy with it, go to the uPro MX website and click the UPRO MX REFUND OFFER button.

If you don’t own it, consider taking a look at the Garmin Approach G6 for a full-featured GPS with great reviews. If you just want to read the saga of expectation, disappointment and more letdown, keep reading…

Update 07-11-2011…
Honestly, you can see by what we have written previously, that we had high hopes that our Callaway uPro MX Review would reveal a game changer in the GPS golf industry. But as of today, we are not ready to recommend this product. The problems with the Callaway launch of the product are explained below and in another post on this website, but there continue to be customer complaints about numerous issues. We’re hoping Callaway will soon turn this device into the unit we all expected, but for now, you may want to look at our Golf Buddy World Review for a full-featured golf GPS that scores well with users.

Update 6/30/2011…
Finally…. we should be able to put together our Callaway uPro MX Review in the very near future. We’ve been waiting, along with all of the early purchasers of the uPro MX, for six weeks for the Callaway uPro MX website to be operational. At last, it is. If you don’t know what’s been happening, keep reading.

The Callaway uPro MX is very likely the best value in GPS golf rangefinders… or at least it will be very soon. Our complete Callaway uPro MX Review Summary will be available after this product launch debacle is over and customers are able to give reviews about the product itself, instead of the launch. If you haven’t heard, Callaway first delayed shipping the uPro MX for about 10 days and as it turns out, they should have delayed even longer. The device works fine out of the box in Basic Mode and Go Mode and realistically, if that’s all it had to offer, it would still be at a competitive price point. But what makes the Callaway uPro MX so attractive is that for a one-time fee of about $60, you get Pro Mode on an unlimited number of courses. With Pro Mode, this is one of, if not the most, full featured golf GPS device on the market and there are no recurring subscriptions. You can also purchase one Pro Mode course at a time or smaller bundles. It’s pretty exciting for those who’ve been paying annual fees to use their rangefinders. The only problem… the Callaway website for downloading Pro Mode courses isn’t working yet. They are working like crazy to get it up and running, but some users have been waiting for two weeks and many are understandably frustrated. Callaway is trying to make it up to customers by offering five free Pro Mode courses to all new upro mx users who register within two weeks after the site goes live. For golfers who don’t need the unlimited plan, this is a great time to order. If, on the other hand, you’re ready to order a full-featured GPS golf rangefinder that’s user tested and ready to go, we suggest you take a look at our Golf Buddy World Review. It’s definitely more expensive, but there are no fees and the reviews are good.

When you compare price and features, there is nothing close to the Callaway uPro MX. It is a full-featured compact, sleek-looking GPS golf rangefinder with a price point low enough to entice even the budget-conscious golfer. For less than $200, it comes with 25,000 golf courses pre-loaded and NO ANNUAL FEES! It offers hole views, alternate targets, a multi-gesture touch screen and more. There are three modes for using this device: Basic Mode and Go Mode are included in the price and ready to go out of the box. There is a fee for downloading courses in Pro Mode, which offers just about every feature you can think of putting on a golf GPS. The good news is that the fees are not annual – you can buy an individual course, a bundle of 25 courses or an unlimited package for a one-time fee. We’ll be anxious to see how this approach goes over with users.

Callaway uPro MX Top Features:

  • 25,000 pre-loaded golf courses – ready to go out of the box
  • No annual fees
  • Full-color multi-gesture touch screen – 2.2″ LCD
  • Optical Finger Navigation system – easily navigate with the swipe of a finger
  • Only weighs 3 ounces
  • Virtual Green View can be downloaded to show the green and the surrounding area in vivid detail, including exact putting distances
  • SmartView can also be downloaded offering displays the ideal view for the upcoming shot based on the golfer’s position on the course. It also provides two other views which are available at the press of a button
  • ProMode is available for an extra fee and grants access to some of the device’s more advanced technology features, including hi-resolution aerial photography

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Skycaddie SGX Review

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

'SkyCaddie SGX'

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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.

SkyCaddie SGX User Rating: 3.60 Stars 3.60 out of 5 (367 reviews)

Score compiled from multiple sources.

People do like some of the features of the SkyCaddie SGX, but overall, the ratings are lousy, as is the value. The price of the device is competitive, but the problem is that you have to pay annual fees to use it. Garmin and GolfBuddy both have golf GPS devices that get higher ratings and have no annual fees. We suggest checking out the Garmin Approach G6.

If you’re still on this page, below we summarize what we learned from reading user 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.
  • Wait times for customer service.
  • 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
Top 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 TechnologyTM 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 HoleVueTM 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
Skygolf SkyCaddie SGX Feature Table
SkyCaddie SGX
Course Download Fees Yes
Pre-loaded with Courses Yes*
Full Hole Views Yes
Slope / Elevation No
Battery Life 14 hrs max
Battery Li-poly
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 high
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.
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Golf Buddy World Review

The Golf Buddy World has been retired. Check out our current recommendations for today's best golf rangefinders..

'Golf Buddy World'

Golf Buddy World
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Our Golf Buddy World Review considers the pros and cons mentioned by dozens of users, along with price and features.

Golf Buddy World User Rating: 3.77 Stars 3.77 out of 5 (102 reviews)

Score compiled from multiple sources.

The Golf Buddy World held our top spot in full-featured golf GPS rangefinders for a very long time. For the price, we still think it’s still an excllent value in this golf GPS category. However, if you’re looking for the latest and greatest, the early reviews for the Garmin Approach G6 are looking strong.

Users of the Golf Buddy World were thrilled about having NO FEES and with the thousands of preloaded golf courses. The accuracy of the Golf Buddy World was mentioned over and over in the reviews we read and the color display was also complimented frequently. However, there were some users who said it was difficult to read in direct sunlight. Tilting it a little seemed to work for most people and it wasn’t generally considered a deal breaker.

It’s worth mentioning that Golf Buddy has two similarly named units: the Golf Buddy World Platinum and the Golf Buddy Platinum (which was released in 2012).

Take a look at our full list of pros and cons below as well as all of the features of the Golf Buddy World.

Most Mentioned Pros (in order from high to low):
  • No fees
  • Accuracy
  • Preloaded with golf courses
  • The number of preloaded courses
  • Easy to read color display
  • Lots of features
  • Auto course recognition
  • Easy to use
  • Helps lower scores
  • Good battery life
  • Good customer service
  • Size and weight
  • Auto hole recognition
  • Scorecard feature
  • Works out of the box (after charging)
  • Price
Most Mentioned Cons (in order from high to low):
  • Difficult to see in bright sunlight
  • Takes a few minutes to locate courses after powering on
  • Touchscreen could be more sensitive
  • Poor customer service
  • Using built-in scorecard can be a little slow

Golf Buddy World Specifications
Golf Buddy World
Course Download Fees No
Pre-loaded with Courses Yes
Full Hole Views Yes
Slope / Elevation No
Battery Life 10 hrs
Battery rechargeable
Size (Width x Height x Depth) 4.1 in. x 2.2 in. x .07 in.
Measure Shot Distance Yes
Screen Size 2.7
Resolution 240x340
Display Type Color TFT LCD
Weight 4.2 oz.
Rainproof water resistant case
Touch Screen Yes
Touch Targeting Yes
Manual Pin Positioning Yes
Stat Tracker Yes
Digital Scorecard Yes
Computer Analysis Tools No
Ground Verified N/A
Alternate Targets Yes
Green Rotates to your shot angle Yes
USGA Compliant (local rule) Yes
Notes -
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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.
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Garmin G5 Approach Reviews

The Garmin Approach G5 has been retired. Check out our current recommendations for today's best golf rangefinders..

'Garmin Approach G5'

Garmin Approach G5
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Our summary of Garmin G5 Approach reviews takes a look at the pros and cons that we have observed from user reviews on a variety of other websites. We also put together our own ratings Score based on hundreds of customer reviews.

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

Also be sure to check out the Garmin G6 Approach

Garmin Approach G5 User Rating: 4.17 Stars 4.17 out of 5 (401 reviews)

Score compiled from multiple sources.
Most Mentioned Pros (from most to least):
  • No membership or course fees
  • Easy to use
  • Durable
  • Accurate
  • Good selection of targets
  • Battery life (when using rechargeable batteries)
  • Preloaded with thousands 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 (from most to least):
  • 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.


Garmin G5 Approach Features and Specifications
Garmin Approach G5
Course Download Fees No
Pre-loaded with Courses Yes
Full Hole Views Yes
Slope / Elevation No
Battery Life 15 hrs. max
Battery 2 AA
Size (Width x Height x Depth) 4.5 in. x 2.3 in. x 1.4 in.
Measure Shot Distance Yes
Screen Size 1.53x2.55
Resolution 240x400
Display Type TFT color
Weight 6.8 oz.
Rainproof IPX7
Touch Screen Yes
Touch Targeting Yes
Manual Pin Positioning Yes
Stat Tracker Yes
Digital Scorecard Yes
Computer Analysis Tools Yes
Ground Verified No
Alternate Targets Yes
Green Rotates to your shot angle N/A
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.
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Callaway uPro Review of Reviews

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

'Callaway uPro'

Callaway uPro
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This is our Callaway uPro Review of Reviews, but this product is no longer available. For a current product with similar features, we suggest taking a look at the Garmin Approach G6 or using our GPS Selection Tool.

Callaway uPro User Rating: 3.52 Stars 3.52 out of 5 (196 reviews)

Score compiled from multiple sources.
Most Mentioned Pros
  • 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
Callaway uPro Features and Specifications
Callaway uPro
Course Download Fees No*
Pre-loaded with Courses No
Full Hole Views Yes
Slope / Elevation No
Battery Life 10-12 hrs
Battery Li-ion recharge
Size (Width x Height x Depth) 4 in. x 2 in. x .65 in.
Measure Shot Distance Yes
Screen Size 2.2
Resolution 320x240
Display Type hi-res color
Weight 3.1 oz.
Rainproof N/A
Touch Screen N/A
Touch Targeting N/A
Manual Pin Positioning Yes
Stat Tracker Yes
Digital Scorecard Yes
Computer Analysis Tools N/A
Ground Verified No
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.
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