The Golf Buddy vs SkyCaddie debate really comes down to three things: Perceived Accuracy, Price and Convenience…

The reason we say “perceived accuracy” is that SkyCaddie’s biggest selling point is that they “ground verify” all their golf courses. The way we understand this, is that SkyCaddie sends real people and specialized equipment out to golf courses to verify that the targets ARE where their satellite images have shown them to be. Golf Buddy relies on the satellite images. Does that make SkyCaddie devices more accurate? It sounds good, but we don’t know if there is any real confirmation of this. What we do know is that SkyCaddie users seldom ever mention a problem with accuracy. On the other hand, most users of Golf Buddy GPS devices are also happy with the accuracy.


Price: The cost of SkyCaddie’s on-going ground-verification of targets are passed on to the consumer, not only in the price of the SkyCaddie, but also in annual fees. Golf Buddy will cost you less off the shelf and there are no fees.

If you’re still on the fence, then convenience may be the factor that pushes you over… Although the recent models of both Golf Buddy and SkyCaddie come “preloaded” with thousands of courses, the current SkyCaddie only has basic information about those courses. Registration, fees and computer syncing are required to get the full hole views. Golf Buddy’s current model has the full view of most courses preloaded and does not require registration or fees to use them. Courses that are added to Golf Buddy’s database after the unit is manufactured can be downloaded to the device via computer sync. FYI… most users who give poor ratings to SkyCaddie, are the ones who have problems with online registration and syncing.

Golf Rangefinder Shop’s Take:

If your perceived accuracy of SkyCaddie has you leaning toward making that purchase despite the higher price and extra work, consider one more thing before you buy… a Bushnell Hybrid laser/GPS. Over the life of the device, the Bushnell should cost less than a SkyCaddie with annual fees factored in. The Bushnell Hybrid laser feature is pretty much as accurate as you can get in a rangefinder. The GPS built into the side of the Bushnell Hybrid gives you a quick glance at yardages to the front, middle and back of the green as well as hazards. If accuracy is your main consideration, the Bushnell Hybrid makes more sense if you have no concerns about using a laser. 

If convenience and price have you ready to order a Golf Buddy, it’s probably the right choice for you. However, if you haven’t considered buying a laser or hybrid rangefinder, we encourage you to take another five minutes to explore the laser golf rangefinder vs GPS debate.