Bushnell XGC+ Review

The Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC+ has been retired. Check out our current recommendations for today's best golf rangefinders..

'Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC+'

Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC+
Not Available


Check Newer Models
Laser
GPS
Golf Watches

The Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC+ was introduced in October 2010, but there still are only a small number of user reviews. Initially, the Bushnell XGC+ was a good value for the features it offered, but given today there are models with higher ratings that are competitive in price and features. Check our “Best GPS for Golf” breakdown to find the one best suited to your needs.

Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC+ User Rating: 3.65 Stars 3.65 out of 5 (17 reviews)

Score compiled from multiple sources.

The Bushnell XGC+ offers one of lowest prices for a GPS device with full hole views and NO membership fees. There is a small caveat to the membership fees issue… Basically, Bushnell includes a one year membership to iGolf so you can download course maps and course updates. After the first year, you don’t have to pay membership fees unless you want to download additional courses with full maps. The course maps you already have on your XGC+ will remain there. If you do decide you need more course maps, iGolf annual membership fees have typically been very low.

The Bushnell XGC+ Plus comes preloaded with basic information to over 16,000 courses. That means you can open up the box when it arrives and take it out to play without syncing it with your computer. Even better than that, it means that you can show up at a course when you haven’t had time to download it and still benefit from having your Bushnell GPS with you. Within 45 days of starting up the XGC+ for the first time, you’ll need to register it on your computer. You can then select up to 50 golf courses to download with full maps to store on your unit. Whenever you sync your device, any updates that have been made to any courses, will be downloaded. The Bushnell XGC+ also includes scorecard, statistics and shot measuring features.

Conclusion: if you’re on a tight budget and you want more than just numbers on the display, this may be the golf GPS for you. If you have a bigger budget, we suggest checking out the GolfBuddy World.

Remember there were not many reviews to consider, so most of the pros and cons listed were mentioned only two or three times each.

Most Mentioned Pros (in order of of mentions high to low):
  • Ready to go out of the box with lots of preloaded courses – most frequent mention of both pros and cons
  • Easy to Sync (download courses)
  • Size
  • Accuracy
  • Value (price)
  • Easy to see in bright light
  • Holds up to 50 full course maps
Most Mentioned Cons (in order of of mentions high to low):
  • Manual / instructions need improvement
  • Slow
  • Confusing to use in full maps mode
Bushnell XGC+ Features and Specifications
Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC+
Course Download Fees No*
Pre-loaded with Courses Yes
Full Hole Views Yes
Slope / Elevation No
Battery Life 16 hrs max
Battery Li-ion recharge
Size (Width x Height x Depth) 3.85 in. x 2.15 in. x .75 in.
Measure Shot Distance Yes
Screen Size 2.2
Resolution hi-res
Display Type color
Weight N/A oz.
Rainproof rainproof
Touch Screen No
Touch Targeting No
Manual Pin Positioning N/A
Stat Tracker Yes
Digital Scorecard Yes
Computer Analysis Tools No
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.

User Manual for Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC+

Tagged: , , ,

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.
Tagged: , , ,

Izzo Swami 3000 Review

The Izzo Swami 3000 has been retired. Check out our current recommendations for today's best golf rangefinders..

'Izzo Swami 3000'

Izzo Swami 3000
Not Available


Check Newer Models
Laser
GPS
Golf Watches

Our Izzo Swami 3000 Review is based on over fifty customer reviews from multiple retail websites. We took notes on everything users were saying and will show you the pros and cons that were mentioned by more than one of them.

Izzo Swami 3000 User Rating: 4.25 Stars 4.25 out of 5 (55 reviews)

Score compiled from multiple sources.

Overall, we feel the Izzo Swami 3000 is a unique offering in the golf GPS world. As of this writing, it has by far the lowest price point of any preloaded golf GPS device on the market. For a really low price, you can have an easy to use, easy to read, GPS that is quick to acquire yardages to the front, middle and back of the green… AND it’s preloaded with over 19,000 golf courses. Out of the box, you just plug it in to charge it and it’s ready for play. There are no required downloads and there are no fees. If you are just looking for the basics, this is hard to beat.

Make no mistake though, it is basic. There are no alternate targets (hazards and such). Distances are in a straight line from you to the front, middle and back of the green, so doglegs aren’t taken into account. There are no stats and no scorecards. If you’re looking for basic, but not quite this basic, we suggest reading our Bushnell neo+ Review as the next step up.

Most of the reviews we read were from users who got what they expected in terms of features, and were pleased by the performance of the Izzo Swami 3000. The few who were most unhappy were those with defective devices and felt the customer service from Izzo was lacking. The two things that stood out on the negative side were the lack of an auto forwarding to the next hole feature and a charging indicator. To be fair though, only a small percentage of users mentioned either of these shortcomings and besides, they are hardly deal breakers. There were also a couple of problems with the golf course being recognized on start-up, but most users reported that took two minutes or less.

Most Mentioned Pros (in order of mentions high to low):
  • Accuracy
  • Price
  • Preloaded with over 19,000 golf courses
  • Easy to use
  • No fees
  • Auto course recognition
  • Improves your game
  • Can be used as regular watch
  • Easy to read
  • Starts up quickly
  • Good battery life
  • Good customer service
  • Acquires yardages quickly
  • Displays course name
Most Mentioned Cons (in order of mentions high to low):
  • No indicator when charge is full
  • No auto forward to the next hole (1 key press is all that is required)
  • Slow customer service
  • Occasional questionable accuracy
  • No doglegs or alternate targets
  • Problems with auto course recognition
Izzo Swami 3000 Features and Specifications
Izzo Swami 3000
Slope No
Vibration N
Size (Width x Height x Depth) 2 in. x 3.75 in. x 1 in.
Weight N/A oz.
Battery rechargeable
Battery Life 12 hrs
Display N/A
Rainproof No
Magnification N/A
Maximum Range N/A
Minimum Range N/A
Notes -
USGA Compliant (local rule) Yes
Order Golf Rangefinders from Amazon
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.
Tagged: , , , ,

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

Tagged: , , ,

Skycaddie SGX Review

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

'SkyCaddie SGX'

SkyCaddie SGX
Not Available


Check Newer Models
Laser
GPS
Golf Watches


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.
Tagged: , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »