Sky Caddie or Bushnell?

[oneangrygolfer]

I did a lot of message posting and looking at responses, my local golf shop even allowed me to use the rangefinder they had @ the shop to help me make my decision between the two and I purchased the sky caddie strictky because of the ease of use for blind shots and the speed. I just hook it onto my bag and anytime I need a yardage I can just look down. I have had some minor reception issues. I think it is one of the best purchases I have made in a long time. Better than any putter or driver.

 

 

One angry golfer

[ce5600]

I forgot the most imporntant reason that I got rid of the Skycaddie...if you don't know where the pin is, you are guessing. It gives you front, middle, and back. That can be a 4 club difference.

[Yardbeatles]

had a Skycaddie and sold it. I found that if the course was not lasered correctly, then the yardages in the Skycaddie are wrong. This is quite common because a person had to get the actual yardages at one time, and if they were wrong, the database is wrong. I also hated to remember to recharge it. Many times I pulled it out of my bag and it was dead. The yardages to trouble were very hard to figure out. Also, if you are a Mac guy, then you have to borrow a friends PC to load the thing. I replaced the Skycaddie with a Bushnell 1500 and love it. Battery lasts forever, and I can get yardages to anything in seconds.

 

I forgot the most imporntant reason that I got rid of the Skycaddie...if you don't know where the pin is, you are guessing. It gives you front, middle, and back. That can be a 4 club difference.

 

Huh? When a course is mapped by GPS NOTHING IS LASERED. They trace the green via its GPS coordinates. They don't do any yardages at all, they basically just pin point it's longitude and lattitude on the earth. Then, when you check a yardage with it, it is just telling you the difference between your Longitude and Lattitude and it's.

 

Secondly, not recharging it is not it's fault, and it can be used a couple of days in a row without recharging... the new SG4 battery lasts even longer too.

 

Next, Yardages to trouble hard to figure out??!! In list mode, two pushes of the middle button, it lists yardage to trouble... And Over/Beyond trouble.

 

Lastly, in pro mode (Normal for most) it gives you Front, PIN, and Back where you can adjust to wherever the pin IS... so, you get everything you can laser without the work.

 

To me, it sounds like you didn't do your homework on your SC, or read your manual, or ever try to figure it out at all. Never really giving it a chance.

[Shoop31]

I agree, get a pinseeker or don't get get a laser at all.

 

I've used both and the Pinseeker was more accurate and easier overall so that's the one I kept.

[ironton]

Been considering getting a SC but do have a concern. I play mostly courses in the foothills of West Virginia and Kentucky. Many of the holes are nestled into what can be fairly steep valleys with limited skylines. I know it would be tough if not impossible to get a directTV signal in some of these areas so I worry about the SC getting through.. Has anyone living in similar terrain had serious problems with acquiring or maintaining a signal?

 

TIA

[davepro2]

Bushnell Pinseeker is in my opinion the better buy. I don't know what I ever did without one. Knowing your exact yardage is golden, and not just to the hole. Very versatile and while it takes a quick second to get a read I have found in comparison with professionally mapped "sky caddie" courses the difference can be as much as 8 yards. Big difference in my opinion. Get the Pinseeker if you haven't already!

[DavidR]

I have found in comparison with professionally mapped "sky caddie" courses the difference can be as much as 8 yards. Big difference in my opinion. Get the Pinseeker if you haven't already!

 

How do you know the SC was off and not the Pinseeker?

[sidewinder]

I have found in comparison with professionally mapped "sky caddie" courses the difference can be as much as 8 yards. Big difference in my opinion. Get the Pinseeker if you haven't already!

 

How do you know the SC was off and not the Pinseeker?

Because consumer-grade GPS system are notorious for being off by up to 10 yards while quality consumer-grade laser range finders are accurate to within inches.

 

Scott

[electroleum]

I don't know about the skycaddie, but my Bushnell comes in very handy when I need to know how far it is to fly the trees to get BACK to the right fairway!

hahahahahahahahahahaha, oh sweet bahjeezus......that line had me howling!

 

 

I'm likely gonna be in the market for a pinseeker soon. I haven't used either, but in my opinion, pinseekers have the advantage. No subscription fees, and they're compatible with every course on the planet :rolleyes:

[bekgolf]

igolf -

9 hours on set of batteries

under $180

holds 40 courses at one time

 

Only one other person who uses igolf? Mine cost $230 with a neoprene case. It only shows front, center, and back of green but hazards can be mapped in by the user. The best part about igolf is once you download courses to your computer they are yours to keep without maintaining a subscription. A years subscription gets 50 courses. The unit will hold 50 courses. Mapping courses is easy. It uses AA batteries, either rechargeable or alkaline. The main drawback for me is unstable readings when I'm near tall trees. In the fairway it works great.

[victor2000]

I don't know about the skycaddie, but my Bushnell comes in very handy when I need to know how far it is to fly the trees to get BACK to the right fairway!

hahahahahahahahahahaha, oh sweet bahjeezus......that line had me howling!

 

 

I'm likely gonna be in the market for a pinseeker soon. I haven't used either, but in my opinion, pinseekers have the advantage. No subscription fees, and they're compatible with every course on the planet :lol:

 

Why did this make you laugh so much? You've never hit from the wrong fairway?

[gibby]

I forgot the most imporntant reason that I got rid of the Skycaddie...if you don't know where the pin is, you are guessing. It gives you front, middle, and back. That can be a 4 club difference.

 

 

 

4 club difference?????? how deep are the greens you play? I think your numbers are off!!!!!

[chasm]

I am playing a course on Friday with 6 greens that are at least 40 yards front to back (according to the Strokesaver guide). I reckon on a 10 yard gap between my mid irons so that equates to a four club difference. Of course you never have the pin on the very front or back edge but the point is valid as these are not known for being spectacularly large greens. I played a course called True Blue in Myrtle Beach a while back that has greens that are over 50 yards deep.

[BraveAnthony]

Have you guys heard of Golf Buddy? Check it out at http://www.golfbuddyusa.com

 

One of my friends friend was carrying this last weekend and it apparently is made in Korea and very similar to Sky Caddie. But guess what, it doesn't require annual membership and can store up to 1000 courses worldwide. I tried to get more information but wasn't successful. They seem to have a better site at http://www.golfbuddy.co.kr but I can't read Korean so have no idea what it's all about.

Can anyone out there who can read Korean help me out?

[Peter584]

I've had both, skycaddie is alot quicker and easier for me

[phil75070]

Have you guys heard of Golf Buddy? Check it out at http://www.golfbuddyusa.com

 

One of my friends friend was carrying this last weekend and it apparently is made in Korea and very similar to Sky Caddie. But guess what, it doesn't require annual membership and can store up to 1000 courses worldwide. I tried to get more information but wasn't successful. They seem to have a better site at http://www.golfbuddy.co.kr but I can't read Korean so have no idea what it's all about.

Can anyone out there who can read Korean help me out?

What I read, it stores 60 courses and although the membership is free if you buy right now, don't count on it staying that way. See:

 

http://www.golfbuddyusa.com/en/product/membership.asp

[mitchdoc]

I think this will forever be a cast versus forged debate.

Ihave both and both have pros and cons which I will summarize here.

 

Pinseeker:

 

Pros-

 

accuracy. I can pick up a flag from 300 yards away or a bunker from much more. The yardage is spot on. When I am at the 100 marker and the flag is a back pin on a long green it could play anywhere from 105-125 yards on some holes. That is a possible 2-3 club difference. A gps system only gives you a back of green yardage and center. and even with that, there is usually a +/- of 3-5 yards which means as much as a 3 club error in some circumstances.

 

Battery Life. I can go almost a whole season on 1-2 batteries. Uses std 9v. The skycaddie and other GPS system might give you 2-3 rounds max before you recharge or replace the batteries. this could be incovenient especially on golf trips or when having senior moments.

 

Universality. It works anywhere!. The range, the practice green all courses. This is great if you want to practice half wedges or check your yardages on the range. Also you know any course you go to it will work. The GPs systems are limited to the database of maps that exist or your need to map them. At least in Canada and I am sure n many areas in the USa there are courses either un,apped or mapped to the minimum with just distances to the green. This means the GPs system will be of little or no use on those courses. Furthermore, the Rangefinder is infinite in the number of objects one can range. For example you might want to know how far it is to a certain tree that comes onto play or a fairway bunker or waste area. Distance to the trees on a dogleg etc. Most GPS systems will ave just the greens and some bunkershazards marked if at all.

 

 

Cons:

 

Size. The current generation of Pinseeker is bulkier than the gps couterparts.

 

Blind shots. there are some occasions whereby A teeshot or approach shot might not yield a view to the green. In these circumstances a lasered yrdage would be unattainable.

 

 

 

 

The ties:

 

speed of use. Having used both I can say I can pull a yardage out of pinseeker from the time it is unholstered in about 2-3 seconds. THe GPS will ave the yardage the momentI look at it; most of the time. Sometimes there is lag as it tries to pick up the signal from satellite. Having it attached to a bag is not always practical since one's bag can not always be exactly where one is hitting from. As such it also needs to be unholstered.

 

Recommendation:

 

If you play courses that are all mapped or you only play a very select few courses allowing you to map yourself, then GPS might be a good choice. However you will need to charge it often or spend a lot on batteries. You will have to accept that your yardages are guestimates since they are not to the pin but rather parts of the green.

 

I believe that overall a Pinseeker is more accurate has better battery life and in most circumstances can yield a yardage quickly. It is the tool of choice on the PGA tour where knowing excat yardages to the pin is needed to make a living. I think if you hit your clubs relatively consistently then the pinseeker will offer a bit of an improvement in making club selection. It is my preferred tool though I could benefit from either.

[mizunodude]

just my two cents... I have several GPS units for work reasons and I use inteligolf software in a garmin I-que 3600 and a Tom-Tom and would never switch to anything else. You can program in a course yourself the first time you play it, down load it for free from their list of mapped courses or my favorite, use google earth and map it all from your living room on your laptop the night before in about 40 minutes. the software allows front/center(i mark the actual pin)/back of green #s as well as all three markers 100,150,200 and three other self chosen items per hole. the best part is when using Google earth you see the course from space so you really have a course management perspective and write notes to yourself and have them show up as you play. It also keeps score and tracks shots/stats and will compute like 20 sidegames as your entire 4 some plays...I love it and you can try it for free to boot and its only 60 some bucks to own, no extra fees for anything. Oh, and no I dont work for them.. I just fell across their website one day and tried out the free download. Its at inteligolf.com they even work in the new gps phones and blackberrys. I think when word gets out skycadie might have to change their pricing system...OH I almost forgot, i have a nikon rangefinder around here somewhere....i saw it a few months ago..i should sell it... it worked great but it doesnt do any more than find distance...too one dimensional for me vs the options out there

[rmbudd3]

Great Topic. I have the Pinseeker 1500 no slope and I have 2 partners in my foursome who both have the skycaddie. They ride in the same cart so their skycaddies are usually about 4 feet apart. We have played numerous rounds where the 2 skycaddies have been as much as 30 yards off from one another on the distance! It has gotten to the point where they say they like the speed of the skycaddie but only trust them if both units are agreeing. Plus, they are always blaming the skycaddie every time they choose the wrong club. I have also noticed that while they have the skycaddies, they always wait for my Pinseeker to give the true answer on the distance. Also, I would like to give my 2 cents that the Pinseeker gives a person the option of getting distances to all sorts of things that aren't listed on the skycaddie, like distances to tree lines etc.

[Hawkeye03]

I have the pinseeker tourney edition and it usually only takes me about 10 seconds from when I set my bag down to when I have the distance to flag stick. This includes taking out and putting it back in the pocket I have on my bag for it. I have noticed about a two or three stroke difference since I started using it. I think it is a fantastic piece of equipment and I would recommend it to anyone. I can't comment on the skycaddie because I have not used it. I think that both have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

Andy

[ThreePuttPar]

I chose a pinseeker 1500 tourny and here is why: I don't care if any distance measuring device tells me I'm 231 yards out when I'm really 238, But I do care if it tells me I am 80 yards when I am 87. I have tried both at the same time and from 130 and out both were spot on. The sky caddie sg3 that i tried may have been a touch faster to figure a yardage due to the size of the pinseeker and having to pull it out of my bag versus pulling the sky caddie out of my pocket. Out side of 130 yards the two units gave me nearly identical yardage +/- a yard. BUT inside 130 yards the numbers started to vary by sometimes as much as 4 yards and inside 100 yards the numbers varied as much as 7. And the pinseeker was more accurate. Those 7 yards/21 feet when we have scoring clubs in our hands can mean the difference between airmailing a green or a tap in for birdie. I'll let you tech guys figure out why the sky caddie was less accurate at shorter distances but I just found I couldn't trust the sky caddie when i felt i needed the most accuracy. We all know what a little doubt can do to a swing.

[Heyford]

I'm a big fan of my PS 1500.

Remember it can range up to 1500 yds on highly reflective surfaces.

"The beer cart girl is only 1241 yds out and heading this way"

Try that with your GPS! :rolleyes:

Mark

[barassie]

Just as an obtw you don't HAVE to subscribe with Sky Caddie - that's only if you want to access the library of mapped courses - there are hundreds of them - but it costs nothing to simply map your own course and easily get distance to the front back and middle of greens. The library is fantastic though and answers some of the issues raised elsewhere in these posts about knowing how far NOT to hit it - although of course you can work that out easily. Personally I could never hold the rangefinder still enough to get a reliable reading. I also had reliability issues with the Bushnell and gave up on the third replacement and went with Sky Caddie which performs faultlessly.

[stevestrike]

I'm really surprised no one has mentioned the Tee2Green SureShot GPS. My playing partner has one, and it's fantastic. A couple of things it has:

 

color screen

distances to layup or cross a hazzard

green front, center, back

distance measuring (how far was that drive, 5 iron, etc..)

club recommendations--it will keep average distances of all your clubs if you use the distance measuring, and recommend a club for each shot as you approach

 

About the same price as a SC ($300-400) and no membership fees IIRC.

[pscaswells]

Bushnell gets my vote. All of the "GPS" guys I play with wait for my Bushnell Yardage before they pull the club. I keep it in my Speed Cart cubby (a little modification) and it takes me less than 10 seconds to get a reading. No downloads, less batteries, no contracts...?

 

Bushnell gave my home course free radar reflectors for the top of the pins which makes range finding even quicker and easier. You should ask your pro to inquire if you don't have them yet.

 

If you look at the pics of the Pro's bags for the tourneys, you can see Bushnell cases strapped them. Ever asked yourself why? Accuracy!

[afdrookie]

If you cannot see the flag, how do you use a laser rangefinder any better? Just curious?

[pscaswells]

If you cannot see the flag, how do you use a laser rangefinder any better? Just curious?

 

You can shoot anything with a solid surface like a bunker face or a tree trunk and get a close yardage from there. Most of the time you are going to see the pin from 150 yards in or else you are in trouble, right? I like to use it on 3-shot par fives to know which club to lay up with.

[rkruff]

I went back to the PS 1500 because I was always forgetting to take the SG4 home to charge. It stayed in the bag at the club. The PS 1500 is so much better with the new fanny pack. You don't need to unzip it anymore...It has a magnetic clasp that allows you to set the bag down, pull the PS, and get your yardage within 2-3 seconds.

 

Makes all the difference...That said the SG4 was fantastic when the battery was charged

[wegobomber31]

Has anyone ever had a problem with their Bushnell? I have the PS 1500 Tourney and the performance has deteriorated recently to the point that I can get a meaningful reading outside of 12 months. I call Bushnell and I need to send it in for repair. Just wondering if anyone has had this happened or can comment on the bushnell repair/customer service experience.

[trek1500]

I personally prefer my Bushnell Yardage Pro…it basically measures the distance from the ball to the pin to within a yard…it’s easy to use and fairly portable…

 

But I have seen the Sky Caddie in use and it’s one awesome tool!

 

If you want something simple..just for the yardage..the yardage pro is fairly easy on the pocketbook..but if you want all the bells and whistles go for the Sky Caddie…