New iGolf Neo Model

[caviar]

I sent the following to iGolf support yesterday, no reply yet:

 

"I cannot get the Sync program to work with Neo on my home computor (Windows Vista). Error message: "The devaice failed to initiate. Please check your connections and try again". Connections OK. Have tried to uninstall/reinstall to no avail. The program works ok with my work computor (XP). Have the international version of the program. Any suggestions for making it work with Vista are welcome."

 

Have since tried the US version of the program, and also tried running it in XP compatibility mode with the XP USB drivers. Grateful if anyone with Vista experience would like to comment.

 

Edit: Now solved. I saw in the Manual that the software can not handle COM ports higher than 9. My computor had assigned COM10 to the device. I changed to COM2 in the Device Manager and in Settings in iSync. Now works ok.

[Madness80]

Based on this thread, I purchased a Neo. I used it yesterday for the first time. So far so good. I checked the front and back of a few greens and it was right on. (Distance read 1) My buddy had a Skycaddie and our distances were close for the few times that we compared them. Next time I'll pick a par 3 and have a GPS shootout with him.

 

When I got the Neo I mapped the front and back to my property just to play around. It didn't seem to be very accurate. On the course yesterday I didn't think to map any custom points, so the jury is still out on that. Next time I play, I'll be sure to map one and then check it. I also found that I mostly just used the F/B/C. That's likely due to the course layout more than anything.

 

I was a little concerned about the clip. But I put a piece of black electrical tape on the top of the clip and that seems to hold the Neo in just fine. The tape adds a bit of stickiness to the clip.

 

I'll post back with any updates, but I thought Id throw my 2 cents out here that my initial reaction was very positive.

[Chief71]

I sent the following to iGolf support yesterday, no reply yet:

 

"I cannot get the Sync program to work with Neo on my home computor (Windows Vista). Error message: "The devaice failed to initiate. Please check your connections and try again". Connections OK. Have tried to uninstall/reinstall to no avail. The program works ok with my work computor (XP). Have the international version of the program. Any suggestions for making it work with Vista are welcome."

 

Have since tried the US version of the program, and also tried running it in XP compatibility mode with the XP USB drivers. Grateful if anyone with Vista experience would like to comment.

 

Edit: Now solved. I saw in the Manual that the software can not handle COM ports higher than 9. My computor had assigned COM10 to the device. I changed to COM2 in the Device Manager and in Settings in iSync. Now works ok.

 

 

Glad you figured it out...I found Igolf CS to be good...however, you need to call them or email them during the business week. I think they are off on the weekend like everyone else.

[Big_M]

I just noticed this morning that the iGolf website is gone... please tell me this is because they are updating or some such thing.

[MOJO14]

Lets hope the server is just down or something. I just got the Neo for my birthday from the wife and have only had the subscription for about 2 weeks. Might have to give them a call if this persists over a day or two.

[newjedi]

Seems like server issues www.igolf.com/index you can go to it but all the links are messed up. So appears to still be there just sick at the moment.

[dcfas]

Has anyone tried the sd unit from igolf? It's the same price ($150) as the neo and you get software that looks like it has more features than the neo. Of course, you need a Palm or similar device.

http://www.igolf.com/igolfstore/igolfindivprods/prod24.html

d

[dwe]

I am trying to choose between the neo the caddie 2 and the golflogix.  Does anyone know if the caddie 2 and neo advance to the next hole automatically and are the neo owners happy with the battery?  Thanks

[Diesel]

the Caddie II does not automatically advance to the next hole... not sure what the real advantage of that is though...

 

assume you blow an approach shot over near the following tee box, and it automatically advances you to that set of tees, then you have to scroll back to the previous hole to get your yardage...

 

i would assume the Neo is the same as the CII...

[stevestrike]

Neo does not have auto-hole advance, but I did ask about it and they told me that they were looking into adding it.

 

The battery life is great so far. I get at least 3 full rounds, and probably 4 or 5 without issue.

[chas521]

Hi,

I'm expecting my IGolf Neo very shortly. What should be the first thing that I should do? Actually, besides reading the user manual, is there a procedure that I should follow? Also, might there be a problem with the software and have the kinks been worked out? Thanks.

[chas521]

Hi,

I received my Neo. Haven't had it out on the course yet but I have downloaded my regular courses. My question is about Filemaker. Do I need it to make custom points to already downloaded courses or is it only when mapping a new course? How do I use it? Thanks.

[stevestrike]

Chas521, first off welcome to the forum, and congrats on the Neo.

 

The courses you downloaded should come with plenty of points already mapped. You can add new points, or change existing ones from the Neo itself, or you can load the course into Filemaker to make your changes. Doing it from the Neo is more tedious, but much easier.

 

An example where the filemaker would be useful is if you were going to map your own course, instead of downloading it. The Filemaker would allow you to setup the point names in advance, and then you store them using the Neo. If that makes sense.

 

In short, the Filemaker software is not incredibly useful in my opinion.

 

Here's another tip: keep all the "original" course files you download from iGolf in a separate folder, so you have them if needed. Then make your changes and edit points on another set of files. You cannot re-download courses from iGolf without using your "credits" again.

[chas521]

Chas521, first off welcome to the forum, and congrats on the Neo.

 

The courses you downloaded should come with plenty of points already mapped. You can add new points, or change existing ones from the Neo itself, or you can load the course into Filemaker to make your changes. Doing it from the Neo is more tedious, but much easier.

 

An example where the filemaker would be useful is if you were going to map your own course, instead of downloading it. The Filemaker would allow you to setup the point names in advance, and then you store them using the Neo. If that makes sense.

 

In short, the Filemaker software is not incredibly useful in my opinion.

 

Here's another tip: keep all the "original" course files you download from iGolf in a separate folder, so you have them if needed. Then make your changes and edit points on another set of files. You cannot re-download courses from iGolf without using your "credits" again.

 

Hi Steve,

First of all, thanks for getting back to me. I do have to say that after reading this thread is why I bought the Neo and when I never received any responses to my questions - well, you can understand my concern. But I had no choice except to hang in there and come through, you did. Just want everyone to know that setting up the Neo and downloading was easy and no problem. Before I forget, I wanted to share this with you since it was in an earlier post. After familiarizing myself with its operation, I wanted to see how long the battery lasted on a single charge. So I left the Neo "on" all last night with the backlight also "on". I chose play golf and chose a course that I downloaded. I started last night at 11PM and it didn't go to "0" charge until 11+ hours later. According to everything that I read here and on the iGolf support site, the battery should only last longer when the backlight is not used. When you're outdoors, you probably don't need the backlight anyway. Incidentally, after charging the battery, all my downloaded courses were still there. IMHO, once you receive the unit and verify that it hasn't been damaged in shipping, the quick start instructions of installing the software [easy BTW] go right to the next step of downloading courses from the iGolf site. Therefore [if you were going to do it anyway], after installing the software I would go to the iGolf site and register as a member before hooking up the unit to your computer. Hope that I didn't confuse anyone here. Oh, the downloaded courses went into the green folder but to be on the safe side, I also copied all of them to a floppy disk as a backup.

 

If I understand you correctly, Filemaker isn't really necessary to add custom points to any course file downloaded from their site. Everything that a person might need [labels] is already built-in to the unit. You just choose the name. Also, what happens if the internal battery needs to be replaced AFTER the warranty period is over? Can I replace it by myself or do I have to send it back to the factory? Do you have any idea of battery costs for myself doing it or what the charges might be if I have to send it to them? Many thanks.

 

Charles

[stevestrike]

Also, what happens if the internal battery needs to be replaced AFTER the warranty period is over? Can I replace it by myself or do I have to send it back to the factory? Do you have any idea of battery costs for myself doing it or what the charges might be if I have to send it to them? Many thanks.

 

Charles

I don't know the answer to this. I figured that by the time the battery wore out, it would be time for something newer/better/faster/cooler. :good:

[chas521]

Charles

I don't know the answer to this. I figured that by the time the battery wore out, it would be time for something newer/better/faster/cooler. :good:

 

Yeah, sounds about right.

[spacedust]

It should be ready to go out of the box. If you are going to map your own course you will not need to buy anything go plot your points and you are ready to go. Granted it is better to go ahead pay the 1 year subscription to add courses you normally play then not renew.

 

 

stop giving them ideas! they will catch on and stop this function guys. ahem, he was only kidding. such a kidder, nobody is going to do that. haha

 

:russian_roulette:

[lunchbox]

Has anyone found a good cart mount for this yet?

[chas521]

Has anyone found a good cart mount for this yet?

 

I've seen a couple on EBAY - both for riding carts and walking carts. I don't know how good they are. The unit fits in your pocket pretty easily though.

[LeaderAfter4]

Bought the neo about a month ago and used it for the first time yesterday...........not impressed.

 

First hole - 10 yards off standing on the front of the green. Second hole 13 yards off, on and on. Some holes within a yard - great - some 10 or better yards off.

 

I hate to think I have to adjust the locations of F/C/B on every course I play.

 

Do love the size and carry factor - and no problems with the clip - just got to put it out of the way of the bag.

 

Just my experience so far.

[wildwilly911]

being off is not uncomin for any gps unit. you have to remember alot of the courses were ploted with satellites and a lot of courses is almost impossible to clearly see the front back and center to get accurate points. ive seen this a couple time at courses near me because satellite images stink. just replot the course and contact igolf and let them know the problem

[LeaderAfter4]

Guess that is my mistake - I didn't realize they were so inaccurate out of the box. OK for courses I will play alot but disappointing for those that I will only play 2-3 times a year. I plotted the front side on the course today - will be interesting to try it out next round.

 

Still love the size factor - easy to keep in the pocket. Only problem now is my kid is asking me for yardages on every shot! LOL - I want him to develop some feel for those 30 - 60 yard approaches...........

 

thanks for the info on how they are set up.

 

Play it as it lies...........

[downwindduke]

I am trying to choose between the neo the caddie 2 and the golflogix. Does anyone know if the caddie 2 and neo advance to the next hole automatically and are the neo owners happy with the battery? Thanks

 

 

I couldn't resist a reply plugging Golflogix; while some may not appreciate the automatic scroll feature, I highly recommend it. Yes, I have had to manually scroll back to the previous hole after a poor shot put me at the next tee box, but even with my poor game this is a rarity. Otherwise, you never have to touch a button on Golflogix, unless you want to check out a monster drive or determine how far you are hitting your 7 iron. It is also very accurate. Finally, after an initial poor start, I have found their tech service to very helpful. They have altered two courses for me already (one changed names and one did away with several bunkers, etc.); they even called me back on a Saturday, even though their usual business hours are M-F.

[rrct1]

Here is my feedback on the Neo..so far

Played 54 holes over the last two days and it worked great...

All I wanted was a simple affordable device that gave me accurate yardage and shot distance and that's exactly what it did!

 

-Yardage was either exactly as marked on the course or within a yard or two

-Loved size and being able to keep in my pocket w/o belt clip - GPS signal was always strong

-shot distance feature worked great..although I found out that my drives were not nearly a big as I thought!

-very simple to set up, put courses on the unit and navigate the menus

-battery life was super...had the unit on from 9:30-6:00...I checked battery and it was at 70%

 

Only negative that I can think of now...is the 10 course storage limit on the unit...I think future models should and will hold a lot more courses (I was going to wait for the GolfBuddy Pro to come out - comes pre loaded w/ 20000 courses - also is listed at $350...more than I wanted to spend and didn't want to wait for it)

 

Again..very happy with this unit...I would definitely recommend to someone who just wants a simple, accurate,pocketable, device at this price point.

[hube]

Similar to rrct1, I've played three different courses over the past three days here in Northern VA and have been very pleased with the way this unit has performed. Enough so that I felt compelled to write a quick review. I bought the Neo because of it's reasonable price and I liked the subscription model.

 

A few highlights:

 

Speed - The Neo was always ready to go by the time I teed off from the first hole. Readings on course were speedy -- yardages became stable usually within a few seconds of standing/driving near ball.

 

Accuracy - Was good enough for me. I wasn't expecting nor do I need pinpoint accuracy. Yardage was usually within a few yards of yardage marked on course (sprinker heads, tee boxes, posts, etc.). I did stand on the front of a few greens after reading another post. The largest deviation I found was 5 yards. It was usually within a few yards. I only did this for maybe 5 greens.

 

Most of time I left the Neo in the cart -- that way my golf partner could use it as well (instead of asking all the time!). When I did need to take it to the ball, I just stuck it in my pocket -- it's about the size of a pager.

 

Most liked feature -- Shot Distance. It's also good for finding stray tee shots (after you've figured out your avg. driving distance).

 

Very minor nice to have improvements: a clock, and automatic hole advance -- although hitting the arrow button after every hole really didn't bother me that much.

[golfatdooks]

Also, what happens if the internal battery needs to be replaced AFTER the warranty period is over? Can I replace it by myself or do I have to send it back to the factory? Do you have any idea of battery costs for myself doing it or what the charges might be if I have to send it to them? Many thanks.

 

Charles

I don't know the answer to this. I figured that by the time the battery wore out, it would be time for something newer/better/faster/cooler. :russian_roulette:

 

Mike at IGolf told me that the battery has to be replaced at the factory and would likely cost in the order of $80.00. That probably doesn't include shipping costs. So if the battery lasts 3 or 4 yrs, there will likely be something new and better that we'll all want.

 

I received my Neo in mid March. It lasted for 3-1/2 rounds before the charge expired. These would have been 4.5 to 5 hr rounds.

[elaiw]

Stevestrike,

 

Read your great contributions to the iGolf Neo thread. Like you, I found the combination of size and price to be the most compelling reasons to purchase. As a brand new owner, I realized I needed a case immediately. I saw you mention a Body Glove case. Is this the one because it is for a flip phone?

 

http://www.radioshack.com/sm-body-glove-me...pi-2820502.html

 

Do you usually keep this on your belt during a round? Where? I was thinking on my belt centered on my belt to minimize obstruction to my swing. I also have a push cart (Clicgear 2.0) and was also thinking of one of these. I'm not convinced this helps given that it uses the stock holster.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Walking-Cart-Mount-For...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

If it's not too much bother, I'd be curious to your thoughts, especially if you've come across any other cases. I'm sending a PM but would also love to move this to the thread to help other Neo owners...

 

Anyone else with case thoughts?

 

PS Got the Body Glove case today and it fits the Neo snugly but like Stevestrike mentioned, it does not allow operation in the case... Anyone come across anything else?

 

[golfatdooks]

Stevestrike,

 

Read your great contributions to the iGolf Neo thread. Like you, I found the combination of size and price to be the most compelling reasons to purchase. As a brand new owner, I realized I needed a case immediately. I saw you mention a Body Glove case. Is this the one because it is for a flip phone?

 

http://www.radioshack.com/sm-body-glove-me...pi-2820502.html

 

Do you usually keep this on your belt during a round? Where? I was thinking on my belt centered on my belt to minimize obstruction to my swing. I also have a push cart (Clicgear 2.0) and was also thinking of one of these. I'm not convinced this helps given that it uses the stock holster.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Walking-Cart-Mount-For...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

If it's not too much bother, I'd be curious to your thoughts, especially if you've come across any other cases. I'm sending a PM but would also love to move this to the thread to help other Neo owners...

 

Anyone else with case thoughts?

 

PS Got the Body Glove case today and it fits the Neo snugly but like Stevestrike mentioned, it does not allow operation in the case... Anyone come across anything else?

 

 

I bought the Body Glove too. Thanks Steve. It is great. I bought it on EBay for about $1.50, with postage it came to around $6.00. The Neo fits perfectly into it. Highly recommended.

[limpwrist]

My apologies if this has already been asked/answered, but does the Neo adjust distances according to your position relative to the green? For example, if you flare one out to the right of the green pin high, I would expect that the distance to the center of the green would still be accurate, but what about the distances to the front/back of the green? Another scenario I thought of is what if you hit the ball over the green, will the distance given for the back of the green relative to the tee be displayed as the front of the green relative to your position behind the green? As I understand it, the SkyCaddies will automatically compensate for your position in relation to the green. I'm not sure that is really worth the increased cost, but it's one feature that keeps me interested in the SkyCaddies.

 

Also, is there some other way to charge the Neo other than plugging into a computer? I don't travel with a laptop, so charging this thing would be a major concern if that is the only way to charge it.

 

I'm looking to buy something in the next week or two, so any input would be greatly appreciated.

[chas521]

My apologies if this has already been asked/answered, but does the Neo adjust distances according to your position relative to the green? For example, if you flare one out to the right of the green pin high, I would expect that the distance to the center of the green would still be accurate, but what about the distances to the front/back of the green? Another scenario I thought of is what if you hit the ball over the green, will the distance given for the back of the green relative to the tee be displayed as the front of the green relative to your position behind the green? As I understand it, the SkyCaddies will automatically compensate for your position in relation to the green. I'm not sure that is really worth the increased cost, but it's one feature that keeps me interested in the SkyCaddies.

 

Also, is there some other way to charge the Neo other than plugging into a computer? I don't travel with a laptop, so charging this thing would be a major concern if that is the only way to charge it.

 

I'm looking to buy something in the next week or two, so any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hi,

Regarding your first question, I can't really answer that since I am playing by "feel" inside 40 yards so I wouldn't be looking at the Neo for distance anyway. Regarding battery charging, the Neo comes with a charger just like a cell phone so all you have to do is plug it in any wall socket not just a computer. Good luck with your purchase.