SonaCaddie V300: The Bomb!!!!!!

Ezgolfer · September 14, 2008

Thanks ,

Upro does not have score recording ability . As I said most courses have GPS built in the cart here . So that makes my unit redundant , however it does speed up t play a bit ,as you can take your GPS unit alongwith two or three clubs and leave the cart to your buddy .

If i have to choose one of the two . I will take the rangfinder .

I will end up buying both as explained by you . I lost my rangefider few weeks ago .

Callway rangefinder seems nice . Have you looked at Leupold ( TGW ).

Viking Golfer · September 14, 2008

Thanks ,

Upro does not have score recording ability . As I said most courses have GPS built in the cart here . So that makes my unit redundant , however it does speed up t play a bit ,as you can take your GPS unit alongwith two or three clubs and leave the cart to your buddy .
If i have to choose one of the two . I will take the rangfinder .
I will end up buying both as explained by you . I lost my rangefider few weeks ago .
Callway rangefinder seems nice . Have you looked at Leupold ( TGW ).

Yes I have checked out the Leupond GX 1 - and it's a close call between the Callaway Nikon LR800 and the Leupold GX1.

The Leupold GX 1 is slightly shorter in length (4" versus 5"), both have 6 X magnification - the Leupold is $100 cheaper, but the thing I like about the Callaway Nikon is that it comes with a tight fitting neoprene case and you can use it while the rangefinder is still inside the case. This saves me 5 seconds every time I use the device, which adds up to a stunning couple of minutes a round (just kidding, but every minute counts) - but it also protects the device better, because you never have to take it out of the case and to me that's a bonus :good:

Also on http://golf.leupold.com they state the Gx1's measurement accuracy to 1 yard, while on www.callawayrangefinders.com/lr800.aspx the Callaway Nikon LR800 is stated to ½ yard accuracy.

Also the measurement range of the Callaway Nikon is stated to 10-800 yards, while the measurement range for the Leupold Gx1 is stated to "only" 750 yards.

Don't know if these small differences are noticeable in the real world - but this is what makes me want to shell out $100 more for the Callaway nikon device.

What will you get ?

Fletch_1 · September 17, 2008

I have read this thread with interest and some scepticism. I actually own the Sonnocaddie V300 unit and a Callaway LR1200 rangefinder and have tried these along side each other many times. My original comments were that I got 3-5 yards difference between the Rangefinder and the GPS, but that must have been on a good day. Keep in mind, I am in Australia and our GPS is NOT as accurate at that available in the USA.

I can honestly say that putting my V300 in my pocket makes no difference to signal strength, it is rare that I get more than 8 sats and just as rare to get less than 8 (when I first turn it on, it does take some time, but taking it out of my pocket it is ready to go). The accuracy down here is really questionable and that goes through all the functions, including the Mark function for driving distance etc. I have had errors of up to 10m consistently, but in saying that, i still get front and back markings for the greens and this is VERY useful, 10 yards is rarely catastrophic at my level, I am happy just being on the green in most cases.

The Rangefinder is outstanding, very easy and quick to use (the longest time is getting the unit out of the bag and putting it back), the Nikon (Callaway) unit is very easy to use, very steady and deadly accurate, if you are looking for a tool to give you spot on yardage, this is it. I have used the Bushnell units with Pinseeker and I find the Nikon easier to use, hence why I purchased it.

The truth is I use the rangefinder way more often than the GPS because it is simple and reliable. However, on my home course where I play most of the time, I use neither as I am very familar with the distances (I was not when I purchased both units, but through using the rangefinder, I have become very accurate). I genuinely recommend the Nikon unit over the GPS, but each to their own.

One thing I will say is the people at Sonnocaddie have some of the best customer service I ahve ever seen, so thats a plus...

milfordj · September 17, 2008

I, too, question the accuracy of my V300. Last outing I was adding 90 yd lay-ups on various holes and after clicking on Green View to determine Center of Green Location and then moving forward and back to locate the 90 yd mark, I found that the reading would fail to move for several yards and then tend to bounce back and forth showing considerable variations. I came up with the best guestimate wherein it would be relatively stable at 90 yds, and marked them. Not sure how accurate they'll be but, hopefully, given the state of my game they'll be accurate enough.

Viking Golfer · September 17, 2008

I, too, question the accuracy of my V300. Last outing I was adding 90 yd lay-ups on various holes and after clicking on Green View to determine Center of Green Location and then moving forward and back to locate the 90 yd mark, I found that the reading would fail to move for several yards and then tend to bounce back and forth showing considerable variations. I came up with the best guestimate wherein it would be relatively stable at 90 yds, and marked them. Not sure how accurate they'll be but, hopefully, given the state of my game they'll be accurate enough.

Do like I do, if you're willing to spend to $$ - use the V300 for keeping your score, checking distances on long doglegs holes, where you plan to cut across the dogleg, checking distances to bunkers and rough off the tee (where 5 yards doesn't matter that much unless you're Tiger Woods) and then use the Laser Range finder on everything from 150 yards and in :rolleyes:

The Laser will always be more precise and from 150 yards and in, you will always be able to use it - no doglegs at that short distance :beee:

milfordj · September 18, 2008

I'm already doing that, but also wanted to target Lay-up distances where appropriate. Just finished today, targeting about 6 on my home course; at least they should be good "ball-park" distances. Much easier to glance at the V-300 screen than trying to lock onto a pin when I'm so far away that I can barely even see the pin.

Mr Putts · September 20, 2008

geeze... im begging you guys... please don't be stupid. my sonocaddie and every single other gps made on the planet be it golf related or otherwise HAS to see the sky to work. thats all there is to it. that intialization and reaquisition doesn't happen instantly... even on the ones that cost 10 grand. your unit like mine and all the others has an antenna in it 1/2 the size of a dime. it has the most basic and cheapest electronics and post processing that the chinese can make.

it isn't what nasa uses. honest. if you put it in your pocket you are making a mistake and defeating a lot of the purpose of carrying it. if you throw it in the cart you may or may not get bounced signals and may or may not lose the resolution but i wouldn't do it. clip it on you bag or your belt for gods sake and stop making a project out of this. they are fine devices and do EXACTLY what they are supposed to do... IF ( pay attention here) THEY CAN SEE THE SKY.

they lose 1/2 their resolution when clouds go over... what in hell do you think happens when its in your pocket ?

don't believe me ? go get it right now. turn it on and put it on your kitchen table. tell me how many sats it picks up.

I think I remember reading that you had hands on experience with this stuff a couple of decades ago. Are you still working with GPS professionally?

I do not have the sonocaddie, I have the golf guru. Here is what the makers of golf guru claim on their site:

What is GPS?

The Global Positioning System uses a constellation of at least 24 satellites orbiting the Earth to transmit precise microwave signals that enable a GPS receiver to determine its location, speed/direction, and time.

How accurate is the Golf Guru?

In golf course conditions, the Golf Guru is typically accurate to +/- 1 yard with WAAS corrections. Without WAAS, accuracy is typically better than +/- 2 yards. The Guru uses a 16 channel high sensitivity u-blox receiver with Guru proprietary accuracy augmentation.

Does the Golf Guru incorporate the latest WAAS technology for reception and accuracy?

Yes.

Do weather conditions affect the Golf Guru?

No. The Golf Guru is designed to be the most accurate and reliable GPS handheld product in the marketplace. Clouds and fog will not affect the performance of the Guru. Rain in heavy pine trees may affect the GPS signal because wet pine needles act as antennas that may interfere with GPS signals. Because the Guru is so sensitive, this is only an issue if your view of the sky is substantially blocked by the wet pine trees and rarely causes problems even in this case. The Guru's reception will be better than other GPS handhelds because of its high sensitivity.

Is it possible that the guru has the technology that they are claiming to have?