Comparison of SkyCaddie SG3 and SG 2.5

[driverseven]

I found this forum when I looked for GPS comparisons and I bought my last one based on those posts, so I thought I would give back with my own experiences.

 

I used the SG 3 from March through June; when I lost it last week, I decided to get the SG 2.5 (after seeing some of the comments here). My conclusion is that the SG 2.5 is far superior.

 

On features, it seems that the 2.5 has everything the 3.0 has -- plus it has a clock (which the 3 does not).

 

The 2.5 starts much faster and all of the features load faster. The 3.0 seems painfully slow by comparison now.

 

More important, the 2.5 gets a signal when the 3.0 did not. I just played on a very cloudy day, with intermittent showers. The 2.5 got its signal almost instantaneously and kept it all day. On days like this, I would sometimes just turn off the 3.0 because it had a signal so infrequently.

 

Interacting with the Skycaddie website was also much quicker with the 2.5. My setup of the 2.5 took about 10 minutes (including registration and downloading 4 courses). My setup of the 3.0 took more than an hour.

 

The 2.5 is smaller and I was able to put it in my pants pocket; while the 3.0 wout fit in my pocket, it was so bulky that I wouldn't feel comfortable carrying it there while playing.

 

The 3.0 does have a slightly bigger screen. However, I didn't have any problem reading anything on the 2.5 screen.

 

The 2.5 button layout is also easier to use. The buttons are slightly bigger and felt like they were laid out better. I use the Mark Ball Location function a lot and it was eaiser to use with the 2.5.

 

The rechargeable aspect of the 2.5 is also a plus for it. When I chose the 3.0, I thought it would be better to have a unit thet would have replaceable batteries, since I thought it would be less of a hassle to know I could change the batteries mid-round and not have to worry about recharging the unit. However, because the 3.0's battery life seemed to be about 1 and 1/2 rounds per battery pair, I was found that I had to change batteries mid-round quite a few times. I found the finger-screws on the unit impossible to use without a screwdriver, so I had to carry a screwdriver in my golf bag (and extra batteries).

 

The 2.5 uses a USB cable that is compatible with my phone (a Motorola Q) and my digital camera; so I already have a car charger.

 

A couple of final notes: I lost my 3.0 because the clip broke. I foolishly tried to get through the round by keeping it in a cup holder on my bag and I had to keep taking it out. If that happens again, I'll just turn it off and use it only when I can secure it safely.

 

I was disappointed to see that I could not have the unit's activation turned off. It ticks me off that whoever has found my unit is able to keep using it.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

Boy, it sounds like if I had owned a SG2.5 instead of an SG3 I might still have it. Or maybe not.

 

Once I learned my way around my home course (I've now been a member for 2-1/2 years) I found that the number of shots per round on which the SkyCaddie was useful declined to maybe 4, 5, 6 or so on average. It was a close call on whether the re-up my subscription when it came due my need for the unit was so spotty.

 

What made up my mind to sell off the SG3 was the fact that I found myself leaving it in the bag more often than not because it took so long to acquire a good signal and it had days where it lost the satellites at odd times. Between having to replace the AA's, having to let it sit still and run for anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes before teeing off (or else it would not give reliable yardages) and the fact that its general operation and yardage updating could get slow at times it just wasn't worth the trouble when playing a familiar course.

 

Not sure if I'd have renewed my subscription without all those problems but it's good to hear they've brought some better hardware to market to address some of the issues with the SG3 box.

[dssxxxx]

All of the above, plus:

 

When playing Rock Spring (NJ) the 2.5 was dead on with the lasered sprinkler heads. My best friend has the 3.0 and I the 2.5 and we play at UMCC and his 3.0 was off yardage from the sprinkler heads (again, lasered to the center) and the 2.5 was dead on. His 3.0 is sometimes off 4-8 years from my 2.5 on the yards to end of green.

[petenice15]

The 2.5 blows the 3 out of the water. I posted a story elsewhere on the site about a friend who had a 3 and myself who had a 2.5 during a round. By the second hole he was asking me for yardage since his was so slow. By the 4th or 5th hole he shut his off completely because he could get a signal.

 

I have heard rumors that the 3 and 4 are going to be discontinued. Without a doubt, they should and Sky Golf should send Natalie Gulbis around to appologize personally for the frustration these crappy products have caused their customers.

[driverseven]

Update -- I emailed SkyGolf to tell them that I lost my SG 3. They put it on a list of lost/stolen devices and if the device attempts to connect with the skygolf website, it will be deactivated.

 

So at least they will prevent someone who's stolen an SG from registering it.

 

I'm just sorry it still has 6 months left on the subscription.