Sonocaddie v300

[ken11011]

I have the XV2 unit and used it this past season without any trouble. I just got the V300 to replace it. What a great unit. The interface is great, lots of courses and great color. The score keeping is just the nuts. You won't be sorry with purchasing this unit.

[makgolfn]

I'm looking at the V300 as an upgrade to my SG2. One feature I like about the Skycaddie is that it includes a driving range "hole" for each course. If a 4-star course has a range many times it has been recorded to include flags and/or greens. Kind of a nice feature for those who like to spend time at the range. Does anyone know if the V300 has this feature? In their on-line manual I only see holes 1-18 available for selection.

[Viking Golfer]

I'm looking at the V300 as an upgrade to my SG2. One feature I like about the Skycaddie is that it includes a driving range "hole" for each course. If a 4-star course has a range many times it has been recorded to include flags and/or greens. Kind of a nice feature for those who like to spend time at the range. Does anyone know if the V300 has this feature? In their on-line manual I only see holes 1-18 available for selection.

 

NO ! - the V300 does not have this feature.........

[Dave Player]

I couldn't decide between the Sonocaddie V300 and the Golf Guru Color so I decided to purchase both for a side-by-side trial comparison. The Golf Guru easily won for me, hands down. We all have our individual preferences and the Golf Guru was much better at meeting mine.

 

I really liked the idea of the V300's color layout display of the entire hole, especially for playing a new course for the first time. I also preferred the look and feel of the V300 and I wanted to like it, but one of the problems I had was that I found it difficult to quickly scan for the information I needed. Those cartooney icons of bunkers and trees and such just seemed to clutter up the display for me.

 

Also, I was quite disappointed when I attempted to download the first course I was going to play using my new toys and found that only scorecard information was available for the V300 - no color layout of the holes - not even GPS information! The course I'm talking about is the River Course at King's Mill in Williamsburg, easily one of the most prominent courses in Virginia. The pre-mapped Kings Mill course was available for the Guru so I used only the Guru for the first test-round. This left a bad taste for the V300 and might have prejudiced my decision some, but it turned out to be more than a bad first impression. Of the 20 courses that I play, 18 were available pre-mapped for the Guru, and only about half of the color layouts were available for the V300. Though most of the courses had GPS information available for the V300, two of the primary courses I play had scorecare information only - very disappointing.

 

The deciding factor for me though, was the lack of smart or intelligent green feature on the V300. Though I knew I enjoyed having the intelligreen feature on my old SG2, I wasn't sure how important this feature would turn out to be with the new devices. However, it really is a key feature for any GPS device, in my opinion. Of the courses I play, there are quite a few odd-shaped and angled greens that make a huge difference when determining the front and back of the green and making smart club choices based on pin position and the angle of attack into the shape of the green from a given ball position. The V300's static front/back/middle yardage labels were no comparison to the smart green feature of the Guru in terms of providing meaningful and dynamic gps-fed information. In fact I think it might even mislead a player if they find themself out of position relative to the V300's display of the green.

 

Another big selling point of the Guru for me is its green-mapping feature. Though both devices allow editing of existing targets or adding new targets (hazards, lay-up points, etc.), only the Guru allows me to map the outline of the greens. In fact no other device that I know of has this capability. If one of the courses I play changes a green (either permanently OR temporarily), I can easily remap it in a few minutes and create a custom-mapped course with the updated green. To answer macglfn's earlier question, this mapping feature can also be used to map out your favorite driving range, by the way.

 

One of the things I did like about the V300 was the more robust statistics feature. The Guru stats are more basic, though I think they are adequate for my purposes (scorecard, avg # of putts, GIR%, FIR%). Also the Guru does have the ability to upload to a website for handicap posting. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the V300 definitely felt more sturdy in my hand and I liked the rubber-edged case, which gave a better first impression. However I quickly got used to, and now prefer, the buttons-up layout of the Guru, as well as its smaller size.

 

One final note, I chose the Color version of the Guru not only for the brighter backlit display and higher resolution color, but because it can store up to 200 courses, versus 40 in the monochrome Guru version. However it turns out that I don't really like having to hit a button to see information (activate the backlight) and 200 courses is really a bit overkill so I'm going to return the Color version and purchase the original monochrome Guru to save $120.

 

I hope this information helps someone choose the right device for them.

 

Dave Player

[Giantbear]

Thanks Dave. It seems the big knock on the sonocaddie is the lack of an inteligreen feature. The mapping issue can and should be resolved with a phone call or two from what i have read.

[Viking Golfer]

Thanks Dave. It seems the big knock on the sonocaddie is the lack of an inteligreen feature. The mapping issue can and should be resolved with a phone call or two from what i have read.

 

Yeahhhhhh.........if only you could get the shape, form, rubber-edged case, color screen, mapping function, menu and overall features of the of the Sonocaddie V300 an then just add the Intelligreen feature, it would probaly be the perfect GPS Golf unit.

 

The Golf Guru looks and feels cheapish compared to the V300 - and the screen of the Golf Guru Color is in my view inferior compared to the V300 color screen.

 

I rely on my Laser Range finder for shots from 150 yards and in, so I personally don't need the Intelligreen, but I'm tech geek always looking for improvements - so I hope Sonocaddie reads this and will consider a feature like the Intelligreen in their next model. other than that, they have the pefect Gplf GPC unit.

 

So please Sonocaddie - add the Intelligreen og Smart green feature to your next model and you will have the best possible GPS device on the planet.

Please make sure the next model also have Electronic Scorecard and World clock - and maybe add an alarm for your tee time and your next Sonocaddie will be the greatest of them all :)

[phil75070]

The Golf Guru looks and feels cheapish compared to the V300 - and the screen of the Golf Guru Color is in my view inferior compared to the V300 color screen.

 

You are aware that Golf Guru was going for lightweight, thin and something that would be comfortable when carried in a pocket? Are you aware that they have tested their unit for ruggedness with a 4-foot drop test, repeating the test more than 100 times? If you have held one in your hand, you would also realize that with the buttons at the top the device gets held much more securely in the palm of the hand instead of in the fingers. Especially the color unit feels plenty "substantial" to me but how something "looks and feels" is going to be very subjective. :)

[harleykids]

I have a question for the V300 owners out there. I have a golf guru color model, but I have some dislikes about the unit, which is another post for another time. Suffice to say I am thinking about taking advantage of the 30 day money back guarantee from golf guru (my unit is 1 week old, and I have played 3 rounds with it so far)

 

1) Will the V300 allow me to record the club I use for each shot? Will it allow you to set a mark, hit your shot, then walk up to the ball and tell you how far you hit it? then do the same for each subsequent shot?

 

Also, can you assign a club for each of these? Then after the round, when analyzing my stats I could pull up, say, all the shots where I use a 7-iron and I could see each individual shot distance throughout the round. This would be very helpful in showing me how far (longest, average, shortest hit) I am hitting my 7-iron. Then I could compare each club distance at the start, middle, and end of my season, or anytime I wanted to. The guru allows you to record the club used, but the statistics features are not very good at all.

 

2) With all the discussion on "intelli green", etc. I am still a bit confused...will the V300 show the actual, real time distance to the green, as I am walking towards it? Meaning will the yardage displayed continue to change in real time as I move closer to the green, shot after shot, walking in real time?

 

3) I assume the scorecard will only keep track of one golfer's score (unlike the Garmin Approach G5, which can track your foursome)?

 

4) I have pretty much narrowed it down to the Garmin G5 Approach, or the V300. Can someone who has used both tell me what they think?

 

Thanks for the advice!

Jason

[123tony]

you can mark the distance for every shot taken. you can not however input which club was used. you will have to do that yourself.

 

it does change distance in real time

 

the scorecard is only for one golfer, but can be very advanced and track if you like if you hit fairways, green, putts.

[ken11011]

I have the XV2 and just got a V300. I have had no issues with either unit. I love the V300 color and score keeping. The yardages are spot on. You can't go wrong with this unit.

[whsbuss]

I have the XV2 and just got a V300. I have had no issues with either unit. I love the V300 color and score keeping. The yardages are spot on. You can't go wrong with this unit.

 

Except there are courses I play that have no course layouts.

[OptomMN]

I'm mostly a lurker around here but had to respond to the lack of available maps. If you contact Sonocaddie, they will map your requested course quickly. I asked for a number of courses to be mapped this spring (sent them a list of courses I wanted) and all were completed with in a couple weeks. I've been very impressed with their customer service. Send them an e-mail and they take care of everything and e-mail you back when the courses are ready for download.

 

Good luck.

[frozen_rope]

Sonocaddie is the best kept secret in golf.

 

I have the XV2 unit and used it this past season without any trouble. I just got the V300 to replace it. What a great unit. The interface is great, lots of courses and great color. The score keeping is just the nuts. You won't be sorry with purchasing this unit.

[em etib]

I'm looking at the V300 as an upgrade to my SG2. One feature I like about the Skycaddie is that it includes a driving range "hole" for each course. If a 4-star course has a range many times it has been recorded to include flags and/or greens. Kind of a nice feature for those who like to spend time at the range. Does anyone know if the V300 has this feature? In their on-line manual I only see holes 1-18 available for selection.

 

NO ! - the V300 does not have this feature.........

 

If it is a driving range that you hit at on a regular basis there is no reason you can't map it yourself. The V300's ability to custom mark locations is the reason I purchased mine.

 

I created my own little driving range "courses".

 

My clubs range is a two ended setup with permanently anchored flags and 16 bunkers. I walked the range one night and created 4 courses. Two from each end. One for the flags and one for the bunkers. For the bunker "courses" I recorded them like they were greens. I have the distance to the front and the back measured for all of them. I took me a while but I now have 30-40 exact distance markers I can shoot at. The only drawback I found was with that many targets I had a hard time remembering what hole was what. I solved that by creating a laminated scorecard I keep in my bag. I downloaded an aerial shot of our range from Mapquest, autotraced it into a graphic software program and numbered it to match the hole numbers on my "courses"

 

I consider it well worth the few hours of time I put into it.

 

We also have a separate practice chipping green that has 3 flags and you can hit upto a 70 yard shot. I have another course with three holes for this and remark the flags when they move them. This has made a huge difference in hit what I call tweener shots.

[Giantbear]

just as a follow up, i wound up getting the U-Pro. The anypoint feature was the deciding factor for me. I have played a couple of rounds with it and love it.

[big_guy]

I wanted to share with you my experiences with the Sonocaddie V300. Prior to my purchase, I did a fair bit of research. I wanted a unit that provided an electronic score card capability in addition to golf gps functionality. Needless to say availability of mapped golf courses in my area was also a must. The Sonocaddie seemed to fit the bill. All reviews I read were positive, the unit allows you to record your score, and when I looked up golf courses in my area on their web site, they all showed up.

 

 

 

I will start with the positives. The unit is well designed. The color screen is readable under most if not all lighting conditions. The user interface is well laid out, therefore the usability of the unit on the golf course is very good. About the only thing that is missing from the design of the unit is the intelligreen feature supported by some units such as the Sky Caddie.

 

 

 

That is about it as far as the positives comments I have. On to the negatives.

 

 

 

I said earlier that when I looked up golf courses in my area they all (or at least most) showed up in Sonocaddie’s data base, the problem is that for most of the golf courses in my area the data base records are EMPTY, there is no mapping information available, nada. Not a problem you say, as indicated on their web site, all you have to do is send a request to have your favorite golf course mapped. I did just that. This is when I was exposed to Sonocaddie’s customer service which can only be described is abysmal. It often takes them 7-10 days to respond to an e-mail, their response if often cryptic, obviously I was dealing with people whose first language is not English, making it difficult to communicate.

 

 

 

Next I will comment on the quality of gps mapping information they have available. Again generally speaking the information is abysmal. Most yardages are off by 20+ yards. The information on some holes is incomplete, for example key points of interest like yardages to greens are missing. Clearly they have not taken care to make sure that the quality of gps they make available is top grade.

 

 

 

Finally a few words about the documentation and companion software they supply with the unit. Again, both are terrible. The documentation is just about incomprehensible, its written so poorly that often you have to read sections over and over again to decipher the content. The companion software is rudimentary at best, and worst of all the software has bugs.

 

 

 

In summary, my rating of the Sonocaddie V300:

 

Unit: 8/10

 

Course data: 2/10

 

Documentation: 3/10

 

Companion Software: 3/10

 

Over all rating: 2/10

 

 

 

My recommendation: the Sonocaddie v300 is not worth the premium price it retailers are charging.

[Beung]

Can some one expand on the details of the scorecard feature?

 

Does it simply just record your score per hole? Or does it allow you to mark things like where you missed a shot, hit a fairway, hit a green, sand saves, putts...that sort of thing. Does it do any sort of shot tracking?

 

I currently use a program on my BlackBerry which uses the built in GPS, and although it only allows 3 additional points pre hole besides front, middle and back for the green and then 200, 150 and 100 yardages, it keeps good shot tracking data. The only truely bad thing about it is that the GPS is slow, probably more to do with the GPS in the balckberry and not a fault of the software. What makes it worse, the blackberry goes to sleep all the time so it has to wake up everytime I want to look up a yardage. I guess if was taking more shots I would be using it so frequently that it wouldn't have a chance to go to sleep :P

[frozen_rope]

I have use a Sonocaddie V300 for about a year and find it a much better product than any of the SkyCaddie models.

The V300 is very well built , has a beautiful high quality color screen which is visible in even very bright sun light conditions, and shows either the entire hole shape or a close up of the green. The GPS yardages are accurate to front-middle-back of greens as well as all bunker fronts/backs , water hazards etc.... If you like you may add points of reference, but I have rarely found any significant hazard that was not already marked. The unit holds 30 courses at any one time, and in my travels I have found 9 out of 10 courses I plan on playing are already in Sonnocaddies' system. The couple of times I have requested a course, Sonocaddie company replied within a day and had the golf course marked within a couple of days. What more could one ask for ? The V300 is a winner!

To answer yours specific question about the scorecard feature. The V300 tracks your score each hole, as well as putts, fairways, greens, bunker saves, and it gives you a complete percentage analysis.

 

Can some one expand on the details of the scorecard feature?

 

Does it simply just record your score per hole? Or does it allow you to mark things like where you missed a shot, hit a fairway, hit a green, sand saves, putts...that sort of thing. Does it do any sort of shot tracking?

 

I currently use a program on my BlackBerry which uses the built in GPS, and although it only allows 3 additional points pre hole besides front, middle and back for the green and then 200, 150 and 100 yardages, it keeps good shot tracking data. The only truely bad thing about it is that the GPS is slow, probably more to do with the GPS in the balckberry and not a fault of the software. What makes it worse, the blackberry goes to sleep all the time so it has to wake up everytime I want to look up a yardage. I guess if was taking more shots I would be using it so frequently that it wouldn't have a chance to go to sleep :P

[Beung]

Thanks for the reply, I forgot to mention....does the scorecard feature consolidate your stats or is it track on a per round basis?

 

I took the plung and bought a V300, only thing missing so far seems to be no ability to enter your own coordinates without actually walking the course. My previous GPS (running on my BB) allowed you to use Goolge maps to get the coordinate of what you wanted to map and enter them onto the hole. Not the most accurate but if I miss it by a yeard or two is better then not knowing the approx yardage at all. The other is how the scorecard feature works.

[frozen_rope]

Scorecard feature analysis is round by round only, not a cumulative running total.

 

The scorecard screen is 5 columns:

 

1st is the par for the hole, which the V300 already knows, so nothing to input here.

2nd is your score for the hole, you arrow up or down to choose your score, 3, 4, 5 etc...

3rd is the putts you took, arrow up or down 1, 2, 3 etc...

4th column is "fairway". It is set on N (for no), so if you missed the fairway you don't touch it, if you hit the fairway arrow up to Y (yes)

5th column is "bunker". It is set on N, if you were not in a bunker then leave it alone. If you were in a bunker arrow up to Y(yes).

 

That's it. To input your score takes as much time as pushing two or three buttons on your cell phone. It's faster than grabbing a pencil and writing down a score on a card, much faster, and cleaner.

 

You can get your analysis during the round and, or, after the round.

 

 

Thanks for the reply, I forgot to mention....does the scorecard feature consolidate your stats or is it track on a per round basis?

[spchdoc1]

If you have experience with the sonocaddie V300, please advise me on how best to use the unit. I bought the Garmin approach G5 but Garmin was unable to map my home course, Frosty Valley CC in PA so in its place I purchased the sonocaddie V300 which had all courses that I play. I used it twice and easily added a tree and new landing area. I am already a fan! I will map my driving range as a course. What I would like help with is explaining how to best use it on the course. I marked where my ball lands by pressing the mark button on the side. Do you just hit the mark key? Will that automatically record your score or must you manually put it in? If I shut off the autotrace feature will it just record my ball marks?

After you review your score for that round does the white ball mark go away? How do you remove it?

Please advise. Thanks.

[frozen_rope]

The "mark" function is for calculating the distance you hit a shot. For example, if you crush a tee ball then hit "marK' on the tee box and from that point on the V300 will keep measuring the distance until you reach your ball. So "marking for distance" needs to be done from the point where you struck the shot, and end when you reach the ball.

Score keeping is a completely different function and screen. On the left hand side of the V300 is a score keeping button. Once you've played a hole, use the button and your score screen will appear. At that point input your score, putts, and check yes or no for fairways and bunkers for the hole. You input you score each hole and the V300 keeps a running total and stat analysis throughout the round.

 

If you have experience with the sonocaddie V300, please advise me on how best to use the unit. I bought the Garmin approach G5 but Garmin was unable to map my home course, Frosty Valley CC in PA so in its place I purchased the sonocaddie V300 which had all courses that I play. I used it twice and easily added a tree and new landing area. I am already a fan! I will map my driving range as a course. What I would like help with is explaining how to best use it on the course. I marked where my ball lands by pressing the mark button on the side. Do you just hit the mark key? Will that automatically record your score or must you manually put it in? If I shut off the autotrace feature will it just record my ball marks?

After you review your score for that round does the white ball mark go away? How do you remove it?

Please advise. Thanks.

[spchdoc1]

I bought the sonocaddie v300 a week ago and have used it 4x. So far I have found it easy to use and very accurate when I use the yard markers at my course. Also. it instantly moves to the next hole when I put in my score. I am using the "pro" scorecard which gives me gir, putts.... when I choose the analysis. I was able to input a new landing area on a newly remodeled hole. The battery lasts a very long time - at least 3 rounds. I would highly recommend this unit. I should say that I originally bought the Garmin Approach g5 because I love the idea of the touchscreen technology, however, Garmin said they could not map my course at this time and to check back in a few months. I wanted something I could use now.

Sonocaddie V300 5 stars :clapping:

[chrisfx811]

Question for v300 users:

 

Are most courses that you have on your unit as well done as the demo course on the v300?

I ask because I checked out the Garmin G5 and was totally put off by the rudimentary drawings they used for depicting layouts, but the v300 demo beautifully renders the features of a golf course much better.

 

In real usage, are the courses you guys are playing as nicely rendered as the demo course? Is it mostly dependent on the scorecard images for the course, or does Sonocaddie also use real maps to assist in reproducing the image of each hole?

 

I picked up a v300 for a song, but as a Mac user I cannot set it up until I get with a friend who has a PC to help me load it up with courses.

 

I am thoroughly impressed with the build quality, ease of navigation, and the demo information provided.

Garmin could have had my business if not for the fact that their course drawings are horrendous.

[hacker1]

played another 45 holes with it today. All maps look like the featured demo. Just in the shape of your mapped courses. it is great! money well spent!

[chrisfx811]

That's good to know. I was unsure if I wanted to wait for the auto play Sonocaddie, but at this price, I wasn't going to wait.

Also, I was unsure if the auto play version would have all the same features due to it having so many courses pre-loaded.

 

According to the site, it does appear that the auto-play will be as full featured.

 

I'm chomping at the bit to download the courses.

 

Has anyone played a course that has the color layout but no scorecard? What features do you miss out on?

[frozen_rope]

For a course without scorecard the player manually enters the par for each hole.

 

That's good to know. I was unsure if I wanted to wait for the auto play Sonocaddie, but at this price, I wasn't going to wait.

Also, I was unsure if the auto play version would have all the same features due to it having so many courses pre-loaded.

 

According to the site, it does appear that the auto-play will be as full featured.

 

I'm chomping at the bit to download the courses.

 

Has anyone played a course that has the color layout but no scorecard? What features do you miss out on?

[frozen_rope]

The V300 hole graphics are superb, an accuarte representation of each hole. However, for "real usage" you are on the golf hole with a club in your hands and looking at your V300 for distance yardages, not the pretty graphics. Also, most of the time you are looking at the "green view" for the shape of the green and front-middle-back yardages.

 

Question for v300 users:

 

Are most courses that you have on your unit as well done as the demo course on the v300?

I ask because I checked out the Garmin G5 and was totally put off by the rudimentary drawings they used for depicting layouts, but the v300 demo beautifully renders the features of a golf course much better.

 

In real usage, are the courses you guys are playing as nicely rendered as the demo course? Is it mostly dependent on the scorecard images for the course, or does Sonocaddie also use real maps to assist in reproducing the image of each hole?

 

I picked up a v300 for a song, but as a Mac user I cannot set it up until I get with a friend who has a PC to help me load it up with courses.

 

I am thoroughly impressed with the build quality, ease of navigation, and the demo information provided.

Garmin could have had my business if not for the fact that their course drawings are horrendous.

[chrisfx811]

I definitely know what you mean frozen.

With the Garmin g5, the lack of detail made the unit seem very uninformative as the courses I looked at only showed bunkers and fairway shape. Nothing showing important trees, outlying rough/fescue, etc.

 

For $500 for the Garmin I do want some 'pretty graphics', especially important ones.

 

For the price I paid for the v300, I'm happy to know the aesthetics are still there, as well as the abundance of info regarding hole layout.

 

I can't wait to get access to a pc to get her up and running.

[frozen_rope]

Sorry to tell you this but limited PC access may pose a problem.

The V300 is designed so that the player interacts regularly with his own folder which is downloaded once the players signs up for a lifetime subscription. The folder is where the player manages scorecard and golf course uploads/ downloads.

It's not critical to have regular PC access, but it is helpful if you want to keep a history of your scorecards and round analysis.

As for golf course downloads, if you don't travel much then you can load the courses you do play in one sitting at a PC and then you are good to go. A players traveling often needs to add and remove courses on a regular basis.

 

I definitely know what you mean frozen.

With the Garmin g5, the lack of detail made the unit seem very uninformative as the courses I looked at only showed bunkers and fairway shape. Nothing showing important trees, outlying rough/fescue, etc.

 

For $500 for the Garmin I do want some 'pretty graphics', especially important ones.

 

For the price I paid for the v300, I'm happy to know the aesthetics are still there, as well as the abundance of info regarding hole layout.

 

I can't wait to get access to a pc to get her up and running.