Which would you choose - price not a factor - Help a fellow golfer out!

[Harob11]

Garman Approach G5, Skycaddy SG5, SonoV300, OnPar Touch, Bushnell XGC

Hard to find any comparison/reviews online. What do you guys think is the best overall GPS price not a factor..... see list above.
Which you take? Help a guy out.
Thanks.

[Scott-C]

[quote name='Harob11' post='1882178' date='Aug 12 2009, 04:29 AM']Hard to find any comparison/reviews online. What do you guys think is the best overall GPS price not a factor..... see list above.
Which you take? Help a guy out.
Thanks.[/quote]Check out this website: [url="http://criticalgolf.com/golf-gps-reviews/"]http://criticalgolf.com/golf-gps-reviews/[/url]. I found it very helpful in making my GPS decision.

Hope it helps.

Scott

[Rickochet]

The first thing I look at in a golf GPS is to look at the course library the company has. I like the Sonocaddie line but of the 20 courses I play frequently they only had 4 mapped. So unless you have a unit that you can self map some of the units may be a bit useless.

The second thing I check on is their reputation for great customer service.

I recently purchased a Golf Guru 4. It is a recently released unit and is under going some teething pains but they are being quickly resolved.

[tbowles411]

I just picked up the Garmin and played a round with it..I'm working on a big review, but it is NICE. A little bulky, but simple to use, straight forward and packed with features. Yardage was within a yard of what the course had. It made the round easier for sure. Spend the bucks on batteries. Regular duracells won't cut it. I bought the $11.00 lithiums. Still fully charged afterwards.

[TM_HOYER]

The Skycaddie SG5 is hands down the best GPS range finder. The professional measuring of the course makes a huge difference. Well worth the yearly fee. A technogeek (of which I am one) using Google maps to come up with distances is no way as accurate. Also the Skycaddie not only gives you distances to hazards, it will give you layup and target yardages. When you get to the ball, you can see why the yardage was given. If you had hit it longer, there will be a ridge, difficult downhill lie, or some other non-hazard that would have left a difficult shot instead of the flat lie you get by following the distance given. It is like having a professional caddie with you. Satellite maps cannot give you that kind of information. Also coming up shortly on the Skycaddie is an overhead view of the hole and the green showing ridges and false fronts.

One more thing. I am part of a singles golf group of around 100 people. Everyone that has tried the others have returned them. EVERYONE that has a GPS range finder has a Skycaddie. When I played yesterday, three out the four people in the foursome had an Skycaddie SG5.

[sandwedge59]

I recently played a round with my sky caddie and a laser range finder and imho i liked the sky caddie much better , i found the laser just to much work to be honest , i know it sounds lame but there is something to be said about just looking down at the screen and reading a accurate yardage the and then hitting the shot , for me i just found the laser machine to hard to use , as it has only one lens and with a person with glasses it is difficult to read through glasses and and i defineatly cant see clearly without them , and the yardages were the same with the gps vs. the laser .. so i choose the gps mainly for it's ease of use ... hope this helps but it's only one person opinion

[Asleep]

Whichever one allows you regularly measure distances for your irons, input that number for each iron, and then recall your average distances for each club.

[Birdbrooks]

I vote for the [b]Garmin Approach G5[/b]. Garmin makes top quality, durable products.

GPS is the way for most of us to go. I use lasers for hunting, and they can work well for that, but remember that for golf, laser readings are easy to overshoot, yardages can be fooled by slope (as in hill angle) changes, and green depth is tricky to read. I have a top quality Nikon laser and I gave up on using it for golf.

I have had the Garmin Approach G5 for a few weeks now and it is one [b]solid, fast, waterproof and user friendly unit. [/b]
*Upgradeable software packages are easy to download into this unit from the Garmin web site. Course additions and changes, new added G5 features, upgrades, etc. are easy (and so far free) to add.
*Very nice shot distance yardage feature that can be toggled with other views.
*Easy fast score-keeping tool for up to 4 players with ability to download scores to your PC.
*Yardages to traps, water and hazards are marked, as well as front back and side positions on the greens.
*Pin can be positioned ewsily anywhere on the green to match the day's placement and all yardages are adjusted to match.
*You see the green relative to your position no matter where you or your ball is positioned. That is a big deal.
*[b]No [/b]annual fees for golf courses. Garmin doesn't have as many courses (almost 10,000) but the others are counting courses in some cases out of the U.S.
*Unit only has one button-- the power button; the G5 has a touch screen that is accurate and easy to use.
*Zoom feature for honing in on landing and approach areas and checking yardage.
*Can be read whatever point your ball lands on the course.
*Battery level, date and time features.
Lithium batteries last a long time. Can use rechargeables (NiMH), or regular alkaline batteries as well.

[b]The one best feature[/b]-- it is [b]fast[/b] to put into your hand and use, giving you the info you need, and allowing you to quickly set it aside to keep playing.

[sidewinder]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' post='1891265' date='Aug 16 2009, 08:56 AM']The Skycaddie SG5 is hands down the best GPS range finder. The professional measuring of the course makes a huge difference. Well worth the yearly fee. A technogeek (of which I am one) using Google maps to come up with distances is no way as accurate. Also the Skycaddie not only gives you distances to hazards, it will give you layup and target yardages. When you get to the ball, you can see why the yardage was given. If you had hit it longer, there will be a ridge, difficult downhill lie, or some other non-hazard that would have left a difficult shot instead of the flat lie you get by following the distance given. It is like having a professional caddie with you. Satellite maps cannot give you that kind of information. Also coming up shortly on the Skycaddie is an overhead view of the hole and the green showing ridges and false fronts.[/quote]
This post is spot on. The fact that SkyGolf has people actually walk the courses to take measurements is a huge deal. That is why I am more than willing to pay the yearly subscription fee. Plus, the user interface of the SkyCaddie SG5 is the best I have seen. I wanted to like the Callaway uPro, but the SG5 is just plain better. Flyover views are neat, but not what I need from GPS rangefinder. Its harder to get the same informationas quickly. When the SG5 has the green contour information, that will be killer. That's why I just bought an SG5.

I used to be a strong proponent of laser rangefinders over GPS units. I still think they are great devices. I even plan on keeping my Bushnell Pinseeker 1500TE in the bag for a while. Once I become comfortable using the SkyCaddie SG5, I will probably sell my 1500TE.

As I have become a better golfer...make that a more intelligent golfer, I find that I am not just whacking the ball as far down the fairway as I can. I score better having full shots into the green and plan for them now. I am hitting irons off of some tees that I used to use driver or 3 wood. Often I am using mid irons where I used to use long irons. Layup information has become critical. On par 5's, I used to always try to reach in two or hit as far as I could. I'd end up in some pretty bad spots more often than not. That does not happen nearly as often now that I am laying up with a plan. A plan that the SkyCaddie makes possible.

Also, I no longer aim at the flag on every shot to the green. Knowing the distance to the front, middle, and back of the green on my target line is critical as well. The IntelliGreen feature is incredible. It makes it easy to plan the best shot into the green. If I have left myself a full shot into the green, it can make it easier to safely pin hunt. Especially with a 9 iron or less.

I am scoring better than ever. Part of that is improvement in my ball striking. But most of it is because of better course management. Course management that really isn't possible with a laser rangefinder.

S-

[golf_fanatik]

My favorites are the SkyCaddie SG5 and the Garmin Approach G5..

SG5 = pretty much what the above posters have said. Even though you don't have the flyovers, I really like the way they map all the necessary traps, etc.

G5 = Like the simplicity of it, shows entire hole layout, easy to keep score, easy to see in sunlight just like the SG5.

I have owned/used: Golf Guru (B&W), Golf Buddy Pro/Tour, Upro, SG4, SG2.5.

[simplemind]

Sure the SkyCaddie functions well, but I have real issues with the reliability of the units. I had the original, and it started acting up after two years. Then bought the SG4, and it failed after a year, sent it back, and that unit is failing after a year.

What has been your experience with regard to longevity?

[golf_fanatik]

[quote name='simplemind' post='1902828' date='Aug 20 2009, 10:09 AM']Sure the SkyCaddie functions well, but I have real issues with the reliability of the units. I had the original, and it started acting up after two years. Then bought the SG4, and it failed after a year, sent it back, and that unit is failing after a year.

What has been your experience with regard to longevity?[/quote]


The SG3/4 had many hardware problems but the performance and reliability of the SG2.5, SG5 is great. Never had a problem with the unit in 3 years.

I think most people agree that the only downside to skygolf is the annual subscriptions and some spotty customer service.

[TM_HOYER]

I had a Skycaddie SG3 for almost 3 years with no problems and just upgraded to the SG5 a week ago and very happy. Also I know at least 10 people with various Skycaddie models also that have not experienced any problems.

As far as customer service, when I had some questions and sent an email, one was answered with a delay, one never answered. When I called customer service, my question was answered and they have an online chat feature on their web site and was able to get my questions answered immediately.

[golf_fanatik]

I'm probably in the minority but I went from a SG5 to a Upro to a Garmin G5 and I kept missing my SG5. I'm now back to the SG5.

Hopefully the Intelligreen Pro and Hole View will become reality soon.

[sidewinder]

[quote name='golf_fanatik' post='1903636' date='Aug 20 2009, 04:30 PM']I'm probably in the minority but I went from a SG5 to a Upro to a Garmin G5 and I kept missing my SG5. I'm now back to the SG5.

Hopefully the Intelligreen Pro and Hole View will become reality soon.[/quote]
Based on what I saw when I was looking for a GPS unit, I don't think you should be in the minority at all. I certainly liked the SG5 better than the uPro and G5. Again, I just don't have a problem with the SkyCaddie yearly subscription fees.

The IntelliGreen Pro feature, when it comes out, will be fantastic. The "Hole View" feature is not critical to me but it would be nice on courses I have never played.

S-

[Acerbean]

[quote name='simplemind' post='1902828' date='Aug 20 2009, 01:09 PM']Sure the SkyCaddie functions well, but I have real issues with the reliability of the units. I had the original, and it started acting up after two years. Then bought the SG4, and it failed after a year, sent it back, and that unit is failing after a year.

What has been your experience with regard to longevity?[/quote]


I bought an SG5 in April, 2months later it lost it's ability to see satellites. Had to be sent back and they had a new unit back to me in 10 calendar days. I suppose this was the best end to a bad situation. That 1st unit I had was a turd from the get go but I had no prior experience with the Skycaddies to know any different. My replacement unit's battery lasts twice as long and everything just seems to work properly, all updates happen flawlessly, etc. I am convinced my first one was a lemon. I give Skygolf props for customer service but don't know if they expedited my service because I was within the 90 days original warranty. I hope to get a long life out of mine, we shall see.

[blade_man]

Another vote for the SG5, I have had mine for 2 years and no problems and had the SG2 for 3 years prior to that, did have a problem on the SG2 after 2 years but got that taken care of. Just a good durable unit, does what it is suppose to. I have not owned any of the other units you mention because I am happy with what I have. Good luck in your search.

[TonsOfSteel]

+1 for the GolfGuru.

Customer Service is second to none. I requested a course to be mapped and it happened within 2 days.
I had some issues with downloading the latest firmware and they were resolved immediately with a call to customer service.
20,000 FREE course maps.
16 Satellites.
The only company with a patent.
Map your own course with 30 targets a hole.
etc.....

[url="http://www.gpsgolfguru.com/index.php"]http://www.gpsgolfguru.com/index.php[/url]

[Howie]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' post='1891265' date='Aug 16 2009, 11:56 AM']The Skycaddie SG5 is hands down the best GPS range finder. The professional measuring of the course makes a huge difference. Well worth the yearly fee. A technogeek (of which I am one) using Google maps to come up with distances is no way as accurate. ...Satellite maps cannot give you that kind of information.[/quote]

Interesting observation. So the yardages found in other GPS units, like the GolfGuru, aren't as accurate as those provided by the Skycaddie?

[sidewinder]

[quote name='Howie' post='1909975' date='Aug 23 2009, 07:49 PM'][quote name='TM_HOYER' post='1891265' date='Aug 16 2009, 11:56 AM']The Skycaddie SG5 is hands down the best GPS range finder. The professional measuring of the course makes a huge difference. Well worth the yearly fee. A technogeek (of which I am one) using Google maps to come up with distances is no way as accurate. ...Satellite maps cannot give you that kind of information.[/quote]

Interesting observation. So the yardages found in other GPS units, like the GolfGuru, aren't as accurate as those provided by the Skycaddie?
[/quote]
Howie,

Absolutely correct! Have you looked at the resolution of the satellite images one can find on Google Earth? Even at the highest resolutions there is a lot of room for error human when using them to map golf courses.

S-

[toddnt]

Im finding the most important feature is the availability of course. I almost bought two of the GPS units mentioned here and went to their website and found Bandon Dunes wasnt listed..

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

Another vote for the Garmin here

[Ezgolfer]

How about u pro

[TM_HOYER]

[quote]Interesting observation. So the yardages found in other GPS units, like the GolfGuru, aren't as accurate as those provided by the Skycaddie?[/quote]

That is correct. There was a course that I requested Skycaddie to map. Later I talked to the pro at the course. It took them two days of walking the course to map it. Also the person that creates the yardage books used by PGA Tour pros uses the Skycaddie equipment and data to create the yardage books.

Especially if you play a lot of different courses like I do, you get what you pay for with the yearly fee. The difference in mapping the course with satellite maps and walking the course is the difference of carrying the bunker and reaching the green and ending up in the bunker because the yardage was four yards off.

[phil75070]

[quote name='sidewinder' post='1910003' date='Aug 23 2009, 10:01 PM'][quote name='Howie' post='1909975' date='Aug 23 2009, 07:49 PM'][quote name='TM_HOYER' post='1891265' date='Aug 16 2009, 11:56 AM']The Skycaddie SG5 is hands down the best GPS range finder. The professional measuring of the course makes a huge difference. Well worth the yearly fee. A technogeek (of which I am one) using Google maps to come up with distances is no way as accurate. ...Satellite maps cannot give you that kind of information.[/quote]

Interesting observation. So the yardages found in other GPS units, like the GolfGuru, aren't as accurate as those provided by the Skycaddie?
[/quote]
Howie,

Absolutely correct! Have you looked at the resolution of the satellite images one can find on Google Earth? Even at the highest resolutions there is a lot of room for error human when using them to map golf courses.

S-
[/quote]

What makes you think that every other golf GPS provider out there uses Google Earth? They are not the only source of satellite imagery; there are a numebr of others which can be and are used with resolutions well under the .5 meter range. That is resolution to within less than 2 feet.

I think higher accuracy by walking the course is a myth that is being sustained by SkyGolf to justify their annual fees. At the time the first SkyGolf products were introduced, there was little to no commercial satellite imagery available and they had no other option but to map courses using GPS surveying equipment. If they were starting up today I think SkyGolf would be using aerial/satellite imagery like everybody else.

Just my opinion.

[Howie]

[quote name='phil75070' post='1911005' date='Aug 24 2009, 01:43 PM'][quote name='sidewinder' post='1910003' date='Aug 23 2009, 10:01 PM'][quote name='Howie' post='1909975' date='Aug 23 2009, 07:49 PM'][quote name='TM_HOYER' post='1891265' date='Aug 16 2009, 11:56 AM']The Skycaddie SG5 is hands down the best GPS range finder. The professional measuring of the course makes a huge difference. Well worth the yearly fee. A technogeek (of which I am one) using Google maps to come up with distances is no way as accurate. ...Satellite maps cannot give you that kind of information.[/quote]

Interesting observation. So the yardages found in other GPS units, like the GolfGuru, aren't as accurate as those provided by the Skycaddie?
[/quote]
Howie,

Absolutely correct! Have you looked at the resolution of the satellite images one can find on Google Earth? Even at the highest resolutions there is a lot of room for error human when using them to map golf courses.

S-
[/quote]

What makes you think that every other golf GPS provider out there uses Google Earth? They are not the only source of satellite imagery; there are a numebr of others which can be and are used with resolutions well under the .5 meter range. That is resolution to within less than 2 feet.

I think higher accuracy by walking the course is a myth that is being sustained by SkyGolf to justify their annual fees. At the time the first SkyGolf products were introduced, there was little to no commercial satellite imagery available and they had no other option but to map courses using GPS surveying equipment. If they were starting up today I think SkyGolf would be using aerial/satellite imagery like everybody else.

Just my opinion.
[/quote]

As a Golf Guru owner I will note the following (and this, combined with the above post regarding the purported SkyCaddie accuracy, prompted my question)-- I have found on a number of occasions this summer the green readings on the Golf Guru are several yards off. I have discovered this while shooting my laser gun at a back pin position, only to find the distance to the pin is greater than the back of the green reading on the Golf Guru (even moving the dynamic pin placement around to various spots on the very back of the graphical representation of the green).

I wonder if the SkyCaddie suffers a similar level of inaccuracy or are they all victims of the imprecisions associated with GPS technology (I don't know the +/- error attributable)?

[TM_HOYER]

[quote name='phil75070' post='1911005' date='Aug 24 2009, 01:43 PM'][quote name='sidewinder' post='1910003' date='Aug 23 2009, 10:01 PM'][quote name='Howie' post='1909975' date='Aug 23 2009, 07:49 PM'][quote name='TM_HOYER' post='1891265' date='Aug 16 2009, 11:56 AM']The Skycaddie SG5 is hands down the best GPS range finder. The professional measuring of the course makes a huge difference. Well worth the yearly fee. A technogeek (of which I am one) using Google maps to come up with distances is no way as accurate. ...Satellite maps cannot give you that kind of information.[/quote]

Interesting observation. So the yardages found in other GPS units, like the GolfGuru, aren't as accurate as those provided by the Skycaddie?
[/quote]
Howie,

Absolutely correct! Have you looked at the resolution of the satellite images one can find on Google Earth? Even at the highest resolutions there is a lot of room for error human when using them to map golf courses.

S-
[/quote]

What makes you think that every other golf GPS provider out there uses Google Earth? They are not the only source of satellite imagery; there are a numebr of others which can be and are used with resolutions well under the .5 meter range. That is resolution to within less than 2 feet.

I think higher accuracy by walking the course is a myth that is being sustained by SkyGolf to justify their annual fees. At the time the first SkyGolf products were introduced, there was little to no commercial satellite imagery available and they had no other option but to map courses using GPS surveying equipment. If they were starting up today I think SkyGolf would be using aerial/satellite imagery like everybody else.

Just my opinion.

[/quote]

Satellite images are used today because they are a quick and cheap way to get a product to the market, not bacause it is the best way. Use of the images just CANNOT be as accurate as walking the course. Also use of satellite images will leave out important landmarks and information that walking a course can identify. A satellite image cannot tell you the yardage to a target spot that will give a flat lie to hit your shot. That has saved many of shots playing here in North Georgia. Having an image to look as a secondary information source is nice, but you still cannot beat a professionally measured course.

[TM_HOYER]

[quote name='Howie' post='1911040' date='Aug 24 2009, 02:02 PM'][quote name='phil75070' post='1911005' date='Aug 24 2009, 01:43 PM'][quote name='sidewinder' post='1910003' date='Aug 23 2009, 10:01 PM'][quote name='Howie' post='1909975' date='Aug 23 2009, 07:49 PM'][quote name='TM_HOYER' post='1891265' date='Aug 16 2009, 11:56 AM']The Skycaddie SG5 is hands down the best GPS range finder. The professional measuring of the course makes a huge difference. Well worth the yearly fee. A technogeek (of which I am one) using Google maps to come up with distances is no way as accurate. ...Satellite maps cannot give you that kind of information.[/quote]

Interesting observation. So the yardages found in other GPS units, like the GolfGuru, aren't as accurate as those provided by the Skycaddie?
[/quote]
Howie,

Absolutely correct! Have you looked at the resolution of the satellite images one can find on Google Earth? Even at the highest resolutions there is a lot of room for error human when using them to map golf courses.

S-
[/quote]

What makes you think that every other golf GPS provider out there uses Google Earth? They are not the only source of satellite imagery; there are a numebr of others which can be and are used with resolutions well under the .5 meter range. That is resolution to within less than 2 feet.

I think higher accuracy by walking the course is a myth that is being sustained by SkyGolf to justify their annual fees. At the time the first SkyGolf products were introduced, there was little to no commercial satellite imagery available and they had no other option but to map courses using GPS surveying equipment. If they were starting up today I think SkyGolf would be using aerial/satellite imagery like everybody else.

Just my opinion.
[/quote]

As a Golf Guru owner I will note the following (and this, combined with the above post regarding the purported SkyCaddie accuracy, prompted my question)-- I have found on a number of occasions this summer the green readings on the Golf Guru are several yards off. I have discovered this while shooting my laser gun at a back pin position, only to find the distance to the pin is greater than the back of the green reading on the Golf Guru (even moving the dynamic pin placement around to various spots on the very back of the graphical representation of the green).

I wonder if the SkyCaddie suffers a similar level of inaccuracy or are they all victims of the imprecisions associated with GPS technology (I don't know the +/- error attributable)?
[/quote]

I am a former laser rangefinder user that now uses Skycaddie. Since I switched, I have had people with laser rangefinders compare their messurements to the Skycaddie. The Skycaddie has always been accurate. I have even found it to give better yearages than yardages on sprinkler heads.

[bytehoven]

[quote name='phil75070' post='1911005' date='Aug 24 2009, 01:43 PM']What makes you think that every other golf GPS provider out there uses Google Earth? They are not the only source of satellite imagery; there are a numebr of others which can be and are used with resolutions well under the .5 meter range. That is resolution to within less than 2 feet.

I think higher accuracy by walking the course is a myth that is being sustained by SkyGolf to justify their annual fees. At the time the first SkyGolf products were introduced, there was little to no commercial satellite imagery available and they had no other option but to map courses using GPS surveying equipment. If they were starting up today I think SkyGolf would be using aerial/satellite imagery like everybody else.

Just my opinion.[/quote]


+1

I was able to compare the uPro with a Garmin Logix 8 and SkyCaddie 2.5 on several courses, and the max variation was 2-3 yards and usually was to the front/back with distances to the middle being the same or +/- 1 yard.

The subscription fee paradigm is doomed. Now that two major players offer a fee less alternative in the Garmin G5 and uPro Basic Mode, how long before Sky Caddie comes around.

It would be interesting to see how market share is changing between the various players.

[sidewinder]

Picked up my SkyCaddie SG5 last week and now have used it on course for a couple of rounds now. I love it! Easy to use and easy to see. The distances and information provided is spot on. I am VERY happy with my purchase.

S-