Callaway Upro mx+, Skycaddy SGXw or Garmin G6?

[Harob11]

Anyone have experience with these? What's the one to get?

Or is some other I should consider as well.

 

Please help me out.

 

Appreciate it.

[chas521]

[quote name='Harob11' timestamp='1342584620' post='5297356']
Anyone have experience with these? What's the one to get?
Or is some other I should consider as well.

Please help me out.

Appreciate it.
[/quote]

My thoughts: If you don't want to continuously pay membership costs then don't consider the Skycaddie. Between the Callaway UPRO mx and the Garmin G6 - I have both - go with the Garmin G6. MX has issues.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='Harob11' timestamp='1342584620' post='5297356']
Anyone have experience with these? What's the one to get?
Or is some other I should consider as well.

Please help me out.

Appreciate it.
[/quote]

Hugely positive user reviews for g6 on amazon and Golfsmith. The g6 is on my short list when my current gps dies. Skycaddie requires annual fee and tiered membership while the G6 is preloaded with all courses and no membership fee.

[Solutions Etcetera]

While I have the G5, I have also had the MX and original uPro. Garmin is best.

[TM_HOYER]

I had the Garmin G5 and currently have the Skycaddie SGxw and Callaway uPro MX+. The G5 is a waste of money, bad in so many ways. If the G6 is similar to the G5, I would not even consider it The MX+ is not bad. Needs a larger screen and a little refinement. But I think the Pro Mode courses are headed in the right direction and is what could be standard in the future on all GPS's. The SGXw/SGX is far and away the best. It gives you more information than the others. Not just hazards and landmarks, but target yardages. It is also the easiest to use as it will not distract you from your game in giving the yardages. And when it comes to the membership fee, you get what you pay for. Garmin does not charge a fee and you get the worst mappings. Callaway increased the price $50 for the MX+ to give you unlimited Pro Mode and it is worth the $50. But the Skycaddie gives you the best mapping yardages.

[Solutions Etcetera]

Harob11...

Just goes to show you that you have to go play with them yourself as people's perceptions are very different. I found the build quality of the Garmin superior to the other devices, and simply don't understand the comment above about Garmin's mappings and the SGX being easy to use. I found its interface to be abysmal.

If you are unable to play with the various devices before your purchase, you may wish to have a look at the extensive tests done by [url="http://www.criticalgolf.com/category/reviews/golf-gps-devices/"]http://www.criticalgolf.com/category/reviews/golf-gps-devices/[/url]

[Harob11]

Awesome thanks. I know the Callaway MX was junk and is now discontinued so they just recently came out with the MX+...
The Garmin seems like a solid unit but lacks some of the bells and whistles of the others.
Skycaddie looks the best to me but has the fees.
Tough call, wonder if anything else is coming down the pipe fairly soon...

[chas521]

[quote name='Harob11' timestamp='1342631000' post='5300282']
Awesome thanks. I know the Callaway MX was junk and is now discontinued so they just recently came out with the MX+...
The Garmin seems like a solid unit but lacks some of the bells and whistles of the others.
Skycaddie looks the best to me but has the fees.
Tough call, wonder if anything else is coming down the pipe fairly soon...
[/quote]

Garmin bells and whistles? Like what? It does everything that I know of.

[genemcg]

Stay away from Sky Caddie. My SGX stopped receiving satellite signals (and a lot of other people's too) after only 2 years and probably about 30 rounds. Was never dropped or damaged in any way. They recently changed from a stand alone application on my PC to some sort of Express application that you have to access through their webiste. This is when problems began for many and they won't acknowlege any possible connection between the two. My next unit will be a Garmin after about 5 years of Sky Caddies.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342619832' post='5299026']
I had the Garmin G5 and currently have the Skycaddie SGxw and Callaway uPro MX+. The G5 is a waste of money, bad in so many ways. If the G6 is similar to the G5, I would not even consider it The MX+ is not bad. Needs a larger screen and a little refinement. But I think the Pro Mode courses are headed in the right direction and is what could be standard in the future on all GPS's. The SGXw/SGX is far and away the best. It gives you more information than the others. Not just hazards and landmarks, but target yardages. It is also the easiest to use as it will not distract you from your game in giving the yardages. And when it comes to the membership fee, you get what you pay for. Garmin does not charge a fee and you get the worst mappings. Callaway increased the price $50 for the MX+ to give you unlimited Pro Mode and it is worth the $50. But the Skycaddie gives you the best mapping yardages.
[/quote]

Your experience with Garmin is clearly atypical. The maps on the G6 are fine (and no annual fee) and all the courses are loaded, no worries if you go out of state or into Canada because the maps are there pre-loaded. The graphics perhaps are different from what you're accustomed, but they are fine. Just look at the user experience reviews of the G6/G5 vs. SGX/SGX-W at Amazon, Golfsmith, TGW, or reviews on critical golf-- The Garmin line is the clear winner on every site.

With the above said -- To the OP --you need to go to the store and try them out for yourself because all of them are good, but personal preference is important. In my opinion the best golf GPS is the one you need to fiddle the least with on the course. Its nice to be able to glance and go, have all the maps pre-loaded and not be nickel and dimed with tiered annual fees.

[Solutions Etcetera]

I'll say one more thing about Garmin... two holes on one course I play had two mapping issues. One hole had the tees moved and they were not correct. The second had some of the green that was under tree cover on the right side not shown. I reported these to Garmin and they were fixed on the next update (within 60 days).

Garmin updates their map database every 90 days without fail.

[TM_HOYER]

You actually proved my point by pointing out all of the maps are stored on the Garmin. Garmin has to make too many compromises in the quality and detail of the mapping to get all of the maps to fit. Both Callaway and Skycaddie require downloads to get their detailed maps because they cannot store 30000 (or what ever number it is) maps on the device and provide the detail and information they provide.

I have owned and used the G5, MX+, and SGXw/SGX. Which is a better review, a person that highly rates a Garmin but has only used a Garmin or someone that has owned and used all three? I kept and use the SGXw/SGX and MX+ and returned the G5. That really tells you what I think of the three.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342663999' post='5304852']
You actually proved my point by pointing out all of the maps are stored on the Garmin. Garmin has to make too many compromises in the quality and detail of the mapping to get all of the maps to fit. Both Callaway and Skycaddie require downloads to get their detailed maps because they cannot store 30000 (or what ever number it is) maps on the device and provide the detail and information they provide.

I have owned and used the G5, MX+, and SGXw/SGX. Which is a better review, a person that highly rates a Garmin but has only used a Garmin or someone that has owned and used all three? I kept and use the SGXw/SGX and MX+ and returned the G5. That really tells you what I think of the three.
[/quote]

First of all it has nothing to do with the amount of memory required to hold the maps and no compromises were made because Garmin (or anyone else) puts all their maps into the device-- For God sake, my road Garmin holds every road, highway, neighborhood in North America! The reason Skycaddie doesn't contain all the maps is likely because of the tiered membership.

But I have to say when you come here and make statements like[i] "The G5 is a waste of money, bad in so many ways. If the G6 is similar to the G5, I would not even consider it" [/i]I am merely pointing out that your opinion is atypical and just because you tried all three doesn't make you the final authority. If you read the reviews on Amazon, Golfsmith and TGW, you will find former Skycaddie owners that switched to Garmin and never looked back. Furthermore there are loads of unfavorable reviews of the SGX & SGXW on Amazon and Golfsmith. A major complaint from many is that Skycaddies customer service is substandard and they don't seem interested in listening--- heck they just delete the critical comments on their web forum when they don't want to fix something.

Harob11, go to the store and try them out for yourself because as you can see personal preference is as important as anything. All the devices are pretty good and each have their pros and cons. Also as someone else suggested go to the Critical Golf website -- they have nicely organized and comprehensive reviews of many devices, and don't forget to check out the user experience reviews on Amazon and Golfsmith.

[Solutions Etcetera]

TM_HOYER's "point" is actually about "renderings" and not about maps. The Skycaddie has richer illustrations than the G5, but since they are also vector based, they would easily fit in the Garmin's 1 GB+ of memory. The only reason Skygolf requires you to download them is to keep you paying for them... indefinitely.

Personally, I have never found Garmin's hole illustrations wanting for more information as I can clearly see the fairway, hazards and greens. But if one really wants a completely accurate rendering of the course they're on, I would recommend the uPro as it uses actual satellite imagery, whose pixels are numerous enough to require that only a limited number of courses can be stored on the device.

Regarding the actual "maps", I have heard from a number of Skycaddie users that have been waiting for the better part of a year or more to have course maps updated by SkyGolf. My experience with Garmin is that they are updated in the next release (every 90 days) after they receive a report.

It is human nature to be partial to the device one has chosen for themselves as they would be a little "off" if they did not feel the decision they made was the correct one. But what some don't realize is that different aspects of different devices mean different things to different people. I think prospective buyers will find more impartial assessments in Critical Golf's tests at the link in post #6 above.

[TM_HOYER]

I have used all three I mention an in my opinion the G5 was lacking in many ways. The maps were lacking the the yardage details I expect a GPS to give me with out having to do anything. I want to look at the screen and get all of my yardages with one quick look. The screen washed out in bright light. You had to go do a lot to get your yardages, enter scores, and go to the next hole. My experience is the G5 is overrated and not very good. You cannot get the details I expect from a GPS without a download. I like the way the MX+ is headed. It just needs a larger screen and a faster processor. Give it couple years when the cost of hardware that is really needed goes down and they will have a real winner.

When it comes to Skycaddie support, it is a combination of tactors that are an issue. Is Skycaddie support variable depending on who helps you? Yes. Are some users making unreasonable demands of Skycaddie? Yes. Is Skycaddie paying for announcing new products way too early in the past and now not commenting until a product is ready to ship? Yes. Skycaddie had a lot of problems with the support forums, that were caused by one person. As a result, they have posting rules and are enforcing them. Break them and the post is gone. I have seen most of the deleted posts and I could predict when a post would be deleted. But they still have the best product out there in my opinion and the opinion of Golf Digest (see not everyone thinks Garmin is the best).

[chas521]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342700958' post='5307272']
I have used all three I mention an in my opinion the G5 was lacking in many ways. The maps were lacking the the yardage details I expect a GPS to give me with out having to do anything. I want to look at the screen and get all of my yardages with one quick look. The screen washed out in bright light. You had to go do a lot to get your yardages, enter scores, and go to the next hole. My experience is the G5 is overrated and not very good. You cannot get the details I expect from a GPS without a download. I like the way the MX+ is headed. It just needs a larger screen and a faster processor. Give it couple years when the cost of hardware that is really needed goes down and they will have a real winner.

[/quote]

I have the G5 and the mx+. I must take some issue with some of your remarks. G5: The screen is a large 2.6 inches. Yes, the screen can be difficult to see in some lighting but all you have to do is turn it a little and then there's no problem. As for the details, it shows all the yardage to the hole, hazards and even doglegs and the best is that it shows it on one screen - no scrolling. I can move the pin placement on the green to get the new yardage, measure my shots and keep score. What more would I need/want.? For me, the best thing is that the G5 uses AA batteries instead of plugging it in to recharge. I use rechargeable AAs and I carry a second set in my bag just in case. Also, the G5 is water-proof.

mx+: I agree, the 2.2 screen needs to be larger. The "sleep" issue is a big problem.

BTW, the Garmin and the mx are the same length/width size. The G5 is a little thicker because it uses batteries.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342700958' post='5307272']
....But they still have the best product out there in my opinion and the opinion of Golf Digest (see not everyone thinks Garmin is the best).
[/quote]

No one here has said Garmin was the best-- like I've said 3 times already, each has pro's/con's. But when you make a statement like "[i]The G5 is a waste of money, bad in so many ways. If the G6 is similar to the G5, I would not even consider it" [/i] your unabashed bias for Skycaddie is showing. The unbiased market opinion leans away from SG these days and to the many other options.

As for Golf Digest, 3/4 of their magazine is full of product advertisements of which include Skycaddie-- hardly an incubator for unbiased product rating-- we weren't born yesterday.

The one thing that is not subject to opinion is that a tiered annual membership fee is required for Skycaddie, where others provide that service as part of the original purchase price. If your membership lapses, your skycaddie becomes an expensive paperweight. Even if someone thinks that the Skycaddie product is the best, they always have to weigh that against the annual fee and the restriction of having to always know and download what courses you're playing in advance.

In my opinion the tiered membership is going to have to change if they want to survive-- there is simply too much competition and other less costly options overtaking the market. Heck I know lots of guys that dumped Skycaddie for Smartphone Apps and lasers because they got tired of the annual fee. Yeah I know that smartphone apps aren't technically compliant, but to 99% of the golfing public they don't care. Heck I'm playing in a tournament right now at a pretty nice country club and people can use smartphone GPS's no problem.

[Solutions Etcetera]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342700958' post='5307272']You had to go do a lot to get your yardages, enter scores, and go to the next hole.[/quote]

My G5 goes to the next hole automatically. If I am keeping score, the scorecard is also automatically put up by the time I reach the next tee. Entering scores is presented like a telephone keypad requiring a single touch. By default, yardages are shown to green, hazards and the end of the fairway, as well as some other points of interest. If I need a yardage not shown, I touch that point and see yardage to that point, and from that point to the pin.

[quote]The screen washed out in bright light[/quote]

I wear polarized prescriptions (DriveWears) and could not read the SGX screen at all due to the plastic lens over the display.

[quote]the best product out there in my opinion and the opinion of Golf Digest[/quote]

I read that review... very short and nothing objective. Have you ever read a review in GD that was anything else? IIRC, they compared the SGX to the Garmin watch as the G5 was not new and the G6 had yet to be introduced. That's a bit like comparing a Prius and F350.

Try reading reviews from a source that actually tests the products:

SGXw
SCORE 86
GRADE B
Setup/Syncing 85
Course Availability 56
Ease of Use 88
Course Details 96
Features 95
Accuracy 90
Cost/Value 82

G6
SCORE 93
GRADE A
Setup/Syncing 97
Course Availability 97
Ease of Use 94
Course Details 90
Features 94
Accuracy 93
Cost/Value 93

[TM_HOYER]

1) Golf Digest did test all the units and the G5 did not make the cut to get a silver. Plus rating course availability a 56 for Skycaddie and 97 for Garmin just kills that reviews credibility.

2) I wear polarized prescription lens and reading the SGX with a screen protector is not a problem.

3) I do not want to move a cursor around to get yardages that are around the hazard. With Skycaddie I get a list of yardages to the hazard, to carry the hazard, to the end of the fairway, to the target area that will give me the best lie, and so on. No guessing if the cursor is close to the spot I am looking for. All of the yardages to all of the landmarks are right there in a list on the screen and I can make my club decision in a few seconds. Plus many of the landmarks get on a SGX you would not even know about if you were using a G5. Also when I used the G5, it did not advance to the screens as you stated. I had to touch unmarked parts of the screen to get to them.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

Hey Solutions etc.., do you know if you can change the default font size for distance information on the G6? I wear 1.5 readers and it seemed like some of the numbers might be on the small side for me even though I could still read them. I ask, because while I still think my Golf Guru G002 is an outstanding product, if it craps the bed I want to be in position to have already selected a new GPS.

[AGolfingCigar]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342705258' post='5307820']
1) Golf Digest did test all the units and the G5 did not make the cut to get a silver. Plus rating course availability a 56 for Skycaddie and 97 for Garmin just kills that reviews credibility.

2) I wear polarized prescription lens and reading the SGX with a screen protector is not a problem.

3) I do not want to move a cursor around to get yardages that are around the hazard. With Skycaddie I get a list of yardages to the hazard, to carry the hazard, to the end of the fairway, to the target area that will give me the best lie, and so on. No guessing if the cursor is close to the spot I am looking for. All of the yardages to all of the landmarks are right there in a list on the screen and I can make my club decision in a few seconds. Plus many of the landmarks get on a SGX you would not even know about if you were using a G5. Also when I used the G5, it did not advance to the screens as you stated. I had to touch unmarked parts of the screen to get to them.
[/quote]

I'm going with: you're a moron.

I have no dog in this fight, but your constant bickering just makes you seem a) stubborn and b) a Sky Caddie employee. Give up the charade.

[Solutions Etcetera]

[quote name='Andy L' timestamp='1342705891' post='5307886']
Hey Solutions etc.., do you know if you can change the default font size for distance information on the G6?[/quote]

I don't think you can… at least you can't on the G5. And while the default numbers are small, when you touch the screen, the to and from yardage numbers are huge (I can read them without my bifocs).

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='Solutions Etcetera' timestamp='1342706713' post='5307970']
[quote name='Andy L' timestamp='1342705891' post='5307886']
Hey Solutions etc.., do you know if you can change the default font size for distance information on the G6?[/quote]

I don't think you can… at least you can't on the G5. And while the default numbers are small, when you touch the screen, the to and from yardage numbers are huge (I can read them without my bifocs).
[/quote]

Excellent and thank you.

[Solutions Etcetera]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342705258' post='5307820']rating course availability a 56 for Skycaddie and 97 for Garmin just kills that reviews credibility.[/quote]

"Critical Golf Test: The SkyCaddie SGXw scores only 56 in our course coverage test. As a reminder, we only count a course as “available” for any particular device if there are maps that cover all of the functions of which the device is capable. After all, that’s why you pay a premium for those devices – if you just wanted distances to the front, middle and back of the green, you could get them for much less. The low score for the SGXw was largely due to the lack of courses for which both HoleVue and IntelliGreen Pro are available (the vast number of courses that don’t have both available are only lacking IntelliGreen Pro). While up from the SGX’s initial score of 42% in 2010, SkyCaddie is making extremely slow progress in an area that is marketed as a differentiator, and one that we assume the annual fees support. If you are considering purchase of the SGXw, you will want to confirm that the courses you play have HoleVue and IntelliGreen Pro available.

We did find key targets missing from holes on resort and top-rated courses. This included missing bunkers (added approximately five years ago), and trees in fairways that are in play (that are decades old). These errors, considered in conjunction with the slow addition of green detail to their course database, make it pretty clear that courses aren’t regularly updated by SkyCaddie. We had expected our steep annual fees to go toward maintaining the course database, but clearly they don’t. Feel free to insert your own joke here about how the annual fees go to pay their marketing expenses and advisory board members, such as Natalie Gulbis, Fluff Cowan, Hank Haney and Jim Furyk.

Manufacturer’s Claims: SkyCaddie claims to have nearly 30,000 courses with standard distance information in its course database, placing it among the top devices tested. SkyCaddie doesn’t break out HoleVue and IntelliGreen Pro coverage separately, so this number doesn’t tell you much about coverage for the SGXw."

[TM_HOYER]

[quote name='AGolfingCigar' timestamp='1342706014' post='5307904']
[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342705258' post='5307820']
1) Golf Digest did test all the units and the G5 did not make the cut to get a silver. Plus rating course availability a 56 for Skycaddie and 97 for Garmin just kills that reviews credibility.

2) I wear polarized prescription lens and reading the SGX with a screen protector is not a problem.

3) I do not want to move a cursor around to get yardages that are around the hazard. With Skycaddie I get a list of yardages to the hazard, to carry the hazard, to the end of the fairway, to the target area that will give me the best lie, and so on. No guessing if the cursor is close to the spot I am looking for. All of the yardages to all of the landmarks are right there in a list on the screen and I can make my club decision in a few seconds. Plus many of the landmarks get on a SGX you would not even know about if you were using a G5. Also when I used the G5, it did not advance to the screens as you stated. I had to touch unmarked parts of the screen to get to them.
[/quote]

I'm going with: you're a moron.

I have no dog in this fight, but your constant bickering just makes you seem a) stubborn and b) a Sky Caddie employee. Give up the charade.
[/quote]

I am not a Skycaddie employee. Look, I am gave positive comments about the Callaway uPro MX+. I am just tired of the same few people trashing Skycaddie over membership fees, support, and every thing else they find bad about Skycaddie. I also have the right to my opinion and defend my opinion based on the owning and use of the products. If you want credibility, you need to make the same complaint to the Garmin supporters that trash Skycaddie and their supporters.

[TM_HOYER]

[quote name='Solutions Etcetera' timestamp='1342706963' post='5308012']
[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342705258' post='5307820']rating course availability a 56 for Skycaddie and 97 for Garmin just kills that reviews credibility.[/quote]

"Critical Golf Test: The SkyCaddie SGXw scores only 56 in our course coverage test. As a reminder, we only count a course as “available” for any particular device if there are maps that cover all of the functions of which the device is capable. After all, that’s why you pay a premium for those devices – if you just wanted distances to the front, middle and back of the green, you could get them for much less. The low score for the SGXw was largely due to the lack of courses for which both HoleVue and IntelliGreen Pro are available (the vast number of courses that don’t have both available are only lacking IntelliGreen Pro). While up from the SGX’s initial score of 42% in 2010, SkyCaddie is making extremely slow progress in an area that is marketed as a differentiator, and one that we assume the annual fees support. If you are considering purchase of the SGXw, you will want to confirm that the courses you play have HoleVue and IntelliGreen Pro available.

We did find key targets missing from holes on resort and top-rated courses. This included missing bunkers (added approximately five years ago), and trees in fairways that are in play (that are decades old). These errors, considered in conjunction with the slow addition of green detail to their course database, make it pretty clear that courses aren’t regularly updated by SkyCaddie. We had expected our steep annual fees to go toward maintaining the course database, but clearly they don’t. Feel free to insert your own joke here about how the annual fees go to pay their marketing expenses and advisory board members, such as Natalie Gulbis, Fluff Cowan, Hank Haney and Jim Furyk.

Manufacturer’s Claims: SkyCaddie claims to have nearly 30,000 courses with standard distance information in its course database, placing it among the top devices tested. SkyCaddie doesn’t break out HoleVue and IntelliGreen Pro coverage separately, so this number doesn’t tell you much about coverage for the SGXw."
[/quote]

The comments made by the review show an extreme bias against Skycaddie. Intelligreen Pro and Holevue are minor additions and penalizing them for being not available on a course is wrong. Also when Intelligreen Pro was announced, it was said that it would have limited availability as the greens would need to be remapped for many courses.

Also if there is an issue with the mapping, if the problem is not reported to Skycaddie, it cannot be corrected. If issues are reported, they can send a mapper. It is unreasonable to expect they cannot just send a mapper to a course to see if there were changes. Since a course or 9 holes needs to be shut down for a day to do mapping, I would not expect a course to let them on the course to see if there are any updates.

[Solutions Etcetera]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342705258' post='5307820']
1) Golf Digest did test all the units and the G5 did not make the cut to get a silver.[/quote]

I am trying very hard not to make this personal, but when you flat out deny in open forum facts I have presented, you make it difficult. You are mistaken. The G5 did not make the cut because the only Garmin considered was the S1 watch. If you need to refresh your memory you can take a look at http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/2011-10/photos-hot-list-gps#slide=1

You are also mistaken about hole and scorecard advance on the G5. While there is certainly nothing wrong with having a favorite device and engaging in a friendly debate about the pros and cons of it vs: the competition, if you're simply going to pull half truths from "convenient" memory, and make sweeping statements with no basis in fact, your credibility is extremely suspect and I don't get the point of it all.

[Solutions Etcetera]

[quote name='TM_HOYER' timestamp='1342707968' post='5308154']The comments made by the review show an extreme bias against Skycaddie.[/quote]

How so? I found the entire review pretty darn objective. More so than just about any argument you have presented in this thread.

[quote]Intelligreen Pro and Holevue are minor additions and penalizing them for being not available on a course is wrong. Also when Intelligreen Pro was announced, it was said that it would have limited availability as the greens would need to be remapped for many courses.[/quote]

How is it wrong? It has been two years. How is dinging a device that has yet to fully support its purported feature set not a valid criticism?

[quote]Also if there is an issue with the mapping, if the problem is not reported to Skycaddie, it cannot be corrected. If issues are reported, they can send a mapper. It is unreasonable to expect they cannot just send a mapper to a course to see if there were changes. Since a course or 9 holes needs to be shut down for a day to do mapping, I would not expect a course to let them on the course to see if there are any updates.
[/quote]

You bring up another valid "con" of the Skygolf business model. Their mapping process, even given the exorbitant fee structure, can not be proactive in the update of course maps. And even if it were to be and as you have remarked, what GM wants to shut his course down to accomplish it? This is not the first case of stale course maps with Skycaddies. See my previous post; I have no less than two folks I play with that have been waiting for "requested" course updates for over a year.

[Pepperturbo]

[quote name='Solutions Etcetera' timestamp='1342622454' post='5299322']
Harob11...

Just goes to show you that you have to go play with them yourself as people's perceptions are very different. I found the build quality of the Garmin superior to the other devices, and simply don't understand the comment above about Garmin's mappings and the SGX being easy to use. I found its interface to be abysmal.

If you are unable to play with the various devices before your purchase, you may wish to have a look at the extensive tests done by [url="http://www.criticalgolf.com/category/reviews/golf-gps-devices/"]http://www.criticalg...lf-gps-devices/[/url]
[/quote]

Thanks for that link. I use SG5 and Tournament laser now, but looking to upgrade GPS in the near future. Anyway, after reading those supposedly unbiased reviews - I don't believe they are unbiased. Everyone of the Garmin are at the top, even that goofy watch (which my buddy has). Right at the top of SGXw's review it reads: """[i]But those who prefer a more streamlined approach in their golf GPS device might balk at the SGXw’s size (it’s big enough that it tends to get stuck when you’re trying to pull it out of your shorts pocket) and its hefty price tag ($400 plus yearly fees to access the SkyCaddie course database, bringing the total to nearly $520 over three years)[/i].""" speaks to their predisposition regarding size and price.

I am not one bit concerned about size, as its not put in my pocket, nor worn on my belt and I have no interest in wearing anything on my wrist. My GPS attaches to my bag or cart, and price has no bearing on my choice. Its all about details and providing timely yardages; which neither of my buddy's smaller, less costly GPS units do well. He's always asking me for yardage, saying his hasn't settled yet.

Thanks to the internet, everybody now-a-days thinks they are astute enough to write reviews. Where they fails is predispositions always jumps out, ruining value, that which is most likely based in altruism. Again, thanks for posting the link, it was an interesting read.

[dcmidnight]

People have to use them for themselves - that is the *only* answer.

Personally I hated the cartoony maps on the G6 but other people like that all the mappings can fit on the unit at once. So be it.

One persons complaint about the MX+ screen being too small is another persons love of a compact unit.

Ones complaint about a nice big screen is anothers "too bulky"