31 replies to this topic

[bjgolfer]

I am looking at getting a SGX unit.  I was looking at the membership and I am a little confused.  The courses are there built in the unit but you must join to get all the features.  You get them free for 30 days then nothing.  If I want all the bell and whistles, do I need to join for the US course plan and we get the details.  I am worried of hidden fees once I buy the unit.  RIght now I look at spending $30 per year for all us courses.  I am I right??
thanks
brad

[TM_HOYER]

The pre loaded courses only give front, center, and back yardages on the greens. These are available for free for the first 30 days. After that you need to purchase a membership. The membership gives you access to the advanced course information. This includes holevue (overhead graphic of hole layout), intelligreen pro (green layout as you see it in front of you along with yardages), and yardages to targets and hazards. For the $30 membership, you have access to all of the advanced course data for courses in your state. For the $50 membership, it expands to include the US. The membership also gives you access to ClubSG which you can do stat tracking and download your score and a couple stats from your round.

[mnywstr]

bjgolfer, on 16 April 2012 - 04:50 PM, said:

I am looking at getting a SGX unit.  I was looking at the membership and I am a little confused.  The courses are there built in the unit but you must join to get all the features.  You get them free for 30 days then nothing.  If I want all the bell and whistles, do I need to join for the US course plan and we get the details.  I am worried of hidden fees once I buy the unit.  RIght now I look at spending $30 per year for all us courses.  I am I right??
thanks
brad

No hidden fees choose what plan works, pay for a plan and download the courses it's that simple.  I have the birdie plan which includes all the courses in my state. The built in courses are very basic to the point I think they are useless unless you have a plan.

[bjgolfer]

thanks for the answer

I am really impressed by all the features compared to a rangefinder ( I know it wont tell me the exact distance to the flag).  Is it too to be true??  any complaints on the durability??  how about screen detail??

thanks

Edited by bjgolfer, 16 April 2012 - 07:38 PM.

[golfpros1]

The amount of information does seem very impressive and would help navigate a golf around the course with confidence.  My only question is, how accurate TRULY is the yardage.  The devices claim they are very accurate, but other say gps devices are only accurate to within 7 yards.

[sheppy335]

There are no hidden fees, what you pay gets you what you need.  You will be very happy after you get the membership and open up the capabilities of your device.

[bjgolfer]

golfpros1, on 16 April 2012 - 11:04 PM, said:

The amount of information does seem very impressive and would help navigate a golf around the course with confidence.  My only question is, how accurate TRULY is the yardage.  The devices claim they are very accurate, but other say gps devices are only accurate to within 7 yards.

I always wondered that myself.  They say it is +- 1 yard, same as Bushnell.  Do you really now if that is accurate either (unless you test it on the course).  I have seen some YouTube vids with them standing by a sprinkler head and they were with in a yard.  Could that be fixed???  how do you know if the sprinkler heads are correct or the 150 post??  I am probably going to get one and check it against our sprinkler heads and see how it is.  With the sky golf, at least they have mapped the course by foot not relying on satellite pictures.

just my 2 cents

[TM_HOYER]

I have never had an issue with the accuracy of yardages on my Skycaddie. I am not good enough to play to an exact yardage. My Skycaddie gives me enough information I can come up with a yardage range I want to hit. When it comes to GPS accuracy, it can vary by unit. It all depends on how good of a receiver the GPS is using, how many satellites it is connected to, and the quality of the mapping done by the GPS company.

[myronm]

I've had various Sky caddies for over 10 years now and except for some teething problems with the SGX, been happy.  I've measured the distances carefully against both known distances ( i live on a course and we've mapped some holes with surveyors tools) and with a Bushnell laser that I carried for years until I wore it out from usage.

I play about 50-75 completely different courses a year and have never been unhappy with the yardages. (Use one about 125-150 times per year so the skycaddies get a lot of usage).  once in a while I'll find errors, but not often.  Everything has errors built in.  But I've found the accruracy to be more than close enough for my game skills  - If I'm within 5-10 yards, I've considered that I hit a good shot.

I have found that some of the units do return different yardages when held close to each other , usually never more than 2-3 yards unless one of them is broken (defective).

[wrmiller]

I'm on my third SkyCaddie, sg3, sg5, and now the sgx-w. When I first started with these, I took along my laser to compare. Usually they were within 1-2 yds of each other, and never more than 3 for me. Now my laser collects dust on a shelf. The new features of the sgx are really amazing. To me anyway.  

[golfdad907]

golfpros1, on 16 April 2012 - 11:04 PM, said:

The amount of information does seem very impressive and would help navigate a golf around the course with confidence.  My only question is, how accurate TRULY is the yardage.  The devices claim they are very accurate, but other say gps devices are only accurate to within 7 yards.

On courses I really know, I've compared with my Bushnell v2, and the yardages are exact or +/- a yard, so very accurate.

I only use Laser on Par 3s anymore, where we play closest to pin.

[Eternal]

I've played one full round with just the basic non-plan information and was very surprised on how accurate the distances one and how much it helped. I'm excited to play next weekend now that I bought a plan. I picked the $50 one because I usually travel 2 - 3 times a year and want to start playing golf where ever i travel to. It will really come in handy, espcially with courses you are not familiar with. Overall, it's worth it. I've been very happy with mine so far and i'm sure you will be too.

[golfdad907]

Eternal, on 28 April 2012 - 07:52 PM, said:

I've played one full round with just the basic non-plan information and was very surprised on how accurate the distances one and how much it helped. I'm excited to play next weekend now that I bought a plan. I picked the $50 one because I usually travel 2 - 3 times a year and want to start playing golf where ever i travel to. It will really come in handy, espcially with courses you are not familiar with. Overall, it's worth it. I've been very happy with mine so far and i'm sure you will be too.

I don't understand what all the fuss is about an annual subscription.  As the above confirms, these things are really accurate, easy to read multiple targets simultaneously.

We're nearly all pretty much HO's on this board, and it seems mainly simply that some others don't charge annually or at all.  That's because they just use Satellite maps, I think it's worth the udpates and actually mapping the courses on foot.

All said, and done, the in-state is $2.50 a month, so it's a lost ball, or less - which unless you lose a LOT of balls, is simply too little to even care about.

[Andy L]

golfdad907, on 28 April 2012 - 10:43 PM, said:

Eternal, on 28 April 2012 - 07:52 PM, said:

I've played one full round with just the basic non-plan information and was very surprised on how accurate the distances one and how much it helped. I'm excited to play next weekend now that I bought a plan. I picked the $50 one because I usually travel 2 - 3 times a year and want to start playing golf where ever i travel to. It will really come in handy, espcially with courses you are not familiar with. Overall, it's worth it. I've been very happy with mine so far and i'm sure you will be too.

I don't understand what all the fuss is about an annual subscription.  As the above confirms, these things are really accurate, easy to read multiple targets simultaneously.

We're nearly all pretty much HO's on this board, and it seems mainly simply that some others don't charge annually or at all.  That's because they just use Satellite maps, I think it's worth the udpates and actually mapping the courses on foot.

All said, and done, the in-state is $2.50 a month, so it's a lost ball, or less - which unless you lose a LOT of balls, is simply too little to even care about.

To each his own and that's what having choices is all about.

To many the tiered plan is nickle and diming.  Like me, I think most golfers just want to be able to take their GPS where they want, across the state, across the country and in my case also into Canada.--- a state membership is restrictive and a global membership is a waste if I don't play in Canada in a given year.  And now with so many newer GPS's being preloaded with over 25,000 course maps it removes the chore of having to know what courses you will play before you go on vacation--- it's ready to go wherever you play and there is no extra fee for that.

As for mapping on foot, its been discussed over and over, and there is no consistent data that would prove that walking a course is a more accurate mapping technique.

It's all about need, personal preference and value.

[Solutions Etcetera]

golfpros1, on 16 April 2012 - 11:04 PM, said:

My only question is, how accurate TRULY is the yardage.  The devices claim they are very accurate, but other say gps devices are only accurate to within 7 yards.

Skycaddie's advertising is deceiving at best. First, they do not specify accuracy. Second, their ads make claims like "4 out of 5 golfers surveyed say skycaddie is the most accurate rangefinder in golf". Those four golfers are mis-informed, but actually coming out and saying that would be lying, so they rely on innuendo.

Garmin has been in this business a long, long time. They spec their units will be within 10 meters 95% of the time, and with good WAAS signal that reduces to 3-5 meters. Yes they're usually more accurate than that, but they CAN be off by as much as that at any given time. It has nothing to do with the mapping process, that is the limitation of the technology with low cost, hand held units.

Even the unit in my truck, with dedicated antenna, speed sensor input, and a gyro can be off by more than 10 ft.

Bottom line is, if 3 to 5 meters is "close enough for you", any good GPS will do. If not, you should go with a laser. If you do go with a GPS, I'd suggest a company firmly committed to the mapping process SkyGolf or Garmin. As for walking vs: sat image mapping, there can be mistakes made in either process. My experience has been that these two companies will address reported errors with an update in a timely manor.

[dcmidnight]

I'm open to people liking whichever company they want but I do have questions about the SkyCaddie advertising. They claim that x out of x users claim the SC is more accurate than a laser? Really? Are those users idiots? Again, I dont care who uses what, I think each solution has its pluses and minuses and personally I would like to go with both. But this claim to me in the commercial just comes off sounding stupid. I dont know of anyone who would think a satellite based gps system is more accurate than a laser. The new Tour Z6 for example goes down to the 10/th of a yard inside 125 yards. Do you need that? Doubt it, but again its deceiving advertising at best.

As far as walking the courses goes - the insinuation that there are *no* errors in this method bothers me too. I think there can be errors with either mapping method.

Right now I'm still shopping for a new gps and hoping for a replacement to my mx. Might keep the Bushnell 1600 I bought as a backup and use both.

Edited by dcmidnight, 29 April 2012 - 12:10 PM.

[jwash112]

bjgolfer, on 17 April 2012 - 08:59 AM, said:

golfpros1, on 16 April 2012 - 11:04 PM, said:

The amount of information does seem very impressive and would help navigate a golf around the course with confidence.  My only question is, how accurate TRULY is the yardage.  The devices claim they are very accurate, but other say gps devices are only accurate to within 7 yards.

I always wondered that myself.  They say it is +- 1 yard, same as Bushnell.  Do you really now if that is accurate either (unless you test it on the course).  I have seen some YouTube vids with them standing by a sprinkler head and they were with in a yard.  Could that be fixed???  how do you know if the sprinkler heads are correct or the 150 post??  I am probably going to get one and check it against our sprinkler heads and see how it is.  With the sky golf, at least they have mapped the course by foot not relying on satellite pictures.

just my 2 cents

Tested my SG4 against my Bushnell and there was just a 1 yard difference every time

[golfpros1]

how do you do this measurement since the laser is to the flag and the skycaddie is to the middle of the green?

[WCGC72BE9]

golfpros1, on 05 May 2012 - 01:38 AM, said:

how do you do this measurement since the laser is to the flag and the skycaddie is to the middle of the green?

With the Skycaddie you can move the flag to where ever you want on the green so it is not always just giving you yardage to the middle of the green.

It will give you front, back and flag yardage.

I have used both a laser and Skycaddie for a few years. Laser is probably most accurate but you have to have a clear view of most of the flag stick to get a measurement.  With the skycaddie you can get a yardage without seeing the flag or your target. I never saw more than one or two yard difference between the two.

[Eternal]

golfdad907, on 28 April 2012 - 10:43 PM, said:

Eternal, on 28 April 2012 - 07:52 PM, said:

I've played one full round with just the basic non-plan information and was very surprised on how accurate the distances one and how much it helped. I'm excited to play next weekend now that I bought a plan. I picked the $50 one because I usually travel 2 - 3 times a year and want to start playing golf where ever i travel to. It will really come in handy, espcially with courses you are not familiar with. Overall, it's worth it. I've been very happy with mine so far and i'm sure you will be too.

I don't understand what all the fuss is about an annual subscription.  As the above confirms, these things are really accurate, easy to read multiple targets simultaneously.

We're nearly all pretty much HO's on this board, and it seems mainly simply that some others don't charge annually or at all.  That's because they just use Satellite maps, I think it's worth the udpates and actually mapping the courses on foot.

All said, and done, the in-state is $2.50 a month, so it's a lost ball, or less - which unless you lose a LOT of balls, is simply too little to even care about.

To add to my previous comment, with the non-plan information, the only thing you get is the yardage to front, back, and middle. that's it.

with the paid subscription, you get the layout of each hole, you can move the cursor to anywhere on the map and see your distance to that exact point. You also get distances to landmarks on each hole as well (front bunker, back bunker, dog legs, etc). So it is a lot more detailed with the paid subscription. You get quite a lot more detail and more versatility in seeing yardage all over each hole, not just to the front/back/center of the green.

To me, it's worth it. But you have to consider it's value to you personally. I would recommend it though.

[Wayneo]

Eternal, on 07 May 2012 - 04:04 PM, said:

To add to my previous comment, with the non-plan information, the only thing you get is the yardage to front, back, and middle. that's it.

with the paid subscription, you get the layout of each hole, you can move the cursor to anywhere on the map and see your distance to that exact point. You also get distances to landmarks on each hole as well (front bunker, back bunker, dog legs, etc). So it is a lot more detailed with the paid subscription. You get quite a lot more detail and more versatility in seeing yardage all over each hole, not just to the front/back/center of the green.

To me, it's worth it. But you have to consider it's value to you personally. I would recommend it though.

Access to front, back, middle runs out I believe after 30 days before you buy your subscription. Once you subscribe to a plan, you only get those few stats based on your subscription, NOT to every course in their library. Not trying to bash you here as I have their "Double Eagle Unlimited" allowing me access to all their courses. I pay my fee without hesitation.

Not all courses are mapped with great detail, but the majority are. Only some courses have "holevue" (cursor moving to hazards, etc)while alot still only has "quickvue" which is a whole lot less information and no yardages all over each hole.

Their biggest drawback is the rather poor online customer service, lack of updating users with information, and empty promises.

[genemcg]

FWIW, I love my SGX. I buy the $49 plan each year without hesitation. I enjoy keeping stats on it via Club SG.

I also use a Bushnell V2 once I'm in short iron range and if I'm feeling very competitive. True you can move the cursor of SGX, but even that is somewhat of a guess based on your view of the green.

[ghalfaire]

I just bought an SGX about a month ago to replace my 6 year old SG3 (the brass insert had worn out).  So far the new unit has been great and seems even more stable than the SG3.  I had some trouble initially synchronizing it with the web site but used the chat help feature to get my membership moved to the SGX.  The help was great and the issues was resolved quickly.  So while the unit is still new I am impressed with the new features and would recommend it to all that want a GPS.  It does seem a little slow in "booting up" but then it finds the course your at automatically (and even the hole you're on for shotgun starts) so probably the the time it takes to be ready is the same as getting the SG3 ready to play as much of that was done' manually.

[bmorejared]

I just got a heck of a deal on a new SGXw off the bay. I have been using Golfshot on the iPhone and have been happy with it, but I want to start keeping an official handicap which means I really shouldn't be using the phone (I don't know why). I also don't like carrying the phone with me all the time on the course. Nothing worse than feeling the thing vibrate from an unimportant email in the middle of my backswing. Are you able to buy out of state courses on an individual basis with skygolf, or do you have to buy the whole package? I only play out of state 2-3 times a year.

[MSchad]

bmorejared, on 23 May 2012 - 08:59 AM, said:

I just got a heck of a deal on a new SGXw off the bay. I have been using Golfshot on the iPhone and have been happy with it, but I want to start keeping an official handicap which means I really shouldn't be using the phone (I don't know why). I also don't like carrying the phone with me all the time on the course. Nothing worse than feeling the thing vibrate from an unimportant email in the middle of my backswing. Are you able to buy out of state courses on an individual basis with skygolf, or do you have to buy the whole package? I only play out of state 2-3 times a year.

To get courses out of your state, you will need to move up to the next package level.
Also, the HDCP Skygolf calculates for you is not an official hdcp.

Edited by MSchad, 24 May 2012 - 01:37 PM.

[bmorejared]

MSchad, on 24 May 2012 - 01:35 PM, said:

bmorejared, on 23 May 2012 - 08:59 AM, said:

I just got a heck of a deal on a new SGXw off the bay. I have been using Golfshot on the iPhone and have been happy with it, but I want to start keeping an official handicap which means I really shouldn't be using the phone (I don't know why). I also don't like carrying the phone with me all the time on the course. Nothing worse than feeling the thing vibrate from an unimportant email in the middle of my backswing. Are you able to buy out of state courses on an individual basis with skygolf, or do you have to buy the whole package? I only play out of state 2-3 times a year.

To get courses out of your state, you will need to move up to the next package level.
Also, the HDCP Skygolf calculates for you is not an official hdcp.

I just got it and set it up yesterday. I just went with the full US version. I live in Maryland, and it's fairly close to 4 other states so I'm sure I'll use it. I know the skycaddie handicap isn't official. What I meant is that I plan on establishing an official USGA handicap through my club, and using a smartphone app is not allowed for official USGA handicaps.

[78Staff]

Solutions Etcetera, on 29 April 2012 - 10:56 AM, said:

Bottom line is, if 3 to 5 meters is "close enough for you", any good GPS will do. If not, you should go with a laser. If you do go with a GPS, I'd suggest a company firmly committed to the mapping process SkyGolf or Garmin. As for walking vs: sat image mapping, there can be mistakes made in either process. My experience has been that these two companies will address reported errors with an update in a timely manor.

I'm sure I will regret jumping into one of these threads again lol, but I agree.  For a GPS, utilization of the onsite mapping process will typically result in a more accurate representation of the course and yardages than those that use the photoimaging/measurement process.  How much more I cannot say for certain.  In the past that meant only Skycaddie.  I guess now Garmin does this as well?  I'm a firm believer that on site mapping produced the most accurate units.

Not to get a laser vs gps deal going again, but the .5 to 1 yard margin of error for most high end golf lasers is exponentially smaller than most GPS units that can be off by up to 15 yards.  That is my beef with GPS (and I use both a GPS and laser) is the margin of error they bring to the equation.  I've physically witnessed multiple GPS units returning yardages 5, 10, yes even 15 yards different from the same spot. Both same brand and different brand.  In my small circle of regular golfers, we have most of the major brands.  If mine says 155 and yours say 164 how to you decide which is correct?

And now that I've said all that, along with my belief that Skycaddie will consistently produce the most accurate GPS results, I actually use a uPro.  I'm no SG basher, I've owned several including the original and the latest before the wifi one.  I've also bought and either sold or returned Garmin and Sonnocaddie units for various reasons, and have purchased a GolfLogix for my mom (less features, but really really big yardage numbers, which is important when one is of a certain age ).  Why?  Because, I generally use a laser most of the time, normally only using a GPS for unfamiliar courses, or the rare occasion when I am blind to the green.  In these cases, the photo imaging of the uPro excels, even over "simulated images" of SG and Garmin, etc.  So I accept the tradeoff of possibly a bit less accuracy of the uPro vs the SkyGolf in this case.

This method works for me, but some will prefer only laser, or only gps, etc.  It's a 'hike your own hike" situation, there's rarely a wrong way .

Edited by 78Staff, 25 May 2012 - 02:34 PM.

[Wayneo]

Fully agree with both the quoted section and your post.

I also own 2 GPS from different companies (SG one of them) and a Leupold Gx4. I use them in the same manner as you.

Here's my own addition however. What good is my SkyCaddie SGX unit with the fantastic on ground mapping, when I've been waiting 2 years to get 5 courses mapped. During that time, not a single one has been mapped, and no update or schedule or idea when any of the 5 will be. My other unit that has used satellite imagery for their maps as well as custom points is far more worthwhile and accurate for them, and the SkyCaddie is basically a paperweight in this case.

Don't forget the other points about ownership, such as how the company deals with issues, and Customer service. Does the comapny use their revenue to strengthen their product, or just on more advertising, and pocket the remainder. This is SkyCaddie business model. They're notoriously heavy handed and poor for Customer service.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

Nothing hidden about it. You just have to pay to keep downloading courses.

GPS is sometimes flaky. It isn't that it isn't accurate, it's that it doesn't work at all sometimes or works off-and-on or flakes out. OTOH for long periods of time it'll work perfectly.

Skygolf the company is flaky, their download process and firmware updates and all that jazz...flaky.

So you've got to ask yourself if the 2% of time hassling with this or that problem with your unit's reception or Skygolf's PITA-ness is worth it for the rich info you get the other 98% of the time.

I went laser and never looked back. It only gives me one thing. How far from here to the flag. But it does it 100% of the time and the only hassle is changing a 9V battery every year or two. But it knows nothing about hazards or layup distances or how far to the back of the green. It's a class fox versus hedgehog situation. I chose the hedgehog.

[78Staff]

Wayneo, on 25 May 2012 - 08:23 PM, said:

Here's my own addition however. What good is my SkyCaddie SGX unit with the fantastic on ground mapping, when I've been waiting 2 years to get 5 courses mapped. During that time, not a single one has been mapped, and no update or schedule or idea when any of the 5 will be. My other unit that has used satellite imagery for their maps as well as custom points is far more worthwhile and accurate for them, and the SkyCaddie is basically a paperweight in this case.

Don't forget the other points about ownership, such as how the company deals with issues, and Customer service. Does the comapny use their revenue to strengthen their product, or just on more advertising, and pocket the remainder. This is SkyCaddie business model. They're notoriously heavy handed and poor for Customer service.

Very valid points, if a unit does not have your course mapped, it's of little value. I'm fortunate, it's hard to find a course not mapped in my area.

Don't know if it's true, but back before GPS's exploded, and SG was pretty much the only game in town, there was a rumor/insinuation that stocking SkyCaddie's in the pro shop was a requirement for them to come map your course.  Now that their are so many GPS's on the market that kind of heavy-handedness is probably not possible.