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Accessory Reviews

SkyCaddie WATCH: Editor Review

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Pros: Very accurate. Simple and intuitive to use. Auto hole locator works great. Scoring built in. Good battery life.

Cons: Yearly subscription (cost) required. Non-watch wearers may take time to adjust to wearing the unit during a round.  Initial search for nearby courses seems like it takes a longer than it should.

Bottom Line: A great unit that covers all the basics of using a GPS unit plus some extras. Accurate distance and scorecard capabilities make this a solid choice for most golfers not looking for a complicated unit.

Access to courses requires membership, which costs less than $20 / year on average. Rechargeable battery makes it easy to get ready for the next round.

Overview: Rangefinder units have gotten more advanced over the years, incorporating more features in smaller packages.

The SkyCaddie WATCH does pack a good amount of features into a small package.

  • Big, easy-to-read front, center and back of green distances
  • High precision, ground-corrected basic green course maps*
  • Stores 29,000 preloaded, updatable course maps
  • Track distance, time, speed of any run, walk or bike ride
  • Water resistant to 30 meters
  • Odometer, Lap Counter, and Calorie Counter
  • Available in Black and White
  • Extras: Clock, timer, alarm, English and French, pace-of-play timer, and backlight

The SkyCaddie WATCH promises a lot in a small package. Per SkyCaddie:

The SkyCaddie Watch isn’t just another golf GPS watch! It’s an attractive, lightweight, flexible and comfortable everyday sport watch that just happens to provide superior performance on the golf course.

Performance:

So yes, it’s a sporty-looking GPS Watch packed with useful features.  But, do those features perform?  Read on. When starting your round, the watch will need to acquire satellites first.   For some reason, ‘Finding Courses Nearby’ will always take a few minutes and feels a little longer than it should.   This is essentially the only issue we had.  Once that wait was over, nearby courses appeared in a list.  Select your course/tee combo and you’re on you way. What separates SkyCaddie from others is ground-verifying their readings:

SkyCaddie differs from other GPS technology in that they ground-verify their maps.  Called CGT (Core Golfer Technology) SkyCaddie claims this ensures accuracy in their units, whether it’s the top-of-line rangefinder or this watch, they promise the most accurate results.

We verified the SkyCaddie WATCH next to other GPS units during our testing and found its accuracy excellent. Most likely this is the number one reason to buy a GPS device and should be heavily weighted when selecting one. It’s hard to knock SkyCaddie here as it does an excellent job. On the display, the yardage to the center of the green is displayed in big, bold font in the center.

Distances to the front and back appear below this yardage in smaller typeface.  We noticed a slight lag between reading the next yardage when walking from shot to shot, but nothing different than other GPS devices we’ve used.

skycaddie watch

 

Once you complete a hold, the SkyCaddie WATCH will allow you to keep your score with a few simple button clicks.  The auto-hole functionality will advance the display to the next hole without a button press (don’t worry you can manually forward / rewind if needed).

Of course, this is a watch, so other functionality such as pace of play,  time of day, pedometer and calories burned are there as well.  It’s a lot of functionality built into a small unit on your wrist.

Looks and Feel:

SkyCaddie WATCH has a simple, sporty look and is available in both black and white color combinations (we tested the black). Its thickness is deceiving, and creates a bit of a bulky appearance.  You’d think it was heavy or cumbersome, but that’s not the case.

skycaddie_center

On one swing we did accidentally press a button on the watch accidentally with the back of a wrist.  This never happened again, however.  Perhaps the wristband was too loose.

Whether you like wearing a watch during play is personal preference. Some take them off.  Some leave them on.  If you are bothered by something on your wrist, it may take some getting used to, but not because of weight.  This is simply personal preference.

skycaddie_bandcloseup

The Takeaway:

Overall, the SkyCaddie WATCH is an excellent performer.  It has all the basics a golfer needs in a GPS unit, plus some nice extras like scoring, pedometer and calories.  It is a bit large (maybe deep is the correct word) but does not feel that way due to its light weight.

Pace of play is an issue in golf (see the new USGA ‘While We’re Young’ initiative), and GPS units can help speed that up.  Having one on your wrist helps even more. No need to drag a GPS unit out to your ball in the middle of the fairway (or woods).  It’s always on, ready to give you an accurate yardage.

Data can be uploaded to the Club SkyCaddie website: http://clubsg.skygolf.com, where you can track your rounds and stats if you’d like.  We won’t dive deep into it here, but there are additional benefits you can take advantage of. It’s important to note that SkyCaddie does require an annual membership to allow you to download courses and use its website.

skycaddie watch

You can view plan overviews here, but plan on an additional expense of roughly $20 per year (some plans will get you a slight discount).  While this is a bit of an expense, it’s a guarantee that SkyCaddie is committed to continually update their apps, firmware and ground mapping of courses.  Accuracy is priority #1, and there is a slight cost involved.

SkyCaddie WATCH is available now with an instant $50 rebate!  Take advantage of this special here: SkyCaddie WATCH Father’s Day Offer

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33 Comments

33 Comments

  1. Kyle @ TGG

    Dec 17, 2016 at 5:16 pm

    This is a pretty solid entry level watch, but there are far better options on the market for the money. The subscription fee is real downside.

  2. coleshil

    Aug 17, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    I would not recommend this watch battery life is poor and cannot be replaced technical help is non existent they want you to trade in and waste even more of your money.
    Very disappointing will never buy another one from them

  3. Linda Shelton

    Jul 28, 2016 at 12:34 pm

    Watch band broke. How or where to replace it. Oherwise great watch.

  4. Mick Lowbridge

    Dec 30, 2015 at 4:15 am

    Had the watch for 12 months and all okay until the battery started to take 18hrs to charge. It also lacks a lot of the functionality of competitor watches (Hazards etc). I dont think it will be too loong before battery packs up and I will not bother replacing it.

  5. Fred

    Aug 11, 2015 at 2:26 pm

    If I take the back off of my sky caddie can I replace the battery?

  6. Truth Teller

    Jun 28, 2015 at 4:19 pm

    The charging clip is poorly designed. I it does not simply plug in to the watch. You have to seat it so four prongs align with four receptors. Twice now in two seasons the clip broke on me for some unknown reason. At $30 plus shipping it is pretty expensive due to a design flaw. I have not had problems with the watch itself, only charging issues. Battery does not last very long. If I use the other features it will not last a full round. And it takes all night to charge up. So overall I would warn to stay away from this product for a better watch option.

  7. dave blasiak

    Jun 14, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    battery lasted one season and warranty is only 6 months. Bottom line watch doesn’t last a full round year two. Customer service states out of warranty and you need to purchase a new product.

  8. Pingback: Skycaddie Courses | Garmin Approach

  9. Mike sweeney

    Jan 22, 2015 at 5:45 pm

    Send map of courses available we are going to Kauai hi what courses are listed ? Thanks mike

  10. Larry Dickman

    Jan 4, 2015 at 5:47 pm

    This is the second watch that they have sent me and still unable to make it work. They want to take control of my computer to fix it or give them the access to arrange my computer. Not comfortable with their repair ideas of given control of computer to some remotely.

  11. Allan

    Nov 13, 2014 at 8:39 am

    Thinking of buying a used skycaddie. Concerned that the battery will not take me through a full round before too long. I heard the only option was to trash it and buy a new one. Is this correct?

    • coleshil

      Aug 17, 2016 at 6:24 pm

      Yes battery life is poor my club is full of guys who are all having the same problem very disappointing and waste of money

  12. Sandy anderson

    Sep 6, 2014 at 7:16 pm

    The battery takes way to long to charge. Only had this for a week. It’s been on charger for 2 hours and it’s at 30%. That’s what it said when I started!!
    It worked great for two rounds. I charged it to FULL.
    IF YOU WANTRD TO PLAY 36 holes in one day, you wouldn’t have enough time between rounds to charge.

  13. rolex watches

    Aug 13, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    This is my first time pay a visit at here and i am in fact impressed to read all at alone place.|

  14. Alex Chan

    May 11, 2014 at 5:21 am

    Is it include my home course of mission hills in Chine? Unfortunely, I can’t find it in your course library.

  15. Dennis

    Apr 25, 2014 at 12:40 am

    How do I convert my Sky Caddie Watch to measure courses in metres and NOT yards?

  16. Ed McElroy

    Mar 13, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    Have watch. Have trouble. Cannot find out how to return for service. Other brands better

  17. Derek

    Dec 23, 2013 at 12:51 pm

    Just picked up the watch for Christmas, and it won’t charge up…..leaving the screen blank.
    Customer support has been good (online guys very quick). Unfortunately, I have to replace the watch (even though it is brand new in the box), but Jancor Agencies in Canada is closed for 3 weeks. BRUTAL!

  18. Bob Ramey

    Oct 8, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    Careful about buying this… I have one and am having lots of problems with it. My computer will not recognize it and it will not come on now. SkyCaddie customer service is an absolute JOKE.

  19. Marc b Rubin

    Sep 9, 2013 at 5:58 pm

    I am a member of the Sao Paulo golf club and would like to be sure Brazil.s golf courses ,at least the principals are preloaded before I buy the Sky Caddie watch.
    Thank you very much
    Marc b Rubin

  20. Will Logan

    Jul 10, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    Overall good experience, easy and convenient to use BUT battery life is POOR , barely 1 round with auto-hole advance switched on.
    Disappointed that only front/center/back green measurements shown, surely they could have included major hazards also ?

  21. RocketBladez

    Jun 19, 2013 at 4:46 pm

    great review. I now need to decide between the bushnell, skycaddie and garmin watch!

  22. Joe Golfer

    Jun 19, 2013 at 2:18 am

    My brother-in-law was thinking of getting one of these, but he doesn’t bother to read golf reviews or golf websites.
    I’ll have to send him this link and make sure he reads it.

    Once again, thanks for a good, honest and thorough review, GolfWRX guys.

  23. Kridian

    Jun 16, 2013 at 9:48 pm

    Meh. I just use my good ‘ole Jedi focus to get yardage.

  24. Dave Ziemann

    Jun 14, 2013 at 8:52 pm

    I’ve been using a free app for my Android phone to do pretty much all that and more – getting satellite mapping of the courses I play. As I understand GPS technology, the accuracy of the position given is a function of the size of the antenna, so any hand-held or wrist-mounted GPS will have the same accuarcy. I’ve played many times with guys using a dedicated golf GPS and the yardages I get on my phone are the same or within 1 yard of their $250 unit.
    I’d be interested to see a GolfWRX review of this low-cast alternative to a dedicated unit.

  25. pablo

    Jun 14, 2013 at 7:56 pm

    at $150 with the rebate that’s a good deal! my expresso / igolf gps watch cost a little more that 18 months ago and it has the same features, although no annual fee. wonder if the skycaddie has better hazard info – my expresso will often show the greenside bunker hazard distances and completely ignore the closer and more immediate fairway bunker distances, which means i need to bust out my galaxy phone for golflogix or my rangefinder. anyways, if i was buying a gps watch today i’d buy this for sure.

    • ebenny10

      Mar 18, 2014 at 3:34 pm

      My Skycaddie watch does not show any hazard but my SG5 will show all hazards on any given hole even a big tree in the fairway as long as it was mapped.

    • roddy

      May 25, 2014 at 12:07 am

      What’s with the annual fee? My friends have other GPS watches and do not pay any fees at all after the original purchase. Why does Skycaddie require an annual membership fee to keep the courses on the watch?

  26. J

    Jun 14, 2013 at 7:37 pm

    Battery life is not good.. Less than two rounds.

    Several competitors products, watches mind you, have better battery life.

    The Bushnell for example will actually function as a watch for about a year before it requires charges..

    I charge mine before rounds and wear it everyday… Not once have I had an issue.

  27. Tim Liddy

    Jun 14, 2013 at 12:27 pm

    Be careful if you have a Mac, as it will not allow for needed software for SkyCaddie to load on computer. Skycaddie technical support is non-existent. Be on technical support line for 1/2 hour waiting for a response. I would not recommend this product.

    • John Pierce

      Jun 14, 2013 at 3:34 pm

      I run Skycaddie software on my Macbook Pro with Mountain Lion OSX ver 8.3 with no issues whatsoever. I use it every weekend.

      You might check what version of Java you are running on your Mac, the latest versions of their runtime, particularly the 64 bit versions don’t play well with Skycaddie.

    • ebenny10

      Mar 18, 2014 at 3:41 pm

      I used Skycaddie’s online support and within a minute had an answer to a question on a new product. Don’t think I’d bother calling.

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Accessory Reviews

Insider photos from Tiger Woods’ launch event for his new “Sun Day Red” apparel line

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On Monday evening, inside the swanky, second-story “Coach House” event center in the Palisades Village, just minutes down the road from the 2024 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, Tiger Woods and TaylorMade officially announced their new apparel/footwear/accessory line, called “Sun Day Red.”

The Sun Day Red website officially launched on Monday night during the event, and the products are set to go on sale starting May 1.

The “Sun Day Red,” or “SDR” name will be self-explanatory for most golf fans, since he’s been wearing a victory-red shirt on Sunday’s for his entire professional career, but Woods explained the meaning of Sun Day Red at the launch event:

“It started with mom. Mom thought – being a Capricorn – that my power color was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and I won some tournaments. Lo and behold, I go to a university that is red; Stanford is red. We wore red on the final day of every single tournament, and then every single tournament I’ve played as a professional I’ve worn red. It’s just become synonymous with me.”

The Sunday Red outfit has worked to perfection for his 82 PGA Tour victories, including 15 majors, so why not make an entire apparel line based on the career-long superstition?

As I learned at Monday’s launch event, the new Sun Day Red line includes much more than just clothing. To go along with a slew of different golf shirt designs and colorways, there were also windbreakers, hoodies, shoes, hats, headcovers, ball markers and gloves on display.

The upscale event was hosted by sports media personality Erin Andrews, with special guests David Abeles (CEO of TaylorMade) and Tiger Woods himself.

As explained by Abeles, the Sun Day Red brand is an independently-run business under the TaylorMade umbrella, and is based in San Clemente, California (rather than Carlsbad, where TaylorMade headquarters is located), and it’s run by a newly-formed, independent group. Brad Blackinship, formerly of Quiksilver and RVCA, is the appointed president of the new brand.

As for the logo itself, obviously, it’s made to look like a Tiger (the animal), and is comprised of 15 tiger stripes, which correspond with Woods’ 15 major championships. While the logo may need a 16th stripe if Woods adds a major trophy to his collection, it makes perfect sense for the time being.

The golf/lifestyle line is meant to combine premium precision and athletic comfort, while still having plenty of wearability and style off the course. Like Woods said on stage at the event, he wants to be able to go right from the course to dinner wearing Sun Day Red, and that was exactly the aesthetic on display at the event on Monday.

Following the official announcement from Woods and Abeles, they revealed multiple pieces of clothing, accessories and footwear for the event-goers to ogle (and photograph). Check out a selection of product/event photos below, or head over to our @GolfWRX Instagram page for video coverage…OR, head into our GolfWRX Forums for even more photos and member discussion.

Enjoy this exclusive look at Tiger Woods’ new Sun Day Red apparel lineup below.

See more photos from the Sun Day Red launch event here

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Accessory Reviews

GolfWRX Spotlight: Motocaddy M7 Remote and M5 GPS DHC electric cart review

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I have been thinking about electric golf push carts, or trollies, ever since I started playing in my league seven years ago.

Motocaddy has been making high-quality electric, and non-electric, carts since 2004 and has a couple of great options for the golfer who loves to walk. Motocaddy was nice enough to get their M7 Remote and M5 GPS DHC in my hands to try out on the course for a few weeks.

I have had a lot of people stop me to ask about the carts, and the one thing I keep telling them is that these carts are just flat out fun to use on the course.

Motocaddy M7 Remote

The M7 Remote was very easy to get set up right out of the box. All you have to do is charge the battery, install the wheels, and you are pretty much ready to go. The M7 folds up pretty small, just a little larger than the 3-wheel pushcart that I had been using for years. Getting it to the course should be no problem with just about any trunk space. Now, the one downside to an electric cart is the weight when moving it around, and both carts come in at around 35 pounds each. Even with that extra weight, I didn’t have much trouble lifting them in and out of the back of a pickup.

The M7 unfolds quickly with the flick of two levers and extends the front wheels automatically. Once unfolded, you drop in the battery, plug it in, and secure your bag. If you own a Motocaddy bag, they have developed a really nice system called EasiLock that involves two metal studs that fit into the bottom of the cart. This system also includes a molded base that prevents the bag from rotating at all, even on the roughest terrain. You can still use the M7 with almost any other golf bag as it includes elastic straps that wrap around the top and bottom of the bag.

As soon as you plug in the battery the LCD screen comes to life and you are ready to go. You can use the M7 without the remote by using the dial on the handle to control the starting, stopping, and speed. But the M7 has a remote that is activated by a simple press of the power button to get going. The remote is very simple with just five buttons to control where the M7 goes.

Getting a feel for the M7 takes no time at all and by the time you drive it from your car to the 1st tee you will be in complete, and confident, control of the cart. You simply press the “+” button to start moving forward and the cart takes off gently without any rattling of your clubs, and you can press that same button again to increase the speed. The cart will go from a slow crawl, for bumpy or tight areas, too, as fast as I could run with just a few presses of the button. The big red “stop” button in the center stops the cart immediately, and when stopped it is locked in place, even on steep hills. You don’t have to worry about remembering to set the brakes or anything because it is done automatically.

Steering is just as easy: simply press the right or left button to turn the cart. Small, quick presses will just slightly adjust the cart as it moves down the fairway while a long hold of the button can make it turn on a dime to the right or left.

Almost everyone asked me how stable the cart was and if it would tip over. I can proudly say that it has stayed upright even on some unseen bumps at maximum speed. Side hills, ruts, and even curbs are handled with ease with the help of the small rear wheel.

I really enjoy strolling down the fairway with nothing but the M7’s remote in my hand — it just makes golfing more fun!

Motocaddy M5 GPS DHC

After using the M7 and its fancy remote, I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t like not having it. But to be honest the M5 was just as fun to use, but for a different reason.

As the name suggests, the M5 has a built-in GPS with 40,000 courses preloaded into it. The screen is a good size, pretty responsive to the touch, and easy to read in direct sunlight. Having the GPS directly on the cart is great, you drive up to your ball and immediately have yardage to the front, back, and center of the green as well as bunkers and hazards. You can easily toggle between screens on the GPS and it offers a couple of different views to help navigate the hole. The M5 can also keep score and let you know shot distances right on the screen. Motocaddy even includes nice little touches like a screen protecter kit to ensure durability.

Driving the M5 is just as easy as the M7 with using the dial on the handle. And speaking of the handle, the grips have a great tacky rubber that grips well even in hot and humid conditions. To start the M5 you just press the dial down and the cart will gently start down the fairway. You can turn the dial to increase or decrease the speed — I found between 5-6 to be the most comfortable for me. But the speed can go up to a very fast pace if you are looking to set a record for fastest round of the day.

As you walk down the fairway, or rough, stopping the cart is as simple as pressing he dial again. When stopped the M5 engages a parking brake automatically so you don’t have to worry about it running down a hill without your approval. The M5 has tons of power to go up just about any hill and the Down Hill Control (DHC) keeps the speed consistent even when going down a steep decent.

Since the M5 has so much power, and it is a little heavy, I thought steering would be a little bit of a challenge. It wasn’t, at all. Guiding the M5 took very little effort and slight adjustments going down the fairway were very easy. Really tight turns took a slight bit more effort as the torque can want to go forward a little more than turn. Again, once you get the M5 from the car to the first tee, you will be a master at driving it.

Overall, Motocaddy has created two great carts that provide additional enjoyment to walking your favorite 9 or 18. Having the ability to walk without carrying or pushing your bag, clubs, and whatever else goes with you. I like them so much that it is going to be hard to get the M7’s remote out of my hands when I go play!

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Accessory Reviews

GolfWRX Spotlight: Crossrope weighted jump rope & app

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An 18-hole round of golf averages out to just under five miles of walking, which on its own is a good workout. Once you throw in some potential uphill trekking you get some serious cardio too, but if you all looking for a quick workout between rounds of golf look no further than Crossrope.

Crossrope – The details

Crossrope is a system of the weighted jump rope that allows you to quickly switch the weight of the ropes you are using to boost your workout—they range from 1/4 lbs all the way up to 2 lbs depending on the kit you start out with. There is an accompanying app that helps you go through multiple workout routines and is available free, or you can upgrade to the entire library of workout routines along with more workout tracking options.

This is NOT your middle school jump rope

The handles are heavy duty and feature precision bearings to allow the rope to move smoothly around as you go through a routine. They are also ergonomic and fit into your hand naturally, which making gripping easy, something that is really nice when you’re swinging a 2 lbs coated steel cable around. The handles also come with a fast clip system to make changing cables depending on your selected workout easier too.

The ropes themselves are made from braided steel and are almost impossible to tangle, allowing them to be easily transported and stored when not in use. All in you are getting a premium piece of workout equipment that is effective and easy to store—hard to same the same thing about a treadmill.

When it comes to a workout, skipping rope is one of the most effective cardio workouts you can do, and with Crossrope, you can get both cardio and low impact weight training when using the heaviest ropes, and follow along with the guided workouts.

As someone that hadn’t used a jump rope in over a decade, starting out lighter was a nice way to ease in before moving up, and I was pleasantly surprised how easy and fun some of the workouts in the app were. If you are looking for a fun way to add something to your workouts, or you just want to try something new to get you into golf course walking shape, this could be right up your alley. To learn more check out crossrope.com

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