Skycaddie GPS or Rangefinder

[warbirdlover]

Lyle,

Let us know how it works!!

 

[PhillyEagle]

I'm really considering getting a range finder just to get ready for high school tournaments/matches. I won't be allowed to use it during regular matches, but I really want to "map" out a few courses. Especially my home course, which we'll play 11 times. It's illegal to play high school tournaments with the range finder, but you're allowed to right now yardages and bring that with you.

I'm going to *try* and not use it during my regular rounds of golf though. Because I really don't want to become dependent of the thing.

Another use I hope to get out of is the train myself to learn yardages. Like if I see a tree that looks around 100 yards to me, I'll zap it and see how far it really is. I think that may help me learn yardages a little better, not really sure though.

 

[titaniummd]

If you have a palm, another viable option would be intelligolf and buying a GPS for the palm. It allows front~back~center of green as well as three other points you can define on the course, with text, and upload and download. It was likely my second choice next to the iGolf. As I already own the software, a palm and it also tracks your statistics like the Sureshot. Basically it would work like the sureshot, but you also have to consider the downside of not only having the palm but the external Bluetooth GPS.

Thanks for the feedback. It is the reason I procrastinate on the options. :hunter:I am still hunting for the best options.

 

[fore142]

definatly go with the range finder, there are courses that are not downloadable for the gps. you can use a range finder anywhere.

 

[LyleG]

definatly go with the range finder, there are courses that are not downloadable for the gps. you can use a range finder anywhere.

I disagree entirely.

I had a range finder and after a few rounds pretty much stopped using it because it was useless. You can see around corners with it, its nearly impossible to use for objects on the ground like creeks and water hazards, its hard to lock onto on object and you will sure as shit have a headache if you use it on every hole.

I tried my skycaddy out this weekend and was giddy it was so cool. The course is under a foot of snow and this thing still worked like a charm. I can have the exact distance to the front edge of a water hazard, and the back edge of the hazard. Cutting a corner you can have the distance to carry the trouble and to the far end of the fairway so you dont over do it. Get the distance to the front edge and back of the green from anywhere. You can also use to see how far you hit each club. This thing is so far superior to a range finder it isnt even funny.
As for courses, the list is growing daily. Almost every course I have ever played is already on there, including the 8 in my far northern Ontario city with a pop of 113,000.
I highly recommend everyone get one of these.

 

[fore142]

I disagree entirely.

I had a range finder and after a few rounds pretty much stopped using it because it was useless. You can see around corners with it, its nearly impossible to use for objects on the ground like creeks and water hazards, its hard to lock onto on object and you will sure as shit have a headache if you use it on every hole.

I tried my skycaddy out this weekend and was giddy it was so cool. The course is under a foot of snow and this thing still worked like a charm. I can have the exact distance to the front edge of a water hazard, and the back edge of the hazard. Cutting a corner you can have the distance to carry the trouble and to the far end of the fairway so you dont over do it. Get the distance to the front edge and back of the green from anywhere. You can also use to see how far you hit each club. This thing is so far superior to a range finder it isnt even funny.
As for courses, the list is growing daily. Almost every course I have ever played is already on there, including the 8 in my far northern Ontario city with a pop of 113,000.
I highly recommend everyone get one of these.

but are there not different levels to the gps? like depending upon the level at which they mapped the course, it could just give you distances to front, middle, back or it could give you distances to almost anything. from my understanding, very few courses have been full maped, so at very few course will you be able to get yardages to creeks. i may be wrong as usual though.

 

[LyleG]

Yes, not all are full mapped. But you can add to your map everytime you play.
Someone took a lot of time mapping my track out. I was thrilled at all the detail.
The website rates the level of mapping done with a STAR based system.

 

[Paladin]

Skycaddie or rangefinder

I have resisted any purchase of either of these devices for some time. Many of our members use Skycaddies, and they are somewhat helpful, but in general, I have always been able estimate the proper yardage, as close as the Skycaddie, since I know both courses well. Recently, however, I played in California with a young pro who was using the Bushnell Pinseeker 1500. He let me use it, and the MAJOR difference was the exact yardage to the pin, especially inside 150 yards (I'm not that accurate beyond this range). Inside of 100 yards, it was immensely helpful in getting shots close. The Skycaddie won't do that. I read a great deal on-line in several reviews, and the better players seem to agree the rangefinder is more helpful. It doesn't do everything...for example, if you are in the trees, and blocked from a view of the flag, but the Skycaddie has similar drawbacks in some situations. The Skycaddie also seems to malfunction too often, as I have experienced with those who use it.
Bottom line, I bought the 1500 without the slope feature (which is still against the rules), and it is terrific. I DON'T need it for every shot, any more than I need the Skycaddie to tell me a 415 yard hole is really playing 429 or 392. I DO need it to tell me I'm 117 yards or 87 yards, which are the scoring shots. My approach game is getting sharper all the time. Now if my putting would only improve! In short, I think the Bushnell Pinseeker 1500 is for the serious golfer, regardless of the skill level.

 

[horstmc]

Skycaddies are cool. They do a great job of giving yardages to hazards. If you are looking for something to help with course management, then this is it. Negatives include having to have the course on the device. If you frequently play different courses, you may find yourself with a skycaddie that you cannot use; "Damn, I forgot to load the course!". I've also seen people forget to charge them. They don't do you a lot of good if you can't turn it on. Others have complained about the subscription fee. I personally don't see that as an issue, but you may.

If you play courses with large greens, then you may find a rangefinder to be more useful. You can obtain exact yardages to the pin for your approach shots. Again, as others have stated, you need an unobstructed view of your target to get an accurate yardage. If you are in another fairway, you may not be able to measure yardage to the pin (for me this is not an issue since I'm looking at a recovery shot no matter what).

Bottom line, get both! :laugh:

 

[Slingblade61]

Rangefinder. You can get a distance to anything from anywhere and it is more accurate that a GPS. Bushnell has the Medalist coming out in March with Pinseeker technology that was only found in the high end models until now with a retail expected to be $299. It works on any course in the world, does not require any down loads, and there is never any additional expense except maybe a battery which I have yet to wear out in my current model in almost 3 years of use. If I did not already have a rangefinder, this puppy would be heading towards Orlando as soon as I could order it.

A note on Pinseeker Technology. On the older Bushnell models without Pinseeker, it could be very hard to pick up the pin/flag combination when there was no wind due a more reflective object reflecting more of the beam back to the unit giving you a wrong distance. Pinseeker takes all of the various distance readings from different objects and provides only the distance to the closest object which is the pin/flag. Pretty simple and elegent technology that vastly improves a range finder's performance.

I grabbed one of these today.

I'm going to use it tomorrow.....report to follow.