Golf Caddy GPS

Callaway Golf makes two different golf GPS models – the uPro Golf and the uPro Go. Both of them are very good models, with only a few differences betweent  the two.  In this Callaway uPro review, we’ll look at the differences between the two, the features, the good qualities, and the negative.

Go vs. Golf

The main difference is the price – the Golf is slightly more expensive.  The Golf Pro also features a slightly larger screen.

The biggest difference is in the programming.  Both come with a basic course overview, but both offer upgrades.  The Golf offers you pro mode, which allows you to see the hole from an aerial, color view.  (This is what is pictured to the left.)  The normal screen mode is a bit more cartoonish.

This feature costs an additional $10 per course, or you can buy a lot of credits at a time and pay about $2.50 per course.

The uPro Go also has an upgrade available – Go mode.  This costs $49.95 to activate as a one time fee.  Go mode gives you virtual green mode and Anypoint view screens.  This allows you to pinpoint any spot on the screen and measure to it.  Distances are then updated as you move around the hole.  It also allows for changing pin locations.

uPro Go Review

The uPro Go is rated slightly higher than the Golf.  While the Golf does have the satellite imaging (with a fee), the Go is very useful with Go mode.  With this feature, the price tends to be about the same.

The Go comes preloaded with 18,000 courses from the US and Canada.  However, there are some courses that are not mapped, especially in Canada.  You can search their site to see if your course is available here.  Courses are added all the time, but it can be a pain if your course is not already there.

One nice thing about the uPro Go is it gives you the distance to the front and the distance to carry each hazard.  This can really come in handy.  It also has auto hold advance and an easy to use interface.

There were a few complaints about the device as well.  Some people said the screen was hard to see in the direct sun, while others did not have any problem with it.  There is not scorekeeping on the unit, and the joystick can be hard to manipulate if you have larger hands.

Callaway uPro Golf Review

The Callaway uPro Golf is also highly rated overall, although it does have more negative reviews.  A lot of people were disappointed that the screen shown in the picture was not what you get unless you purchase the course.  It does seem a bit like false advertising to me, too.

However, the device itself is very good.  The screen is a little larger and easy to see.  It really gives you a lot of information.  The measurement feature in particular was very helpful.  The size of the device itself is very small and light.

There were some drawbacks to this device.  It was very slow to download new courses, and seemed to lag between screens.  Also, the device goes to great lengths to save battery life.  In fact, it shuts down the screen almost all the time!  So that can get very annoying.  Buying the individual courses can get expensive, but they are helpful for difficult areas.

Tags: Golf GPS Reviews by admin
1 Comment »

If you don’t need all the bells and whistles of high end golf GPS units, then the Sonocaddie V100 could be for you.  This very basic model will show you the distance to the green or the distance to a critical target (that you set up), and features personalized course target setting.  It can show you the distance to the green even without a direct line of sight, reducing the errors in your shot selection.

With this unit, you get five course for free.  It holds up to ten courses.   You can download more at anytime for a $30 fee.   You can play about four rounds of golf per charge.

In a Sonocaddie V100 review on Amazon, one owner said,

“I purchased this GPS over the winter and just had my first chance to try it out, I could not be more pleased. This GPS was very easy to read, gave very accurate yardage and helps to speed up your game, no looking for markers. One course that I play was not mapped so I contacted Sonocaddie, a person actually answered the phone, I e-mailed a scorecard to them and had the course for download in 3 days.”

Overall, this little GPS unit gives you the information you need at an affordable price!  Read more about it at Amazon.

Tags: Golf GPS Reviews by admin
No Comments »

The Golf Buddy is a popular brand of golf gps unit.  With four different models, it can be difficult to decide which will work the best for you.   Here is an overview of different Golf Buddy reviews, in order from least to most expensive.

Golf Buddy Plus

The Golf Buddy Plus is the basic model.  It’s not cheap though, with a cost up to $200.  It has a simple small black and white screen, and holds 1000 courses at a time.  You get unlimited access to download up to 14,000 courses from their site.

This model automatically displays distance to the front, center, and back of the green as you move.  This seems to be accurate for most golf course, although a few seem to be off (a common complaint across all models of the Golf Buddy).  Their data comes from satellite images, so it is not the absolute best out there, compared to similar devices like the SkyCaddie.

Overall, it is a decent, affordable model.  However, if you want to save money, there are lower cost units available, such as the Swami.

Golf Buddy Pro

This model is the bestselling on Amazon, closely followed by the Golf Buddy Tour.  The Pro and Tour models are very similar.  This one has a black and white screen, and a 12 hour battery life.  The device holds 20,000 courses, and all courses in North America are available.  There is no yearly fee to download additional courses.

Most people seem to like this model in the reviews.  Most of the time it was accurate, with a few exceptions.  The biggest complaint was about customer service – like most companies, they seem to have outsourced it.

Golf Buddy Tour

The Tour is slightly more expensive than the Plus.  It holds the same number of courses, but comes with a color screen and a 14 hour battery life.  If you really want a color screen, you may want to upgrade.  Otherwise, the Plus works just fine.

Golf Buddy World Platinum

The highest end Golf Buddy is the World Platinum model.  This one comes with access to 40,000 courses around the world.  It has a color touch screen, which is a nice feature.  However, it does cost significantly more than the other versions.  If you golf around the world, this may be a good fit for you.

So, to sum up these Golf Buddy reviews, the best rated device among these four is:  The Golf Buddy Pro!  This was closely followed by the Tour.

Tags: Golf GPS Reviews by admin
No Comments »

With so many different golf gps systems on the market, it can be hard to know which one is the best.  There are so many to choose from!  Of the best golf gps systems out there, the five best systems currently are as follows:

Garmin GPS Golf Systems – The Garmin Approach G5 GPS is considered to be one of the best out there.  It has a full color, touch screen.  It’s sturdy, waterproof, and light.  You can use it to calculate exact distances and plan your next shot.  It is a one time cost as well, allowing you to download all the courses you want for free.

This particular system gets good rankings all around.  You can read more reviews here.

Another popular model is the Golf Buddy Tour.  This one lacks some of the bells and whistles of the Garmin.  There is no touchscreen, and it is not as colorful.  But it is very functional, at a significant price savings.

The Golf Buddy has no annual fee.  You are simply able to download any course that you are interested in, and the device holds up to 20,000 courses.  It also has automatic course recognition, which means it automatically pulls up the course you are on.

Next we have the Callaway Golf Upro Go.  It is significantly less expensive, but it also has less features.  The Upro comes with 18,000 golf courses preloaded across the United States and Canada.  One thing  you must get with this unit is Go Mode.  This is an extra $50,but without it, it’s just a less than average GPS.  With Go Mode, you get distances updated as you move closer to the hole.  This feature is already included in the previous two models.

Of course, no list would be complete without the Skycaddie.  This is the official golf GPS system of the PGA.  It has the largest verified golf course database in the world, so you are guaranteed the most accurate information.  The only problem is you have to pay an annual subscription.  But that starts at just $29.95 a year, so this could be well worth it if you are a serious golfer.

Finally, we have some cheap golf gps systems to round out our list.  The most popular system that is less than $100 is the IZZO Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit.  This system simply calculates your distance from front, center, and back of green whenever you are standing under the open sky.

The Swami holds up to 10 courses at a time.  It requires an annual subscription to access their database of golf courses.

These are the top five best golf GPS systems currently.  Please feel free to compare golf GPS systems in the comments!

Tags: Golf GPS Reviews by admin
No Comments »

The current bestselling GPS unit on Amazon is the Garmin Approach G5 GPS.  Garmin is best known for its car navigation system, so it was not a stretch to create a GPS system specifically for the golf course.

One of the best things about this system is there is no subscription fee.  You can download all the golf courses you want from Garmin’s site, which is a nice feature.  It also has a nice color screen, which makes it easier to see the course.

When you first use the Garmin, you can see the entire golf course, and know exactly what you need to do to reach the green in regulation, even if you’ve never been there before.  You can use it to determine the distance to the next bend to better choose your club.

Another nice feature is the touch screen.  You don’t have to use any confusing buttons to figure out the distance to the next green.  Just touch the screen.

The rechargeable batteries last about two rounds.  It does have a nice feature that remembers which page you were on if you have to change batteries in the middle of a round.  It also is water resistant, so you can play in the rain, if you want.

One drawback is it doesn’t let you skip holes.  So if you are looking at hole 10, and want to see hole 2, you have to go through 8 other pages to get there.  That is a bit of a pain.

You can read more reviews about the Garmin Approach G5 GPS by clicking here

Tags: Golf GPS Reviews by admin
No Comments »