Best Price Callaway Golf uPro Go GPS

Best Price >>Callaway Golf uPro Go GPS

Best Price >> 15 new or used available from $129.99

Callaway Golf uPro Go GPS is my 2nd golf GPS. My first was the Golf Guru 002 which I thought was a pretty good unit. After using the uPro Go for one round, I'm very happy I've moved on. I am a 5-handicap so accurate, timely information is very important to me.

First off, I refuse to pay an annual subscription for a sky caddie and would never pay for individual courses (uPro Regular) -- I play too many different courses and I like to play in different states too. I also believe in having as much information as possible as long as it is easy to get to while playing. I do see the benefit of having full hole mappings (garmin G5, etc), especially on courses that are new to me. That being said, I'm not willing to pay double for that little extra bit of info. I also want a unit to be as small as possible (cell phone size is as big as I'm interested in) because I like to keep the unit in my back pocket.

The Callaway Golf uPro Go GPS has a great value proposition since it is pretty inexpensive (I paid $150 with Go-mode activated post rebate) and it's pretty feature rich for the $$$. I love Go-mode -- the right mix of important info and the flexibility to move the pin to the right spot. The graphics are great. The shape of the green and traps around the green make the info worthwhile. My previous golf GPS (Guru 002) had Intelligreen but the graphics were so weak that putting the pin in the proper spot was not possible. I also never trusted the accuracy of the Guru's reading to the pin since I would often measure the distance to the pin w/my Bushnell laser rangefinder and find the Guru off by 5-10 yards. Therefore, I had to carry my Rangefinder in addition to the GPS for pin-distance info. I cross referenced the uPro Go on most holes today and found it's yardages to be spot on w/my laser. It could just be that the course I played today was mapped better than the Guru's so I'll have to play a few others with the laser/GPS combo as well before I leave the laser in my trunk.
Here are my pros/cons so far:

Pros
- Size is awesome -- actually smaller than my HTC Hero Cell phone
- Screen is great -- very readable on the course (not sure why anyone is having issues)
- Go Mode -- fantastic. I think it's a very average GPS without Go Mode. Well worth the $50.
- Accuracy is great so far
- Course availability here in Colorado is great - I couldn't find any courses that I play that aren't already mapped.
- Cost is very reasonable
- Pretty intuitive interface -- easy to go from Hazard Mode to Go-mode.
- Was a little tricky the first time I wanted to load the course I played ...
- Auto hole advance works most of the time
- Unit build quality seems very solid
- Very easy to mark your shots for distance tracking
- I like the joystick -- not sure why others dislike
- Syncs easily with my Macbook Pro (Snow leopard)

Cons
- Would like to see scorekeeping on the unit
- Would like a hole view option
- Hazard info a little spotty (front/back of the trap/water is open to interpretation as to where they mapped it)
- Battery life may be iffy (not sure if I can get two full rounds -- had 40% left after one round)
- When you move the pin on the green in Go-mode, the other info around the green disappears (Why ??)

All-in-all, I'm happy with my purchase Callaway Golf uPro Go GPS so far. Hopefully, Callaway will add some more useful features in the future. I'm not sure why Callaway doesn't just add $50 to the price tag and sell it with Go-Mode already activated (or just ditch the rebate). Without Go-Mode, the unit is similar in technology to devices that are 3+ years old. I'll try to update my review in a couple months after I've had more experience with the unit and played more courses.

Best Price uPro Golf GPS by Callaway Golf

Best Price uPro Golf GPS by Callaway Golf

Compare Price >>12 new or used available from $217.68

A few bugs, but overall an excellent experience
I've now played 30+ rounds with the uPro. Its got some good points and some bad, I suppose this is like any new device, especially one that is from a brand new company.

The Good
- Distances are right on.
- Basic mode gives you a quick, easy to read view of distance to the green and distance to reach and carry hazards.
- Mark feature allows you to measure the length of your shots. Sometimes gives erroneous readings. However, this only happened when I kept the uPro in my pocket, so maybe buttons were being pressed by accident.
- Aerial view of the hole is awesome. Like looking at a yardage book, with continuously updating distances. There is a small red diamond that marks your position on the hole and moves with you. I almost ran into a 150 yard pole because I was so fascinated with watching the little diamond track my position on the satellite view! Hazards like bunkers are marked front and back and also update continuously.
- Measure Mode lets you get a measurement to any point on the hole. I have used it to find the distance back into the fairway, but you really need a tree or something on the satellite image to reference. I have also used it to find distances not mapped by the company, like a layup distance to the front of a creek.
- Trans-reflective screen is easy to see in Basic View even in bright sunlight. However, in Pro Mode, it can be difficult to see. You need to experiment with the viewing angle to get it right. I've found that in bright sunlight, you can see the screen best if you are angling it just off where the sun would be reflecting into your eyes. Or shade the screen with your hand.
- No subscriptions! You pay only for the courses you want. Courses cost the same no matter where in the country (and eventually the world) they are located. You never have to buy a course twice, even if you upgrade the device or have to replace the unit (lost, stolen, broken). Courses are expensive if you buy them one at a time. One course costs $10 (3 credits), but if you buy 150 credits ($120), that comes to only $2.40 per Pro course. I bought 150 credits, and I probably won't ever have to buy credits again (at least not for a very long time).

The Bad
- One course had strangely mapped points on a couple holes. Some don't make sense (you can tell they haven't played the course!) However, I sent an email to support and they corrected the problem in a couple weeks.
- Sync is VERY slow. I timed it, and to sync and download 1 course took over 10 minutes. Be patient.
- When syncing, the status box shows up in front of all other windows (on Windows XP) and cannot be moved to the back. So your computer is effectively stuck doing one thing for 10 minutes.
- No subscriptions. I put this item in both The Good and The Bad because it depends on your point of view. If you play a whole lot of courses (more than 50), then it could get quite expensive. But I play only about 15 courses on a regular basis, plus about 3 or so each year on a vacation trip.
- Distances do not automatically update if you are using the measure function in Pro Mode. You have to either exit measure mode, or switch back to basic mode to get an update distance.
- Not all courses are mapped yet. In Denver, about 70% of the courses are mapped. But of the 15-20 I play regularly, about 95% are mapped. Many of those that are not mapped yet are scheduled to be mapped in 2008. There is a schedule on uPro's website (www.uprogps.com). And if you choose an unmapped course as your home course, they will have it mapped in 4 business days, guaranteed. I would recommend checking all the courses you play before buying this device.

The Ugly
- The software needs a little work--freezes up from time to time. During the first two rounds, it froze up once in each round. While annoying, all you have to do is hold the power button down for 8 seconds to force a power-off, then turn it back on. Of course, the re-boot process and getting back to your current hole takes a couple minutes. Their customer service department claims a firmware update will be available "in the next few weeks". I turned off the "automatic hole advance", and this seemed to fix the problem. The last 25+ rounds were freeze-up free after changing this setting. The automatic hole advance is unnecessary in my opinion. From the "Green View", you can simply press the up button to advance to the next hole, or press the down button to go to the previous hole.
Suggestions
- Create a graphical overlay for the aerial views, or figure out a way to make them higher contrast. The Pro Mode can be somewhat difficult to see in bright sunlight.
- Faster downloading/sync
- Find and fix the bugs in the software that cause the freeze-ups
- If the upcoming software can mark every ball location, its only a matter of time before it will keep your score, shot-by-shot. On the uPro website they state that additional software to keep score will be available by late summer 2008. Of course, if it freezes up and you lose data then such a feature is worthless.

The Bottom Line
This is a very new company and a very new product. Like most new products, they have a few bugs to work out. I'm going to stick with them and hopefully they will be committed to fixing the problems. If a year goes by and the same problems exist, I might regret this purchase. But right now I'm pretty darn happy with it!

Best Price Garmin Approach G5 GPS-Enabled Golf Handheld

Best Buy Garmin Approach G5 GPS-Enabled Golf Handheld

Compare Price >> 37 new or used available from $299.90

Awesome increase in enjoyment of Golf game
My son and I used this on a local course for the first time and it performed great. No more looking for markers or taking the time to walk off an estimate (er, OK - especially when I'm not in the fairway). We have some large greens thankfully and being able to simply move the flag on the device for a much more accurate reading is super. Also, those few great drives I had - the G5 made it simple to get the exact yardage (did not break any records though). Only 1 of my 7 (regular home area) courses is not programmed in yet but I see it's on schedule in the next update. If yours isn't, simply let Garmin know like I did. Great unit, now if only my golf got better :-)
Update note: Today (4/26) I downloaded Garmins latest course database to the device and now all my courses are available.

GolfLogix GPS Smart Phone Membership and Ultimate Retail Accessory Kit : Golflogix Smartphone Kit

GolfLogix GPS Smart Phone Membership and Ultimate Retail Accessory Kit : Golflogix Smartphone Kit

Turn your Smartphone into the Ultimate GolfGPS Rangefinder! GolfLogix advanced golf GPS application is now available for the world's best selling Golflogix Smartphone Kit such as iPhone 3G, 3GS, Blackberry and more. Be sure to visit www.golfgps.com/phones.asp to see if GolfLogix GPS software is available for your phone today. Golflogix Smartphone Kit includes a Pre-paid One Year Membership Smartcard that provides access to 24,000+ course maps and your own personal website to track your stats and scores, a Custom Universal Smartphone Suction Cup Mount that secures your phone while providing optimal viewing, a Custom, Compact, & Portable Smartphone Charger you can use on and off the course to provide 4x more power for your phone, and lastly, a Custom Carrying Case to store all your accessories while providing protection and security.

Buy Now $ GolfLogix GPS Smart Phone Membership and Ultimate Retail Accessory Kit : Golflogix Smartphone Kit

Product Details

• Brand: Golflogix
• Model: SMARTPHONE KIT
• Released on: 2009-08-21
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds

Features

• Turn your Smartphone into the Ultimate GolfGPS Rangefinder! Approach each shot with confidence. Get the distances to hazards, layups, and the front, center and back of the greens right on your Smartphone.
• Track your game like a pro. With our patented technology, capture all of your round statistics. See the distances of each shot, greens in regulation, fairways hit and more right on your Smartphone!
• View your rounds at home. Sync each round to your personal website at GolfLogix.com. Look at your performance over time, at different courses, with different clubs,or however you want to view it.
• Play golf courses worldwide. With more than 24,000+ golf courses mapped, search by city and state, or let GolfLogix automatically find your current location.
• Hands-Free Use. Don¿t want to press any buttons? No problem, GolfLogix gives you the option to auto-advance to each target. Just turn it on and play¿It¿s that simple.

Golf Buddy Tour GPS Range Finder : Golf Buddy DSC-GB300

Golf Buddy Tour GPS Range Finder : Golf Buddy DSC-GB300

Yardage remaining displays are provided throughout the course, from greens, bunkers, and more, or customize your own target. Includes built-in score tracking. Unique automatic course and hole recognition so you don't have to fiddle with buttons as you play. Rechargeable battery included. Full-color display, impact resistant, ultra-light, water-resistant.

Golf Buddy Tour GPS Range Finder : Golf Buddy DSC-GB300 Review

Very Pleased, Glad I Went With Golf Buddy Tour
I thought long and hard between the skycaddie and the golf buddy. I was nervous that the Golf Buddy was "too good to be true", but decided on it anyway because of the no yearly fees. All of my golf friends have the skycaddie, so I know that it works great. I took the risk with the golf buddy tour and have been very pleased every round. The yardages are exactly the same as the skycaddie, and my friends are stuck paying $50 a year for the same yardages. Not only is the color screen easy to read and shows up in any lighting, the size of the Golf Buddy is perfect. The skycaddie looks like a walkie-talkie while the golf buddy looks like a sleek electronic gadget.
You will not be disappointed with the GBT. I got it out of the box, charged it, went to Heron Bay Golf Course in Locust Grove, GA, turned on my GBT, it instantly recognized where I was, it knew I was approaching #1 tee, and from there on it gave me accuarate distances to the programmed targets. No syncing, no adding courses, just turned the thing on. Even on an overcast day and a rainy day, the GBT still gave me yardages.
Adding your own target, measuring your shots, and keeping track of your score are all very easy. The skycaddie has about 6-7 buttons while the GBT only has two main buttons. It's a synch to use. Apple might as well have invented the thing.
You'll love it. Spend the extra money up front. If you are a wife or girlfriend, get this for the man in your life. He will be amazed that you made the right choice on the best golf gps there is!
CONS? Are you kidding me? No cons!!!

Golf Buddy Tour GPS Range Finder
The ultimate in range finders. Just walk up the tee anywhere and the hole appears for whatever course you are playing. I have no complaints. Rollin Swaim

Buy Now $ Golf Buddy Tour GPS Range Finder : Golf Buddy DSC-GB300

Cheap Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS Unit

Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS Unit

Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS System The most critical information in golf is distance . How far to clear that water hazard? How far to the center of the green? Which club should I use? Now you no longer have to find yardage markers, pace off distances or even worse, guess at distances on the golf course with the advanced and powerful Sonocaddie V300 Golf GPS . This powerful color screen GPS unit has a 3-D display that shows your distance to critical targets including front, center and back of green, water hazards, bunkers, lay-up areas etc. A revolutionary user interface shows your actual position on the golf hole in real time. Other features include shot distance measuring and tracking, digital scorecard, game analysis and personalized course mapping. The tracking system tracks each shot for later review. The Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS System has a simple interface, one-handed operation, downloads courses easily online, is compact and can hold up to 30 courses at one time. Features: No annual fee Full-color 3D hole layout screen Walking golfer icon shows your position in real time Easy, one-handed operation Adjustable backlight Drive distance Tracking system for each shot Scorecard and game analysis function Specifications: Waterproof to IPX6 Dimensions: 4.3" x 2.3" x 1.1" GPS: 14-Channel GPS receiver with built-in antenna system Screen Type: 2.2"

Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS Unit Review

Sonocaddie V300 is a Fantastic Product
I received my Sonocaddie V300 from Amazon last week. The software installation went well on my laptop but created a minor challenge on my desktop. Registration was trivial, with the "free" Eagle membership being automatically granted without having to request it. I immediately downloaded all the courses I normally play, and the process was quite fast. I have used the Sonocaddie on the course, and it is very effective. I especially like knowing the distances to the green even if you are far off the fairway. It agrees quite well with the markers on my home course. I acquired 11 GPS satellites within 5 minutes the first time I powered up the unit. And, it is refreshing not to have a $50 annual fee as in SkyCaddie or a $25 fee for Golflogix (your unit is useless unless you are current in your membership with those companies). I decided it was much more important to see the relative layout of the entire hole, especially for courses not previously played, so I chose the V300 versus other brands. I could not be more pleased. Move quickly to receive the one-time Eagle membership for free - deal expires June 30.

Buy Now $ Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS Unit Review

IZZO Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit

IZZO Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit

IZZO Golf Swami 1500 This simple-to-use and extremely accurate Swami 1500 GPS unit provides all the information you need to play your best on 12,000 U.S. courses. The Swami features Insta-Lok Technology, which instantly displays the exact yardage to the front, center and back of the green. The unit stores up to 10 courses at a time and automatically recognizes the course you're on. Includes an internal rechargeable battery and USB cable for downloads and charging from your PC. With belt clip, charger and set-up software. An activation fee is required to download course maps to the unit. (This fee lets you download unlimited course maps for one year.) Courses not currently available will be mapped within 48 hours. Features: 2 1/2" H x 4" W x 1" D Weighs 3 oz. Rechargeable lithium-ion battery Wall charger included

IZZO Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit Review

EXCELLENT PRODUCT, EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
I ordered IZZO Golf Swami 1500, received it on time, easily hooked it up to my computer, loaded my home course and played nine holes that night. It worked just as advertised. Often my ball lands where yardage markers are not readily available. Swami proved to be a great help in club selection in these all to frequent situations. The next day I requested mapping for some local unmapped courses and ordered a Swami for my wife. While the company states an unmapped course will be mapped within 5-10 business days, I was notified by e-mail four days later that the courses that I had requested were mapped. These courses were easily loaded into my Swami. I used it on one of the newly mapped courses the next weekend and Swami really helped my club selection on a less familiar course. When we took my wife's new Swami to our home course the unit did not recognize the course. I took it home and reloaded it and had the same problem. I gave it one more try. It worked for 11 holes and then yardage displayed by the unit went wacky. She was standing about 130 yards out and the display kept changing by hundreds of yards and never settled down. I called Swami support the next morning, and in less than 24 hours she had a new fully charged Swami in her hands loaded with her course choices. The new unit works as advertised. Great friendly customer service!

Outstanding and BIG numbers!
Just purchased the IZZO Golf Swami 1500 and used it this weekend. Fully accurate and with numbers plenty large enough for me to see without my glasses, which I don't wear when playing. Really easy to use too. LOVE IT!

IZZO Swmi
The device is easy to use and does an excellent job for the money. It easily finds the course it is on and provides very accurate distance to the greens. One just has to remember to turn it off at the end of the day or the battery runs down.
An excellent value for the money.

Buy Now $ IZZO Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit