I hope you all had a safe and happy NYE. I and Mrs. Nomad stayed home with the young ones and welcomed the New Year by watching one of the many televised New York Times Square parties. I was surprised that L.A. doesn't have their own televised festivity yet seems kinda cheesy watching the taped-delay event at Times Square.
Anyway I finally got to put the Sky Caddie SG3 through it's paces. I was really surprised how well it kept up with it's yardages as I moved along. I was expecting some kind of delay but it was always "LIVE" and roaming with new yardages. The SG3 doesn't come with a holster clip so I had to just keep it in the compartment on my Sun Mountain push cart or my wind breaker pocket. (NOTE: I ran over to BestBuy and bought a generic holder for it)
Some of the neatest features was that it would tell you how far you needed to hit it to lay up with 90-100 yards left. I thought this was a very useful feature and kind of keeps your head screwed on instead of trying to go for it. Depending on how much information you want displayed, it will tell you how far each "target" (bunkers, water, hazards) is also.
It has a neat feature where you can "mark" where you hit a shot and then you can "mark" it again where it will then give you the distance you hit. I was surprised that what I thought were good drives fell short of expected..truth hurts.
The SG3 has a bigger viewable area compared to the SG2 and is water "resistant". The SG3 model uses two (2) regular AA batteries which was the reason I got it in particular. Those that wish a rechargeable unit can get the other models. But I say the SG3 is the best of both worlds since you can always purchase rechargeable AA batteries later. I just keep a few extra spares in the bag and I'll always be ready.
The SG3 performed flawlessly and I had no glitch or problems with it. It will advance to the next hole as you approach it which was neat. A few things I wish it had or maybe they can update the software later would be a little digital clock and maybe a scorekeeper..that would be so cool.
I previously had a Bushnell PinSeeker 1500 w/slope +/- laser range finder (that's a mouthful) and I can already say that for the average golfer the SG3 is by far the most practical yardage measuring device hands down. This debate will go on forever but the reality is the SG3 is ALWAY ON and all you have to do is glance down for a quick yardage. The laser range finder requires you to bring it to your eye, find your target, aim, click..it sounds easy..but try doing this for 2-3 times a hole for 18 holes..it's fatiguing..just this alone should turn you off. Also unless you have a clear view to the target the laser range finder is worthless (i.e. trees, hills, corners, which most courses have).
If you're a tour caddy you need absolute, precise yardage to every leaf, tree, rock, etc. on the course and by all means the laser range finder is it..but for the average Joe Golfer (you and me) the SG3 is it.
5 comments:
Wow, thanks for the quick review. It sounds like a well developed tool. Your suggested updates sound reasonable as well.
How easy is it to "map" courses that are not in the database?
Can you map all the features you want, or are there limitations to what you can do with a course that is not in the database?
Can you adjust the layup distance to say 140-150, or is it hard coded to 90-100?
How much of an impact do you think the SG3 will have on your play over the course of a year? Will your game improve due to knowing yardages more precisely? Will you ultimately feel lost playing without it?
If you had limited dollars to spend is there an alternative, or would you recommend sacrificing other parts of the golf budget to acquire an SG3?
One thing that has kept me from getting a laser range finder (I looked at the Bushnell Sport 450 pretty seriously for a few months) was that I didn't want to become the caddy for the foursome. I'd assumed once I ripped it out, all the guys would be asking me for yardages.
Thanks again for the reveiw! I hope I didn't ask too many questions ;-)
-Greg
Hi Greg, I haven't mapped a course yet since the ones I play are already done. I've heard though from another friend that it is very easy. As far as what you can do I believe you can only do front, middle, back yardages if you do it on your own.
The layup distance can be set at 140-150..I just left mine in the "default" setting.
It's already helped my game because instead of blindly going for it I now play a little smarter and now I should just hit an iron to get in position for a nice wedge shot in..this has been a big difference for me. You know I think I would feel a little lost w/o it..like if when I leave the house w/o my cell phone.
I'd say that yardage finders like the Sky Caddie or laser range finder are only useful to players who regurlay hit your shots. If you are just starting out..I'd say not to get it..it's not going to help..these devices are merely icing on the cake. Save your money on lessons if you're just starting out.
I've been there as the "caddy" for the group..I guess that's the way it goes with buddies..I'm not telling anyone I have this..lol If you're not near me to hear then you better come over and look for yourself.
i bought a sg3 sky caddy last year and i hear that there has been a change in how it receives signals to function and obviously no longer works. i cannot find a way to contact sky caddy to get this info, canyou help
rcnesbitt@comcast.net
i bought a sg3 sky caddy last year and obviously there has been a change by sky caddy and it no longer receives signals and is useless. i cannot find a way to directly to contact sky caddy to do the upgrade necessary for it to function properly. can you help me.
ray nesbitt reach me at rcnesbitt@comcast.net
I have a SG2 and loved using it. Shortly after I bought it, I lost two of the three screws that hold the back cover on. I could not find any hardware store, electronics store or jeweler that had the same screw. I tried contacting sky caddie to order replacements. No one bothered to return my email or phone calls. After about a year of use, the yardage was off by as much as 8 yards at 150 out. Again I attempted to call and I wrote email, I never received a single response. This last weekend, I connected it t to my computer to load a new course. Their software indicated my SK2 needed an update. I answered yes for the update. Now my SK2 won't even turn on. I called the company, received a voice machine and left a message. I emailed them again. It’s been two days, plenty of time to respond and not one single reply. I like the system, but am fed up with the lack of customer service. I bought a range finder today. Some companies have poor customers service. Sky Caddie has NONE. If you buy their product, just pray you don't have any trouble with it.
Post a Comment