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aloha
3 Posts |
 Posted - 02/15/2007 : 21:28:37
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Any thoughts on what is better? More accurate? easier to use? I Are these gadgets worth it?
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Hack the knife
USA
484 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2007 : 22:34:11
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I own both. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Skycaddie
Pros: More compact, can use on blind shots, effortless to use.
Cons: Not all that many courses have been mapped. If the course you play regularly hasn't been mapped, you have to program it yourself. The SG2 (original skycaddie) can not program bunkers or water, only green front, back, center. I understand their newer (and more expensive) units can program bunkers and carries. Cost of a subscription every year will add up. And you will still be guessing as to how far you have to the pin.
Bushnell
Pros: No course mapping required, no subscription fee, gives you yardage to THE PIN
Cons: Useless on blind shots, and you need a fairly steady hand to get good readings from long range. It does take a few seconds to shoot the stick/edge of hazard/tree you're aiming at.
Overall, I give the nod to the bushnell. The reasons are it works on any course without programming, I won't have to pay a subscription fee every year, and most important, it gives me a yardage to the stick. If the green's 3 clubs deep, and the pin is back, a number to the center isn't really useful.
Technically, the bushnell is more accurate. Allegedly accurate to inches ... but the display reads in whole yards only. GPS based systems are only accurate to +/- 3 yards or so, but for most of us, we'd never know if the GPS was off by those few yards, or we hit it great or poorly that shot.
I bought the skycaddie first, but now I only carry the bushnell. The bushnell is definitely worth it, and the poorer the sprinkler head markings, the more helpful the bushnell is. I've actually found errors in the markings on my home track, which is fairly well marked, BTW. I have the pinseeker 1500 (no slope, so it's legal)
One thing Jimblob wrote brings another use to mind. You can shoot the carts of the group in front of you, and KNOW if it's safe to hit or not
Kevin |
On the path - not always on the fairway |
Edited by - Hack the knife on 02/15/2007 23:31:51 |
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Jimblob
86 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2007 : 22:43:32
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Aloha:
I chose between a laser rangefinder and skycaddie this Christmas. I chose the Bushnell yardage pro tour XL. TGW had it on sale for $250. The reason I chose it over the GPS is because of versatility. You can shoot the laser at pretty much anything on the course or the range. The only limitation is line of sight. The drawbacks on the Skycaddie for me were: rechargable battery, having to aquire a satelite signal, having to enter my own courses, having to subscribe to a service for pre-programed courses, and the inability to get yardage to anything else on the course, or range. Although I read many reviews on the Skycaddie that were very positive, I just felt the laser was more versatile. Now that I've used it several times, I really love it. There were mixed reviews from consumers about aquiring flags, but I've had absolutely no trouble at all. It's an excellent tool and a confidence builder on the course. I was always coming up short of greens before but now I've got a much better chance of getting there. My 2 cents.
Jimblob |
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Ironman
197 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2007 : 00:36:41
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I too have the Bushnell 1500 and love it. I find the added degree of accurate information on shots from within 80 yards of the green gives a high degree of confidence.
Jim |
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nimana
USA
98 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2007 : 08:04:14
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| I agree with Hack and Ironman and own the Bushnell 1500 pinseeker. you are better able to identify distances to bunkers from different positions on the golf course and you are able to get more precise measurements within hundred yards to the pin. A lot of members of my club used the skycaddie and like it because it gives them instant readings for distance to the center of the Green |
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PapaDave
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2007 : 09:12:07
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I like the SkyCaddie. I sits in the cupholder of my golf cart and shows the yardage continuously. You can use the cursor to pinpoint the pin placement for approach shots if need be, but the back, center and front yardages are always displayed.
One feature I really like is the layup distance. The skycaddie, with one push of a button, shows how far to hit on par 5's to have 100 yards to the pin on your third shot. This feature has taken several shots off my handicap as I have learned how to better manage my game.
One of my regular partners has a Bushnell and it works fine, but he never uses it. In fact, he frequently looks over at me and asks, "How far does 'Gizmo' say I have on this one?" |
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Hack the knife
USA
484 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2007 : 10:39:25
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| One additional note on the skycaddie ... reading a recent thread on the golf channel board, apparently the skycaddie is not currently compatible with the vista operating system. |
On the path - not always on the fairway |
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Vinnie
Canada
164 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2007 : 11:17:34
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| I vote for Sky Caddie. When I am at a new course, hidden hazards and lay-up distances are more important to me than exact yardage to the pin. On the two occasions I have played with guys with laser rangefinders, they are usually asking me for yardage rather than bothering with the laser. They also need my help on blind shots if they are new to the course. Sky Caddie is fast and always giving yardage at a glance, I don't have the patience to be aiming at objects all the time. Just my two cents. ( 1.8 US.) Vinnie |
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Naitch
172 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2007 : 13:09:35
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| I have a SkyCaddie and absolutely love it for the same reason volk said. Knowing distances to carry hazards, where the fairway runs out on doglegs, can definitely save a few strokes a round. As far as exact yardages to the pin, on the courses they have mapped, they have a function where you can estimate the pin's location on the green, and you're not going to be off by more than 3 - 5 yds. I'd venture to say, not many of us are that precise yet, where we can dial it in that much. Also, I prefer knowing the front and back of the green yardages anyway. I think that information is more valuable. |
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edmp
USA
1246 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2007 : 14:27:56
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I have recently played with vjvolk(Vinnie) and Hack the knife(Kevin).I am asking for the Bushnell for my B-day present.Skycaddie way to hard for a techno Phobic like me.The pinseeker will do all the others mentioned-distance to a bunker ,tree,yardage marker etc.Also more precise and no downloading courses etc.After using both they are much better than sprinkler heads but Bushnell wins hands down-no contest -end of story-forget about it!!!!!!
Chuck |
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BillK7
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - 02/17/2007 : 05:59:48
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Thanks for all the info on the comparison of the two. Have been considering and now am convinced. Will get the Bushnell. Got to play with Kevin's a bit recently and seems very friendly. Thanks guys. And thanks for the tickets Chuck. Will be heading over this morning. Nippy here but may get warmer I hope.
Bill |
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HeyMoe
USA
316 Posts |
Posted - 02/17/2007 : 07:52:41
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Chuck,
Obviously, neither one of them measure wind direction when you are eating potato chips my friend. LOL
Eddie T. |
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rustyredcab
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - 02/19/2007 : 20:35:23
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| used my skycaddie for the first time this week on courses I play once a year. It was great knowing carry yardage and end of fairway. My playing mates all wanted yardages. Really great for short yardages too. I wonder how helpful it will be on my home course this spring. |
Build Your Game Camp 2005
2-Day Alumni school 2006 & 2007
5-day Alumni Camp 2008 (The MOEniacs) |
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GKirn
USA
163 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2007 : 06:57:15
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I initially used a Bushnell 500, then purchased a Sky Caddie (love Natalie Gulbis) and found it much easier to use. Price of the new Bushnell 1500 no slope Range Finder is $379 on ebay. Sky Caddie is only $279. You must pay a yearly subscription fee with Sky Caddie, but it will take you 3-4 years to make-up the $100 difference. With the Sky Caddie I know the distance to the front, middle and back of the green without having to aim at three different areas and get a reading, and that's if my hand is steady enough to do that. I found that poor weather conditions effected the Bushnell. The Sky Caddie is small, clips on my belt, also gives me layup distances. Maybe I'm lucky, all the courses that I play have already been mapped. If a course isn't mapped you can ask them to contact Sky Caddie and possibly have them add it to their vast library of courses. Since using the Sky Caddie I have dropped 8 strokes off of my handicap.
BTW: I'm 75 years young.
Aloha, it's your choice, but I'd choose the Sky Caddie. They also send you a DVD and booklet on how to use it. |
GKirn |
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Hack the knife
USA
484 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2007 : 10:10:46
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Gkirn does bring up another point, Early morning ground fog does mess up the bushnell, BTDT.
He IS lucky, as the only courses in my area that have been mapped are "one-star" courses which only have front, back, center. No hazard distances or carries, no end of fairway. Unless the courses you want to play have been professionally mapped (by skygolf staff), currently all you will get is front back center. And from what I can see, even the newer units don't allow you to record hazard distances. They tout the skycaddie for course management, but the truth is that unless its a professionally mapped course, you don't GET course management as a feature.
If your course has been mapped (usually the ones that get mapped have skycaddies for sale in the pro shop, imagine that), then it's a great course management tool, but do your homework before you buy. If you map it yourself, all you'll get is front back and center.
And if you're going on a golf trip, playing a course (that has not been mapped) only once, you have an expensive paperweight.
I'm disappointed in skygolf right now. I would have thought that when they brought out the new units (SG3 and SG4) they would have planned for hazard programming. The only improvements I see are a bigger screen, and the ability to use AA batteries in the SG3. After some of the battery life issues with the SG2, I would go with the SG3 and use rechargable AA's in it, some SG2 users had battery problems, and the replacement battery was expensive.
The new units don't have anything that would make me want to run out and buy one, no more features than the SG2 other than a better screen.
I'm sure that MANY other SG2 users were e-mailing them about not being able to program your own hazards. I can accept that they can't modify the existing SG2 to program hazards, processer and memory issues in an already built unit would likely not allow it, but to come out with 2 new units, and not provide one of the things they TOUT in the commercial makes no sense to me.
They could have been revolutionary with the new unit, and all they did was slap some lipstick on the pig
Kevin |
On the path - not always on the fairway |
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jordan
USA
147 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2007 : 15:02:41
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| Hack, your funny! With all this evidence, it seems like I might go with the Bushnell. Is it that hard to aim at the flag stick? If you are getting a distance to a harzard (i.e. sand trap) do you just aim down to the sand? Is it that easy? How do you know if you are aiming at the flag and accidentally aim at a tree behind the green? Am I overcomplicating it? Does it read your distance quickly. I do not want to hold up a foursome. Thanks to all who replied, Matt |
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bushnell vs. skycaddie
