SkyCaddie SGXw GPS Review

BUY NOW

Technology
Wireless connectivity for course downloads, 30,000 CP, ACR, AHA, target lists, multiple green view and hazard functions.

Tested
As reviewed in our Distance Devices Test – winner of our Bronze Award: The main button is much improved; on the old SGX it was clunkier and more prone to falling off. The new one has more of a touchscreen-type feel. Love recording data on the website and the handicap system it offers. Assumed the main button could be pressed once you’d scrolled to the setting or feature you wanted, but you can’t – that took some getting used to. Good that the green turns to face you and the front distance adjusts. Looks like an old phone with its antenna, but has loads of hazard information. The hole graphics, while clear, need modernising.

As reviewed in our 2013 GPS Test: Sky Caddie’s top-of-the-range GPS is packed full of information, features and accuracy our test team enjoyed. The hole graphics weren’t the best on test, but the features within them were. Joel felt the ‘Optical Trackpad’, the main control button, wasn’t intuitive for a non-GPS user, but got the hang of it eventually. Looks classy. 

As reviewed in our 2012 Long Term Test: I’m a rangefinder man so it was a bit of an adjustment, but it didn’t take long to set it up and was pretty simple to use. I also carried my rangefinder so I could compare the results and yardage differences were negligible. The hole layouts are extremely detailed, which was very helpful on unfamiliar courses and great for working out which club to use and the best place to leave myself for lay-ups. You don’t get exact yardages to a pin, which better players and people used to using rangefinders may find a little off-putting.

Who would it suit? Golfers who play a lot of different courses as the hole layouts are fantastically detailed. The large screen is great even for people who struggle with their eyesight. And if you’re a functions and stats fan then this is perfect for you. It wouldn’t always find or connect to even the strongest WiFi signal and the ‘Optical Trackpad’ didn’t feel very natural and didn’t always work first time.

SkyCaddie models have, in the past, been worthy winners of our GPS Test – the SGX romped to victory last time. There were plenty of positives to this new wireless model, including sensational graphics and accuracy.  But it also had a big downside; the previous model featured a rubber toggle to navigate around the unit – this has been replaced by an ‘Optical Trackpad’. This has been designed for more precise navigation, but was just a bit too fiddly to use. After a couple of days, the testers had almost got used to it – but each of them mentioned its difficulty. The familiar problem i.e. cost of additional downloads also still exists – but there’s no doubting its features.

www.skygolf.com

See more golf gps and rangefinder reviews