(Written By: Dave Wolfe) Back in November, I reviewed the Bushnell’s Neo+ GPS Watch. To summarize that review, the Neo+ GPS Watch was a quick, accurate, and very easy to use GPS unit housed in a simple, yet stylish, watch. Bushnell has already released a follow-up model in the Neo X GPS watch. Click HERE to read RoverRick’s review of that watch in the mygolfspy forum. Today I bring you the new watch GPS from the big kid in the golf GPS pool, Skycaddie.
Based upon my experiences with the Skycaddie Breeze and the SGXw, the Skycaddie GPS Watch has some pretty large shoes to fill. The question that came to mind when I started testing the watch was could a limited feature watch achieve the same level of performance as its full-featured cousins?
Specifications: SkyCaddie GPS Watch
- Big, easy-to-read front, center and back of green distances
- High-precision, error-corrected course maps*
- Up to 30,000 updatable preloaded course maps†
- Digital scoring and measure any shot distance
- Odometer tracks your location, distance, time, laps, speed, pace, and calories during your run, walk, or bike ride
- Water Resistant to 30 meters
- Odometer, Lap Counter, and Calorie Counter
- Available in black or white
- Extras: Clock, timer, alarm, pace-of-play timer, backlight and stopwatch
AESTHETICS & DESIGN
As I mentioned in the Neo+ review, I am not a watch wearer. However, I love watches, and would collect them if I had the means to buy the cool ones (looking at you Oakley Time Bomb). The Skycaddie watch comes in two different colors, black and white, with both of the watches feature complementary bright green accents. The side profile is a little thicker than some non-metal watches, but not so tall that I found myself banging it in to things when I wore it on and off the course.
Overall, I found the Skycaddie GPS Watch to be quite comfortable to wear. The built-in curve of the watch body fits nicely around my wrist, with the band having enough holes to facilitate a secure, yet not overly tight fit. The end of the band also secures to the unit via a clever lock-and-key loop system, ensuring that the end of the band doesn’t get caught on anything.
The display is bright, both indoors and out. The buttons are large, engaging with the appropriate pressure. Skycaddie has also done a good job with the nested menus for the different features. You can definitely find what you want quickly, even without reading the manual first. As such, the learning curve on the Skycaddie watch was definitely quicker than on the Breeze or SGXw.
AESTHETICS & STYLE SCORE = 20/20
PERFORMANCE
So what do you need your GPS to do for you on the course?
- Give accurate yardages to multiple important targets (front, middle, back, traps, doglegs, & etc.)
- Be fast
- Have a strong enough battery
- Have data for all of the courses I play
- Keep my score and play statistics
- Be easy to use
- Have something extra to separate it from my iPhone or laser rangefinder
1. Give accurate yardages
The SkyCaddie GPS Watch gives accurate distances to the front, middle, and back of green. Measurements to secondary targets such as water hazards and traps are not included. This is the strongest area of deduction for me, as knowing distances to traps and other bad places is a huge deal in my GPS selection.
2. Be Fast
The SkyCaddie GPS Watch stays awake during your round, requiring but a glance at your wrist to get your number. Initial satellite linking was fairly rapid. I just turned on the GPS feature when I got to the parking lot and it was fine. The watch did a great job of advancing to the next hole. It wasn’t until the end of the round that I realized that I didn’t need to help it know where I was on the course. I think that it was even better at hole tracking than it’s hand-held GPS cousins.
3. Have a strong enough battery
In watch mode, the battery is said to last for eight months on a charge. I’ll need to get back to you on testing that one. I do think that the 8-hour claim in full GPS mode is accurate though. You really should charge the watch after a round, but I bet you could get a full thirty-six of play in with little problem. Assuming you play in under 8-hours. Charging is accomplished via USB and a clamp on attachment similar to the Neo+.
4. Have data for all of the courses I play.
Out of the box, the Skycaddie GPS watch is loaded with 30,000 courses worldwide. That’s a lot of golf. I bet your course is in there. You get a month of basic access, and then you will need to pay for the SkyCaddie Par Basic membership. Membership costs $19.95 for a year, or $49.95 for three-years. As I mentioned in my previous SkyCaddie reviews, I believe that the SkyCaddie accuracy is amazing, and worth the membership price. I don’t know that I would jump into a 3-year contract though. That’s a long time in electronic-years. The hardware available next season may wish you only paid for a year.
5. Keep my score and my play statistics.
The SkyCaddie GPS Watch does allow you to input your score as you play. Score entry is easy. You press the OK button to go into scoring mode, then press the up and down buttons for score. It will record your score per hole and also the total score, keeping it in the watch until your next round. It’s not a stat keeping monster, but it is a simple way to keep track of how the round is going.
6. Be easy to use
Easy. Put it on, press and hold the button for Menu, select “golf”, and then select your course once it tracks the satellites. From there, it does a great job of knowing where you are on the course. To deactivate the golf mode, just go back into the menu and select time.
7. Have something extra to separate it from my iPhone or laser rangefinder
The SkyCaddie GPS Watch does have a cool Odometer mode where you can track your movements during other exercise sessions such as biking, running, walking, pub crawling, or whatever you are into. It’s a nice bonus feature for those who do other things besides golf. With the Odometer, you can track the following:
- Speed
- Pace
- Calories
- Distance
- Duration
Is it comfortable on the course during play?
One of my criticisms of the Neo+ watch was that although it fit well, and was comfortable under mild temperatures, it became a sweaty bother as the temp went up. The Skycaddie watch is significantly better in this area. I played a nice 95° round with it and didn’t once feel the compulsion to remove it. It stayed in place above the glove, and really didn’t seem to influence my swing as much as the Neo+ did. I was very surprised as both watches looked very similar to me. Kudos to Skycaddie on comfort.
PERFORMANCE SCORE: 50/60
VALUE
The Skycaddie GPS Watch is on sale through July 15, 2013 for $149.95 ($50 off the usual price of $199.95). I like that $150 price a lot, although it is really $170 because of the $20 for the one-year membership. Considering that the Bushnell Neo X goes for $199, the SkyCaddie is a great deal. I know you are mad about the $20 for membership, but as I mentioned before, I think that the accuracy is worth it. The laser agreed with the watch number within a yard or two all round long.
VALUE SCORE: 17/20
TOTAL SCORE: 87/100
IN CONCLUSION
I came away very impressed with the SkyCaddie GPS Watch, much more so than I expected. If this little guy told me about sand and such, it could easily become part of the regular golf toolbox. There is really something to be said for just looking quickly at your wrist for a yardage number. If front/middle/back is all you really need, and watches are part of your golf ensemble, I think that you will like what the Skycaddie GPS Watch has to offer.
Lloyd Corbin
7 years ago
Same charging problem , being ignored by sky caddie !!!!! Someone needs to publish how to replace the battery and where the battery can be purchased . Skycaddie gets a – 0 out of 10 !!