Cernunnos
Journeyman Pro
You see you need your paces calibrated by the weights & meassures people. Once you have, you can carry a little sticker saying I am accurate & callibrated to EEC specs 
How Accurate are SkyCaddie and the rest of the golf GPS Systems ?
- Thread starter SS2
- Start date
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
I think the guy in the OP is actually someone with an axe to grind about SC. His report wasn't exactly the most balanced I've ever read and I agree that SC and similar devices will never be 100% accurate I will accept a +/-3 yarda variance inside 100 yards. I can't "dial in" as he calls it (notice the Dave Pelz name drop as if it made any difference) that accurately anyway. I'm confident having used my SC ofr nearly a year that the information I'm getting and the distances I measured my clubs travel corresponds neatly enough for what is happening on the course.
My advice to anyone still wavering is to get one and enjoy the benefits of knowing how far you have left, even off the beaten track!!
My advice to anyone still wavering is to get one and enjoy the benefits of knowing how far you have left, even off the beaten track!!
TonyN
Money List Winner
Funny thing about this debate is, everyone I know who has one and uses it, loves it. Its that simple.
I dont care if its going to be 3 yards out. I only want an idea. How many people can drop a golf ball on a sixpence?
SS2, your gonna love it! I would never have managed at Goswick with out it
I dont care if its going to be 3 yards out. I only want an idea. How many people can drop a golf ball on a sixpence?
SS2, your gonna love it! I would never have managed at Goswick with out it
SS2
Tour Rookie
I bought one specifically for Goswick but I failed to enter my post code correctly wehen ordering the damn thing, hence it turned up 15 minutes after we had left for Goswick on Friday.
!
Macster
Journeyman Pro
You shouldnt give him any yardages anyway, and if he's only hitting his 4 iron that far, I doubt a skycaddie would do him any good anyway, he'd be far better off spending the money on some lessons !!
Marko77
Q-School Graduate
Like others I've not had any problems with the accuracy of the gps (Skycaddie SG3). The only problem I have with mine is it uses AA batteries and when low the unit can be slow to respond. I'm looking to change to the 2.5 or 5 soon.
vig
Tour Winner
SS2 Both myself and Tony have GPS, different devices but close in readouts. As Tony pointed out, the odd yard is possibly down to the point where the front and backs of greens are measured from. J_F had his rangefinder with him on the Friday and ALL distances were pretty close.
If I get to a standard where a yard is going to mean something I will be ecstatic.
Playing a course like Goswick would have been a nightmare for me without it. Ther were no major points on the horizon to judge distances from and I was up to 20 yards out with my guess before checking the GPS. That could be 2 clubs difference or the difference between getting wet and dropping some major strokes.
I for one wouldn't be without it now.
I also struggled, seeing the ball in the air against the cloudy sky and the GPS gave me an area that I knew where to look.
good luck and enjoy!
I will be sending a pm re SS2 afer our chat in the pub.
AlchemyGolf
Head Pro
I can live with anything upto a 5 yard inaccurcy.
As long as im not missing greens down to inaccurate distances then id be pretty happy.
I do use gps but dont have a SC but I dont think it will be long before i get one.
As long as im not missing greens down to inaccurate distances then id be pretty happy.
I do use gps but dont have a SC but I dont think it will be long before i get one.
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
My 2.5 is more than accurate enough for me. I now know which club to hit for a yardage that it gives me. So I don't really care if it inaccurate - If it tells me 145 yards then I know an 8 iron is going to be there or thereabouts. Whether this 145 yards is actually 120 or 160 doesn't really matter.
Just as long as it is giving a consistent reading (+/- a couple of yards means nothing does it!)
Just as long as it is giving a consistent reading (+/- a couple of yards means nothing does it!)
Sam
Head Pro
What a load of bunkum!!
There are 2 options, I think:
1. The inaccuracy caused by poor reception etc is likely to be constant for both points, therefore, 3 not 6 yards for 95% of the time.
2. If the inaccuracy is random, then the chances of my position being 3 yards too far south and the pin being read as 3 yards too far north are many thyousands to one. I could work it out but the man is a bottom and I can't be bottomed!
AlchemyGolf
Head Pro
Id be pretty spooked if it was giving 120 or 160 for a 145 distance.
This is always the debate with gps. Depending on how strong the signal, is how accurate the reading is. Some days the signal is stronger than others and standing beside the same bunker you will get 2 different yardages.
On the basic device I have, basic in the way that it does not have any graphics of the hole.It does have an accurcy reading on the front panel so I can see whether its going to possibly be a problem.
I have to say though since you guys put me onto SS2 for my stats I have noticed that I am only missing greens right and left when I miss them,not once have I been over the back and only very occasionally been short. I put this down to knowing the distance of my irons and been given accurate readings by my device.
In the main I think GPS is a massive advantage and never go to the course without it.
viscount17
Money List Winner
to be pedantic, any error would be +/- 1 metre not 3 feet.
there has always been a coding applied to the GPS clusters limiting their accuracy for civil (and opposition) use. In time of war coding could shut these down. The only reason 1 metre accuracy was released for civil use (and this is probably the correct error factor) is because the military systems are now a lot more accurate. I think the last class of GPS that was commercially available were 10 metre.
there has always been a coding applied to the GPS clusters limiting their accuracy for civil (and opposition) use. In time of war coding could shut these down. The only reason 1 metre accuracy was released for civil use (and this is probably the correct error factor) is because the military systems are now a lot more accurate. I think the last class of GPS that was commercially available were 10 metre.
Canfordhacker
Q-School Graduate
Sad nerd that I am, tonight I have finally decided to get my GPS attached to my PC. I downloaded the way points I have marked by standing on the 36 tees and 36 greens of my two courses, and uploaded them into Google Earth. I was stunned by just how close to the centre of greens and tees the vast majority of them were. The one that was furthest out, spookily enough, I had noticed that I didn't believe the yardage and marked it with another waypoint, which was spot on.
Now that i have this connected I have realised I can now download a host of other things to the GPS, like bunkers and water hazards, from the comfort of my PC with a beer in my hand. Happy days - if only I'd found this when the weather was crap!!
Now that i have this connected I have realised I can now download a host of other things to the GPS, like bunkers and water hazards, from the comfort of my PC with a beer in my hand. Happy days - if only I'd found this when the weather was crap!!
RGuk
Tour Winner
I found this on the link
Now, as odd as it seems (it could be my eyesight) I'd love to know whether I'm 75 or 85 yards, this ALONE would make me buy one. When I started, a lot of players wondered why I was keen to know these sorts of distances.....saying it's all about feel and visualisation......of course, we should all be working the shot out by feel/imagination, but how often do we then hit it bang on a yardage. Even if ONE time in NINE, I knew the exact yardage and then managed to hit it, that could be two more "easy" birdie chances a round!!!
With this kind of accuracy, I reckon I could seriously work on dialled-in distances.....
Now, as odd as it seems (it could be my eyesight) I'd love to know whether I'm 75 or 85 yards, this ALONE would make me buy one. When I started, a lot of players wondered why I was keen to know these sorts of distances.....saying it's all about feel and visualisation......of course, we should all be working the shot out by feel/imagination, but how often do we then hit it bang on a yardage. Even if ONE time in NINE, I knew the exact yardage and then managed to hit it, that could be two more "easy" birdie chances a round!!!
With this kind of accuracy, I reckon I could seriously work on dialled-in distances.....
Leftie
Tour Winner
When 4 of us played The London Club there were, I believe, 3 or possibly 4 different GPS devices between us. In most, if not all cases, when we checked there was not much than a yard or two difference between them.
The yardages on the sprinkler heads were also checked against the GPS units and found to be accurate.
At my home club we have 200,150 and 100 yd fairway markers to the centre of the green. My SC2.5 confirms the distances to within 1 yard (I suppose this could in effect be virtually 18" accuracy with rounding up/down). As a sad old git, I have also checked the fairway markers with Google Earth and have found them to be accurate with his tool as well.
I just wish that I could hit my ball that accurately
The yardages on the sprinkler heads were also checked against the GPS units and found to be accurate.
At my home club we have 200,150 and 100 yd fairway markers to the centre of the green. My SC2.5 confirms the distances to within 1 yard (I suppose this could in effect be virtually 18" accuracy with rounding up/down). As a sad old git, I have also checked the fairway markers with Google Earth and have found them to be accurate with his tool as well.
I just wish that I could hit my ball that accurately
TonyN
Money List Winner
Dont forget Guys, they may not be 1 or 2 yards out because, they guy who marked the distances for the sprinkler heads may have a different interpretation of the middle of the green to the guy who marked it for sky caddie. They would have to have stood on EXACTLY the same spot when they marked it.
If you had 3 guys/gals and said, go stand on the green where YOU think middle is. Do you think they would all stand in EXACTLY the same spot. I think this is mainly were differences in devices and devices to fixed spots differ!
If you had 3 guys/gals and said, go stand on the green where YOU think middle is. Do you think they would all stand in EXACTLY the same spot. I think this is mainly were differences in devices and devices to fixed spots differ!
To find the middle Tony, it's a straight forward calculation if you know where the front an back is.
Skycaddy must walk around the green and take a series of readings to get their inteligreen watsit to work.
Skycaddy must walk around the green and take a series of readings to get their inteligreen watsit to work.
TonyN
Money List Winner
I understand that Twire, but how do you think green keepers mark it out? Pace it in yards? Is HIS yard the same as YOUR yard? Is your yard the same as SC yard?
Its like any experiment, to have FAIR results, you must use exactly the same equipment, under exactly the same conditions. If you dont, there are always going to be inaccuracies, albeit small ones, and in the scale of things +/- 3 yards is pretty small
Its like any experiment, to have FAIR results, you must use exactly the same equipment, under exactly the same conditions. If you dont, there are always going to be inaccuracies, albeit small ones, and in the scale of things +/- 3 yards is pretty small
Robobum
Money List Winner
These points will change regularly if it's anything like my club, the the greens seem to be getting smaller by the week!! Saves the greenkeepers having to get off their mowers to hand cut the greens to much!!
DCB
Well-known member
Used mine for the first time at Goswick. I've decided that the inaccuracy of the skycaddie was the reason for my poor golf on the Friday !
and Friday night was the reason for my poor golf on Saturday!
Seriously though, I certainly found it usefull on a course I didn't know. I bought one of the course guides and there wasn't much between them realy.
and Friday night was the reason for my poor golf on Saturday!
Seriously though, I certainly found it usefull on a course I didn't know. I bought one of the course guides and there wasn't much between them realy.
