Motocaddy S5

[LordSunnyhurst]

Hi ,

Whatever happened to the Motocaddy S5? Been reading quite a few reviews but cannot see it for sale anywhere... in fact , it is not even on the Motocaddy website....

Guess there might be some experts here who know ??

 

[Fore]

I asked about this trolley at a club shop last week because i was thinking of getting one as a present for my son. The Pro reckoned it was getting some bad reports and release had been put back till next year. Not sure if this is absolutely correct, but i finished up buying a Robokaddy instead as i cannot wait that long.
Apparently the S5 went on show at a golf fayre and had goodish reviews earlier in the year so not too sure what has happened since. Could it have been released somewhere else other than the UK maybe?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It was being advertised in GM a while back so I was under the impression it had been released. If there were problems I wonder if they've been recalled which is why there is none out and that they've been deliberately removed from the website pending an upgrade or fix

 

[Fore]

I have found the S5 for sale on a site called 'greatvaluegolf'. (i am not a spammer by the way!).
Now whether they actually have it in stock is another matter.
I also found out that the Trolley, although having Sureshot GPS built in, is not 'fully remote control'. You cannot steer the trolley but only send it off in a set direction and stop it with the hand held controller when it arrives where you tried to send it.
All in all, with a price tag of between £600-£800 depending on the battery option, i think i would rather have a fully remote controlled Robo and buy a sureshot separately if i wanted one, which i don't anyway.

 

[Pants]

Welcome by the way Lord whatsit

In no way am I an expert as many on here will vouch. My thoughts however run on the lines that :-

If you need/want GPS then you will buy a dedicated unit that can be used throughout the year and abroad even when trolleys are banned or you can't take them on holiday with you.

You want a trolley to carry your clubs whenever possible. If the trolley has features on it that are not R & A conforming (e.g. temperature to name but one)then you can't use it for official competitions - even though the features can be turned off. That's how I understand the rules although I am usually wrong .

If I'm right then if you have a SC5 you will have to carry your clubs and not have the use of the inbuilt GPS for competitions.

Could be that Motocaddy have shot themselves in the foot with this one.

Does the SC3 have any R & A non-conforming features?

 

[Leftie]

You could be right Pants.

Being able to turn off a non-conforming feature doesn't make it legal.

Going on from there, why has Bushnell brought out a laser range finder for golf with built in angle/slope?? Why would anyone who has some knowledge of the rules buy it?

 

[Imurg]

You can use them in practice and social games. The Professionals use them all the time in practice rounds.
I never saw the point of the S5 myself.
It assumes that :-

A. You want GPS
B. If you want GPS then you want Sureshot
C. You want them in the same place.

One of the great thing about a handheld gps is that you can get to the ball to get a reading. If you have to cross a ditch, for instance, to your ball 20 yards+ on the next fairway (we've all done it!) you have to leave your trolley and gps to get to the ball rendering the gps a waste of time.
And wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a S3 and a SC5 separately?Currently £668 bought from AG and surely available cheaper elsewhere.

 

[LordSunnyhurst]

Hi - thanks for the welcome ;-)

I wasn't considering an S5, merely wondered what happened to it as it suddenly disapppeared... What I am considering though is the S3. Now, I was lead to believe that the switch of function would make it legal...(just looked up the rule on R&A S) ***Rule 14-3 provides that "during a stipulated round the player shall not use any artificial device or unusual equipment ... for the purpose of gauging or measuring distance or conditions which might affect his play". However, the Committee in charge of the competition can permit distance measuring devices by Local Rule *** and I also read that the temperature reading has been taken off alltogether.

In any case, I agree totally with the comments around seperate GPS - Had the pleasure to play a round with GPS in the buggy and thought it was great -.

In terms of the S3 and it's quality etc, could you recommend it ? I looked at a powakaddy but read some pretty awfull reviews..

 

[Region3]

I was going to get an S3 but was put off it by the 'salesman', saying they had had problems with the batteries.

Read into that what you will, but I ended up with a Hillbilly Terrain, and have been very happy with it so far.

 

[Leftie]

I was going to get an S3 but was put off it by the 'salesman', saying they had had problems with the batteries.

I've got an early S1 (pre-digital). Apart from one problem with the main hinge unit which was replaced by the latest fitting under warranty, the only problem was the battery.

I now understand that they have changed supplier and are now using Panasonic batteries so hopefully no longer a problem.

Also, I use a SC2.5 GPS device and wouldn't be without it.

 

[surefire]

I have an S3, been using it for about 2 years now, with no problems whatsoever. Went for the 36 hole battery, don't know if this makes a difference.

The S3 also has a thermometer and distance measuring. My understanding according to the instructions with the S3 and my interpretation of the rules is that if you turn the thermometer and the distance measuring off, the trolley is legal. Might get this confirmed just to be safe.

Fortunately in the bigger competitions that I have played, I have got a friend to lug the bag around, so not a problem if I was wrong.

 

[Watski]

I've got an S3, and have had for about 6 weeks, and never realised that it had a temperature gauge on it so I'll have to have a look to see if I can locate it (although I've pressed every button on it so far). Although dont know what help it would be anyway, unless it tells you the temperature for 8am Saturday morning on the previous Tuesday.

The battery for it is fantastic, I've only used it for 18 then charged it up for any next round but get the feeling that it would do 36 and more because the battery gauge (on flat, after the 18) still reads full.

The only slight downside to it is that one of the LED hashes on the clock has gone so although I know what hour I'm in, I dont know what the minute time is. But nothing that wont get fixed on warranty..I hope.

Would recommend..so far.