Skycaddie 2.5 membership expired...

[KenL]

...what will happen?

I have had my Skycaddie for at least 5 years and am hacked off paying the annual fee.

Membership expired yesterday and I am playing tomorrow. Will it work?

I would be happy to try just having front, middle, back info. Will it revert to this given that you can now buy Skycaddie units that do this for free? Or will it just become useless?

Thanks.

 

[DCB]

Think it will be useless unless. It's a reason I'll not buy one of their products again. Paid more in annual fees that the unit cost me initially. Now an expensive microprocessor controlled paperweight ☺

 

[ruff-driver]

I suspect you have a grace period for renewal,
Try it tomorrow , you never know

 

[BTatHome]

Not sure if it expires immediately or gives a small grace period but eventually it will become useless.

There are sky caddie units that perform front/middle/back and have no subscription though... a couple of the cheaper units (Aire?) and the watches too (although the linx watch has a subscription optionally too)

 

[Imurg]

And if I remember correctly, when you do renew it, it gets backdated. So if you don't renew for 6 months you only get 6 months..

Or I could be imagining it......

 

[Slicer30]

And if I remember correctly, when you do renew it, it gets backdated. So if you don't renew for 6 months you only get 6 months..

Or I could be imagining it......

You are correct, this exact scenario happened to me last year. Mine has also expired. Think its time to invest in a garmin watch

 

[KenL]

Don't want a watch and trust Skycaddie distances!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I thought the subscription was just for updates ?

 

[Fish]

I thought the subscription was just for updates ?

No, you get updates anyway even with non subscription devices, the most popular being the Aire ll, they are free quarterly updates whereas subscriptions can be uploaded immediately once we've mapped the changes.

You can opt to upgrade to subscription with quite a few devices now which not only can be updated as soon changes have been announced but also allows greater access to more features.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

So a sky caddie stops working if you don't subscribe ?

 

[GreiginFife]

So a sky caddie stops working if you don't subscribe ?

Only units that require a subscription.

 

[KenL]

How unfair is that?

Thanks Skycaddie. I paid £175 for the unit plus 5 or 6 lots of £30 and now, if I don't pay again, I will be left with an ugly ornament.

Boo hiss to you...

 

[Smiffy]

So a sky caddie stops working if you don't subscribe ?

It appears so.
My Bushnell Neo X is still ticking along nicely.

 

[Fish]

How unfair is that?

Thanks Skycaddie. I paid £175 for the unit plus 5 or 6 lots of £30 and now, if I don't pay again, I will be left with an ugly ornament.

Boo hiss to you...

It's a much older device, that is why there have been (and may still be) some excellent trade-in deals to update older devices so that when you don't want or need to upgrade to a subscription membership which offers extra features and immediate updates once courses have been remapped, those devices still offer the basic features for free, but, also, are still updated on a quarterly basis for free guaranteeing the device is up to date.

The trade-in offers were well publicised, even on here, and pro shops that support SkyCaddie had merchandise to promote it also.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

It appears so.
My Bushnell Neo X is still ticking along nicely.

My golfbuddy is starting to look a bit tired so was looking to update it - some of the skycaddies look very good but not interested in paying subscription

 

[Fish]

My golfbuddy is starting to look a bit tired so was looking to update it - some of the skycaddies look very good but not interested in paying subscription

You don't need to......but, with the amount of courses you play across the country I'm surprised you don't want the assurance that your device will be correct!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

You don't need to......but, with the amount of courses you play across the country I'm surprised you don't want the assurance that your device will be correct!

Thats what i have a laser for - the GPS i use for a general distance and possible blind hazards. A general distance does the business for me

 

[CliveW]

It never ceases to amaze me at the number of people who complain about the fees SkyCaddie charge.It is well advertised that these charges exist and if you don't want to pay them then simply don't buy the product! Personally I think the SkyCaddie is the best on the market and have recently upgraded to the Touch with the Eagle membership which costs £40 a year, which equates to approx 50p a round. Not a lot really.

 

[KenL]

Not a lot you say but £40 per year is a lot over several years when other makes do not charge anything.

I am miffed that I have to pay a fee on a unit that cost more than current offerings with zero fee for front/middle/back. I would like that option for free...

 

[Foxholer]

It never ceases to amaze me at the number of people who complain about the fees SkyCaddie charge.It is well advertised that these charges exist and if you don't want to pay them then simply don't buy the product! Personally I think the SkyCaddie is the best on the market and have recently upgraded to the Touch with the Eagle membership which costs £40 a year, which equates to approx 50p a round. Not a lot really.

A big +1 for the bold bit! While I don't have a SkyCaddie, I use a subscription GPS and have no problem with the concept of paying less than a pound a round for the service. It's certainly less costly than forking out for a brand new Driver ever couple of years!

If you don't want to pay the subscription, then sell the device or use it for any offer to 'upgrade' to a non-subscription device!

Btw. I suspect subscription devices will rapidly go out of fashion now that rule changes (from 1/1/16) allow previously non-conforming phones to be used! I predict there'll be a 'top of the line' app published by SkyCaddie - that may involve some sort of usage charge on top of the initial purchase price.