Skycaddie - am I wasting my time?

DelB

DelB

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Played with a guy a couple of weeks ago who had one of the above and he swore by it. Have been toying ever since about buying an SG 2.5, but am wondering whether I'm wasting my money, given my current handicap. I'm off 21.8 at the moment, but hope (pray!) to get a good few shots off that this year following lessons over the autumn/winter and some good performances on the course this year, when the weather has allowed it.

Would I be wasting my money? Should I concentrate on lowering my handicap and getting some kind of consistency first or will the purchase of a Skycaddie help me to lower my handicap and find that consistency?

Any thoughts and/or experiences would be greatly appreciated.
 
I have just bought a GPS and it is by far the best thing I've bought for golf for as long as I can remember. Why guess 'Is it a 6,7,8?' the Gps will take all of the guess work out of it and when you know you have the correct club then you swing with more confidence leading to better shots. You still have to allow for wind and elevation but hey! you can't have everything. I say go for it.I'm glad I did.
 
Yeah go for it, but if you have a smartphone get the free software instead.
Also shop about, there's plenty of no-name brands that are just as good without the stupid subscription charges.
but.............
The GPS is only useful if you know your average club lengths.
Go to a grass range, on a mild average day.
Hit 100 hundred balls, but hit the middle 40 with one club.
Take those middle forty (measure them either by the gps or by judging the distance from distance boards) and average them.
Repeat for all clubs in your bag.
(I'm betting that the distances are a lot different to what you thought they were)
NOW your GPS is useful.
 
Mine has been brilliant. I'm not coming up short as much (where most trouble is on a course) and can attack back pins with the knowledge I know how fat I have. My SC is great from inside 100 yards too for knowing which wedge to use and I'm hitting much closer.

I went to my practice ground and hit 15 balls with each club (I did it in shifts so I didn't get over tired) and took an average for each club. There was a small breeze (nor more than about 10mph) and being the anorak I am I also recorded the distances into the wind.

There are loads on the market now although I persoanlly think SC is the best but have a shop around or check out the feature in a recent GM on DMD's
 
I used my DMD at the weekend and it was pretty good, I didn't feel rushed as I did previously, just took my time and updated the scores when needed... 4 blobs, 3 birdies and 41 points (handicap).. If's and but's....
 
DelB, without wanting to sound like a know it all, I think lots of players (including me) waste shots not thinking very well out on the course. I played yesterday and wasted a few shots because I didn't know how far I had to go whether to the green or a particular hazard. I could have really benefited from having my sky caddie with me. It doesn't matter if you play off 28 or 0.8, the point is good course management should help your scores. If you have a dmd, the next time you hit a bad shot, you can work out a strategy....that's where I like it the most....not when things are going great (I CAN read a score-saver) but when I'm in trouble and need to plan... :)
 
It definitely helps your game and your mindset no matter what your handicap. Knowing it's 150 to clear the bunker does give you far more confidence than thinking it's 150. I also don't agree that you need to know your yardages accurately, although it does undoubtedly add even more benefit if you do. If you're a high handicapper then you might not pick the exact club to hit the yardage you need, but you're more likely to hit a club (or 2) longer or shorter to give you a better chance of clearing a hazard or laying up. The more you use one, the better your yardage knowledge will be anyway.

Go for it, but get a Sonocaddie. SCs are so yesterday ;)
 
but.............
The GPS is only useful if you know your average club lengths.
Click to expand...

Not totally true.

With a GPS you know how far to a hazard or the green. You don't have to know how far you hit clubs. Sure it helps but knowing an average yardage of, say, 160 doesn't help unless you can consistently hit within a few yards of that. If you're anywhere between 150 and 170 you could be a long way out.
Being able to hit a consistent distance will bring out the best in a GPS.
 
Can i possibly throw a spanner in the works?
Iam on the verge of buying a SC 2.5 but have recently seen a few reviews reference laser rangefinders. Advantages being no yearly subs, no course downloads and use on any course.
What is the verdict GPS or Laser?
 
Laser is only good if you have clear line of site to the target your aiming for. Stick it in some trees or behind a bank etc and there is othing to fix it to. At least with GPS you'll still have a guide to the green, hazards etc
 
Do a search on it, but my quick opinion is that if you want to stand about peering through half a set of binoculars looking like a spare part, get a lazer, if you just want a quick answer, a gps hanging off your back is quick, and inconspicuous.

Lazer will give exact to the pin. If you can hit 157.5 yards.

Gps will give you front middle and back so you know what you have to work with.

To me, lazer for low single digits, who fire at the pin, Gps for handicapped golfers who fire at thirds of the green.
 
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