It’s The Cadillac of SkyCaddie Rangefinders
(Written by: Golfspy Dave)
Growing up, calling something the “Cadillac of” anything meant that it was the best of class. It’s funny how language and references change over time. Some of you have likely never heard that phrase used before. I should probably update my vernacular a bit, but we all know how uncomfortable we get when older generations try to grab the language of youth. Most people just can’t pull it off. Do you remember your mom saying something was “the bomb”? Can you say awk-ward? Some people are really good at crossing the generations though. And remember, when you are really good, they call you Cracker Jack.
Anyway, back to the SkyCaddie SGXw. No matter how you say it, we are looking at the top of the line unit from SkyCaddie. Unlike the upgradeable (and excellent) SkyCaddie Breeze, whose review you can read HERE, the SGXw comes fully loaded with all of SkyCaddie’s features. This thing is cocked, locked, and ready to rock right out of the box. You don’t have to pick and choose features with the SGXw. They are all in there; just let your fingers do the walking. Is that whole USB thing too complicated for you? Never fear, SGXw’s Wi-Fi connectability is here. So the SkyCaddie SGXw has all of the features that a SkyCaddie GPS has to offer, combined with Wi-Fi.
That sounds like a super keen combination!
AESTHETICS & DESIGN
Let’s take a look at the looks of SkyCaddie’s big cheese. We are looking at a very sharp, all black design. The back of the unit is rubberized, like the Breeze, again promoting a nice and secure fit in your mit. Unlike the white top on the Breeze, the top of the SGXw is black. It’s gloss looks like it would be distracting, but once you fire it up you never notice the plastic again. It also sports an antenna up top. The display is very bright, seemingly even more than the nicely-bright Breeze. There are a couple of design differences between this unit and the Breeze though:
Speed
The processor in the SGXw is fast. Start-up in the SGXw is much faster than the already quick Breeze. Numbers come up immediately on the course. This does come at a price though as the battery life is really only good for one round before a recharge. Screen brightness will affect this as well, of course.
Optical Trackpad
The Optical Trackpad is the small button-like disk at the base of the SGXw. This trackpad replaces the rubberized joystick/button found on the Breeze. To move the cursor around the non-touch screen, you just swipe your finger over the Optical Trackpad. I have no idea if there is a heat or a motion sensor inside the trackpad, but somehow it does follow your finger and provides easy navigation. However, there is a huge drawback with the Optical Trackpad compared to the joystick: it does not function as a button. With the joystick on the Breeze, you steer through the menus with the joystick and then press down on it to select. To select with the Optical Trackpad, you must press one of the other buttons. This may not really bug you if you have not used the joystick system before, but I found myself trying to click the trackpad all of the time. I knew it didn’t work as a button, but I kept pressing it because it seems like it should be a button. I wanted it to be a button…
AESTHETICS & DESIGN SCORE = 17/20
PERFORMANCE
So what does your GPS need 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
Let’s address these key play components:
1. Give accurate yardages
Back when I reviewed the SkyCaddie Breeze I made the following statement: “The SkyCaddie Breeze is the most accurate (non-laser) rangefinder that I have ever used.” Well now I need to add the SGXw to that list as well. The guy sporting the space-age backpack walking the golf course does it again. The numbers are accurate, both to the green and to the other targets on the course. For future SkyCaddie accuracy reviews, I may just write “It’s a SkyCaddie” and you will know what I mean.
2. Be Fast
Super fast. Although I do not have speed trial data, I feel comfortable is saying that the SGXw is faster than the already fast Breeze. The SGXw fires up quickly, finds the satellites within a minute or two, and gives you distances when you need them. Speed is excellent.
Like with the Breeze though, you will find and play your course faster by going through the Courses menu rather than selecting Play Golf. The course selection process does bring to light another minor irritant with the SGXw’s Optical Trackpad vs. the Breeze’s joystick. You can hold the joystick down to scroll through the course list, but you must continuously swipe the Optical Trackpad to scroll. If I hadn’t previously used the Breeze, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed this. Since I did though, I need to give another point to the joystick over the trackpad.
3. Have a strong enough battery
The faster processor in the SGXw chews up battery. That’s just how electronics work. I didn’t ever have the SGXw not make it through a round, but I also followed the SkyCaddie suggestion of plugging it in after each round. Not a big deal. My battery-chugging iPhone 4S has already trained me to plug in frequently. You can extend battery life in the SGXw by dropping the screen brightness below 100%. Again though, I kept it a full brightness and it worked fine for a round. It even stayed on through a sticking-tees-in-my-eyes-slow 5.5 hour round. Battery life is fine, if you remember to charge it.
4. Have data for all of the courses I play.
The SGXw has all of the courses that you will likely need. I’ll just quote myself from the Breeze review: “30,000 course maps are pre loaded and ready-to-play out of the box with Basic green information. If you can play 30K courses, you are all set. The unit also holds 50 “full-featured” courses that you select via download. I don’t imagine that many people will need over 50 courses…”
5. Keep my score and my play statistics.
The scorekeeping on the SGXw uses the same system as the Breeze, and with it, shares the strengths and weaknesses of the system. You can enter strokes, putts, and tee shot stats into the unit. Once you upload the scorecard to ClubSG, you can see a whole bunch of stats (GIR, Fairway %, and etc.). You can also enter other information like sand shots and penalty strokes directly into ClubSG to track that data as well. This will help you to have a more complete view of your play, but I still wish that this data could be entered into the unit rather than into the website portal. I would probably need to use a paper scorecard to remember the sand and penalty strokes. This sort of defeats the purpose of using a digital scoring system…
6. Be easy to use
The SGXw is very easy to use, especially if you are already familiar with the SkyCaddie operating system. There are lots of options available in the various menus in the unit, but they are fairly quick to navigate. If not familiar with how SkyCaddies are set up, feel free to read the manual. It’s will save you some time. Although I will talk more about it later, the “w” in SGXw refers to the Wi-Fi connectivity of the SGXw. On an open network, the SGXw connects, syncs, and allows you to download course info with minimal input on your part. Password protected networks will require you to enter a password. There are some Wi-Fi networks that the unit will not connect to (those requiring browser authentication), but you also have the USB hardwire connection option should Wi-Fi not be part of your world, you crazy luddite you.
7. Have something extra to separate it from my iPhone or laser rangefinder
So the obvious something extra is the ability of the SGXw to connect to the SkyCaddie mother ship via Wi-Fi. As I just mentioned, the connectivity works well, and is very easy to use. How useful this feature is will likely depend upon the user. You can access all of the SGXw’s features by using the more traditional USB connection through your computer. Connecting wirelessly does save that “plugging in” step at home, but it also makes it so you don’t have to plug in to connect to the SkyCaddie system while away from home. Any Wi-Fi connection will allow you to download the latest course information for the courses you play, the Advanced Features for a course you may be playing for the first time. Assuming the course has an available Wi-Fi connection, or your cell phone has a tethering plan. I played a new-to-me course with the SGXw that did not have a Wi-Fi network available, and my phone doesn’t tether. No Advanced Features for me. Don’t feel bad though, I still had the basic version of the course in the unit. Front, middle, and back to the rescue.
Bonus Something Extra: Accessories!
In addition to the SGXw itself, I also had the chance to try out the following accessories:
Overall, these accessories live up to the quality that I have come to associate with the SkyCaddie name. The silicone skin fits snugly around the unit and it also has a little grommet on the back to connect the SGXw to the SGXw’s belt clip. The cases both use memory foam to hold the SGXw in place. The main difference between the two is that the travel case also has room for the USB cable and plug. The memory foam truly secures the unit in place. Here I thought memory foam was just for comfy pillows.
The killer app in the accessory package is the temporary cart mount. If you ride, or push a cart, just add the price of the cart mount to the price of the unit when you buy it. You need to have this. The cart mount is so useful and well designed that I would almost recommend that you buy it even if you don’t own a SkyCaddie GPS. OK so maybe that was too far, but seriously, this thing is awesome. The clamp allows you to affix it to any bar like spot on the cart. Easy on and off, for sure. The amazing part though is the ability to adjust the orientation of the unit once it is on the cart. You can put it where you want, and then adjust it so you can see the display perfectly. There is even a small roller on the top clip where you slide the unit in and out. This makes it easier to slide the SGXw in an out, but still clicks firmly in place once it is past the roller. Outstanding design. Go buy one right now.
PERFORMANCE SCORE: 57/60
VALUE
The SkyCaddie SGXw is currently on sale at the SkyGolf site for $349.95. They also sell open box models ($299), and certified pre-owned units ($249). Based upon the features included, I think the pricing is about right, and perhaps outstanding for the open box and used units. You do also need to pay an annual membership fee. I know iPhone GPS guy, this makes you mad. As I mentioned with the Breeze, I believe that the SkyCaddie accuracy is well worth the annual fee. If you are not going to use all of the features of the SGXw, like the Wi-Fi connectivity, you may want to look at the regular SGX, or the Breeze. If your whole world revolves around Wi-Fi, you already know what you need.
VALUE SCORE: 20/20
IN CONCLUSION
As you can tell by the score, I actually prefer the Breeze to the SGXw. For me, the Wi-Fi connection was a nice feature, but not game changing. My ultimate selection of the Breeze over the SGXw came down to the joystick vs. Optical Trackpad battle. I like the joystick, and its button functionality more than the trackpad. If the SGXw had the same joystick as the Breeze, it would win hands down. Don’t get me wrong though. The SGXw scores above 90 points because it is a great GPS unit. Choosing Breeze or SGXw is like choosing New York or Ribeye steak. They have slightly different characteristics, but both are excellent steaks. Now that I have had two of the three SkyCaddie units in hand, I can confidently say that SkyCaddie makes outstanding units. The SGXw is a very nice GPS unit. In other words, it’s really the bee’s knees!
alan
9 years ago
I’m done paying Skygolf a fee for basically nothing. My annual fee is here, and I’m not paying and I’ll go back to eyeballing my distance. I hope you don’t get behind me when I’m walking off my distances, and your holding your freaking phones. No place for a phone in a car or a golf course.
Just my 2 cents