SKYCADDIE SX500/400
From a distance, the SX500 looks a lot like an iPhone. Up close its full-color five-inch touchscreen comes to life as a phone’s does, while its “rugged” case rests comfortably in the palm of the hand with three buttons — power, screen lock and a photo button (it even has an on-board camera so you can record highlights from your round as the computer racks up data) on the case itself; on the bottom is a special USB charging port with a protective flap.
This thing is built to weather whatever wars on par comes its way, in whatever weather. It’s light enough to bring along in a carry bag, and fits easily into the handle-mounted cradle on my push cart, but for the majority of folks who prefer to ride in a power cart, an available spring-loaded clamp mounted on the cart’s roof support bar puts the SkyCaddie at eye level. Once you’ve signed up for an online account (several subscription levels are available) and set up the parameters of your game — what’s in your how far you hit each club — and synced the handheld to that account via WiFi (no need to tether it to your computer) it’s time to dig into that touch screen and start exploring what this baby can do. Which is a lot.
It has too-often been said that good things come in small packages, an ancient axiom confirmed with yards to spare since the advent of SkyCaddie’s new SX400 rangefinder, a smaller, more portable cousin to the SX500, but replete with all of the features that made that unit so powerful.
The 4-inch, HD touch-screen display provides vivid images even at high noon on a sunny day; the battery is good for three rounds or around 20 hours; and the powerful processors drive SkyCaddie’s “Dynamic HoleVue” technology, which creates new, detailed imagery as you progress from tee to green. Over 35,000 courses load automatically, and will then provide distances to the target as well as hazards, ends of fairways and even the distance you hit each club – all in an instant. SkyCaddie isn’t your Uncle Jesper’s everyday GPS device – I’d call it a game-improvement gizmo, loaded with data that will aid and abet more precise shot-making and confidence in proper club choice. Dump that annoying free smartphone app and try the SX400.
www.skygolf.com | Check the price on Amazon!
Note: In the U.S., the SX500 comes with the introductory offer of a 1-year Double Eagle Worldwide Membership valued at $59.95
— Vic Williams and David Weiss