Customer Reviews

Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS Unit

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I received my Sonocaddie V300 from Amazon last week. The software installation went well on my laptop but created a minor challenge on my desktop. Registration was trivial, with the "free" Eagle membership being automatically granted without having to request it. I immediately downloaded all the courses I normally play, and the process was quite fast. I have used the Sonocaddie on the course, and it is very effective. I especially like knowing the distances to the green even if you are far off the fairway. It agrees quite well with the markers on my home course. I acquired 11 GPS satellites within 5 minutes the first time I powered up the unit. And, it is refreshing not to have a $50 annual fee as in SkyCaddie or a $25 fee for Golflogix (your unit is useless unless you are current in your membership with those companies). I decided it was much more important to see the relative layout of the entire hole, especially for courses not previously played, so I chose the V300 versus other brands. I could not be more pleased. Move quickly to receive the one-time Eagle membership for free - deal expires June 30.

I received this GPS yesterday and used it today after quickly reviewing the basic manual. The GPS is relatively small and easy to carry around. The screen is very bright and easy to read in direct sunlight. This GPS is fairly intuitive once you know what each button functionally represents.

My buddies and I have tried various GPSes and laser rangefinders. The newer generation of GPSes such as SonoCaddie and uPro seem to combine the best features of GPSes and laser system.

Pros:
1) Top down graphical view of entire hole not just the green
2) Relative distances to hazards on the hole
3) Ability to add/edit icon waypoints on each the hole
4) GPS tracks quickly and accurately
5) Track and analyze previously played rounds
6) Rugged and weather sealed against the elements
6) Rechargeable system that provides 12+ hours of usage (not verified)
7) Stores 30 courses in memory
8) Free one year membership to download all courses (limited time)

Cons:
1) Manual is pathetic
2) Buttons are stiff and must be pressed very hard
3) GPS reacts sluggishly when browsing through list of courses
4) Some buttons/features are not functional on certain screen views
5) GPS looks cute

In general, I'm very pleased with this product. My friends who own SkyCaddie SG4, Skycaddie SG2 and Bushnell Pinseeker rangefinder really liked the SonoCaddie.

I purchased this product after having problems with the UPro GPS device. That device, while the perfect size and extremely accurate, didn't display the ProMode brightly enough to be seen on a sunny day and quit after 3 holes. I spoke to the Denneco office in New Hampshire and they were extremely helpful. They even gave me a 60 day time period to test the product, rather than the 20 days stated on the Sonocaddie website. I have used this device for three rounds and it acquires satellites very quickly and is very accurate. In checking the with course markers, I only found variances of between 1 and 3 yards, but in each round I have played, I was able to access 10 satellites which helped the accuracy. The device is easy to read in bright sunlight, simple to use and has all of the courses that I play available on their course list. I did contact Sonostar and asked them to add Chambers Bay in University, WA. and they did that in one week. I just asked them to add three courses in Whistler and they immediately responded and said they could have that done in two weeks. Everyone I have spoken to at Denneco and Sonostar have been great and they have went the extra mile to service my requests. The SkyCaddie technical and sales personal could take some lessons from these people. SkyCaddie only tops the Sonocaddie in the category of arrogance and who wants to pay $50 per year just for the privledge of using their device? I like the scorecard feature, the fact it can store 30 courses, it is easy to add course obstacles, its simplicity, downloading courses was a no brainder and the accuracy of the device. I would highly recommend this device. It was a good purchase for me.

I HAVE USED A "SKYCADDIE" FOR APPROXIMATELY 4 YEARS NOW. ALWAYS HAD SOME SORT OF GLITCH. LIKE NOW, WHEN YOU CALL IN FOR HELP, YOU HAVE ANYWHERE FROM 45 MINUTES TO 90 MINUTES WAIT TIME FOR CUSTOMER CARE. (IF YOU'RE LUCKY) THAT'S NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE. I SENT AN EMAIL OUT ON MONDAY, MAY12th, ASKING FOR SOME TECHNICAL HELP, 4 DAYS LATER, STILL NO HELP. I HAVE A SKYCADDIE SG4, WHICH IS NOW PRETTY BASIC. THE ONLY PROBLEM...I CAN'T DOWNLOAD ANY NEW COURSES, BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS STUCK.

NOW, I HAVE PURCHASED A SONOCADDIE V300. GAME OVER...NEW FULL COLOR COURSE LAYOUT. ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU WISH IS THERE. I DON'T THINK ANY OTHER GPS SYSTEM OUT THERE STANDS A CHANCE...AT LEAST FOR NOW. THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE ANSWERED ON THE THIRD RING, AND ANSWERED ALL OF MY QUESTIONS. THANKS, RUDY THOMPSON

P.S. THEIR PHONE # IS 1-800-336-6264

The first two holes on my home course were fantastic - the display was outstanding and the yardages correct. Then - the next 3 holes were reversed and yardages on the rest of the nine suffered from the satelite photo misinterpretation.
I turned it off and after completing my round returned it to Amazon. I spoke with customer service (they were quite available and friendly) who said they would send me materials to request a remapping - 5 days later and nothing has come. From what I had read that pretty much was to be expected - I have not found a review stating that a revised mapping was received for any course. Unfortunately my 1/2 day use of my $29.95 membership will probably not be refunded - still waiting.
Recommendation - save all your materials so a return is possible. Register and take the free courses for a trial.

This is something I can say certainly that delivers as promised. I have always struggled with my distances, especially in unmarked or poorly marked courses. Let's ignore the shots in the other fairway... This little gem really let me step up to the ball with confidence knowing I had the right club in hand, and that is truly valuable in a game as mental as golf. That said, I found the marked items within ~5yds at worst of the mapped spots on the downloaded courses. Rumors aside, they take your course request, use a satellite map and upload gps coordinates. 5yds is close enough for a cruise missle and frankly I'd like to meet an amateur golfer who lands their shots in less than +/- 5yds accuracy regularly. They take a couple weeks max but plan ahead if you are taking a trip or your home course isn't uploaded yet and get that email in! You can map it yourself too and if you are reallllly nice, you can upload it so others may use it. It won't have the right shapes to the holes but that's a minor point. That said once around the course and I had the coordinates updated making them less than 6ft off. Very nice but it didn't change anything as mentioned above. Side benefit- IT REALLY SPEEDS UP PLAY!! I wish everyone had one.

Other features-

I LOVE THE ADVANCED SCORECARD! I put in shots, sand hits, fairways hit, greens hit, and putts and not only do I have an accurate card but I get pro stats like fairway %, sand saves, ave putts per hole total putts, etc. It really makes your weak spots stand out and allows you to focus your practice time.

The driving distance feature is fun but a fairway drive on a marked course will do the same thing. Still.... it's fun to see 315yd on the screen!

Theres a tracker that shows you where you were on the hole. It maps a point at intervals you define (10 sec, 1 min, etc.) and draws a line. I don't know how useful this is but it's hilarious to go back and trace your path (amazing how many circles I made in the woods!). You can mark your shots with another feature that allow you to see your progression on a hole. I don't know how useful this is to an amateur.

Overall I found the customer service to be a 10/10. They are responsive, polite, and eager to make you happy. Bravo!!! No yearly fee (though a one time subscription I don't understand, just up the price a little). If I had to do it all over again, I would just as happily slap down the 400 bones for this little bad boy.

This was a tough purchase as I had narrowed my selection to three choices, and there is not a whole lot of reviews on the V300 available as of yet. Got it for Father's Day (Love Amazon's Wish List), and played my first round with it today.

Hole depictions were fairly accurate, and the ability to adjust/add lay up points, hazards etc. was easy and intuitive. Seemed very accurate. You do have to select what hole you want to play as it doesn't seem to automatically advance to the next one (easy to do, especially if you are using the built in score card).

Would love it if you could learn all of the features on a sample course while you are at home, as you can't do much until you are at the course.

Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS Unit I read as much as I could on the different GPS systems for golf and thought that the Sonocaddie had the best reviews. Having used it I am impressed with the amount of information provided, the color display and the unit's accuracy. The battery life is excellent. Also, as regards customer service, I was concerned that it would not live up to its reviews, especially since other companies seemed to have poor service. I broke the lens on the cart path, totally my fault. I contacted the webs site, and received an answer almost immediately, from Jessica. I sent the unit back, and for $29.00, the unit was repaired sent back in less than a week.
I recommend this unit to anyone interested in a good golf GPS system. You will not go wrong dealing with Sonocaddie.

After reviewing all the comparisons between the Sonocaddie and the new Skycaddie I went with the Sonocaddie. Another person in our foursome has the Skycaddie so we get to continue the comparisons. I believe we agree the screen and visuals are much better on the Sonocaddie. The yardage listed are very similar on both devices so I don't believe accuracy is a big issue. I also like the Sonocaddie's easy option to toggle back and forth between the full hole and the green view. You can review all the courses mapped in the the Sonocaddie database at their website including those with all hole features included. I sent them the scorecard for a small course in our area they hadn't mapped and they indicated they would have it mapped online in two weeks which pleased me. Until I get used to it, its a little bit of a distraction entering the scores and moving from hole to hole but this would be true with any GPS device. Overall we are both satisfied but I believe I have the better product with the Sonocaddie.

I've own the Sonocaddie now for 9 months and am a happy owner of this GPS device. It comes with everything you need to manage it except for a golf course. You can use it to measure the distance from your house to the stop sign at the end of your street without a golf course if you want. This unit however takes a little bit to get use to. Its such a pretty unit and so well built that you don't mind putting in the time to figure it out. You will like all of the features of this unit and it would help if Sonocaddie were to simulate its use on the golf course in the instruction booklet so that it could show off what it can do and give you an idea of how to manage this device with your round of golf.

First off, its battery life is excellent. The battery can last at least 3 full rounds of golf.
2nd, the screen is bright and easy to see even in the sunlight
3rd, membership for the V300 is $30 and that's it. you have access to every golf course in the world, posting your score and mapping requests and any updates.
4th, scorecard feature keeps track of your stats, greens in regulation etc.
5th, has the ability to measure your distance on the golf course or anywhere
6th, accuracy of distance is on par with all other GPS devices plus or minus 5 yards
7th, comes with very, very, very convenient belt clip
8th, at this point in time the support is excellent the best that there is among all of the GPS devices
9th, logging on to their site and updating, posting your scores or requesting a course to be mapped is very easy to do
10th,you can tell by the way its built that Snocaddie engineers were concerned about its ability to withstand wet conditions as well as being able to see the screen in bright sunlight.
11th, it fits in my hand perfectly and it will fit in yours nicely also
12th, it looks great, classy and stylish with a beautiful screen and fully featured
13th, it has given me confidence and am more relaxed on shots that I didn't think I had because its my caddie
14th, my golf partners are always asking me for their distances and they make really good shots too! Not thrilled with that, they ought to get their own caddie.


Quirks and things you have to get use to
1st, the buttons are harder to press, something I got use to quickly
2nd, managing its use on the golf course took some getting use to e.g. You turn it on, that can take 30 seconds to 5 minutes for it to access the satellites to get started. Then selection of the golf course. Stand on the tee and snocaddies' screen gives you the distances and a look of the layout of the fairway, press right upper button to mark your position and hit your ball. Hit the mark button again when you get to your ball to find out how far you hit your ball and mark start again for next shot. The Snocaddie will show the icon of an orange person positioned somewhere on your first hole along with the distance for your next shot to the green with layout of hazards and the green. Pressing the lower left button gives you an overall view of the green and distances to front middle and back. Hit your ball and mark again when you get to your ball. After you make your putt, press upper left button for scoring. Press right button and enter score, putts, sand y or n, fairway y or n. Right button to move to the next hole for scoring. Press left lower button to move to 2nd hole and fairway view with sand traps and hazards with appropriate distances. And repeat for remaining holes. Snocaddie does not explain the above scenario to you so you must come up with the above procedure or come up with your own. Because this device does so much you have to be familiar with the buttons and what they do.
3rd, in order to see the next fairway you must either put in your score or manually move it to the next hole.
4th, it doesn't work with a Mac, something I hope they are working on