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Product Features
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Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
Looking to improve your course management skills? Turn to the uPro golf GPS system, which employs state-of-the-art GPS, aerial, and satellite technology to accurately render the details of thousands of golf courses. The uPro starts by providing the avid golfer with aerial and satellite photographs of the golf course, so you can see what the hole looks like before you play it. At the same time, the unit's built-in GPS system clearly locates the golf course hazards and flagstick, so you know what you're up against at any moment. With each glance at the 2.2-inch, high-resolution color screen, you can see a different view of the fairway, check out the upcoming sand traps and water hazards, or receive a distance marker that helps you select the correct club length. Even more impressive, the uPro's SmartView technology anticipates the hazards that you'll face on your next shot, so you can plan accordingly based on the strengths of your game. Don't want to carry water on your second shot? The SmartView technology's dynamically generated "viewports" will tell you which area of the fairway or rough will provide a water-free path.
The uPro is remarkably easy to carry, with a sleek and unobtrusive design that fits in a pocket or belt holder without interfering with your natural golf swing. In addition, the unit has the quickest startup time of any golf GPS system, with a super-fast GPS locking system. And thanks to the high GPS sensitivity, the uPro remains locked even under the most extreme conditions.
 The uPro offers aerial and satellite photographs of thousands of golf courses. |
 The easy-to-comprehend user-interface is crisp and intuitive. |
The uPro offers two basic modes for golf course downloads. In Basic mode, the uPro shows the distance to the front and back of all hazards and differentiates the type of hazards. Each hazard is automatically displayed in sequential order based on the current user position, and then is updated as the user moves throughout the hole. Basic mode also provides a green view, with large, easy-to-read numbers that depict the distance to the front, center, and back of the green. In Pro mode, meanwhile, the device offers a video flyover that lets the user see the layout of the hole from an aerial perspective. From the center of the green, users can see the 100-, 150-, and 200-yard markers. The Pro mode also offers scale-accurate measurements that are used to measure to and from any point on the golf course, even from the outskirts of the rough.
The uPro is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OS X v10.4 or later (Windows 2000 is the oldest version of Windows that is compatible with the uPro). However, note that the uPro does not require any additional software to connect with the uPro servers. Instead, users can easily download golf courses at uPro's web site. Once you're online, the web site gives the user a list of all golf courses in the U.S.--in your choice of Basic or Pro mode--on a click-and-buy basis. The unit's GPS technology also automatically determines which courses are nearby. And as an add-on software download, the device can accept voice commands to make menu navigation virtually hands-free.
The uPro comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, a wall adapter, a USB cable, and a single free Pro mode download of any golf course. The device comes with a six-month warranty.
Buying Guide
Amazon.com Golf GPS Guide
Staying Linked in on the Links
Having a golf GPS unit in your bag is a bit like playing with your very own PGA-quality caddie. These little electronic wonders have evolved a great deal since the USGA deemed them legal for tournament play in 2005. Most models these days can provide you with quick and accurate information regarding distance to the hole and other targets and hazards; length of prior shots (often storable for future reference); course layout; distance to the front, middle, and back of the green; and more.
Staying Linked in on the Links
Having a golf GPS unit in your bag is a bit like playing with your very own PGA-quality caddie. These little electronic wonders have evolved a great deal since the USGA deemed them legal for tournament play in 2005. Most models these days can provide you with quick and accurate information regarding distance to the hole and other targets and hazards; length of prior shots (often storable for future reference); course layout; distance to the front, middle, and back of the green; and more.
With a wide range of golf GPS device, feature, and subscription choices available on the market today, finding one that's right for you can be like finding the middle of the fairway when the winds are swirling. Amazon.com has put together a list of the top GPS units and their key specifications, below, to help you select your ideal model.
| Navigating Your Options | ||||
| Unit | Available Courses/Capacity | Membership Fees | Screen | Battery Type/Life |
| Bushnell Golf GPS 368100 Yardage Pro | 12,000 (download up to 100 annually)/10 | $34.99 annually | Black and white backlit LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/16 hours |
| Bushnell Neo Golf GPS | 12,000 (download up to 100 annually)/10 | $34.99 annually | 2.1-inch, black and white backlit LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/16 hours |
| Bushnell Yardage Pro Golf GPS | 12,000 (download up to 100 annually)/10 | $34.99 annually | Black and white backlit LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/16 hours |
| Bushnell Yardage Pro XG Golf GPS | 12,000 (download up to 100 annually)/20 | $34.99 annually | 2.2-inch, high-contrast black and white LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/16 hours |
| Bushnell Yardage Pro XGC Golf GPS | 12,000 (download up to 100 annually) | $34.99 annually | 2.2-inch, high-resolution backlit color LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/16 hours |
| Callaway Golf uPro Golf GPS | 18,000/50 | None | 320x240 high-resolution color LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/12 hours |
| Callaway Golf uPro Go GPS | 18,000 pre-loaded | One-time $49.99 activation fee | 240x320 high-resolution color LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/10-12 hours |
| Garmin Approach G3 GPS-Enabled Golf Handheld | 12,000/unlimited | None | 160x240 transflective color TFT touchscreen | Two AA batteries/up to 15 hours using NiMH or lithium |
| Garmin Approach G5 GPS-Enabled Golf Handheld | 12,000/unlimited | None | 240x400 transflective color TFT touchscreen | Two AA batteries/up to 15 hours using NiMH or lithium |
| GolfBuddy Plus GPS Rangefinder | Over 14,000/1,000 | None | High-resolution black/white LCD | Rechargeable lithium-polymer |
| Golf Buddy Pro GPS Range Finder | All available courses in North America/20,000 | None | High-resolution black/white LCD | Rechargeable lithium-polymer with AAA backup |
| Golf Buddy Tour GPS Range Finder | All available courses in North America/20,000 | None | Backlit color LCD | Rechargeable lithium-polymer with AAA backup/14 hours |
| GolfLogix GPS by Garmin (2008 Model) | 15,000/20 | $39.95 annually | 1.25-by-2.25-inch backlit black and white LCD | Two AA/22 hours |
| GolfLogix GPS Smart Phone Membership and Ultimate Retail Accessory Kit | 24,000/varies by smartphone | $39.95 annually | N/A | N/A |
| GPS Golf Guru 4 Precise GPS/PDA Golf Rangefinder with Multi-application capabilities | 20,000/200 | None | 3.5-inch full color touchscreen | Rechargeable/14 hours |
| IZZO Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit | 12,000/10 | $9.99 annually | Black and white LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/12 hours |
| OnPar Golf Touchscreen GPS | 13,000/300 | None | Full color backlit touchscreen | Rechargeable lithium ion |
| SkyCaddie SG2.5 Golf GPS (Black) | 16,000/varies based on membership plan | $29.95-129.95 annually, depending on plan | 120x80 backlit black and white LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/14 hours |
| Sky Caddie SG3.5V GPS Unit | 16,000/20 | $29.95-129.95 annually, depending on plan | High-resolution 2.2-inch backlit color LCD | Three AAA |
| SkyCaddie SG5 Golf GPS (Black) | 16,000/10 | $29.95-129.95 annually, depending on plan | 220x176 high-resolution backlit color LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/14 hours |
| SkyCaddie SGX Golf GPS | 30,000 pre-loaded | $29.95-129.95 annually, depending on plan | Three-inch, high-resolution transflective TFT-LCD screen | Rechargeable lithium ion/14 hours |
| Sonocaddie Auto Play Golf GPS | Pre-loaded with 18,000/30,000 | None | 220x176 high-resolution backlit color LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/12 hours |
| Sonocaddie V300 Color GPS Unit | 22,000/30 | One-time $29.95 or $49.95 fee, depending on plan, or $5 per course after first five free downloads | 2.2-inch high-resolution backlit color LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/15 hours |
| Sonocaddie XV2 Personal Golf GPS | 22,000/20 | One-time $29.95 or $49.95 fee, depending on plan, or $5 per course after first five free downloads | Black and white LCD | Three AAA/10 hours |
| Sureshot GPS Golf System | 14,000/10 | $29.95-199.95 annually, depending on plan | Full color backlit LCD | Rechargeable lithium ion/typically lasts for 36 holes |
Product Details
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
185 of 185 people found the following review helpful
I've now played 30+ rounds with the uPro. Its got some good points and some bad, I suppose this is like any new device, especially one that is from a brand new company.
The Good
- Distances are right on.
- Basic mode gives you a quick, easy to read view of distance to the green and distance to reach and carry hazards.
- Mark feature allows you to measure the length of your shots. Sometimes gives erroneous readings. However, this only happened when I kept the uPro in my pocket, so maybe buttons were being pressed by accident.
- Aerial view of the hole is awesome. Like looking at a yardage book, with continuously updating distances. There is a small red diamond that marks your position on the hole and moves with you. I almost ran into a 150 yard pole because I was so fascinated with watching the little diamond track my position on the satellite view! Hazards like bunkers are marked front and back and also update continuously.
- Measure Mode lets you get a measurement to any point on the hole. I have used it to find the distance back into the fairway, but you really need a tree or something on the satellite image to reference. I have also used it to find distances not mapped by the company, like a layup distance to the front of a creek.
- Trans-reflective screen is easy to see in Basic View even in bright sunlight. However, in Pro Mode, it can be difficult to see. You need to experiment with the viewing angle to get it right. I've found that in bright sunlight, you can see the screen best if you are angling it just off where the sun would be reflecting into your eyes. Or shade the screen with your hand.
- No subscriptions! You pay only for the courses you want. Courses cost the same no matter where in the country (and eventually the world) they are located. You never have to buy a course twice, even if you upgrade the device or have to replace the unit (lost, stolen, broken). Courses are expensive if you buy them one at a time. One course costs $10 (3 credits), but if you buy 150 credits ($120), that comes to only $2.40 per Pro course. I bought 150 credits, and I probably won't ever have to buy credits again (at least not for a very long time).
The Bad
- One course had strangely mapped points on a couple holes. Some don't make sense (you can tell they haven't played the course!) However, I sent an email to support and they corrected the problem in a couple weeks.
- Sync is VERY slow. I timed it, and to sync and download 1 course took over 10 minutes. Be patient.
- When syncing, the status box shows up in front of all other windows (on Windows XP) and cannot be moved to the back. So your computer is effectively stuck doing one thing for 10 minutes.
- No subscriptions. I put this item in both The Good and The Bad because it depends on your point of view. If you play a whole lot of courses (more than 50), then it could get quite expensive. But I play only about 15 courses on a regular basis, plus about 3 or so each year on a vacation trip.
- Distances do not automatically update if you are using the measure function in Pro Mode. You have to either exit measure mode, or switch back to basic mode to get an update distance.
- Not all courses are mapped yet. In Denver, about 70% of the courses are mapped. But of the 15-20 I play regularly, about 95% are mapped. Many of those that are not mapped yet are scheduled to be mapped in 2008. There is a schedule on uPro's website (www.uprogps.com). And if you choose an unmapped course as your home course, they will have it mapped in 4 business days, guaranteed. I would recommend checking all the courses you play before buying this device.
The Ugly
- The software needs a little work--freezes up from time to time. During the first two rounds, it froze up once in each round. While annoying, all you have to do is hold the power button down for 8 seconds to force a power-off, then turn it back on. Of course, the re-boot process and getting back to your current hole takes a couple minutes. Their customer service department claims a firmware update will be available "in the next few weeks". I turned off the "automatic hole advance", and this seemed to fix the problem. The last 25+ rounds were freeze-up free after changing this setting. The automatic hole advance is unnecessary in my opinion. From the "Green View", you can simply press the up button to advance to the next hole, or press the down button to go to the previous hole.
Suggestions
- Create a graphical overlay for the aerial views, or figure out a way to make them higher contrast. The Pro Mode can be somewhat difficult to see in bright sunlight.
- Faster downloading/sync
- Find and fix the bugs in the software that cause the freeze-ups
- If the upcoming software can mark every ball location, its only a matter of time before it will keep your score, shot-by-shot. On the uPro website they state that additional software to keep score will be available by late summer 2008. Of course, if it freezes up and you lose data then such a feature is worthless.
The Bottom Line
This is a very new company and a very new product. Like most new products, they have a few bugs to work out. I'm going to stick with them and hopefully they will be committed to fixing the problems. If a year goes by and the same problems exist, I might regret this purchase. But right now I'm pretty darn happy with it!
The Good
- Distances are right on.
- Basic mode gives you a quick, easy to read view of distance to the green and distance to reach and carry hazards.
- Mark feature allows you to measure the length of your shots. Sometimes gives erroneous readings. However, this only happened when I kept the uPro in my pocket, so maybe buttons were being pressed by accident.
- Aerial view of the hole is awesome. Like looking at a yardage book, with continuously updating distances. There is a small red diamond that marks your position on the hole and moves with you. I almost ran into a 150 yard pole because I was so fascinated with watching the little diamond track my position on the satellite view! Hazards like bunkers are marked front and back and also update continuously.
- Measure Mode lets you get a measurement to any point on the hole. I have used it to find the distance back into the fairway, but you really need a tree or something on the satellite image to reference. I have also used it to find distances not mapped by the company, like a layup distance to the front of a creek.
- Trans-reflective screen is easy to see in Basic View even in bright sunlight. However, in Pro Mode, it can be difficult to see. You need to experiment with the viewing angle to get it right. I've found that in bright sunlight, you can see the screen best if you are angling it just off where the sun would be reflecting into your eyes. Or shade the screen with your hand.
- No subscriptions! You pay only for the courses you want. Courses cost the same no matter where in the country (and eventually the world) they are located. You never have to buy a course twice, even if you upgrade the device or have to replace the unit (lost, stolen, broken). Courses are expensive if you buy them one at a time. One course costs $10 (3 credits), but if you buy 150 credits ($120), that comes to only $2.40 per Pro course. I bought 150 credits, and I probably won't ever have to buy credits again (at least not for a very long time).
The Bad
- One course had strangely mapped points on a couple holes. Some don't make sense (you can tell they haven't played the course!) However, I sent an email to support and they corrected the problem in a couple weeks.
- Sync is VERY slow. I timed it, and to sync and download 1 course took over 10 minutes. Be patient.
- When syncing, the status box shows up in front of all other windows (on Windows XP) and cannot be moved to the back. So your computer is effectively stuck doing one thing for 10 minutes.
- No subscriptions. I put this item in both The Good and The Bad because it depends on your point of view. If you play a whole lot of courses (more than 50), then it could get quite expensive. But I play only about 15 courses on a regular basis, plus about 3 or so each year on a vacation trip.
- Distances do not automatically update if you are using the measure function in Pro Mode. You have to either exit measure mode, or switch back to basic mode to get an update distance.
- Not all courses are mapped yet. In Denver, about 70% of the courses are mapped. But of the 15-20 I play regularly, about 95% are mapped. Many of those that are not mapped yet are scheduled to be mapped in 2008. There is a schedule on uPro's website (www.uprogps.com). And if you choose an unmapped course as your home course, they will have it mapped in 4 business days, guaranteed. I would recommend checking all the courses you play before buying this device.
The Ugly
- The software needs a little work--freezes up from time to time. During the first two rounds, it froze up once in each round. While annoying, all you have to do is hold the power button down for 8 seconds to force a power-off, then turn it back on. Of course, the re-boot process and getting back to your current hole takes a couple minutes. Their customer service department claims a firmware update will be available "in the next few weeks". I turned off the "automatic hole advance", and this seemed to fix the problem. The last 25+ rounds were freeze-up free after changing this setting. The automatic hole advance is unnecessary in my opinion. From the "Green View", you can simply press the up button to advance to the next hole, or press the down button to go to the previous hole.
Suggestions
- Create a graphical overlay for the aerial views, or figure out a way to make them higher contrast. The Pro Mode can be somewhat difficult to see in bright sunlight.
- Faster downloading/sync
- Find and fix the bugs in the software that cause the freeze-ups
- If the upcoming software can mark every ball location, its only a matter of time before it will keep your score, shot-by-shot. On the uPro website they state that additional software to keep score will be available by late summer 2008. Of course, if it freezes up and you lose data then such a feature is worthless.
The Bottom Line
This is a very new company and a very new product. Like most new products, they have a few bugs to work out. I'm going to stick with them and hopefully they will be committed to fixing the problems. If a year goes by and the same problems exist, I might regret this purchase. But right now I'm pretty darn happy with it!
142 of 142 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I've owned a SkyCaddie SG3 for some time and, weary of its annual fees, glacial operating speed, and pedestrian display, I decided to go color. I purchased the Garmin Approach G5, but its display is very difficult to see in normal outdoor conditions. So I also purchased the Callaway uPro. I played an entire round on my home course, with all three GPS units mounted on the cart. My findings:
Build quality: All three units are rugged, with great fit-and-finish. The Garmin gets the nod, because it's waterproof. The Callaway is water-resistant, and you can purchase a watertight skin for an outrageous $24.99 to protect it further. The SkyCaddie is not recommended for use in the rain.
Size: The Callaway uPro is the smallest and thinnest, about the size of an LG Chocolate phone. The SG3 is similar height and width to the uPro, but much thicker and heavier. The biggest of all is the Garmin, the size of an iPhone and four times as thick. It's wide, heavy, and not good for the pocket.
Accuracy: The three units properly mapped my home course, agreeing on nearly all distances (within 6 yards of each other) and hazards.
GPS acquisition: The old-technology SG3 takes forever to acquire GPS, sometimes more than five minutes. Both the Garmin and the uPro acquire satellites almost instantly. The uPro has technology that, once it locks onto satellites, it really keeps them. After locking on, I took the unit indoors, and even put it in my pants pocket. It never had to re-acquire. Advantage: uPro.
Getting courses: The Garmin wins handily. All 10,000+ available courses come preloaded in its 1GB memory. No annual fees, no paid memberships. The Garmin Approach G5 offered every course I cared to search. Of course, your mileage may vary.
To make the most of your SkyCaddie, you need to pay for an annual membership on their website, and download courses individually. Some SkyCaddie memberships allow you to download as many courses as you want from all over the world...however, the unit's paltry memory will only hold a few at a time. The uPro also requires that you sign up on their website (no annual memberships, though). With the uPro, Basic Mode (an alphanumeric color screen that resembles that of a SkyCaddie) is free for unlimited courses. For Pro Mode (the nifty aerial photography view of each course) you pay for only the courses you wish to play, a la carte. Your first Pro Mode course is free.
Information: All units show distances to the front/middle/back of greens. The SG3 also shows hazards on the same screen, but it doesn't give you hazard carry distances, like the uPro does. The Garmin shows the entire hole, including hazards. But showing the entire hole means that the illustrations of hazards are tiny, as is the accompanying yardage text. Coupled with the Garmin's dim display, it's pretty useless. Curiously, the Garmin apparently doesn't consider trees to be obstacles, so they're not represented at all on the graphical display. The uPro (in Pro Mode) shows every tree and hazard - in fact, the entire hole, as photographed from satellite. It's like viewing my actual course (including my house!) from above. There's absolutely nothing like it.
On the home screen, both the SG3 and the uPro also give you the time of day, battery strength, and GPS signal strength. The Garmin gives you none of the above. You need to briefly press the power button to see the time. It also shows a battery icon, but that never moved during my round.
Battery: The Garmin and SG3 both take AA batteries, whether alkaline, NiMh rechargeable, or lithium ion. With any AA type, both units easily complete at least two rounds. The uPro uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Unlike SkyCaddie models that use internal lithium ion batteries, which are a real horror show to replace (SkyCaddie recommends you send the unit back), the Callaway uPro battery easily drops in. Callaway says it takes three hours to charge, but it didn't take me anywhere near that long. UPro battery life is 6-12 hours, depending on how bright you set the display's backlight. With my display settings (see Display, below), I easily completed a round with plenty to spare. As far as battery preferences go: For some, constantly recharging and changing out AAs is a grind. For others, recharging (and eventually, re-purchasing) internal lithium-ion batteries ($27 for the uPro) is just as bad, especially considering that the battery can leave you high and dry mid-round if you forget to charge it the night before. To each his own.
Display: The SG3 is monochrome, so it doesn't stand a chance. Its display is dim and boring, but it does give you a button on the side for a backlight. The screen sizes on the SG3 and uPro are nearly identical. The Garmin's touchscreen display is nearly iPhone-big, and drop-dead gorgeous...when you're at home. Take it outside, and it washes out to the point of uselessness. Worse yet, to save power, the display times out a few seconds after you touch it, making it even dimmer. You touch the screen to wake it up, but when you touch the screen, the unit thinks you want to measure a distance, so the measurement feature pops up. You need to hit the "Done" button to exit that. There's no way to increase the screen timeout or disable the screen dimming feature. Also, since the Garmin is a touchscreen, it's a massive fingerprint magnet, so it only looks pretty for the first hole. The uPro wins the display contest handily, with a bright and functional screen. You can play two ways: graphically (Pro Mode), showing the course via aerial photography, or with big, bright alphanumeric text (Basic Mode). Since golf courses have very low contrast (lots of green color and not much else), I defaulted to the Basic Mode for easy readability. For the aerial view, you can always hit the Pro Mode button on the side of the unit, as it's much more useful around the green. The uPro's default setting is to power-save the display after (I think) 45 seconds. Unlike the Garmin, which dims its display, the uPro goes blank until you hit a button, which is an enormous buzzkill. Fortunately, you can get around this. You can change to a longer timeout, or disable standby altogether. As the uPro has a very bright display, what I did was take the backlight down to 25% (from a default 70%), and disabled standby completely. I easily completed a round with plenty of battery life to spare this way. The uPro and the Garmin use a reflective LCD technology that actually makes the display brighter in direct sunlight. The uPro's version of this technology worked far better than the Garmin's. The only time the Garmin display looked remotely readable was when you aimed it directly at the sun.
Just for fun, I took along my iPod Touch 2G, to compare all the displays outdoors. I figured that the iPod's conventional LCD wouldn't compete with the reflective technology of the Garmin and the uPro. Wrong. The iPod destroyed both of them. It wasn't even close. So, if you have an iPhone (the iPod Touch won't do GPS), you may want to look into the golf GPS apps at the App Store. If you do decide to use an iPhone, just remember, it won't stand up to being dropped, kicked, and tossed around like these three ruggedized units, and it for sure ain't the least bit water-resistant.
Hole-to-Hole: The simpler SkyCaddie wins here. It automatically advances to the next hole. If there's any confusion (you're playing past the current hole, for example), it'll ask you if you want to move to the next hole. If you're starting on Number 10, for example, the SkyCaddie makes that selection easier as well, with a grid from which you can select holes via cursor. The Callaway Auto Hole Advance is kind of a drag. If you're anywhere near the green, Auto-Advance jumps to the next hole. You can't measure your 40-yard pitch to the current green. And when they say Auto, they mean Auto. In Auto-Advance mode, there's no way to back up to the current hole, or any previous hole, for that matter. The only way out is to go to either Manual Advance, or Manual Advance With Prompt (it asks you to press the center button to advance). Hitting a button on each hole is tedious. The Garmin Auto-Advances sequentially, but if you jump around (skipping a couple of holes to get around slow play), you need to touch the screen arrows for each hole advance.
Settings: The Garmin gives you almost nothing to customize, as it is both very intelligently designed and extremely automated. It would have been nice to be able to crank the screen brightness, or at least extend the timeout. Both the SG3 and the uPro give you a host of settings to mess with, including screen brightness (contrast only with the SG3), hole advance preferences, and much more.
Cost of ownership: The Garmin and uPro are color, so they're not cheap. If you want to compare apples to apples, you could go to the color SkyCaddie SG5, but be advised that the SG3, SG4, and SG5 are virtually identical in functionality, screen size - basically, EVERYTHING - so you're paying almost $150 more for color alone, which is the cost of a whole 20-inch color TV. (My SG3 is discontinued, so now I'm quoting price from the replacement SG4.) Couple that with the amazing wow factor of both the Garmin and the uPro, and the top-of-the-line color SkyCaddie SG5 is a terrible deal. To the SkyCaddie's cost of ownership, add their totally outrageous annual membership fees. SkyCaddie also charges ridiculous sums of money for stuff like plastic cart mounts and batteries. The Garmin wins here, hands-down, with all available courses preloaded into memory. No fees whatsoever! For accessories, RAM Mounts makes a rock-solid, relatively reasonably-priced cart mount for the Garmin. The uPro, while not requiring you to pay for a membership, makes you download each course. Read more ›
Build quality: All three units are rugged, with great fit-and-finish. The Garmin gets the nod, because it's waterproof. The Callaway is water-resistant, and you can purchase a watertight skin for an outrageous $24.99 to protect it further. The SkyCaddie is not recommended for use in the rain.
Size: The Callaway uPro is the smallest and thinnest, about the size of an LG Chocolate phone. The SG3 is similar height and width to the uPro, but much thicker and heavier. The biggest of all is the Garmin, the size of an iPhone and four times as thick. It's wide, heavy, and not good for the pocket.
Accuracy: The three units properly mapped my home course, agreeing on nearly all distances (within 6 yards of each other) and hazards.
GPS acquisition: The old-technology SG3 takes forever to acquire GPS, sometimes more than five minutes. Both the Garmin and the uPro acquire satellites almost instantly. The uPro has technology that, once it locks onto satellites, it really keeps them. After locking on, I took the unit indoors, and even put it in my pants pocket. It never had to re-acquire. Advantage: uPro.
Getting courses: The Garmin wins handily. All 10,000+ available courses come preloaded in its 1GB memory. No annual fees, no paid memberships. The Garmin Approach G5 offered every course I cared to search. Of course, your mileage may vary.
To make the most of your SkyCaddie, you need to pay for an annual membership on their website, and download courses individually. Some SkyCaddie memberships allow you to download as many courses as you want from all over the world...however, the unit's paltry memory will only hold a few at a time. The uPro also requires that you sign up on their website (no annual memberships, though). With the uPro, Basic Mode (an alphanumeric color screen that resembles that of a SkyCaddie) is free for unlimited courses. For Pro Mode (the nifty aerial photography view of each course) you pay for only the courses you wish to play, a la carte. Your first Pro Mode course is free.
Information: All units show distances to the front/middle/back of greens. The SG3 also shows hazards on the same screen, but it doesn't give you hazard carry distances, like the uPro does. The Garmin shows the entire hole, including hazards. But showing the entire hole means that the illustrations of hazards are tiny, as is the accompanying yardage text. Coupled with the Garmin's dim display, it's pretty useless. Curiously, the Garmin apparently doesn't consider trees to be obstacles, so they're not represented at all on the graphical display. The uPro (in Pro Mode) shows every tree and hazard - in fact, the entire hole, as photographed from satellite. It's like viewing my actual course (including my house!) from above. There's absolutely nothing like it.
On the home screen, both the SG3 and the uPro also give you the time of day, battery strength, and GPS signal strength. The Garmin gives you none of the above. You need to briefly press the power button to see the time. It also shows a battery icon, but that never moved during my round.
Battery: The Garmin and SG3 both take AA batteries, whether alkaline, NiMh rechargeable, or lithium ion. With any AA type, both units easily complete at least two rounds. The uPro uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Unlike SkyCaddie models that use internal lithium ion batteries, which are a real horror show to replace (SkyCaddie recommends you send the unit back), the Callaway uPro battery easily drops in. Callaway says it takes three hours to charge, but it didn't take me anywhere near that long. UPro battery life is 6-12 hours, depending on how bright you set the display's backlight. With my display settings (see Display, below), I easily completed a round with plenty to spare. As far as battery preferences go: For some, constantly recharging and changing out AAs is a grind. For others, recharging (and eventually, re-purchasing) internal lithium-ion batteries ($27 for the uPro) is just as bad, especially considering that the battery can leave you high and dry mid-round if you forget to charge it the night before. To each his own.
Display: The SG3 is monochrome, so it doesn't stand a chance. Its display is dim and boring, but it does give you a button on the side for a backlight. The screen sizes on the SG3 and uPro are nearly identical. The Garmin's touchscreen display is nearly iPhone-big, and drop-dead gorgeous...when you're at home. Take it outside, and it washes out to the point of uselessness. Worse yet, to save power, the display times out a few seconds after you touch it, making it even dimmer. You touch the screen to wake it up, but when you touch the screen, the unit thinks you want to measure a distance, so the measurement feature pops up. You need to hit the "Done" button to exit that. There's no way to increase the screen timeout or disable the screen dimming feature. Also, since the Garmin is a touchscreen, it's a massive fingerprint magnet, so it only looks pretty for the first hole. The uPro wins the display contest handily, with a bright and functional screen. You can play two ways: graphically (Pro Mode), showing the course via aerial photography, or with big, bright alphanumeric text (Basic Mode). Since golf courses have very low contrast (lots of green color and not much else), I defaulted to the Basic Mode for easy readability. For the aerial view, you can always hit the Pro Mode button on the side of the unit, as it's much more useful around the green. The uPro's default setting is to power-save the display after (I think) 45 seconds. Unlike the Garmin, which dims its display, the uPro goes blank until you hit a button, which is an enormous buzzkill. Fortunately, you can get around this. You can change to a longer timeout, or disable standby altogether. As the uPro has a very bright display, what I did was take the backlight down to 25% (from a default 70%), and disabled standby completely. I easily completed a round with plenty of battery life to spare this way. The uPro and the Garmin use a reflective LCD technology that actually makes the display brighter in direct sunlight. The uPro's version of this technology worked far better than the Garmin's. The only time the Garmin display looked remotely readable was when you aimed it directly at the sun.
Just for fun, I took along my iPod Touch 2G, to compare all the displays outdoors. I figured that the iPod's conventional LCD wouldn't compete with the reflective technology of the Garmin and the uPro. Wrong. The iPod destroyed both of them. It wasn't even close. So, if you have an iPhone (the iPod Touch won't do GPS), you may want to look into the golf GPS apps at the App Store. If you do decide to use an iPhone, just remember, it won't stand up to being dropped, kicked, and tossed around like these three ruggedized units, and it for sure ain't the least bit water-resistant.
Hole-to-Hole: The simpler SkyCaddie wins here. It automatically advances to the next hole. If there's any confusion (you're playing past the current hole, for example), it'll ask you if you want to move to the next hole. If you're starting on Number 10, for example, the SkyCaddie makes that selection easier as well, with a grid from which you can select holes via cursor. The Callaway Auto Hole Advance is kind of a drag. If you're anywhere near the green, Auto-Advance jumps to the next hole. You can't measure your 40-yard pitch to the current green. And when they say Auto, they mean Auto. In Auto-Advance mode, there's no way to back up to the current hole, or any previous hole, for that matter. The only way out is to go to either Manual Advance, or Manual Advance With Prompt (it asks you to press the center button to advance). Hitting a button on each hole is tedious. The Garmin Auto-Advances sequentially, but if you jump around (skipping a couple of holes to get around slow play), you need to touch the screen arrows for each hole advance.
Settings: The Garmin gives you almost nothing to customize, as it is both very intelligently designed and extremely automated. It would have been nice to be able to crank the screen brightness, or at least extend the timeout. Both the SG3 and the uPro give you a host of settings to mess with, including screen brightness (contrast only with the SG3), hole advance preferences, and much more.
Cost of ownership: The Garmin and uPro are color, so they're not cheap. If you want to compare apples to apples, you could go to the color SkyCaddie SG5, but be advised that the SG3, SG4, and SG5 are virtually identical in functionality, screen size - basically, EVERYTHING - so you're paying almost $150 more for color alone, which is the cost of a whole 20-inch color TV. (My SG3 is discontinued, so now I'm quoting price from the replacement SG4.) Couple that with the amazing wow factor of both the Garmin and the uPro, and the top-of-the-line color SkyCaddie SG5 is a terrible deal. To the SkyCaddie's cost of ownership, add their totally outrageous annual membership fees. SkyCaddie also charges ridiculous sums of money for stuff like plastic cart mounts and batteries. The Garmin wins here, hands-down, with all available courses preloaded into memory. No fees whatsoever! For accessories, RAM Mounts makes a rock-solid, relatively reasonably-priced cart mount for the Garmin. The uPro, while not requiring you to pay for a membership, makes you download each course. Read more ›
66 of 66 people found the following review helpful
Let me start by saying that I have never written a review on a product purchased from Amazon. I did this one, because I struggled with making this purchase based on the reviews I read and thought I might add some additional detail to help the next person.
I purchased the uPro about a month ago. The product is impressive. Many reviews claimed some common complaints: "Pro" Mode too hard to see when out in the bright sun; system crashes, long load times from the PC... I have found many of those issues to be true although exaggerated.
Yes "Pro" mode is more difficult to see in bright sun, but it is not a big issue--yes it is harder because of the detail of the course and terrain that it is showing--however, "Pro" Mode is really what sets this device above its competitors, and it is completely useable in bright light. In fact that is how I use it 90% of the time. uPro actually uses a special screen that actually uses sunlight to enhance its own backlighting.
The unit did crash the first time I used it on the course...twice. However, I realized I did not cycle the power on and off after all of the loading of courses etc. that you need to do when you first register your unit online. Either way, that was the only time it crashed. It has been completey stable since then, and I am even less concerned with it becuase they just put out their newest update v3.0 that was specifically to address some of the stability issues. In short, I found this to also not be a concern.
The first time I loaded the unit with courses it took a LONG time...20 minutes or more. Not a big deal, but annoying nonetheless. The new software cuts this down by 50%, so again I see this as a non-issue.
The unit is extremely accurate. I am a 5 handicap and know my clubs/yardages pretty well. I compared uPro to my buddies playing with SkyCaddie and they are both showing the same yardages +/- 1 yard. I have another friend that uses a laser rangefinder, but now when we play together, he constantly wants me to give him yardages off the uPro, because we found them to be just as accurate but with infinitely less hassle. Try holding a rangefinder pointed at a pin that is 175-195 yards away in the wind...not easy and not timely.
The unit has a small form factor...much smaller than the skycaddie and certainly less than a laser rangefinder. However, the screen is about the same size.
uPro's customer service I found to be VERY responsive. I emailed back and forth with them several times and in some detail PRIOR to even making the purchase to see how they addressed the issues and just as a measure of how they would deal with me...even when I wasn't a customer. I give them very high marks for service. Customer Service is an area where SkyCaddie is known to be very poor. That was a major factor in me staying away from SkyCaddie in the first place.
I would and have recommended this to my friends at the club and I would recommend the product to anyone considering it.
I purchased the uPro about a month ago. The product is impressive. Many reviews claimed some common complaints: "Pro" Mode too hard to see when out in the bright sun; system crashes, long load times from the PC... I have found many of those issues to be true although exaggerated.
Yes "Pro" mode is more difficult to see in bright sun, but it is not a big issue--yes it is harder because of the detail of the course and terrain that it is showing--however, "Pro" Mode is really what sets this device above its competitors, and it is completely useable in bright light. In fact that is how I use it 90% of the time. uPro actually uses a special screen that actually uses sunlight to enhance its own backlighting.
The unit did crash the first time I used it on the course...twice. However, I realized I did not cycle the power on and off after all of the loading of courses etc. that you need to do when you first register your unit online. Either way, that was the only time it crashed. It has been completey stable since then, and I am even less concerned with it becuase they just put out their newest update v3.0 that was specifically to address some of the stability issues. In short, I found this to also not be a concern.
The first time I loaded the unit with courses it took a LONG time...20 minutes or more. Not a big deal, but annoying nonetheless. The new software cuts this down by 50%, so again I see this as a non-issue.
The unit is extremely accurate. I am a 5 handicap and know my clubs/yardages pretty well. I compared uPro to my buddies playing with SkyCaddie and they are both showing the same yardages +/- 1 yard. I have another friend that uses a laser rangefinder, but now when we play together, he constantly wants me to give him yardages off the uPro, because we found them to be just as accurate but with infinitely less hassle. Try holding a rangefinder pointed at a pin that is 175-195 yards away in the wind...not easy and not timely.
The unit has a small form factor...much smaller than the skycaddie and certainly less than a laser rangefinder. However, the screen is about the same size.
uPro's customer service I found to be VERY responsive. I emailed back and forth with them several times and in some detail PRIOR to even making the purchase to see how they addressed the issues and just as a measure of how they would deal with me...even when I wasn't a customer. I give them very high marks for service. Customer Service is an area where SkyCaddie is known to be very poor. That was a major factor in me staying away from SkyCaddie in the first place.
I would and have recommended this to my friends at the club and I would recommend the product to anyone considering it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent Used Item
Excellent used item in good condition. Played a round of golf already and it works great! Thanks for a very nice deal at a very reasonable price.
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Published 2 months ago by BillW
Classic Bait and Switch
You have to look very closely when they say there are 18,000 courses available to download and play with no subscription required. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Scott G. Daniel
Not worth it
When it works, this is a great unit. Problem is that the software is buggy to the point of having to reformat frequently. Way over priced to what you get in return.
Published 3 months ago by juice73
Pretty good for the price
This product did exactly what i needed it to do. However, you need to be a little tech savvy to get this to work. Read more
Published 4 months ago by marklee28
UPRO
I did the research and it lookeded as if Callaway had resolved the issues with the UPRO. I added this to my wishlist and the wife sealed the deal for christmas. Read more
Published 4 months ago by 9008
Upro Golf GPS by Callaway
This is one of the finest gps on the market. It works really well on all the courses I have played. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Butch
Save your money
Bought this a couple of years ago and wasted a lot of time and money on the UPro.Instructions are a joke. Getting this to work is very Hit or Miss-mostly miss. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Lab Guy
Everything looks good......but you'd be wrong
4 out of 12 courses failed to load properly, though all appeared fine when I went to the course. Only after firing the uPro up and trying to use it did I find out that the device... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Shady Kay
POS Callaway Upro
Very displeased due to syncing issues with the Callaway Upro that was a Christmas gift in 2010. Initial syncing and upload of courses worked fine. Read more
Published 7 months ago by black angus
Great when it worked
I've had mine for 14 months now, and for the last 2 months, it's been worthless. Mine freezes up within the first couple of minutes after power up. Read more
Published 8 months ago by dpantle
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