The golf GPS watch is a relatively recent advancement that quickly is finding permanent homes in the kits of many avid golfers. The best ones are light, comfortable to wear and provide excellent distance readings at a glance. Among the best newer examples is the SkyCaddie LX5 GPS Watch, which comes preloaded with more than 35,000 detailed color digital maps of regulation golf courses located around the globe.
While a laser rangefinder requires you to take multiple readings to fully apprise your shot, the SkyCaddie LX5 GPS Watch gives you all the pertinent information at a glance on a color LCD display. The GPS unit locates your position and automatically loads the relevant golf course and the hole from which you choose to start your round.
When you are at the tee, up to four range arcs show the specific distance in your choice of yards or meters to relevant hazards, the fairway and the green. An automatic scorecard records each stroke, and the GPS unit updates your exact location as you walk the hole. You get a great overhead view of the hole and the various shapes and configurations of all the relevant hazards, fairway and green.
General SkyCaddie LX5 Watch Design
A color LCD touchscreen measuring 1.39 inches across and using large numerals to indicate distances gives you all of the pertinent hole information at a glance. A Wi-Fi connection enables it to update golf course maps. The water-resistant SkyCaddie LX5 Watch is made from a durable black polymer with a black rubber watchband that enables a very light and comfortable fit.
The display provides a surprisingly good amount of detail for an item that is less than 1.5 inches across, and the touchscreen lets you zoom in on hazards and targets for a better look at where you want to place the ball with your next swing.
An internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to 10 hours of power between charges. That should be good enough for t least two full rounds of regulation golf. An included USB cable takes care of the recharging duties from any available USB port.
Pros:
- Excellent color graphics.
- Ground-verified course information.
- Automatic scorecard.
- Legal for USGA and R&A tournament events.
Cons:
- Relatively costly and short battery life.
- Auto-dimming darkens display, which can be annoying while on the course but is adjustable.
- Accurate and Verified SkyGolf Course Maps
The SkyCaddie LX5 GPS watch delivers course-corrected updates that you can download free of charge for the first three years that you own the watch. You need to pay for a SkyGolf annual subscription to obtain updates after the initial three years of free access, but the watch likely will have more than earned its keep by then.
SkyGolf walks every one of the more than 35,000 golf courses and regularly updates them. The course walks provide exact GPS tracking to hazards, green, fairway and other significant features on each hole. Those continual course corrections help you to know you are getting the most accurate data available and can count it a high degree of accuracy from your SkyCaddie LX5 Watch.
Skycaddie LX5 Review: Dynamic HoleVue
You can get exceptionally detailed information on the green, hazards, the fairway and other relevant targets while playing each hole. The golf GPS watch includes a Dynamic HoleVue function that lets you slide the crosshairs over your chosen target and it will zoom in and configure it based on your angle of approach.
If you are on the north side of the target, the GPS unit gives you the relevant approach from the north side. If the ball is located south of your target, you will get the approach view from that angle. The Dynamic HoleVue makes it much easier to fully understand what lay ahead so that you can get the best result from a good golf shot.
Skycaddie LX5 Review: IntelliGreen Technology
The IntelliGreen function is great for getting the exact layout of the green. The SkyCaddie LX5 GPS watch will configure the green based on your angle of approach and give you detailed shape and terrain information.
Color coding lets you know the relative distances to the green and tells you the higher and lower spots so that you know how your ball might roll after landing on the green. That will help you to read the green better and improve your short game.
Skycaddie LX5 Review: Distance Tracking Technology
The SkyCaddie LX5 Watch can track the distance from where you hit the ball to where it landed and record it along with the club that you used for the shot. The GPS unit can track the distance from where you hit the ball to its lie and record the exact distance.
After your round is over, you can check how well you performed with various clubs and on particular holes, including fairways and greens in regulation. When you know the average distances you are making on each shot with each club, then you can pick and choose the correct club for similar situations during future rounds.
That same distance-tracking technology enables the SkyCaddie LX5 GPS watch to work as a pedometer and a cyclometer for fitness purposes. Its Wi-Fi capability enables you to upload golf scores and fitness results alike and share them with your friends and others who might be playing the same golf course or event.
Skycaddie LX5 Review: Tournament Legal Design
The SkyCaddie LX5 Watch is a tournament-legal design that really helps you to lower your score during R&A and USGA tournaments. Because GPS golf watches do not provide slope compensation like many laser rangefinders, event organizers do not oppose the use of GPS units for tournaments. Some local event organizers might object to use of GPS or laser range-finding technologies, but they generally tend to be more lenient rather than more restrictive.
Why Should I Buy a SkyCaddie LX5 Watch?
The SkyCaddie LX5 GPS watch is a truly exceptional golfing tool that really can help to lower your score and improve your game. The SkyGolf course maps are among the best anywhere, and you get the really cook Dick Tracy or James Bond feel with a very high-tech watch that looks and works great on the golf course
When you are away from the golf course, it still provides lots of great value as a timepiece and as a wearable fitness tracker. The more active your lifestyle is, the more useful the SkyCaddie LX5 watch becomes. The rechargeable battery delivers power for up to 50 days when not in GPS mode, and an adjustable auto-dimmer helps to preserve battery power while on the golf course.
The SkyCaddie LX5 golf GPS watch is an exceptionally cool piece of wearable fitness technology that really does help to improve your golfing scores. The more courses you play and the more active your lifestyle, the more value it will deliver.
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