The laser and GPS rangefinder have made significant inroads into the golfing community. Prices are low enough for virtually anyone who is enthusiastic about playing golf to buy a laser rangefinder or GPS golf unit with preloaded maps for regulation courses around the world. The Voice Caddie VC4 is a great example of a highly accurate GPS unit that is very portable and truly useful on the golf course and available at a price that virtually any golfing enthusiast could afford.
With high tech now available to improve people’s games, simplicity has become a popular driving force behind many newer items. The Voice Caddie VC4 uses audio to tell you the middle, front and back distances to the green. GPS tracking on more than 40,000 golf courses located around the world gives you very accurate information on distances to the green.
The VC4 provides GPS The VC4 easily attaches to your belt, bill of a cap, visor or your golf bag with a built-in metal clip on the back. A recessed power button on the back lets you turn it on when you arrive at the golf course. An auto-recognition feature will locate the golf course and hole you are on and give you the range information from the tee.
Pros:
- Simple one-button operation.
- Auto recognition of golf course and hole.
- More than 40,000 golf courses.
- Slope compensation adjusts for elevation changes.
- Choose among English, Chinese, Japanese or Korean languages.
Cons:
- No hazards data provided.
- No overhead views of greens, hazards or holes.
- Windy conditions might affect ability to clearly hear the unit.
Voice Caddie VC4 Review: One-Button Activation
When you want to get the distance readings to the green, you just click the button on top one for the center distance. Two clicks give you the front and back distances to the green. And pressing and holding the button for at least 2 seconds will provide a distance measurement from the last GPS location.
That enables you to track shot distances and get a better idea of how well you swung a club on a particular shot. It also helps you to know whether or not you need to work on that swing and club combination more the next time you are at the driving range.
The distances automatically adjust as you move through each hole. The GPS tracker detects the change in your location on the golf course and provides the updated information when you request it by pressing the activation button. Voice Caddie suggest waiting a second or two when you arrive at the ball’s lie so that the GPS unit can determine your exact location and provide the correct data.
Voice Caddie VC4 Review: Slope Compensation Feature
Voice Caddie delivers highly accurate course and distance information by using its proprietary V-Algorithm. The algorithm combines terrain data with average distances shot by LPGA and PGA tour professionals variations in trajectory to account for layups and carry distances. Instead of just a straight-line distance to the hole, the VC4 tells you the compensated distances based on the V-Algorithm.
The automatic slope compensation does a great job of telling you the practical distance to your target based on elevation changes. With just a straight distance, your ball likely will fall short of the green or other target due to the rise in elevation on the hole.
When the elevation is lower at your target, the ball will carry further due to the downward slope. It also stands a better chance of rolling further. That might cause the ball to land in a hazard or roll off of the green on an approach shot. The V-Algorithm takes care of all of that with accurate adjustments that help to improve your game.
Voice Caddie VC4 Review: Active Green Information
The green is not a perfect circle, so the angle of approach changes the data for the front middle and back distances to the green. A green might have a narrower safe landing area when approaching from the north or south than when approaching from the east or west, for example. The VC4 provides an active green feature that automatically adjust the data based on your angle of approach.
The adjusted distances include adjusted data for the layup and carry distances that might affect your approach shots on different greens and different angles of approach to them. Instead of saying the same data, the Voice Caddie VC4 review of the approach angle adjusts it so that you get the best and most accurate data and can set up an easy putt.
There is no way to provide a pin placement to adjust for the cup’s position on a particular hole when you are playing on an included golf course. That means the green data always focuses on the front, back and middle distances for the entire green, which helps to keep it simple and quick to use.
Voice Caddie VC4 Review: No Hazards Data Included
While the Voice Caddie VC4 will tell you the distances to the green with slope compensation included, you will not get data on hazards. That lack of a separate hazards view might cause minor issues for some players, but it does help to simplify the GPS unit’s work while on the golf course.
Instead of toggling through two or more distance functions and slowing down your game, you just keep the focus on the green. A par 3 will have almost no use for a hazards view, anyway. And many golfers can do a good job of estimating distances to hazards on their approach shots on par 4 and par 5 holes. So a lack of hazards data is relatively easy to overcome.
Voice Caddie VC4 Review: General Dimensions and Build
The Voice Caddie measures about 2 inches in diameter and weighs about an ounce. It has a silver face and a black polymer shell that resists water. A small cluster of holes in back enable the GPS golf unit to broadcast the relevant data on demand. Two buttons on the side on one on top handle all of the inputs that you need to obtain relevant data for your next golf shot.
Voice Caddie says an internal lithium-ion battery gives the VC4 enough power for three full rounds of golf. A USB port on the underside lets you connect a charging cable and use any USB port to fully charge the internal battery. A USB cable comes with the package and lets you obtain free golf course updates when tethered to a computer or mobile device.
Why Should I Buy a Voice Caddie VC4?
The Voice Caddie VC4 review emphasizes the simple nature of using the voice-delivered GPS golf range-finding device. Just one button does all that you need while getting accurate information on the distances to the green.
That kind of simplicity helps to make the Voice Caddie VC4 more affordable and more intuitive for owners to use. And if you prefer hearing your distance information instead of taking the time to pull out and look at the GPS unit, the VC4 is a real winner.
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