Having been exclusively a Rangefinder user throughout my career, with the occasional printed course guide thrown in, I was intrigued to see what the SkyCaddie Pro 5X had to offer, so I ventured out onto the links to see if it could rival some of the best GPS devices in the game.
The SkyCaddie Pro 5X is a digital course guide, around the size of an iPhone, that comes pre-loaded with 35,000 courses that SkyGolf has ground-verified for accuracy. An ultra-fast multi-core processor is designed to give you an exceptionally fast response time while the HD graphics with multiple views hopes to provide a high-quality visual experience.
(Image credit: Future)
The first thing I noticed when taking it out of the box was the new larger 5.5” screen, up from 4” with the SX400 model. Given the level of detail the Pro 5X provides, this is a welcome and necessary upgrade.
The setup experience was straightforward, a short power charge, and off I went. Once you turn the unit on there are some handy short tutorials to get you up and running, which I found very helpful. The PRO 5X comes with a 12-month Birdie Membership included in the purchase price but you will need to sign up for a SkyGolf subscription plan once that period ends. The annual subscriptions range from $29.95 to $59.95 depending on the level of detail and features required.
(Image credit: Future)
For my first test round, I played on the West course at Saunton Golf Club. The Pro 5X picked up the course quickly using GPS location, but had it not, there is also a search feature if required. Once I had chosen my course, I was then directed to a selection screen where I could customize my preferences such as tees, flag positions (more on that later), and many more options. When you are ready to start the round, you just need to make sure that you have a clear view of the sky for the satellites to pick up the signal, and off you go.
In terms of features, the Pro 5X is jam-packed. One of the first that caught my eye was the Intellipath technology. Once you have dragged the cursor to your intended aim point and yardage, the Intellipath feature will kick in and show you all of the distances to any other relevant course feature within the vicinity such as bunkers and water hazards. I really enjoyed this feature and it was a real time saver for me when I would normally need to laser multiple individual bunkers to decide on my club.
(Image credit: Future)
Once I had hit my first tee shot (straight down the middle I’ll…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golf Monthly…