Official Forum Member Review - Sky Caddie Linx GT GPS Watch & Shot Tracking System

[STUDque]

This watch/club tags/app has been critical in my improved play over the last 6 months. I'm glad it's back up and running.

 

Do you mind elaborating a little more on what it is about the setup that's helped your game? Can you put a strokes gained number on it?

 

 

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[txgolfjunkie]

Do you mind elaborating a little more on what it is about the setup that's helped your game? Can you put a strokes gained number on it?

 

 

Sent from carrier pigeon using MyGolfSpy

 

So I play a lot of semi-private/public courses around the northern part of Houston. I'll play just about anywhere and when I get to a course I'm unfamiliar with, this watch and club tags show their true worth. The courses here are relatively flat and a laser range finder doesn't always give the best picture to a particular target spot. 

 

This watch/tag setup has encouraged smarter golf, especially on sub-450yd par 4s. I can check the watch and see that I've got 240 off the tee to dogleg or 210 to fly the fairway bunker. Why swing away at driver and bring the deep rough into play when I can hit my target distance with a 2H? Three shot par 5s are the same way. If I'm sitting in the fairway and well past my comfortable 3 wood distance, I want to know how far I am to an exact layup distance. I'm getting more precise yardages to features that I may or may not be able to pick up with a range finder. 

 

It also speeds up play. I can spend more time on my pre-shot routine than searching for a yardage marker that may or may not be accurate. 

 

The app with its stat tracking has been great for practice sessions. I use to think I pulled most tee shots into the left rough when the app was showing I hitting twice as many tee shots with my driver into the right rough. Take that to the practice range and I can adjust my driver settings or my swing setup to take the right rough out of play. I also noticed I don't come up short on approach shots as much as I thought I did. Turns out my misses are to the left of the green. 

 

So to answer your question...I can honestly say this setup has consistently saved me 2-3 shots per round from tee to green. I've seen my fairways hit go up as well as improvement on GIRs. Putting is another story but that's more between the ears. The improvements are directly related to taking the shot tracking info from the app, focusing on my weaknesses on the practice range and then being a better tactician out on the course. 

[JAGolfore]

I will update how yesterday went once I get to my computer on Monday. It was a good round of golf but still frustrated by the app/watch.

 

 

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[JAGolfore]

So I got to play again on Black Friday. I wanted to give the Sky Caddie Linz GT GPS and Shot Tracking one more shot.

 

To start our club decided to have a Black Friday 2 man better ball. Great idea. We actually got 30 people to come play which is not bad for 55* and a holiday weekend.

 

So I charged up my watch and made sure the tags all worked. I fired up the app and everything came to life. I tag my first tee shot and away we go. I look at my phone and it shows where I hit from. So I'm thinking this might work.

 

Second shot, opening par 5, lay up 4 iron. Tracked perfectly by the app and watch. This continued for 2 holes. At which point I'm pleased and thinking it's going to keep working.

 

I check the app at the end of the 3rd hole and no shots were on the screen. I waited for it to sync up and still no shots. We keep playing. I keep tagging and nothing on the app. I figure I'll keep tagging and maybe it will sync later. I did keep checking the app and made sure it was running.

 

Meanwhile I'm playing ok for the weather 55* and 20mph winds. The GPS side of the watch worked great. My only issue was bumping the buttons with my glove in swing and advancing a hole. That's my fault. But very happy with the GPS.

 

So I check the app after the round and it shows the first two holes correctly and nothing after that. So let it wait and checked everything this morning. Still just those 2 holes.

 

 

It would be a great product if the tagging worked all the time. I like the layout on the website but it gets frustrating when you try to tag every shot only to have it lost somewhere in the system.

 

I want to thank MGS and Sky Caddie for this opportunity. I know testing did not go as planned but Sky Caddie went a long way to help everyone out and that says a lot about a company. I hope they can bring this back as a better product and compete in the shot tracking arena.

 

BTW I ended up shooting 71 (-1) and my partner and I won the Gross event.

 

 

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[dang3rtown]

I'm not part of the review for this but... I do have the Sky Caddie Linx GT GPS Watch & Shot Tracking System which I received as part of a beta test program. Here are a few notes I have after almost six months of use:

1: The software needs work. The version I have is in beta so this is to be expected but there are a couple real head scratchers like the fact that it uses two different apps which aren't well integrated. To use this properly, you need the SkyGolf 360 app and the SkyCaddie app. The interface is clunky and hard to navigate, particularly if you need to go back and forth between the apps, which you often do.

2: The watch is slow to pick up satellites. They recommend turning the phone on 10 minutes before your tee time but I have found this often isn't enough. Also, after 10 minutes or so, it will stop looking for satellites so you have to make sure you pay attention and reset it. The more trees on the course, the more issues you will have. Driving in a covered golf cart can block the signal as well.

3: The tags are extremely hit or miss. I would say it records my swing perfectly for all the shots on a hole (not counting putting) maybe 33% of the time. Between having to delete practice swings, add putts and any hazards issues, you get into a rhythm of editing on your app at the end of every hole if you want an accurately reported game. In my opinion, this defeats the purpose of the tagging system to some extent.

4: This GPS is REALLY accurate! especially when you have it working with your phone. I benchmarked it against laser range finders and permanent yardage monuments and found it to be inside a yard every time. Anytime it wasn't, it was because I was moving or didn't wait 2-3 seconds to get a proper reading.

5: The maps on the app are really incredible. The yardage marking points are detailed, well thought out and really give you insight into how to play the course once you figure out how to use the app properly.

 

In the end, I am using the SkyCaddie primarily as a distance measuring tool and as a caddy tool to read the course and determine with greater accuracy, which shot to play. Knowing the exact yardage distance between the carry for one side of a bunker vs. the other makes a huge difference! There are even too maps of the greens so picking a spot to stay below the hole from a distance is something I can realistically do now. It's like having a pro caddy yardage book in your phone, which is awesome!

I do not use it for keeping score at all, just more effort than it's worth. I write it down the old fashioned way and that's fine for me.

Overall, it's an accurate GPS system and a 1st rate yardage book, which are really good things but it's not a great score keeper.

[Brian A]

I'm not part of the review for this but... I do have the Sky Caddie Linx GT GPS Watch & Shot Tracking System which I received as part of a beta test program. Here are a few notes I have after almost six months of use:

1: The software needs work. The version I have is in beta so this is to be expected but there are a couple real head scratchers like the fact that it uses two different apps which aren't well integrated. To use this properly, you need the SkyGolf 360 app and the SkyCaddie app. The interface is clunky and hard to navigate, particularly if you need to go back and forth between the apps, which you often do.

2: The watch is slow to pick up satellites. They recommend turning the phone on 10 minutes before your tee time but I have found this often isn't enough. Also, after 10 minutes or so, it will stop looking for satellites so you have to make sure you pay attention and reset it. The more trees on the course, the more issues you will have. Driving in a covered golf cart can block the signal as well.

3: The tags are extremely hit or miss. I would say it records my swing perfectly for all the shots on a hole (not counting putting) maybe 33% of the time. Between having to delete practice swings, add putts and any hazards issues, you get into a rhythm of editing on your app at the end of every hole if you want an accurately reported game. In my opinion, this defeats the purpose of the tagging system to some extent.

4: This GPS is REALLY accurate! especially when you have it working with your phone. I benchmarked it against laser range finders and permanent yardage monuments and found it to be inside a yard every time. Anytime it wasn't, it was because I was moving or didn't wait 2-3 seconds to get a proper reading.

5: The maps on the app are really incredible. The yardage marking points are detailed, well thought out and really give you insight into how to play the course once you figure out how to use the app properly.

 

In the end, I am using the SkyCaddie primarily as a distance measuring tool and as a caddy tool to read the course and determine with greater accuracy, which shot to play. Knowing the exact yardage distance between the carry for one side of a bunker vs. the other makes a huge difference! There are even too maps of the greens so picking a spot to stay below the hole from a distance is something I can realistically do now. It's like having a pro caddy yardage book in your phone, which is awesome!

I do not use it for keeping score at all, just more effort than it's worth. I write it down the old fashioned way and that's fine for me.

Overall, it's an accurate GPS system and a 1st rate yardage book, which are really good things but it's not a great score keeper.

 

 

I am in the same beta test and when I was playing (pre surgery) you hit every single point with my thoughts! The other thing I did not like is if you spray the ball to the next fairway/rough over, it would auto switch and then when you got back on your hole, switch back so it looks like you drove 400+ yards in one shot

[Rickp]

I am in the same beta test and when I was playing (pre surgery) you hit every single point with my thoughts! The other thing I did not like is if you spray the ball to the next fairway/rough over, it would auto switch and then when you got back on your hole, switch back so it looks like you drove 400+ yards in one shot

I'm also in the Beta Test and for the past month I'm only using the watch as a GPS. The software is a pain, especially the 2 app which needs to be integrated into 1.

Charging is my biggest problem as the contacts need cleaning B4 each charge.

BRW, I'm in agreement with the other issues you guys pointed out.

 

 

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[txgolfjunkie]

I've had some issues with the watch not connecting to my phone/app but I played yesterday in the Houston area and the watch and app worked like a charm. 

 

 

Before the round, i reset the device and made sure it was fully charged. I disconnected the bluetooth on the app and on settings and then reattached it when I got close to the course. The GPS, the club tagging, the stat tracking...it all worked great. 

 

Maybe I just need to follow those steps to ensure it connects to my phone and tracks my info on the app. 

 

The GPS is still a game changer in my book. It really speeds up play, especially since we were cart path only and my tee shots usually ended up the furthest point from any cart path. 

[SuperDave]

I got an update on my watch. I hadn't used for about 3 months (weather) and of coarse it's dead and needed charged. Tried charging it on the way to the course last week and nothing. Tried turning it on several times and it would vibrate for a second and that's it. Haven't looked at it since. Really hope it's not junk now.

 

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[Rickp]

I got an update on my watch. I hadn't used for about 3 months (weather) and of coarse it's dead and needed charged. Tried charging it on the way to the course last week and nothing. Tried turning it on several times and it would vibrate for a second and that's it. Haven't looked at it since. Really hope it's not junk now.

 

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There is a way to reset the watch, I believe you push all 4 buttons at the same time for a short time (15 sec?). Don't know if it will help but worth a try.

 

 

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[dhartmann34]

Went to charge it this morning before I played and it was fully charged...even though I haven't used it since November. Impresssive.

 

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[txgolfjunkie]

I still use the watch and app when I play. If I'm playing in a scramble, I just use the watch for the GPS. It's very handy during those scrambles, especially when you misplace your laser rangefinder...or maybe you've had 'one too many to drink' and can't hold your rangefinder steady to zap the distance to the flag. And for that, I thank you large font watch.  

 

I got a new phone, iPhone 8+, and don't have any sync issues with app and watch. I don't know if the old iPhone 6 just wasn't cutting it anymore but the upgrade sure helped. 

[dhartmann34]

I've resorted to just using the watch for the GPS as that works well. I don't like how it doesn't track the hazards and such in the fairway well. I hate having to bump it to record distances for clubs. And editing things online is a pain...especially if you hit a ball OB or into a water hazard. 

 

I'll probably go towards the ShotScope at some point here. Reviews seem to make it much better than this. 

[SuperDave]

There is a way to reset the watch, I believe you push all 4 buttons at the same time for a short time (15 sec?). Don't know if it will help but worth a try.

 

 

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Yeah, forgot about that. Tried it and it worked. Thanks for the reminder.

 

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[Rickp]

Yeah, forgot about that. Tried it and it worked. Thanks for the reminder.

 

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Cool, glad to help

 

 

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[Sparksjr]

just a quick update for those who may be considering this watch.  I am having the same issues with charging that others have had, the watch is very picky about how the charging adapter and all the cables are seated.  it takes some fiddling with everything to get it charging.   however that shouldn't matter much longer as I just noticed the watch appears to be literally breaking in half.  there are two cracks forming between the buttons on the left side of the watch.

 

I'm certainly thankful for the chance to test this and it really has shown me that I personally prefer a gps watch over a laser rangefinder (something I thought I would never say).  If I had purchased this watch and only a year later was experiencing the charging and cracking issues then I would be pretty bummed, but I didn't, so I am only mildly bummed.  My skygolf subscription was about to expire anyway but it still stinks this likely wont last much longer for the basic gps features.

 

I did enjoy the watch and it had its pro and cons that I hopefully gave a fair review over the last year.  again I do appreciate MGS and SkyCaddie for letting me do this.

 

[dhartmann34]

just a quick update for those who may be considering this watch. I am having the same issues with charging that others have had, the watch is very picky about how the charging adapter and all the cables are seated. it takes some fiddling with everything to get it charging. however that shouldn't matter much longer as I just noticed the watch appears to be literally breaking in half. there are two cracks forming between the buttons on the left side of the watch.

 

I'm certainly thankful for the chance to test this and it really has shown me that I personally prefer a gps watch over a laser rangefinder (something I thought I would never say). If I had purchased this watch and only a year later was experiencing the charging and cracking issues then I would be pretty bummed, but I didn't, so I am only mildly bummed. My skygolf subscription was about to expire anyway but it still stinks this likely wont last much longer for the basic gps features.

 

I did enjoy the watch and it had its pro and cons that I hopefully gave a fair review over the last year. again I do appreciate MGS and SkyCaddie for letting me do this.

Nice job on the update.

 

Shotscope V2 replaced this for me and no turning back. And the fact there is no subscription fee makes it even better. Check it out. 28 day free returns.

 

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[txgolfjunkie]

I just renewed my subscription for a couple more years. I see it as I was selected to test the watch at no cost to me, the watch has worked very well for me aside from a few connection issues to my iPhone, but I'd like to see how well this stacks up for the next 3-5 years. 

 

I still use my watch, club tags and app religiously for every round of golf. Sometimes I'll just use the watch if I'm playing in a scramble or fun round of golf because I'd like to know distances but don't care about shot tracking. Every now and then I forget to tag a shot but the app makes it easy to update.

 

I haven't used my range finder but for a handful of shots over the last year. I find all the distances I need on my watch, especially the hidden hazards that can't be seen from the tee box/fairway. I've found that I score better if I go off the distance to the front, middle, back of the green instead of the exact yardage to the pin. Let's say I use a LRF and see the front pin is 167 and that's the only yardage I can pick up, I'm more like to miss the green because that's the only distance I know. If I see my watch says 160 to the front, 175 to the middle, I'll play it 167 to a front pin but know I've got to carry it 160 to get on the green. The watch allows me to relax a bit and know if I don't catch my shot flush, I've got a couple yards to play with to hit the green.  

 

Over the last year or so, I've noticed my putts per round has crept up from 1.7 putts per green to 1.8 putts per green which roughly translates going from 30 putts/round to 32 putts/round on average. However, my GIR has increased from 62% to 67%. I'll take it! 

 

I know there's a lot of options out there for GPS watch w/ club tags, but since the price was right for me on this one, I'll stick with it as long as it holds up! Thanks again MGS!