2020 Official Member Review: SkyCaddie LX5 Watch

[GolfSpy MPR 8,752]

Some of golfers' favorite words:

• "It's in the hole!"
• "Split the fairway!"
• "You're dancing!"
• "It's dry."

(OK, that last one isn't the best news, but if you're in those circumstances....)

Let's add another to this list: "Pin high!" Who doesn't love the feeling of knowing the distance you've got, knowing you've got just the club for that distance, and hitting it exactly that far?

We've got TEN forum members who are going to see if the SkyCaddie LX5 GPS watch is going to be the best tool for them to hear "Pin high" just a little more often!

@AGutierrez7: Review

@ballplayer002003: Review

@JoshAndersonGolf: Review

@Josh Ross: Review

@knightsofnii: Review

@mikeanthony: Review

@MDGolfHacker: Review

@MrBandit: Review

@palvord: Review

@TCUFrog: Review

[AGutierrez7 104]

[placeholder]

[ballplayer002003 955]

[placeholder]

[JoshAndersonGolf 2,612]

[placeholder]

[Josh Ross 528]

[placeholder]

[knightsofnii 928]

[placeholder]

[mikeanthony 943]

[placeholder]

[MDGolfHacker 6,896]

[placeholder]

[MrBandit 306]

The Review 09/18/2020

SkyCaddie LX5 GPS Watch – Official MGS Forum Review by jcorujo

Intro

I have been golfing for the past 17yrs, started after leaving the military and moving to San Francisco, I never expected to play golf. Everyone in my office played golf and they took me to a par 3 course in San Francisco and I remembering making par on the 4 hole (easy game, LOL) have been hook since.
Once I moved back to NYC , i began to play more and become more competitive and really get hooked on the game.
Now living in Texas , is a different game, HOT AF, and continue to improve my game.

I have used always used a golf watch, different brands , so I'm looking forward to compare the new SkyCaddie LX5. One of the reason I enjoy using GPS Watches is because I like to play different course, having a GPS watch that already has the course and get the basic information Front, Center and Back (lets face it, we are not professionals getting the exact yardage to the 75.2yds, we be lucky if we hit within 10yds of that consistently.)  Using Rangefinder has always been difficult, and I feel like is a bit slower to get your yardage.

I'm hoping this version of SkyCaddie LX5, can provide same ease of use to get Front, Center and Back, also a view of the course, to point out hazards that you would normally not see.

My game – Currently at 8.0 HC, up and down, struggle with concentration in the middle of the round causing silly mistakes, which escalates those numbers quickly.
Keep working on my short game and putting which shaves strokes every time, i get wrong yardage or wrong club. I have to compensate some how (Bad Caddying on myself of course)I 

WITB:
Driver:  PING G410 LST 9.0
3 -Wood: Cobra King SZ
4-Hybrid: Cobra King F9 Hybrid
Irons: Mizuno MP-18 MMC - 6-PW , w/SteelFiber i125
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 4 RAW - , 56, 60, Mizuno S18 Black - 50
Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab Seven S, 34in

 

 

First Impressions

When you first open the box, you will notice this watch is bigger than your average GPS watch measuring at 1.39in and .63in thickness. This could be an issue for some people if you’re not used to wearing big face watches or wear the tiny faces of an iWatch. The watch is light, and you won’t even notice it’s on or interfere with your swing.
It comes with a smaller strap if the default one is too big for you.

The watch is ready to go out of the box, you will need to setup a SkyGolf account if you don’t have one already and you will need to select membership, yearly or 3 year.
Lucky for us testing it came with 3yr membership. This is one thing am not a fan off, I have used the GPS watches in the past that comes with all of the courses and not needing a membership.

 

You can use the demo mode on the watch to get familiar with the watch before heading to the course for the first time. (highly recommend)

The Display screen is bright and touch screen is very responsive, the HoleVue and RangeVue are very detail and you can pinpoint distance by just moving the curser. I was very happy with the battery life and how the map performed in different courses.  The hazard view shows you yardages to carry water, to the front of the bunker and end, how much fairway you have left. These features came in handy when I played a course I haven’t seen in a long time and getting this yardages in blind shots was HUGE!

       

Scoring option is very intuitive and easy to use. You can sync the watch via USB / Wifi up to the SkyGolf360  to view your score and gives you data base on your input.
       

  

Looks & Feel (9 out of 10 points)

Describe the following for the device:

●       General Shape is larger than your average GPS watch measuring at 1.39in and .63in thickness. But the watch is very light and you don’t even feel it on your wrist.
If you would like to use the watch as an everyday watch, it comes with Time, Alarms, Heart Rate step count
      

●       You have multiple screen face by pressing the screen and going left or right giving you different options

●       The watch feels sturdy, good materials. You don’t feel like is going to break If you drop it or bang it against something.

 

 Setup (12  out of 15 points)

●       The setup instructions online are intuitive and the video on the site are very helpful the get familiar with the watch and its features.
●       Watch charges within 30mins to full charge, the cable is proprietary magnetic, that plugs into any USB charger or computer. Don’t lose it.

●       Once you have your account setup in Skygolf and your device is register, you can then go to the SkyGolf350 and begin to search for the courses you want download into the watch.

This feature that I do not like.
1. You must know the courses you want to download and then search, and you only have a limit of 50 courses.
2. Good thing is that you can download the course via wi-fi is necessary without having to connect to your computer
 

●       Once the Sync is complete between the SkyGolf360 and your LX5 you will have access to those course once onsite.

 

 Accuracy (13 out of 15 points)

●       I played in 5 different course to compare yardage and accuracy, for the most par all of the course I played in the yardages where within 1-3 yds, compare the yardages with a range finder, on front, center and back, also to bunkers and end of fairway. This was very impressive.

●       In only 1 course the yardages where off, and they were off by 30-60yds. Played the course twice to make sure it wasn’t an anomaly but it was consistent off on the same 3 holes, the course has not change in years so, this should have not been an issue.

●       The HoleVue and RangeVue and extremely useful, as you can move the courser around to where you want to get yardages from the map will adjust the front, center, back numbers as you move around. This great when looking at blind shots and how far to the water or to clear.
        

 

 

On-Course (25 out of 30 points)

●       Once you are on the course, turn on the golf feature and let it find the course, for me it took approximate 5-10mins to get the course (seem to take longer than am used to) So don’t wait until you are the tee box to select the golf option and start the round.

●       The watch is so light that I didn’t even notice it on my wrist, and it didn’t interfere with my golf swing.

●       The watch is very intuitive to use, but if you spend a little time on the demo or the features videos before going to play you will find getting around the watch is a breeze and don’t have to over think.

●       The watch does keep a charge to play 2 rounds, I have tested this various times and its exactly 2 rounds and done.

●       Keeping score is easy and after the round you can upload to the SkyGold360 and keep track of your data.

●       By far is one of the best GPS watches I have used, the big screens, bright and very responsive moving around the screen.  Using the HoleVue is such a huge benefit.

●       Compare to my other brands I have used, the features, screen, accuracy is superb. Only thing I don’t like is the subscription and having to download you courses.

●       Do you play better or worse now that you’ve got a new method for yardages?
I have to say I have played better because I have better information on the yardages than I did before.

 

Miscellaneous (9 out of 10 points)

The only thing that would be a concern for me is the charger, since is proprietary magnetic cable. BUT, if you setup the Wifi connection this will not be an issue.

 

Play it or Trade it? (18 out of 20 points)

The LX5 will stay in my wrist and replace my other GPS Watch. This is an investment without a doubt and if you don’t like paying for yearly subscriptions on top of the price tag of the watch this may not be the unit for you. The functionality of the watch is fantastic and just getting the basic info of Front, Center and Back as the default screen is all you really need, and if you want a little more you have that option.
Battery life is awesome and if you like wearing as an everyday watch it works great also. Different display faces give you a different look.

 

Conclusion

The SkyCaddie LX5 is and excellent GPS watch, light with tons of relevant features to help you game move forward. Get the yardage you need, additional info if need it. Wifi sync is a nice feature not having to connect your USB cable to sync or update your watch.
Comparing it to a range finder you would be surprise your not that far off between a yard or 2 in most cases, the one thing that an range finder can’t do is see beyond line of sight, this is where the LX5 shines with the big screen, the ability to move around the screen to get yardage to that corner, tree, water, bunker etc..

Final Score: (86)

 

Edited September 18 by MrBandit
review upload

[palvord 3,524]

[placeholder]

[TCUFrog 337]

[placeholder]

[knightsofnii 928]

Thank you so much to the MGS forums staff!  I can't wait to get started on this

Having a good golf season so far.  Got some sand yips for a bit.  Maybe the watch can keep me out of more bunkers

 

 

[B.Boston 7,473]

Alright I'm gonna get a question or two fired out to you guys right away...

For those of you that currently use some shot tracking tech, Arccos or Shotscope etc.  Do you plan on using both during your rounds or can you see yourself not using the shot tracking features with the watch?

Who plans on using this also as an everyday watch? 

[TCUFrog 337]

17 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

Alright I'm gonna get a question or two fired out to you guys right away...

For those of you that currently use some shot tracking tech, Arccos or Shotscope etc.  Do you plan on using both during your rounds or can you see yourself not using the shot tracking features with the watch?

Who plans on using this also as an everyday watch? 

I currently use my rangefinder for a majority of shots and then for blind shots I use my Arccos distances as well as to help with aim. While testing, I intend to use all 3 to compare numbers and accuracy. I'm extremely interested to see if there are any big differences between Arccos and the LX5 based on SkyCaddie's claim that they are more accurate because they walk the courses to map them instead of using aerial imagery. 

I won't be using this as an everyday watch since i wear my Apple Watch everyday and it has such good integration to my phone and laptop for work.

 

[Josh Ross 528]

Thanks again for this amazing opportunity! I can't wait to use this on all the different courses I play, none of them have GPS in the carts and most only use colored stripes on the cart path for distances. I currently use a Bushnell rangefinder for pin distances but it's awfully hard to get distances to hazards with it, especially on courses I haven't played. I'm a pretty aggressive player, always going for the pin unless I know there's trouble and it makes more sense to aim for the middle of the green. I rarely know this though, particularly in my tournaments when I'm unfamiliar with the course I'm playing so I can't imagine how valuable this is about to be! The rangefinder does have the slope option which is very useful where I live. There's no such thing as a flat hole out here so knowing how slope affects the yardages is extremely beneficial.

To answer @B.Boston, I ditched my Shot Scope V3 because I wasn't happy with it after a few rounds. I won't spoil what I'm comparing it against just yet, but I expect this to blow it out of the water.

And yes, this will be an everyday watch for me. I have to keep track of my heart rate because of a cardiac condition so this just made life so much easier for me with the built in monitor.

[MrBandit 306]

Introduction:

First off, thank you to MGS and SkyGolf for the opportunity to be a tester.

I have been golfing for the past 17yrs, started after leaving the military and moving to San Francisco, I never expected to play golf. Everyone in my office played golf and they took me to a par 3 course in San Francisco and I remembering making par on the 4 hole (easy game, LOL) have been hook since.
Once I moved back to NYC , i began to play more and become more competitive and really get hooked on the game.
Now living in Texas , is a different game, HOT AF, and continue to improve my game.

I have used always used a golf watch, different brands , so i'm looking forward to compare the new SkyCaddie LX5. One of the reason I enjoy using GPS Watches is because I like to play different course, having a GPS watch that already has the course and get the basic information Front, Center and Back (lets face it, we are not professionals getting the exact yardage to the 75.2yds, we be lucky if we hit within 10yds of that consistently.)  Using Rangefinder has always been difficult, and I feel like is a bit slower to get your yardage.

I'm hoping this version of SkyCaddie LX5, can provide same ease of use to get Front, Center and Back, also a view of the course, to point out hazards that you would normally not see.

My game – Currently at 8.8 HC, up and down, struggle with concentration in the middle of the round causing silly mistakes, which escalates those numbers quickly.
Keep working on my short game and putting which shaves strokes every time, i get wrong yardage or wrong club. I have to compensate some how (Bad Cadding on myself of course)I 

In the bag:
Driver:  PING G410 LST 9.0 with Tensei CK Orange 60 Stiff 
3 -Wood: Cobra King SZ with Tensei AV Blue Stiff
4-Hybrid: Cobra King F9 Hybrid
Irons: Mizuno MP-18 MMC - 6-PW , w/SteelFiber i125
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 4 RAW - , 56, 60, Mizuno S18 Black - 50
Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab Seven S, 34in
Balls: TaylorMade TPx  & Snell MTB-X

[AGutierrez7 104]

18 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

Alright I'm gonna get a question or two fired out to you guys right away...

For those of you that currently use some shot tracking tech, Arccos or Shotscope etc.  Do you plan on using both during your rounds or can you see yourself not using the shot tracking features with the watch?

Who plans on using this also as an everyday watch? 

No shot tracking tech for me at the moment, so I will be using the LX5 to its maximum ability. I will be definitely using it as an everyday watch because of the heart rate monitoring and step count/distance function. Also that watch looks smooth, so that's a bonus.

[Lacassem 5,699]

I also have a question on those that will be using everyday. Looks like a watch that would be "waterproof" I do not see anything on SkyCaddie website? Can A) anyone find out if this is actually waterproof and B) would you risk swimming with this?

For me if I ever get a watch it will be something like this that I can use for golf and multi-use because I do not really like things on my hands/wrist and I would have to wear it everyday to get used to it...That includes swimming.

[TCUFrog 337]

Let me start by saying a big thank you to MGS and SkyCaddie for the opportunity! Now time to get this party started.

Introduction:

I'm based out Atlanta, GA where I was born and raised, but went to TCU for my Undergrad (hence my username) and lived in Fort Worth, TX for 7 years total so that's my second home and will always be one of my favorite cities in America. 

I don't remember any of my life without playing golf, but based on what my family says I started playing golf about 4 years old so this is year 21 of golf for me. I play a majority of my rounds in and around Atlanta primarily at Heritage Golf Links or Cherokee Country Club, but I also go on 3-5 golf trips a year to different and new courses. I travel for work (when COVID-19 isn't a thing) which gives me the opportunity to tag on golf trips to the end of work trips. While I typically average ~35 rounds a year with work travel being shutdown for a majority of this year, I've currently played 62 rounds so far in 2020. I've successfully dropped my handicap from a 10.9 at the start of the year to a 5.0 currently. 

Being chosen at this time to test a product works out well for me and for making you extra jealous because on August 5th I'm boarding a flight to San Francisco for the North American Bucket List Trip. My brother, Dad, and I will be playing Pasatiempo, Spanish Bay, Spyglass, and the mecca of American Golf, Pebble Beach. I'm looking forward to providing you with jaw dropping photos of me wearing my LX5 overlooking the cliffs of Monterey.

Current Distance Methods:

I have a Bushnell V4 Rangefinder which I've been using for the last 2 years and rely on it heavily as I have been able to lock in some consistent distances especially with my mid and short irons. When I'm playing a new course, I find the rangefinder harder to trust though because I don't know the layout or where the miss is so I'm excited to see if the LX5 is accurate at providing me a better picture of the course and maybe cutting down on some mistakes by going for wider parts of the green or more center of the green.

Arccos often seems to be off by 5-10 yards even after adjusting for the pin location, so I'll also be testing to see if the LX5 is more accurate backing up SkyCaddie's claim. 

If there are any other items you would like to see me test or provide in the review, let me know and I'll be happy to provide my feedback. 

[Josh Ross 528]

26 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

I also have a question on those that will be using everyday. Looks like a watch that would be "waterproof" I do not see anything on SkyCaddie website? Can A) anyone find out if this is actually waterproof and B) would you risk swimming with this?

For me if I ever get a watch it will be something like this that I can use for golf and multi-use because I do not really like things on my hands/wrist and I would have to wear it everyday to get used to it...That includes swimming.

I was wondering about this too, I found on their website it is 3 ATM (30 meters) which means it is splash/rain resistant. Certainly don't want this around a bunch of water.