We Tried It: Alphard CB Sidekick Review

[GolfSpy_APH]

This is certainly on my shortlist for products to look into next year. A great review done by Harry and one that provides a wealth of information for those looking into this product or who have something similar and may be looking to make the switch!

https://mygolfspy.com/we-tried-it-alphard-cb-sidekick-review/

Enjoy!

[brdbowlgolf]

Pumped for this one. Anyone have any insight on the best push cart to buy to go with this setup, and why?

 

Thanks

-chris

[GolFlikeaNUT]

Boy this conversation didnt get much traction but I am also wondering which way to go diving into a Alphard from a MGI over the last 3  seasons. The follow tech is just too sweet to pass up but I love my seat on the course. Id like a setup with the seat and the Alphard cart does not bring that apparently 

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 minutes ago, GolFlikeaNUT said:

Boy this conversation didnt get much traction but I am also wondering which way to go diving into a Alphard from a MGI over the last 3  seasons. The follow tech is just too sweet to pass up but I love my seat on the course. Id like a setup with the seat and the Alphard cart does not bring that apparently 

Some blog articles take hold better than others.

I have been a Clicgear user for a good 6 or 7 years and think that this could be a good option for me. However i haven't seen any at any shops. That being said there are so many power card options here it's crazy. Expensive though. 

Will be happy when we have some members with this to test and try it out and share their experience!

[GolFlikeaNUT]

10 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Some blog articles take hold better than others.

I have been a Clicgear user for a good 6 or 7 years and think that this could be a good option for me. However i haven't seen any at any shops. That being said there are so many power card options here it's crazy. Expensive though. 

Will be happy when we have some members with this to test and try it out and share their experience!

Ill chime in when I get setup...I have purchased the sidekick so I would get the $100 discount while it was offered but will slowly put the rest of it together over the next few months. I think Clicgear offers a seat with their carts so I may go that route and buy the swivel wheel accessory  

Edited October 29, 2022 by GolFlikeaNUT

[WaffleHouseTour]

I also made an early bird purchase of the side kick - I’ve had the Alphard eWheels on my BagBoy Quad for a number of years. Anxious to give the sidekick a try - it will keep my eyes from straying too much over to that StewartQ things others have been testing.  Just won’t be able to post a review for a while - not expecting delivery until the end of the year and there will be snow on the ground when I do get it 

[MattF]

I'm going to order the e-wheels unit during the off season but will hold off on the side kick for the time being. I think using the remote, for me, will work just fine.

[Joe_T]

I have the alphard v2 with the tether follow system ($150) on a rovic.  I had a bat caddy remote and have to say I love the tether.  Hate to say it but ran the bat caddy into things more than I'd like to admit.  Unfortunately with the tether about 5 times a round the tether disconnects, and I have to walk the 5 feet back to my bag to reconnect the magnetic tether (I also have to avoid walking on big sidehills as the v2 can't always stay the straight line on the sidehill).  Other than the disconnecting I actually like the tether because I know the bag is still following me.  I don't like when it disconnects though and wondering how I'll know if the CB sidekick loses me.  Similarly, if I turn the follow off to help a friend look for their ball in the woods when I restart it 20 feet away does it come to me and start the follow or do I need to be close to start the follow.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Joe_T

[cksurfdude]

Jumped in and splurged on the V2 + Sidekick combo as a gift for my wife. Gonna go on a Bag Boy Quad XL.

Won't be able to provide any feedback yet, as this is meant as a birthday present .. which is not until Feb.

She's a little bit tech un-savvy, though, but I like the options of how to drive it .. including freewheel if need be!

[SDHacker]

I bought the V2, their omni cart (replacing a really old bag boy speedcart) and sidekick before Harry's review came out.  When I paid for the sidekick, delivery was slated for March while the cart/V2 was immediate.  I just checked their website and they've closed ordering for the sidekick until some future date.  I think they had to close ordering so they could fulfill the orders they've already received - 1.038.  They are also out of stock on the omni cart.  Supply chain issues still remain, especially for these tiny startups.

I've been happy with the cart/V2 combo using the remote.  Back 9 is pretty hilly and I can grab the cart handle to help me up some of the hills.  What a huge difference between this and having to push a cart uphill.  There are 5 lights indicating battery charge and I always finish with 3 lights still lit so pretty confident it could go 36 holes on a single charge.  They recommend recharging the remote every 3 rounds.  I highly recommend a front wheel that turns rather than a fixed one.  I experimented by locking the wheel on my cart and it makes a difference in maneuverability and the surface you are on makes a difference too since the fixed front wheel is being dragged sideways.  The manual says that in speeds 3 - 6, a fixed wheel cart might not turn - I didn't test this.  I normally use speed 3 or 4.  It has good sidehill and up/down hill stability with wheelie bars installed.

One humorous warning: the e-brake won't hold the cart on a steep hill.  I stopped the cart too close to a bunker and it rolled in.

 

[did you see that?]

On 12/28/2022 at 12:39 PM, SDHacker said:

I bought the V2, their omni cart (replacing a really old bag boy speedcart) and sidekick before Harry's review came out.  When I paid for the sidekick, delivery was slated for March while the cart/V2 was immediate.  I just checked their website and they've closed ordering for the sidekick until some future date.  I think they had to close ordering so they could fulfill the orders they've already received - 1.038.  They are also out of stock on the omni cart.  Supply chain issues still remain, especially for these tiny startups.

I've been happy with the cart/V2 combo using the remote.  Back 9 is pretty hilly and I can grab the cart handle to help me up some of the hills.  What a huge difference between this and having to push a cart uphill.  There are 5 lights indicating battery charge and I always finish with 3 lights still lit so pretty confident it could go 36 holes on a single charge.  They recommend recharging the remote every 3 rounds.  I highly recommend a front wheel that turns rather than a fixed one.  I experimented by locking the wheel on my cart and it makes a difference in maneuverability and the surface you are on makes a difference too since the fixed front wheel is being dragged sideways.  The manual says that in speeds 3 - 6, a fixed wheel cart might not turn - I didn't test this.  I normally use speed 3 or 4.  It has good sidehill and up/down hill stability with wheelie bars installed.

One humorous warning: the e-brake won't hold the cart on a steep hill.  I stopped the cart too close to a bunker and it rolled in.

 

SD, still liking the combo?   I'm strongly considering it.

[SDHacker]

6 hours ago, did you see that? said:

SD, still liking the combo?   I'm strongly considering it.

Yes.  Although there have been sales on the low end all-in-one units, I would stick with this.  The only downside is taking it apart and putting it together every round.  Using the remote, it's easy to control.  Still waiting on the sidekick I ordered in November (but when I ordered it, the tentative delivery timeframe on the website was this month so they aren't late yet).  I have to use two scorecards on the cart to put enough pressure on the pencil holder to keep the pencil from falling off.  Before discovering this, the pencil would keep falling off.  It's nice to be able to walk to a remote part of the green while using the remote to place the cart closer to the flag.  It's a keeper.

[WaffleHouseTour]

Sidekick delivered today. I've got snow on the ground so it'll be a while before I get to test it - but it's here now.  Ordered back in early September if you have an order and are looking for a reference point...

[cksurfdude]

Had bought one for my wife late last year; we finally got to give it its first run out on the course last weekend - and she loves it!

...big phew  as I wasn't sure if she would like it or not, but she's def digging the uphill assist and even started using the remote to drive the cart towards the next hole as we approached a green

Note that this is on a Bag Boy Quad XL four wheel cart and .. at the lower end speeds up to 4 .. turning was not a problem.

Assembly was pretty straightforward; only minor snag specific to this cart was dissembling and removing the brake cable.

Also still waiting on shipment of the Sidekick.

[WaffleHouseTour]

Set up and tried out the new Sidekick on Saturday.  It worked, but there were some glitches.  Fired off an email to customer support on Saturday afternoon, and got a response Sunday morning when I woke up (that's impressive).  Questions I raised are at the top and I cut/pasted the responses in below.  I'll try again this afternoon to see if goes a little smoother and will report back. 

Hi -  Just set up my sidekick and tried it out in my yard.  Few questions and/or bugs to work out. 

First - when I start it all and turn it on, press FL on remote so that connects or orients - the Sidekick points away from me. Normal?

-When Sidekick is connected to remote, you will see green or flashing red led on the side of Sidekick. The led light should be following and pointing to SK remote. The arrow on top of Sidekick is meant to point to the front of the cart before turning on Sidekick and has nothing to do with the searching of remote signal.

Second, I set it to follow and walk away… I have walked twenty yards or so (that’s all the bigger my backyard is) and stop before the Sidekick and cart start to follow and then rushes at me before coming to a stop. Is that normal - letting me get 20 yards ahead before it starts to move?

-when you press FL button, Sidekick should start following you when you are about 6 feet away from Sidekick, but need to ensure Sidekick is connected to remote signal. If you walk away more than 6 feet from Sidekick and don’t see Sidekick following you, you may raise remote and press FL button again to make sure you are setting the FL mode. If remote is not connected to Sidekick, you will feel vibration from remote meaning they are not connected. If remote is connected, then Sidekick will start following you. If you walk away too far before Sidekick receive remote signal, Sidekick will notice the distance and will pick up speed to catch up with remote. It will slow down when Sidekick get close to the related distance from remote control.

Third, I’ve put the remote in my pocket as I walk away - I can feel/hear the remote vibrating after I’ve walked fairly far - like it’s trying to get the Sidekick/cart to catch up - is that constant vibrating normal?

-remote vibration means signal is dropping, which is no good. Depends which pocket you are putting remote in. The best position is to clip the belt clip onto your belt at your back position. But in case you have thick jacket which might cover the remote, you may try clip belt clip on the back pocket with remote sticking on the outside of back pocket facing backward. This will help Sidekick receive the remote signal. It is also better to set side-follow like left or right side follow, since you can note the cart motion while at the same time with less chance of have the Clubs in-between Sidekick and remote which might cause signal interferences.

Fourth, after I walk away I can hear the Sidekick device jittering away - normal?

-When you are walking away from Sidekick and you hear Sidekick shaking left and right is absolutely normal. It means Sidekick is consistently searching remote position. Please note that, any metal like clubs might deflect the remote signal slightly, so Sidekick might need to keep searching for correct remote position in order to follow in proper direction and motion.

I really want this to work but we are off to a shaky start. 

Hoping above will solve some of your queries, and please feel free to let mw know if any question, thanks!

[WaffleHouseTour]

Taking into account the suggestions Alphard shared with me in the previous post, I raised up the handle bar to ensure the Sidekick was above the height of the clubs and had much better results.  Set the sidekick to stay at my right, and I kept the remote in my right hand pants pocket. 

 

Youtube won't let me embed a "short" but this is what I meant about jittering - while holding the camera w one hand I moved the remote around and you can see it swivel and jitter to keep its aim/connection w the remote

 

 

Don't judge my yard to harshly - you can see I still have snow on the ground. My practice area back behind the rocks is still covered in ice...

The remote, below, is kinda chunky and on the big side.  The belt, pocket clip is kinda big too - you have to flip the locking mechanism (bottom) to open the top you'd slide over the belt or pocket...

    

When I finally get out onto the course I'll update with some real world experience. 

Anyone else out there with the Sidekick?

[ron-in-colorado]

I've had the exact same experience as WaffleHouseTour.  I sent an email to support but have not heard back but will take the advice mentioned in the post.  I tried it on the course both Saturday and Sunday and could not get it to consistently do anything and instead of trying to concentrate on getting it working, I just put my cable device back on and went on to concentrate on golf.  

[cksurfdude]

On 3/26/2023 at 4:51 PM, WaffleHouseTour said:

Anyone else out there with the Sidekick?

Finally arrived a few days ago; have not had a chance to try it yet... Will update, maybe after this coming weekend.

[GolFlikeaNUT]

Still waiting on my sidekick as of today 4/10/23

 

Maybe I was in the second or third wave of orders

[George_Mebz]

It's great to hear that you found the review helpful and informative! It's always a good idea to do your research and gather as much information as possible before making a purchase, especially when it comes to technology products. Hopefully, this review will help you make an informed decision when the time comes. Best of luck with your product search!

[did you see that?]

anyone install brackets for axglo/clicjgear 8?  alphard customer response has not been great.  wonder if all is well at the mother ship

[WaffleHouseTour]

Got the Sidekick out onto the course today.  Shaky start.  I don't know if it's because I just walk away from the cart too fast - but it didn't want to follow me.  R2D2, that's what I call the little Sidekick device attached to the cart handles because its jitters and spins... just doesn't want to get moving. I originally had it set to follow behind me - and I think that was a big part of the problem.  The clubs keeps getting in the way interfering with the signal. (see my earlier post w feedback from Alphard)  Finally on the third hole I set it to follow me on my right hand side, and I clipped the remote to my back right pocket.  For the most part, that worked better.  But I cannot say that it was flawless.  Hills and bumps in the farways posed all kinds of problems for R2.  If those front wheels came off the ground - and they often did - it would get stuck and not want to follow even after the wheels were all back on terra firma.  

On a positive note - I do like this remote.  When I first posted I did not - thought it was kinda chunky and big.  I finally figured out that clip is attached magnetically to the remote.  So I leave the clip clipped to my back right pocket and just pull the remote off and snap it back on.  Very nice.   

I learned that any time I have to go uphill of any kind I'm much better off just driving the thing with the remote - like I used to do.  Such first world problems...

I've got all kinds of problems with my cart popping wheelies and getting stuck - always have.  My plan to remedy this is to finally get some steel plates cut to zip tie to the front of the cart and try to weigh it down.  Maybe that will help R2.  Will report back on that later. 

One more small negative - I now have multiple items to charge up in the garage after the round - the eWheels like always, R2DS (the Sidekick) and the remote, and my Arccoss ink  so I need 3 usb plugs and a regular outlet too.  Again, such first world problems.  R2D2 and the remote both use a USB C, and the Link is a mini port - but all have a regular USB port at the other end of the cord. 

Last  observation - the eWheels uses more juice while running the Sidekick on top.  Not sure why - maybe it was just the problems I was experiencing today.  Just used up more of the 5 ring lights than I normally do.  And the remote definitely uses more power.  I maybe recharged the remote 3 or 4 times last year - I think I'll be doing it after every round - especially if it's communicating with not one but two devices.  

[Muckinfiddle]

7 hours ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

One more small negative - I know have multiple items to charge up in the garage after the round - the eWheels like always, R2DS (the Sidekick) and the remote, and my Arccoss ink  so I need 3 usb plugs and a regular outlet too.  Again, such first world problems.  R2D2 and the remote both use a USB C, and the Link is a mini port - but all have a regular USB port at the other end of the cord. 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6361093.p?skuId=6361093

Or you can replace the outlet with one that has USB ports in it.

I love my Alphard but the sidekick just doesn't seem to be the ideal companion for me. Seeing people having problems with it kind of confirms that on top of the fact that driving the thing keeps my mind off of hyper focusing on my game .

[cksurfdude]

11 hours ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

I've got all kinds of problems with my cart popping wheelies and getting stuck - always have.

Not sure what kind of cart you have, but maybe check if there's optional wheelie bars to fit onto it..? They can really help.

Also wondering if adding a bunch of weight with the steel plates may drain the battery faster ..?

Was also gonna suggest looking for a charger with multiple USB ports - can also find them on Amazon, etc. - def helps with cord tangle.

So in other news... Still have not tried ours yet - I'd gotten the eWheels + Sidekick combo for my wife, and at this point she's still getting comfortable driving it around so don't wanna push another new tech thing on her .. yet ..

[WaffleHouseTour]

5 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

Not sure what kind of cart you have, but maybe check if there's optional wheelie bars to fit onto it..? They can really help.

 

BagBoy Quad - and I do have the wheelie bars in back. I may need to experiment with making them longer so it doesn’t gate as much tilt. 
 

yeah, Ive thought about the weight drawing the battery more, but I’m game to at least try. 

[WaffleHouseTour]

R2Ds (Sidekick) worked flawlessly today. No errors, no getting stuck.  Had a system and stuck with it.  Kept the clip on my right back pocket - snapped it off and drove the eWheels between holes and around the green, and knew just to hit the "follow" button and R2 zipped right to me.  Get to the ball and hit the "follow" button again and it stopped.  

The only time I had a glitch - I stopped by my ball, forgot to hit the "follow" button to make it stop but it stopped anyway as expected, I grabbed my club and went back to the bal and it tried to follow me getting too close and circling around me.   Again, operator error. Was kinda funny.   

On steep hills I choose to "drive" it - so I can keep my hand on the handle to keep it moving up the hill without the wheels coming up.  

But it really did work great today.  Take back all my complaints from the other day.  Just took a little practice.  

 

[cksurfdude]

17 hours ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

BagBoy Quad - and I do have the wheelie bars in back. I may need to experiment with making them longer so it doesn’t gate as much tilt. 

Same cart, and yes I extended them a bit more and that does seem to help (tho my wife drives it fairly slowly and carefully ).

[cksurfdude]

12 hours ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

But it really did work great today.  Take back all my complaints from the other day.  Just took a little practice.  

Good to know .. thx!!

[Muckinfiddle]

19 hours ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

BagBoy Quad - and I do have the wheelie bars in back. I may need to experiment with making them longer so it doesn’t gate as much tilt. 
 

yeah, Ive thought about the weight drawing the battery more, but I’m game to at least try. 

The Quad is a little more upright and would be prone to wheelies I would think. My triswivel is super stable. I don't usually need the wheelie bars.

[did you see that?]

really bad customer service, really bad.   my hope is that this performs well because i would hate to have to try to contact them again.  my cart has a a bracket but there is no video for it and it wasn't a simple plug and play.  just an instruction sheet or make a 5 min video for the product.  huge disappointment, but fingers crossed on the product.  dont think i'll buy the sidekick when available since i cant count on support.