Every time I think I’m done with all the equipment I need for golfing, it happens. This time though, you can’t blame me, and I don’t even have one in my hand yet. (note: yet! ) I’ve been a bit critical towards a few shortcomings on my SkyCaddie SG-3,sure. There’s been many newcomers to the golfer’s GPS handhelds in the last few years, many of them with some really cool features. Finally, it’s arrived:

That’s what I’m talking about! This thing will rock. Why? Can you imagine a device knowing every club you pull out of your bag, recording how well you hit with it, and building a database for you so you can see it? WOW! It’s called SmartClub Technology and it’s done with wireless chips embedded into the end of your clubs. You eventually create a profile for yourself,and a Club Ranging Meter will show you where your clubs fit into the next set of distances displayed. Good grief, that just sounds too cool. And that’s just the start of the new features.

There are so many features, I’m kind of getting drowned int he facts here. Did I mention it’ll tell you if you forgot a club back at the 6th hole? Seriously, if it senses that a chip embedded iron is not in the bag, it’ll tell you.Unbelievable! That, will definitely be needed, at least with me. I’m also reading about the improved satellite acquisition technology. Again, my SG-3 is a bit slow on occasion in regards to that, so there was room for some improvement there.

The SGX comes with a 3″ TFT LCD display, in colour of course. Also, a lithium ion battery(rechargeable) good for up to 14 hours. I could easily squeeze out 3 rounds without recharging. Might need that extra juice for the SD card you can now use with the SGX, to expand storage. Also, and I’m not really sure why this always pleases me, it conforms to USGA and R&A rulings, unlike my irons of course! The SGFX uses only ground-verified course maps,which translates to more accuracy.

Ok, this next feature is not so new, but it’s welcome in my book. Unlike previous versions, there will be up to 30,000 courses preloaded onto the device. I’ve seen other brands with this feature and I certainly thought that would be nice on my SG-3. Hell, I was happy when mine upgraded from 10 to 20. Obviously 30,000 is way more than enough, but to be able to load every single course that I play would save the hassle of worrying if I have the golf course I’m playing next on the device. I’m thinking I’d probably load every course within 500 miles of me, that should keep me pretty safe.

Another feature introduced is the ability to rotate the green, depending from where you are approaching the green. For a blind shot, this will really help a golfer as you can really see that side bunker is now actually between you and the hole. Along with Interactive HoleVue(with Zoom),no excuses now, right? I’ve talked about HoleVue in a previous post,which gives you the distance to any point on a given hole,but now with a zooming feature.

Lastly, I want to talk about ClubSG. What is that,you say?

This is where it all happens online. You can Sync your SkyCaddie to ClubSG, where it’ll take the data from your round and do it’s thing. Here, you can store your game info and track all your data BUT it’s a lot more than that. Seems the social media craze is making it’s presence felt everywhere as ClubSG is also an online community where you can socialize with other golfers,learn more about golf courses, etc. I’ll have to use this before I can see how well it can someone, but it’s there.

So, there you have it. All that bundled in a water-resistant case. It should start becoming available Q2 for somewhere in the $500(Cdn) range. I’m not sure what theSmartClub kit will cost,as this unit is only SmartClub CAPABLE, meaning the kit is not included. But I did mention,with the kit installed, it’ll tell you if you lost a club!

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