SkyCaddie has a new, simple, inexpensive golf GPS out now called the “Breeze.”
Is it a breeze to use? Let’s dive into this golf GPS review and find out.
Features
- Out of the box the breeze is loaded with about 30,000 courses
- Courses are auto-detected. Get to the course, turn the unit on and it automatically knows what course you’re playing
- GPS yardages to front, middle and back of the greens provided instantly, updating every second
- Measure shots on the course to track club distances
- Digital scorecard tracks scores and stats
- Sharp color TFT-LCD display is easy to read, even in direct sunlight
- Upgradeable feature set
On The Course
I’ve reviewed and tested many golf GPS units. My home course is new, at least to the GPS community. It is about 10-12 years old and for some reason doesn’t “come up” on many units. I have to download the course first. This is not the case with the Breeze. As advertised, I turned the unit on and my home course came right up.
The yardages the Breeze delivers are SOLID. Some GPS units can be quite off. I’ll shoot a yardage with my laser for comparison and sometimes other GPS units are off by 5, 10 and even more yards. Not the case with the Breeze. Yardages are right.
Using the digital scorecard is a new concept for me. I’d forget to punch in scores, but once I got the hang of it the feature was nice. Nothing beats a golf pencil with no eraser and a paper scorecard though.
I really like the shot tracking functionality. You can mark where you hit your shots to/from and the unit will give you the yardages. Want to REALLY know how far your 7-iron goes? You’ll find out. The biggest problem for me was remembering to do it. I’d get a yardage, hit the shot, then halfway to the green I’d realize I forgot to mark the shot.
To truly benefit from the scorecard and shot measuring features, one needs to get the hang of doing those during the routine of the shot process.
Battery life on the unit is great. No issues with unit running out of juice in the middle of a round.
Upgradeable
My test unit from SkyCaddie does not include the upgradeable feature set. I’d love to get that functionality running and do a follow-up review. I’ll cover the additional available features here, but don’t have any on-course comments about them.
Feature pack 1 includes “IntelliGreen Pro.” This feature set gives the user reads on distances and major contours of the greens as well as false fronts.
Feature pack 2 has an “interactive hole view” which gives overviews of the hole. These zoomable features allow you to read the hole from above to read hazards, hole shapes and course routing. Quick view, part of this same feature pack, is an overview picture of the hole.
Dynamic RangeVue is part of Feature pack 3. Multiple arcs overlay across the fairway landing areas and greens to show the best club for all shot lines. PinPoint is also part of this pack. With PinPoint the user puts a mark on the green for pin placements to get better and more accurate yardages.
Critiques
I always include critiques in my reviews, even if they’re minor. I have two for this unit:
My first critique is the membership fee. Many GPS units out there do not charge a membership fee. For you penny pinchers out there, the unit may be less expensive at first but be sure to build in the cost of membership plans in factoring in the overall cost of the unit.
My second critique is with the dual navigation button. This button is a mini joystick style button used to navigate the screen and perform other functions. It is meant to give the user “one hand” style operation but I find it to be much less easy to use than a simple set of arrow keys would be.
Accessories
The unit charges with an included wall charger or via the computer’s USB cable. A clip system allows the Breeze to mount to the player’s belt, golf bag etc.
Conclusion
The Breeze is an entry-level golf GPS at a $229.95 retail price point. The features are basic but the most important a golfer needs from a GPS. The performance and features included out of the box are very solid and accurate. A high caliber player can depend on the numbers. The upgradeability of the unit is nice if one wants to get started with the basic features and add more features a la carte later.
The Breeze is like having a sprinkler head in your pocket, without getting wet pants.
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
I was very excited to get the Breeze with the bigger screen and sleek look.Really its work great.
The easy to use employee and job monitoring application ensures you are updated everytime. Great app. to use and great interface. Four Stars!!
Gps Tracking