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This all-in-one system from SkyCaddie is a triumph, writes equipment editor James Savage.
Our SkyCaddie Linx GT review took place on the course at Hillsborough.
We’ve long been fans of SkyCaddie GPS rangefinders as they ground-map all their courses to ensure accuracy.
In my testing experience I’ve found SkyCaddie products to be very robust and reliable with perhaps lacking a bit of wow factor.
With the Linx GT they have really upped their game from a tech and style point of view by adding a full game-tracking feature.
We believe this to be the first GPS watch to include proper game-tracking so were keen to get it out on to the course to see how it all worked.
SkyCaddie Linx GT review – First impressions
As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, I’m very impatient and sometimes the mere thought of setting up something like this fills me with dread.
The watch was fully charged when I took it out of the box but I was impressed with the way the charger attaches to the back.
Sometimes chargers on GPS watches can be a bit fiddly but this one has a magnet on it so sticks on very easily.
Next up I had to download the SkyCaddie app to my phone then sync together with the watch via Bluetooth.
This should have been straight-forward but I had a few issues accessing my SkyCaddie account. (I forgot my password and had to reset etc.)
It is a slight downside for me that you need to have an ‘account’ with SkyCaddie products.
With many other watches you can just turn them on and play with all the courses pre-loaded.
However, I can see the merits with the Linx GT’s game-tracking feature so you can have all your round stats stored in one place.
Well, actually it’s two places because there’s a basic SkyCaddie app which you use for the round-tracking but then those results are also uploaded to your Sky360 account where there’s a lot more detail.
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Ah yes, the game-tracking. How do you set that up then?
You get a bag full of tags which all need to be placed in the butt of the grip of each club in your bag.
Then you need to press the tag from each club on to the watch and then on your phone with the app open, tell the app which club it is.
From start (taking it out of the box) to finish, this process did take me about an hour. But once it’s done, it’s done.
I was ready to head to Hillsborough for a round.
SkyCaddie Linx GT review – The results
So I’ve made my way to the first tee. I have to tell the watch that I want to play golf and it finds my course with no trouble at all. Good start.
Then I have to tell the app on my phone that I’m about to start playing and that I want to track my shots.
I tap my driver onto the watch, it vibrates forcefully and tells me I have selected to use driver. I’m ready to hit a shot.
So for the rest of the round, I tap each club on the watch, including my putter, before hitting each shot.
What I really like about this system is when you tap each new club it tells you how far you’ve hit the previous shot.
What I also like is the fact you have a fully functional GPS watch for your front-back-middle numbers. You could just use it as a rangefinder without the game-tracking if you choose.
The fact you’ve got the watched synced up to your phone means it will vibrate with alerts for calls, texts and social media messages.
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This was a feature I decided to mute but if you’re waiting for an important call, it’s well-worth having.
On my first go with this system, I really didn’t have any problems but I learned a few dos and don’ts as I made my way round.
For example, if the next tee is close to the previous green make sure the watch knows you’re moving onto the next hole.
It might think you’ve gone putter, driver on the green and no matter how bad you are with the flat-stick, that scenario is highly unlikely.
It does have auto-hole recognition but when the tee is close by, simply press the up button on the watch and it will know you’re on the next hole.
Another thing to be wary of is the fact you are being tracked everywhere you go.
For example, on one hole, a par-3, I missed the green to the right with my tee shot, chipped on with a lob wedge then went to the toilet before grabbing my putter to finish the hole.
I had two putts so the score recorded should have been a four. But when I checked my score afterwards it had added two further shots.
It obviously assumed that I had another shot when I went to the toilet and then another when I went to my bag to grab my putter.
I guess it tries to account for when players forget to tag a club before a shot. It was possible to correct this post-round.
SkyCaddie Linx GT review – NCG verdict
Once you’ve got yourself set up and ready to play – this is a fantastic piece of kit.
I really like the watch itself and would put it up there with the best on the market on its own without the game-tracking feature.
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It’s a bit sleeker and more stylish than previous Sky Caddie watches but still very easy to use and reliable.
The game-tracking feature was no problem to use. It was good fun to try out when playing a round on my own but if I was required to interact with other people and operate this system that may be a little bit too much like multi-tasking for me.
I was very impressed with the stats which were available post-round.
Have a quick glance at the SkyCaddie app immediately after you’ve finished playing and then when you get into the clubhouse or back home you can go through your round in bit more detail on the Sky360 app.
It’s very useful for knowing where your common misses are and how far each of your clubs go.
There’s fairways hit, greens in regulation, putts, scrambling etc… so you can identify areas for improvement the next time you play.
As an all-in-one system this is a triumph from SkyCaddie and if you love a good bit of tech out on the golf course we think the Linx GT will be right up your street.
More information about the Linx GT, which has an SRP of £299.95, can be found on the SkyCaddie website.
