The Sonocaddie V300 Golf GPS is a handheld color golf GPS unit featuring an easy-to-read LCD screen even in direct sunlight. The device is highly compact and provides accurate yardages and detailed downloadable course information (for a one-time fee).
Sonocaddie V300 Color Golf GPS Review – Features at a glance
- size: 4.3″ x 2.3″ x 1.1″
- weight: 4.95 ounces
- rechargeable battery, lasts up to 15 hours
- waterproof
- digital scorecard
- game analysis functionality
- stores up to 30 courses, 100 rounds and 100 scorecards
- 2.2″ color, sunlight-readable LCD screen
Click here to view more product features.
Sonocaddie V300 Color Golf GPS Review – Pros & cons
Pros
The Sonocaddie V300 Color Golf GPS is a highly portable and lightweight device that can easily fit in the palm of your hand.
A sometimes-overlooked but essential feature in a golf GPS device is an easily readable screen in direct sunlight. This is one of the most commonly-praised features of the Sonocaddie V300 GPS.
Being waterproof is probably nearly essential for a golf GPS unit, and this device doesn’t disappoint. You can easily mount it on a push cart and continue playing without worry during a slight drizzle.
Unlike several other golf GPS units, this item does not have an annual fee for downloading courses. Instead, you can simply make a one-time payment of $29.95 for a lifetime Sonostar GPS membership and get unlimited access to all golf courses (from a choice of over 18,000) as well as updates. If a golf course is not available, you can even send an email to Sonocaddie and request to have it mapped, though of course it will take some time.
Battery life is an important consideration especially when your unit is a rechargeable one. Customers have reported a longer battery life in this unit than what is advertised (15 hours), which is pretty rare in advertising indeed.
The accuracy of yardages is important in any good golf GPS device, and once again, the Sonocaddie does not disappoint here. The following customer testimonials are testament to the accuracy and versatility of the item:
“…Very accurate when I measure it against yardage markers. The analysis is very informative when you use the “pro” scorecard. This one is a winner!…(continued)”
“…It comes with everything you need to manage it except for a golf course. You can use it to measure the distance from your house to the stop sign at the end of your street without a golf course if you want…(continued)”
The following video highlights the main features of this golf GPS unit.
Cons
To download course information, you need a Windows machine. This can be a dealbreaker if you only own a Mac.
Unfortunately, customer experiences with the accuracy of course information (in particular, the location of hazards) on the Sonocaddie seems to be a little mixed. It appears that while information for most courses is highly accurate, information for a few others is not nearly as accurate. This is perhaps not surprising considering the one-time fee of the membership as opposed to an annual fee imposed by other units. It is also important to note that many other GPS units suffer from the same problem. The flexibility of manually editing and customizing your favorite fairways on the spot comes in handy in such cases.
Another reported issue with this unit is that the buttons are somewhat hard to press. With a little getting used to, however, this becomes a non-issue.
In spite of all these limitations, however, the unit has still managed to garner mostly favorable reviews online on sites such as Amazon.com, in part thanks to the great customer service offered by Sonocaddie, as evidenced by the following testimonial:
“…I needed mapping for a course and they had that done within a few weeks. After an error on my part, I was getting an error message on my V300 when trying to connect to my computer. After calling the service 1-800 number, they resolved the problem within 15 minutes. They were friendly, polite and professional. I would highly recommend the V300…(continued)”
Sonocaddie V300 Color Golf GPS Review – The Bottomline
The Sonocaddie V300 Color Golf GPS is a versatile handheld device that can provide accurate yardages and course information on a clear, sunlight-readable screen. While the course information can sometimes be inaccurate, you can easily edit in or remove information in a matter of seconds. Furthermore, the support provided by Sonocaddie is outstanding. With just a one-time fee instead of annual fees for membership, the relatively slightly higher base price of this unit can easily pay itself off within a couple of years.
Be sure to click here and heck out Amazon.com for great bargains on the Sonocaddie V300 Color Golf GPS.
Filed under: Sonocaddie V300 Color Golf GPS.