SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook Review

This Digital Tourbook Helps You Play The Course Like a Pro

Ryan Heiman
Founder and head author at Independent Golf Reviews

I got my yardages like a pro with the SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook. This handheld GPS has accuracy like a laser while showing all the course details like we see on tour players using to hit the correct shots. This Tourbook has the potential to improve your game with course knowledge and accuracy.

This is the definitive SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook Review for 2024.

Tourbook?

If you have ever watched a PGA Tour event you’ve seen the professional pull out this flip book with notes, distances and maps which help them navigate their round. Imagine a digital version of that called the SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook. It can do everything a “tourbook” can but way better and for any of the 35,000 courses that SkyCaddie has mapped. The only way to get better at golf is with practice and knowledge. While the SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook isn’t going to take care of the practice side of your game, the knowledge this device has should certainly help you improve and make better on-course decisions.

Laser Accuracy?

SkyCaddie doesn’t rely on “google maps” or some generic GPS system to acquire distances on the course, they have physically mapped the course from the ground to give you the most accurate GPS in golf. There tend to be two camps of golfers: Lasers and GPS. The SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook is the closes I’ve ever used to a laser in a GPS. I could pinpoint on my map another cart, a golfer, or any other object and get within 5 yards. This is more than accurate enough for making decisions about hitting. If I pulled up the green map and moved the flag I could get it to within about 1 yard on most attempts. While I know lasers get to the .1 of a yard, I’m not anywhere close to that accurate with my clubs. This thing is ACCURATE!!

On-Course Function

The SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook is a dedicated golf GPS. The 5.5″ screen looks and functions like any other high quality smart phone. You slide, pinch, swipe, toggle, etc just like you would on your phone without any distracting text messages or phone calls. That really is the beauty of this tourbook. Golf is supposed to be an escape, time away from “work” and if you use that GPS app on your phone, everything else comes along with it; not with the SkyCaddie PRO 5x Tourbook. The simple on/off button the two side buttons control brights while the other side has a select button which makes this touch screen golf GPS easy to use and simple to navigate. Touch the screen and away you go. SkyCaddie did a great job of making a touchscreen that can function through a golf glove. Not every phone does that, but SkyCaddie is a golf only GPS so it makes sense to function with a glove on.

Performance

This is where the SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook shines. Their dedicated maps paired with this large screen means you can zoom in, slide, get dynamic views and feel like you have all the information to make shot decisions. The screen is bright so you can see it clearly no matter how intense the sun is. The maps load fast, holes auto advance, you can keep score, you can track stats, it really is like the pros paper “tourbook”. The GPS distances were spot on every time and the ability to easily move the pin on the green help navigate club choices for approach shots. I love the additional lines and yardages that help show what range of shot I might hit. The SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook is better than any tourbook a pro carries around with its laser like precision.

LONG Battery Life

The laser vs GPS debate almost always comes down to battery life. I can throw a laser in the bag and not worry about it for almost the entire season whereas GPS usually needs to be recharged after every round. The SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook has INCREDIBLE battery life. I used it for 5 rounds on a single charge. It does have an auto sleep feature to save battery life, but I made sure to power it down after each round. The LONG battery life is impressive and helpful since I don’t remember to recharge a GPS after every round, nor are my rounds planned too far in advance that get ready ahead of time. Well done Sky Caddie with the very long battery life of this handheld GPS.

Summary

The SkyCaddie PRO 5x GPS Tourbook is the best handheld GPS unit I’ve ever used and there isn’t even a close 2nd. The accuracy, ease of use, and super long battery life makes this the best handheld golf GPS you can buy. The only small drawback that it has is the required yearly subscription. The 1st year is free with the $399 purchase, but after that there is $60 fee to have access to all of the SkyCaddie GPS features and library. I know this allows SkyCaddie to keep up their maps and generates future income, but I’d love to see them include it for life rather than just a year or the 3 years you can buy up-front. Regardless of the subscription, the SkyCaddie PRO 5X GPS Tourbook has laser accurate yardages so you can make informed choices like a tour pro.

For more information: www.skygolf.com

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About The Author

Ryan Heiman – Founder and Head Author of Independent Golf Reviews
Ryan has over 10 years of experience testing and writing golf reviews of nearly every brand out there.
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