SkyCaddie LINX

SkyCaddie has officially entered the GPS watch market with the launch of The LINX GPS Sports Watch. This watch breaks the mold of SkyCaddie's products that don't work without a membership; The LINX provides distances to the front, center and back of the green, as well as layup targets right out of the box, with no additional membership fee.

Of course with SkyCaddie, you can always upgrade. For an additional fee, you can access all of the company's full suite of course-mapping features including IntelliGreen technology which provides actual green shapes and exact distances to specific points on the green which provides maps of the green as well as the ability to receive distance information to specific points on the green including +/- 1 yard of the pin. A TrueGround Target List with up to 40 hazards, carries and layups per hole is also included. You can set it up and see how far you hit a particular shot and how far you walked during the round. The SkyCaddie LINK GPS watch comes preloaded with over 34,000 courses around the world.

The LINX does a good job of providing the basics GPS features: course recognition, auto-hole advance, digital scoring and hole statistics (GIR, fairways hit, total putts). It also automatically updates the list of targets as you advance from tee to green.

But it doesn't stop there, the SkyCaddie LINX also offers a lot of standard watch and fitness watch features. It can be used as a stopwatch, pedometer and calorie counter. It's water resistant in up to 30 meters of water. The large, easy-to read display features reversed polarity options for superior visibility.

The LINX is Bluetooth-enabled; just download the SkyGolf mobile app and the watch becomes capable of receiving smart alerts for calls and texts from your smartphone. The rechargeable lithium ion battery uses an alligator clip which connects to the back of the watch and a USB cord. Not happy with either the white or black model? No problem; the bezel and band can be changed to any of five other colors so you can match it to just about any outfit you have.

As a GPS, the SkyCaddie LINX is best in class; no other GPS watch is as feature packed. What sets this product apart is that it's also a good looking time piece, not bulky and awkward looking like some of its competitors.

The SkyCaddie LINX runs around $250 and is available at most major golf retailers and online outlets. The Bluetooth app is free and works with iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. For more information on this or any other SkyCaddie product, you can visit their website at www.skygolf.com. You can also renew your subscription here as well.