Golf GPS pioneer SkyCaddie, which positions itself as ‘the only Distance Measuring Device brand committed to updating course information accurately’, is approaching a remarkable milestone. SkyCaddie’s global mapping team will shortly have updated over 5,000 golf courses in the previous twelve months, making 2015 the most prolific year of course updates in the company’s 12-year history.
The statistic means that SkyCaddie is currently updating an average of 15 golf courses every single day of the year, somewhere in the world.
Since 2003 SkyCaddie has conducted accurate ‘ground-mapping’ surveys on foot throughout the world, in a yearly course map updating service which ensures that golfers play with the most accurate information possible.
Most frequently, golf courses notify SkyCaddie when they make changes, so that they can schedule a mapping appointment to update the brand’s global course map database. However, SkyCaddie’s global mapping team also scan social media constantly in search of potential course updates, with alerts also coming in from golfers on Twitter on a daily basis.
Spearheaded by Course Enablement Managers Mike O’Donnell and Steve Winstone in North America and Europe respectively, the brand’s golf course mapping teams use GPS-enabled surveying equipment to walk every fairway, every bunker, lake, green and significant hazard on the world’s golf courses to produce maps for SkyCaddie devices, setting the industry benchmark for mapping accuracy.
Steve Winstone said: “SkyCaddie simply stands head and shoulders above the rest as regards the frequency, accuracy and techniques deployed when we update the information we hold about a golf course”.
Winstone, who posts daily about the latest updated SkyCaddie maps to almost 10,000 Followers on his @skycaddiesteve Twitter account, is frequently stopped on course by golfers keen to discover what he is up to. “Golfers constantly ask me if the update I am doing will be available on their GPS device” he said. “SkyCaddie customers are naturally delighted when they realise that their GPS will soon be more up-to-date than the devices which their non-SkyCaddie friends own.
“And, without exception, those who don’t own a SkyCaddie are always disappointed to hear that the course map on their GPS device is about to be out of date! With aerial golf course maps so infrequently updated, SkyCaddie users who take advantage of our frequent on-foot updates can often be five years ahead of other GPS-using golfers as regards accurate course information”.
SkyCaddie customers enjoy another vital benefit courtesy of the regularly-updated maps, reckoned Winstone. “It’s all about how much confidence you have in the device” he said. “A large number of GPS customers suffer the uncertainty of not knowing when their course map was last updated. Indeed I know of many examples where golfers simply haven’t taken their GPS with them on holiday, simply because they don’t trust the course information.
“But SkyCaddie customers who regularly update their device can play a new course ‘blind’ in the knowledge that they have the very latest course map on the market. That equals more confidence when hitting the shot, and ultimately leads to better golf.”
SkyCaddie www.skycaddie.co.uk
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