IZZO Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit
November 19, 2009 by admin
Filed under Amazon US Golf Products
Too low to display
Product Description
Golf Swami 1500 GPS
Simple, Fast & Accurate! SWAMI is everything a golfer needs in a GPS unit. Featuring Insta-Lok Technology & powered by the latest SIRFStar III chip, the SWAMI instantly calculates distance to the Front, Center and Back of the green of 12,000 downloadable US courses.
SWAMI stores up to 10 courses at a time and automatically recognizes the course you're playing on power-up. Easy to use buttons and a large display allows you to quickly cycle from hole to hole for quicker play.
The rechargeable Lithium Ion battery holds a charge for a minimum of 12 hours at a time for extended play. Finally a GPS unit, with the features you need, at a great price.Amazon.com Product Description
Golf is a game of precision, so why depend on ballpark guesses when estimating the distance to the green? Enter the Izzo Swami 1500, a fully featured golf GPS unit that offers everything you need to approach the pin with confidence. Powered by the latest SIRFStar III chip and equipped with Insta-Lok technology, the Swami instantly calculates the distance to the front, center, and back of the green on more than 12,000 courses across the U.S., turning your golf game from piffling to precise. The Swami is easier to use and more accurate than a laser rangefinder. That's because the Swami measures distances without requiring a direct line of sight to the target, while a laser rangefinder can only measure to the flagstick or other defined objects within its sight. Plus, a rangefinder's accuracy is highly dependent on how far you are from the target, whereas the Swami's GPS technology is accurate to within a few feet. Most importantly, the Swami simply helps you play better golf. When you know the exact distance to the flag and the borders of the green, you can pick the right club for the distance and do it faster. No more wasting time searching for yardstick markers or sprinkler heads. Just upload the course from the online Swami Map Manager (subscription required) before your round, stand under an open sky, and the Swami's Insta-Lok technology does the rest, locking in the correct yardage to a target with minimal lag time. Even when riding in a cart, the yardage changes instantly.
The Swami stores up to 10 courses at a time and automatically recognizes the course you're playing upon powering up. The Swami is also a breeze to use, with intuitive buttons and a large display that allows you to quickly cycle from hole to hole. And even though the Swami is precise and user-friendly, it costs about half as much as most other golf GPS systems. That's because Izzo streamlined the latest technology while maintaining only the most vital features in an effort to make the Swami more affordable. The navigator is built using the same state-of-the-art technology as the highest-end GPS units, but without the costly bells and whistles that most golfers don't really need or use.
The Swami is perfectly legal to use in many handicaps and tournaments, as both the USGA and the R&A have allowed the use of distance measuring devices when the local governing committee permits it. Users should always check with the local golf pro if the event is a USGA-sanctioned tournament before using the Swami on the course. Other features include an easy-to-use PC connection for downloads and charging; a rechargeable lithium battery that runs for a minimum of 12 hours per charge; a water-resistant housing; and OS compatibility with Windows 2000, XP, and Vista. The Swami 1500, which measures 3.75 by 1 by 2 inches (W x H x D), carries a 90-day warranty.
Key Details:
- Insta-Lok technology provides accurate distance information to the front, center, and back of the green
- Large, easy-to-read display
- 4 simple-to-use buttons
- 12,000 courses available
- Stores up to 10 courses at a time
- Automatic course recognition on power up
- SIRFstar III technology
- Simple, easy PC connection for downloads and charging
- Rechargeable lithium battery included
- Runs for a minimum of 12 hours without recharging
- Measures 3.75 by 1 by 2 inches (W x H x D)
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| The compact Swami 1500 includes a belt clip, wall unit charger, USB cable, quick-start instructions, CD-ROM setup disk |
What's in the Box?
Swami 1500, CD-ROM setup disc, belt clip, USB cable, battery wall charger, quick-start guide.
Note: An initial $9.99 activation fee is required to download course maps. With this fee you will receive unlimited course downloads for one full year from the time of your activation. After one year, you are not required to reactivate. If you choose not to reactivate, courses loaded on your Swami will remain on the unit; however, you will not receive course updates or be able to download new courses to your unit unless the activation fee is renewed.
IZZO Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit
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Worked pretty good on a couple of courses but on one
would not recognize the course.
I do like the service peopleIZZO Swami 1500 Golf GPS Unit
Rating: 3 / 5
I bought the unit and received it in a very timely manner. The unit was easy to program by downloading courses onto it from the website. There is a $10 annual fee for access the website in order add course downloads and software updates (cd and instructions included with the unit). You are not required to renew every year. The unit holds up to 10 coarses, which you can change if you desire or you can just have the 10 and never have need to access the website again. There were two courses I wanted that were not listed. I requested and they were mapped with 4-5 days. I was notified they were available and I added them to the unit without any trouble. I used my unit on a course that had GPS in the cart and the Swami unit read within 5 yards of the yardage noted on the cart’s GPS system(for my game,that is close enough).I recommend this unit as an excellent value for the money.
Rating: 5 / 5
This device basically does one thing, and does it well: displays distance to the green. One of the four buttons, labeled FCB, cycles through the distance to Front, Center, and Back of the green, so it is possible to determine depth of the green as the difference between front and back. The other three buttons are on/off, next hole, and previous hole. There’s no touchscreen, scorekeeping, weather reporting, etc.
This is my evaluation, based on limited (several rounds) experience:
Pros
+ Simple and effective
+ Accurate (within a couple yards of on-course markers and center of green)
+ Good battery life (at least 4 rounds per charge)
+ Includes AC/USB adapter (computer not required to charge the device)
+ Large LCD display; numbers easily seen at a glace
+ No issues with software, setup, course selection, downloading
+ Good value, considering base price and $10 annual data fee
Neutral
o Plastic belt clip - I wonder how long until it breaks
o Overall size is not small, though effective use of front surface space with the LCD and buttons.
o Ten (10) course capacity is reasonable
Cons
- A bit thick: almost 1″ at widest point on the belt clip.
- USB/charging port is not protected. What will happen when it gets wet?
- It only goes in the belt clip in one direction. If worn on the belt, you look at the numbers and controls upside down. Or, if clipped upside down, there is the risk is falls off the belt or out of the clip.
[end of review 10/17/09]
Rating: 5 / 5
Simply put, this is the best deal on an entry level golf gps out there. All it does is lock onto the satelites fast, recognize the course you are playing without any input from you, and tell you how far you are from the center, back or front of the green. It updates constantly as you move, and all you have to do is hit the ^ button after each hole, advancing it to the next one. The readout is large enough to see from quite a distance, so you can clip it to the cart when carts are allowed on the grass, but it’s more than small enough to fit comfortably in your pocket. If you are good enough to need distances to all the hazzards on each hole, and are willing to pay at least twice as much, look elsewhere. Otherwise, this unit this close to $100 is the bomb. Be sure the wall charger is included, ’cause some vendors are lowballing this unit without telling you it isn’t in the box. (Charging it with the computer cable included requires that your computer and their software is running, and this can be a bit of a bother sometimes.) Their annual course download fee is only 10$, not the 35$ everyone else wants. It only holds 10 courses at a time, but downloading others is a snap and they will map any course for you that they don’t already have. (they had all the ones I wanted already mapped) The charge lasts 12 hours, but you do have to be responsible enough to turn it off when you are done, something Izzo might consider correcting in the future with an auto off feature.
Rating: 5 / 5
Bought the SWAMI 1500 because all I really need is distance numbers; front, back and center. Three of my playing partners spent between $275 and $450 on GPS units to get the same yardage information. Granted the SWAMI doesn’t post your scores, do statistical analysis of your game, have a color display, show the shape of the green and all the other trick stuff. Just give me the number so I can get the ball on the green.
For $125 it is well worth the money. There was a local course that was not mapped yet and within 6 days after requesting I received an email saying it was ready to go. Great service.
Rating: 4 / 5