I've now played 30+ rounds with the uPro. Its got some good points and some bad, I suppose this is like any new device, especially one that is from a brand new company.
br /
br /The Good
br /- Distances are right on.
br /- Basic mode gives you a quick, easy to read view of distance to the green and distance to reach and carry hazards.
br /- Mark feature allows you to measure the length of your shots. Sometimes gives erroneous readings. However, this only happened when I kept the uPro in my pocket, so maybe buttons were being pressed by accident.
br /- Aerial view of the hole is awesome. Like looking at a yardage book, with continuously updating distances. There is a small red diamond that marks your position on the hole and moves with you. I almost ran into a 150 yard pole because I was so fascinated with watching the little diamond track my position on the satellite view! Hazards like bunkers are marked front and back and also update continuously.
br /- Measure Mode lets you get a measurement to any point on the hole. I have used it to find the distance back into the fairway, but you really need a tree or something on the satellite image to reference. I have also used it to find distances not mapped by the company, like a layup distance to the front of a creek.
br /- Trans-reflective screen is easy to see in Basic View even in bright sunlight. However, in Pro Mode, it can be difficult to see. You need to experiment with the viewing angle to get it right. I've found that in bright sunlight, you can see the screen best if you are angling it just off where the sun would be reflecting into your eyes. Or shade the screen with your hand.
br /- No subscriptions! You pay only for the courses you want. Courses cost the same no matter where in the country (and eventually the world) they are located. You never have to buy a course twice, even if you upgrade the device or have to replace the unit (lost, stolen, broken). Courses are expensive if you buy them one at a time. One course costs $10 (3 credits), but if you buy 150 credits ($120), that comes to only $2.40 per Pro course. I bought 150 credits, and I probably won't ever have to buy credits again (at least not for a very long time).
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br /
br /The Bad
br /- One course had strangely mapped points on a couple holes. Some don't make sense (you can tell they haven't played the course!) However, I sent an email to support and they corrected the problem in a couple weeks.
br /- Sync is VERY slow. I timed it, and to sync and download 1 course took over 10 minutes. Be patient.
br /- When syncing, the status box shows up in front of all other windows (on Windows XP) and cannot be moved to the back. So your computer is effectively stuck doing one thing for 10 minutes.
br /- No subscriptions. I put this item in both The Good and The Bad because it depends on your point of view. If you play a whole lot of courses (more than 50), then it could get quite expensive. But I play only about 15 courses on a regular basis, plus about 3 or so each year on a vacation trip.
br /- Distances do not automatically update if you are using the measure function in Pro Mode. You have to either exit measure mode, or switch back to basic mode to get an update distance.
br /- Not all courses are mapped yet. In Denver, about 70% of the courses are mapped. But of the 15-20 I play regularly, about 95% are mapped. Many of those that are not mapped yet are scheduled to be mapped in 2008. There is a schedule on uPro's website (www.uprogps.com). And if you choose an unmapped course as your home course, they will have it mapped in 4 business days, guaranteed. I would recommend checking all the courses you play before buying this device.
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br /
br /The Ugly
br /- The software needs a little work--freezes up from time to time. During the first two rounds, it froze up once in each round. While annoying, all you have to do is hold the power button down for 8 seconds to force a power-off, then turn it back on. Of course, the re-boot process and getting back to your current hole takes a couple minutes. Their customer service department claims a firmware update will be available "in the next few weeks". I turned off the "automatic hole advance", and this seemed to fix the problem. The last 25+ rounds were freeze-up free after changing this setting. The automatic hole advance is unnecessary in my opinion. From the "Green View", you can simply press the up button to advance to the next hole, or press the down button to go to the previous hole.
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br /
br /Suggestions
br /- Create a graphical overlay for the aerial views, or figure out a way to make them higher contrast. The Pro Mode can be somewhat difficult to see in bright sunlight.
br /- Faster downloading/sync
br /- Find and fix the bugs in the software that cause the freeze-ups
br /- If the upcoming software can mark every ball location, its only a matter of time before it will keep your score, shot-by-shot. On the uPro website they state that additional software to keep score will be available by late summer 2008. Of course, if it freezes up and you lose data then such a feature is worthless.
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br /
br /The Bottom Line
br /This is a very new company and a very new product. Like most new products, they have a few bugs to work out. I'm going to stick with them and hopefully they will be committed to fixing the problems. If a year goes by and the same problems exist, I might regret this purchase. But right now I'm pretty darn happy with it!

Since I wrote this in August, uPro has contiued to perform wonderfully. The company just upgraded the software for even more stable performance, and I saw this review if you have any questions about mine: http://thehackersparadise.com/home/?p=505#more-505
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br /I had been in the market for my first GPS rangefinder, and have read tons of reviews for the uPro, SkyCaddie, and SonoCaddie and Garmin. The uPro clearly seemed to have the best features; however I was a little concerned about some of the reviews so I went to the uPro web site and then called them. After some discussion with one of their very helpful customer service representatives, I went with the uPro and wanted to share my experience.
br /INSTALLATION
br /I received my uPro, and went to register with their website. I have a Dell laptop running the hated Vista but had absolutely no problem. Course download was a bit slow but still was only about 10 minutes.
br /On course availability - I live in Orange County, California. Within 5 miles there are 8 courses available, and within 10 miles there are at least 22. For other less golf-intense areas, the company says they are mapping over 1000 courses a month. I found a course which was not already mapped and called that my home course. I thought they had missed the 4-day guarantee, but then they explained that the 1st day of the guarantee starts the day AFTER you make the request. This seems more like a 4.5 day guarantee, but in either case, got the course and have played it a couple times since with great results.
br /* I also like the onetime fee for purchasing courses. I know that some of the units come with all the courses included, but after seeing the flyovers and the actual satellite images on the uPro, I can't imagine ever going back. They are awesome.
br /The unit comes with an ONLINE manual. My Dell laptop does the same thing - maybe I'm used to it, but this did not represent a problem for me.
br /USABILITY
br /* The uPro itself really is small enough to fit easily in a pocket. It is about the size of my LG Chocolate phone, which I have no problem just slipping it into my pants pocket. The display is easy to see in direct sunlight, and gets even better if you shade it or get the reflection at the right angle
br /* Responsiveness during play is also excellent - from the time that I take it out of my pocket, I can use the measure mode to do a layup measurement in just a couple of seconds. I have never been so confident about where I'm hitting my ball and what club I'm using as I do when I use my uPro
br /It is simply no contest. SkyCaddie, Garmin, and Sonocaddie - Pack your bags!
br /

I got the Upro a couple of weeks ago. Hooked it up to my mac,which has Parallel, and Vista installed on it. I had trouble getting the Upro to load up,so I grabbed my laptop running windows XP,and was off and running. I found my home course that wasn't mapped yet and requested it. 4 business days later I had my course mapped, just like Upro promises.
br /I have played 2 rounds using the Upro and this thing is awesome. It is very accurate with yardage and with hazards. It is very simple to navigate thru the different screens on the Upro, pro mode vs basic mode. My only complaints with this product so far is that the screen in pro mode is a little hard to see in the sun, but basic mode is just fine.
br /The aerial images are not as crisp and clear as it leads you to believe by watching the demo on Upros website.
br /As one reviewer said no manual, but really no big deal, just go to Upros website and download the pdf manual to you computer.
br /Bottomline, great gps device,happy with my purchase,and recommend it if your in the market to buy a gps.

This product is really going to WOW you in the show room. "Fly-bys" are going to sell a lot of these on the spot. The "Pay per View" for course downloads versus an annual subscription is also a very attractive feature for a lot of us. The screen is readable in daylight but just barely in Pro-mode (premium download that overlays distances on aerial/satellite photos vs Basic mode that just gives you distances). Course photos and distances are out of date on a lot of my courses but this is going to be a constant problem with any product like this.
br /
br /Pros:
br /- Very accurate distances to hazzards, hole, and more when course info is up to date.
br /- Dazzeling fly-bys and aerial shots of courses overlayed with distance: wonderful when it works.
br /- Nice display, almost as bright as it needs to be.
br /- iPod style button pad, easy to use (mostly, see below).
br /- Very sleek attractive design.
br /
br /Cons:
br /- Operating System locks up frequently - a big distraction on the links. You must remove/replace the battery (holding the power button for 15 seconds also seems to work) and restart - an evolution which takes about 60 seconds: a significant amount of time if you have other golfers waiting on you. This will probably improve with the inevitable firmware updates.
br /- User interface software needs improving (no manual hole advance in Pro-mode. What were they thinking).
br /- Physical buttons for VR (mostly for future use) and Pro/Basic Mode buttons are badly placed and difficult to operate. This is a serious problem combined with Pro Modes lack of a manual hole advance. These buttons would be entirely unnecessary if the user interface had been better written.
br /- Screen fogs and becomes unreadable if you put this in a sweaty pocket.
br /- Battery life may leave you a few holes short - it did me.
br /- No elevation information (competing models also lack this but, come on, what are GPS for?)
br /
br /Conclusions:
br /- Hardware needs to be more rugged. This is (or should be) after all a GPS for outdoors, all-weather use or it really doesn't belong on a golf course.
br /- Operating System needs stability and user interface improvements. These will likely happen for this hardware.
br /- When it is working correctly and course info is up-to-date, this is an impressive device and service.
br /
br /Update Sept, 08:
br /
br /Still no firmware updates, no new courses in my area have been mapped since original review, no old courses have been updated. Lockups persist and seem aggravated by warm weather - this does not bode well for a firmware solution to the lockups.
br /
br /If you do decide to take the plunge, go light on your course credit purchases at first - these are not refundable should you decide to return the product.
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Was real excited about this device and it has all kinds of potential! But right now they haven't worked the bugs out of it. The web is filled with discussion threads from people complaining about this thing locking up. I got mine on the 1st of July and didn't have any problems initializing it and downloading courses to it. I used it for the first time last weekend and it locked up on the first hole. I pulled the battery, reinstalled it, and it worked great the rest of the day. Although, I have to say the pro-mode is pretty worthless in bright sunlight. Anyway, I figured the lock-up was a fluke and all these people complaining were just doing something wrong. Today, I tried to download another course. It locked up! Now I'm getting error messages saying the device is "corrupt" and there are files missing. I'll have to call tech support on Monday. If they can't fix it immediately over the phone, I'm sending it back! Also, before you buy, be sure your courses are available. If not, you could be sitting around for months. This is going to be a great device once they get to the next rev of the firmware. Right now, it's too buggy. I should have listened.

Let me start by saying that I have never written a review on a product purchased from Amazon. I did this one, because I struggled with making this purchase based on the reviews I read and thought I might add some additional detail to help the next person.
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br /I purchased the uPro about a month ago. The product is impressive. Many reviews claimed some common complaints: "Pro" Mode too hard to see when out in the bright sun; system crashes, long load times from the PC... I have found many of those issues to be true although exaggerated.
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br /Yes "Pro" mode is more difficult to see in bright sun, but it is not a big issue--yes it is harder because of the detail of the course and terrain that it is showing--however, "Pro" Mode is really what sets this device above its competitors, and it is completely useable in bright light. In fact that is how I use it 90% of the time. uPro actually uses a special screen that actually uses sunlight to enhance its own backlighting.
br /
br /The unit did crash the first time I used it on the course...twice. However, I realized I did not cycle the power on and off after all of the loading of courses etc. that you need to do when you first register your unit online. Either way, that was the only time it crashed. It has been completey stable since then, and I am even less concerned with it becuase they just put out their newest update v3.0 that was specifically to address some of the stability issues. In short, I found this to also not be a concern.
br /
br /The first time I loaded the unit with courses it took a LONG time...20 minutes or more. Not a big deal, but annoying nonetheless. The new software cuts this down by 50%, so again I see this as a non-issue.
br /
br /The unit is extremely accurate. I am a 5 handicap and know my clubs/yardages pretty well. I compared uPro to my buddies playing with SkyCaddie and they are both showing the same yardages +/- 1 yard. I have another friend that uses a laser rangefinder, but now when we play together, he constantly wants me to give him yardages off the uPro, because we found them to be just as accurate but with infinitely less hassle. Try holding a rangefinder pointed at a pin that is 175-195 yards away in the wind...not easy and not timely.
br /
br /The unit has a small form factor...much smaller than the skycaddie and certainly less than a laser rangefinder. However, the screen is about the same size.
br /
br /uPro's customer service I found to be VERY responsive. I emailed back and forth with them several times and in some detail PRIOR to even making the purchase to see how they addressed the issues and just as a measure of how they would deal with me...even when I wasn't a customer. I give them very high marks for service. Customer Service is an area where SkyCaddie is known to be very poor. That was a major factor in me staying away from SkyCaddie in the first place.
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br /I would and have recommended this to my friends at the club and I would recommend the product to anyone considering it.

I was excited to receive this little gadget but was quickly disappointed when I began having issues just connecting to my PC. I am running Vista on a new Lenovo laptop and at first the device couldn't be recognized. The trick is to turn it on first (after it's been charged) then the device boots up and runs the software so Vista can see it. None of this was on the manual of course.
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br /My second issue, and the reason I returned the unit, was that I could not download my home course. The download would progress about 80% of the way there then crash. I got in contact with their support folks (which were very helpful, btw) and they tried to resolve the issue to no avail.
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br /I agree with the below review that the user interface is monolithic and non-intuitive; you'd think in 2008 we'd have UI down..
br /
br /I suspect that the positive reviews are probably being sent by Upro people because this device was shipped before it was ready.
br /
br /A great idea, I do hope they fix the issues in coming versions, but today this device is not ready for prime time--especially at $399.

This is the best golf GPS unit on the market today. I've had mine for about a month and it's excellent. Uses satellite imagery. Convenient size and easy to use. You just go to the company website for the demo of how to use the unit and the video is very easy to follow video. Best of all, there's no monthly fee. You purchase and download only the courses you want and there are volume discounts on the courses. If the course you intend to play hasn't already been mapped, which is a bit of a problem that some aren't already done, pick it as your home course and it will be mapped within 4 days. Try it, I'll bet you like it!

I like the product for the courses that are available.
br /They say that they "guarantee" to map your home course in 4 days.
br /Not true. I have been waiting for 6 months, they used to speak to me about it, now they just ignore me.

I have been using Upro for about 3 months. what a great product!! installation was very easy and the online manual quite helpful. i had the skycaddie for a year and i would never go back. the neatest feature is the ability to get a yardage number to any point and then onto the green. makes punching out of the woods very easy. you get the yardage to the middle of the fairway and also to the pin. lets you plan what club to use. maybe i spend too much time in the woods, but this is super helpful. can't really find anything to complain about. this is one of those rare items that actually performs as advertised.

I have used the Sky Caddie in the past, but, once my yearly subscription ended I chose to wait to renew until I saw the Upro. I have been playing with it for 2 weeks now. Initially my home course was not mapped, but within 4 days it was. The flyovers although not perfect are exceptionally helpful when playing a new course. Also very helpful is viewing the hole with an actual photo and being able to measure to any spot from where you are on the course. I know that it will be about a year before all courses are mapped, however, hands down this blows away the sky caddie for size, features and capability. If you are comfortable with technology you will love it. If you are a technophobe try something else.

I have been reading reviews and doing my research on the uPro vs. Sonocaddie. The one feature that the Sonocaddie has that I wish the uPro has is being waterproof. I was wondering if uPro was currently making a waterproof model, so I e-mailed uPro customer service at 8:30pm Pacific time hoping to get a reply in a week or so. I checked my e-mail later that night and they replied back within 20 min. I was extremely impressed with the quick e-mail. For anyone interested about whether uPro is coming out with a waterproof version here is their response:
br /
br /Thank you for your inquiry.
br /
br /uPlay does not have any plans to make a "waterproof" version.
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br /With the exception of immersion, the device should be fine if you get caught in a sudden rain storm or sprinkler.
br /
br /Simply wipe off the device with a soft cloth.
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The UPro compares very favorably with the Skycaddie that I have used for several years. The yardages are extremely close. The color screen and flyover Pro option is extremely helpful. The ability to download basic courses for free is a major advantage over other units. VERY SATISFIED.

I only play a moderate amount of golf and living in New England definitely reduces the local golf season to around six months. So it took me a while before I comitted to buying a GPS or rangefinder. The important things to me were 1) size, 2) ease of use, 3) accuracy and 4) overall lowest cost (aka, best value). At first I leaned towards the rangefinders but they are really bulky and a real pain for me to use especially when there is no line of sight. A GPS was my next option but I was very wary of annual "membership" fees. Also GPS technology keeps improving and I didn't want to buy the latest thing only to find out in three months that something much better had come out.
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br /The uPro GPS addressed all my issues. First of all, it is hands-down the most advanced unit out there by at least a generation if not two. The size is the smallest out there and slips easily into a pocket. The GPS chip is from uBlox (not affiliated with uPro or uPlay) using their well acclaimed uBlox 5 chip which reportedly acquires a signal in one second from a cold start! The cost of the unit is on the high end but all the "Basic" course mode information is free (just download from the website) which is better already than most competitors. The "Pro" mode costs extra but can be as little as $2.50 when bought as a bundle credit. This is where the unit shines as it utilizes the satellite/aerial photo for many of its competitive advantages: video flyovers, measuring from any point on the course, constantly updated distances to the current flag position, etc. Amazing.
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br /The user interface is OK. It took me a little time to figure out the buttons while at home but I've now become use to them. I've also heard about lock-ups but never experienced one of my own. uPro's customer service phone number is very helpful and friendly but they apparently do not respond well to e-mail (they never responded to an e-mail question of mine...at all).
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br /The uPro is a very well designed device backed by a company that continues to improve on the software with regular updates that also add features beyond what were available at purchase. The software could use some improvement but it is not at all bad, just not as intuitive as I would like. Overall, I am extremely pleased by this golf GPS and would recommend it to anyone. I think I can safely skip the next couple generational improvements!

uPro shows yardage on an aerial view of a hole which is much more informative than the cryptic notation of SkyCaddie. It's also somewhat smaller.
br /On the negative side, the GPS is slower to acquire distances and it times itself out all too frequently (45 sec. max)and then is slow in updating distances. Also, the 'Auto Hole Advance' is not automatic, requiring several button presses to get to the next hole.
br /For a course that's familiar, the SkyCaddie gets the nod (because of the time-out problem) while for a new/strange course the aerial feature of the uPro is superior.

The package did not come with detailed manual, I thought, this is either going to be great or duds, it was a duds. You have to review the instuction on a 2.2" screen and I forgot most of it by the time I was attempting to install the software on my computer. It did not pop up as advertised, I needed to fiddle around to find the icon to install the software and it took forever to load. They only give you one course with fly over view (what sold me), and cost $10 per course or $60 to have some courses which is more than market leader Skycaddie charge for ($49.95 per year) or Sonocaddie ($29.95 one time fee). You need to buy extra accessory to hold it (no belt clip) to be usable. The fly over view really fly you by (not worth the trouble). The battery is slim and useless after one round. Overall, not worth my money and time.
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Does everything it says it will do. Probably cut 5-7 strokes off the first round I played on shots I would have ended up hitting short and into sand or water. Incredibly helpful to know the distance to the pin. I have a Mac and I did have problems getting it registered. Called the support desk, and within minutes they had me linked to a website which performed a firmware update on the unit. After that, everything was a breeze. Not unlike a lot of things you buy today, the complete user manual is available for download as a PDF file from their website. Not a big deal. Frankly, you'd have to be a moron to not figure out how to use this, as it's not very complicated. (Don't understand the complaints in this regard) I live in Socal, and they already have a fair amount of courses set up, and most already have target dates for them to add. I was torn between this and the SkyCaddie SG5. Two factors swayed me. I like the actual screen shot of the hole you're playing, and the frame of reference for hazards is very helpful. Also, as I'm not sure that I've played 20 different courses in the past 10 years altogether, I like paying for the course download vs. the annual fee. It cost $80 bucks for 20 courses, so I probably won't have to pay for more downloads for many years. If you play 40 different courses per year, than maybe SkyCaddie's payment structure would be the better choice.

I couldn't be more excited about this purchase. I've golfed with mine for the last two weeks and have no complaints. I'd recommend the uPro to anyone looking to buy a gps unit, no monthly fees, and true course aerial images.

I started working with my uPro a week ago. I still am. It freezes, it won't load. It stops working the middle of rounds. When I want service, I get runarounds. I have my club championship this weekend, and one of the courses was not mapped. Well, it got mapped, but is not accurate. I wanted to return the device...upon the advice of one of the service guys, who promised me next day shipping...and found out two days later that the manager would not allow next day shipping due to costs. (I think he would have liked to avoid this review...I hope it costs him far more than the seventy dollars he was too cheap to spend to get me happy) Is this the way to keep a disgruntled customer happy? I am going to buy a backup gps of some other make this afternoon so that I won't be stuck on the course with the uPro. I will try the replacement, but am not going to get my hopes up.The uPro is very much like a beautful but unreliable woman...she looks so damn good you keep going back, hoping for different results, but she never changes. Right now, I'm kind of stuck with the thing. They take a lot of your money before they will actually return the thing. My word of advice....DON'T GO THERE!

I have now played about 8 rounds with my uPro and couldn't be happier with it. The video flyovers are really nice and seem to get mentioned in reviews a lot. However, the real images of the course with the distances updating based on your location are the real key and make it so much easier to get the distances you need. I was skeptical at first because I assumed that much of what they had on their website was simply for marketing purposes and that the courses would look much different on the actual uPro. I was also concerned about the number of courses available. However, the product really does what they say it does and my concerns about courses has not been a problem. It seems like the website is being updated with new courses in my area everyday. Now almost every course near me is available.
br /
br /The only negative that I have to say about the product is that the documentation could be improved. The uPro was easy for me to get started with but the documentation could have been better. I see that they have made some updates already which is helpful. I have also called their customer support number and been really happy with their service for what its worth.
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br /I would highly recommend the uPro. I have tried the new Sonocaddy and looked at the other GPS products out there but there really is no comparison.

Great concept, poor execution. My unit was defective out of the box. I had heard they had a lot of trouble synching with Macs, but my unit would not synch with any PC I connected it to. One service rep at Upro told me he would call me back - twice, never did. Now all I can get is an answering machine. Could be great, but I would wait until Upro gets it's act together and has more courses available. Wait for v.2 or go with another brand.

After having this device for over a week, I still have not been able to play a single round with it. There is a problem with the unit and the USB ports on a Mac. I've contacted the company several times, and each time they say that a software update should be available the next day (and the check is in the mail, right). So I take the unit to work with me, but the update is never available. It seems they just listed Mac support on the box without ever testing it to see if it worked.
br /
br /Additionally, not one of my regular courses is currently available. I requested most of them over a week and a half ago, but none of them have been mapped yet. There are only a handful of courses available in the Atlanta area. One of the few is Peachtree Golf Club. Too bad that it is probably more exclusive than Augusta National.
br /
br /I would love to actually play a round with this device on a course I'm familiar with, but it looks like I'll have to return within the 30 day guarantee without ever using it. Overall, a horrible experience. If they can't resolve these issues soon, I'll be taking my business back to SkyCaddie.
br /
br /UPDATE: Customer service sent me a "fixed" unit overnight, and It arrived first thing in the morning. The customer service representative was very helpful, but I've decided to go with the SkyCaddie because there are so few courses that are currently available for the uPro. If you're considering this device, I'd wait about two years until they have enough courses mapped to make it worth the money.

Beats every other golf GPS distance measuring unit on the market! Visuals you see of the hole are just like you see on a TV telecast. No little stick-figure drawings of the hole like on competitors units. Measuring how far you hit it or how far you have from where you are to a hazard or the hole is invaluable. Buy one, you'll see what I mean!

Amazing accuracy! It blew me away,I could not believe how accurate it was! I used to have SG4 and the accuracy was horrible.
br /
br /I did have one minor issue getting it to sync, but I called support and they were great and helped me out quickly.
br /
br /I think it's a great GPS and I would definitely recommend it to my friends.

I WAS EXCITED TO PURCHASE THE U PRO GOLF GPS DEVICE BUT WITHIN DAYS OF USING IT WAS DISAPPOINTED. POOR QUALITY BATTERY AND THE SCREEN FREEZES IN THE MIDDLE OF PLAY. WHAN I CALLED THE COMPANY SERVICE NO ANSWER AND WHEN I REACHED SOMEONE NO HELP. I AM RETURNING THE ITEM .. MAYBE LOOK AT SKYCADDIE. NOT SURE YET...........DONT BUY THIS UPRO!!