- Golf GPS unit for beginner to intermediate golfers for calculating distance to the front, center, and back of the green
- Stores up to 10 courses at a time; compatible with more than 12,000 U.S. courses
- Fast Insta-Lok technology; large easy-to-read display and 4 intuitive buttons
- Easy-to-use PC connection for downloads and charging; rechargeable lithium battery
- Runs for at least 12 hours per charge; measures 3.75 by 1 by 2 inches (W x H x D)
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, USB cable, quick-start instructions, CD-ROM setup disk |
What’s in the Box?
Swami 1500, CD-ROM setup disc, belt clip, USB cable, 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.
I ordered the swami, received it on time, easily hooked it up to my computer, loaded my home course and played nine holes that night. It worked just as advertised. Often my ball lands where yardage markers are not readily available. Swami proved to be a great help in club selection in these all to frequent situations. The next day I requested mapping for some local unmapped courses and ordered a Swami for my wife. While the company states an unmapped course will be mapped within 5-10 business days, I was notified by e-mail four days later that the courses that I had requested were mapped. These courses were easily loaded into my Swami. I used it on one of the newly mapped courses the next weekend and Swami really helped my club selection on a less familiar course. When we took my wife’s new Swami to our home course the unit did not recognize the course. I took it home and reloaded it and had the same problem. I gave it one more try. It worked for 11 holes and then yardage displayed by the unit went wacky. She was standing about 130 yards out and the display kept changing by hundreds of yards and never settled down. I called Swami support the next morning, and in less than 24 hours she had a new fully charged Swami in her hands loaded with her course choices. The new unit works as advertised. Great friendly customer service!
Rating: 5 / 5
Just purchased the Swami 1500 and used it this weekend. Fully accurate and with numbers plenty large enough for me to see without my glasses, which I don’t wear when playing. Really easy to use too. LOVE IT!
Rating: 4 / 5
The device is easy to use and does an excellent job for the money. It easily finds the course it is on and provides very accurate distance to the greens. One just has to remember to turn it off at the end of the day or the battery runs down.
An excellent value for the money.
Rating: 4 / 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
So I just got done using the Swami for a quick 9 hole run, because I was anxious to see how it would perform.
Upon completion of the round I am happy to say that I am VERY pleased. Not only did the Swami do as advertised,
I was able to shoot one of my lowest scores of the season so far with it. The yardages it gives are very accurate
and the best part in my opinion is that it doesn’t take a huge amount of time to “settle” down when you get to your
ball to acquire a yardage, which helps with your pace of play. (Unlike the skycaddie which takes a fair amount of time to “settle” on a yardage.)
The $35 activation fee is definitely reasonable in my opinion as well, because it’s really only a one-time fee if you choose. You
can download 10 courses that you play on a regular basis and then that’s really all you need, unless you travel a lot.
All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this GPS to both amateurs and scratch golfers alike. It’s probably the BEST GPS for the money on the market right now.
Rating: 5 / 5