The Callaway uPro Golf GPS.
There's a new player in the Golf GPS game, the Callaway uPro Golf GPS System. To this day, I will still tell people that the best piece of golf equipment I've ever purchased was my Skycaddie SG4. I swear it saves me at least 2-3 strokes per round, and even more if it's a course I'm not very familiar with. But this new CallawayuPro GPS has me thinking that I'm not quite on the cutting edge anymore.
The Callaway uPro has a ton of cool features that my GPS doesn't have. It will hold up to 50 courses, that's 40 more than the other guys. It's thinner and lighter and looks like it will fit easily in your pocket. It feels goofy toting around a Skycaddie on your belt, but in your pocket, that's the way to go.
NO ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP COST & NO FEES! That alone is worth the price of admission.
It has a 2.2" color LCD screen that's meant to be used in direct sunlight, so you can always see the screen. And the resolution is twice as good as the SG4 & SG5. A few of the technical specs include;
| Battery: | Rechargeable Lithium Ion |
|---|---|
| Battery Life: | 10-12 hours |
| Course Capacity: | 50 Courses |
| Screen: | 2.2" 320 x 240 hi-res color screen |
| Weight | 3.1 ounces |
For more info on what the Callaway uPro can do, check out Callaway uPro.
If you're in the market to buy one, Austads has them in stock and ready to ship (unlike Amazon). See prices on the Callaway uPro here.
My wife will kill me if I come home with one of these things...but I just can't pass up getting a new gadget. And a golf gadget makes my mouth water. 
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Very nice looking product. This maybe my first range finder/gps purchase, never played good enough golf to make buying one a need. Playing better now though.
John, trust me, I have friends who are just so-so golfers, and when they got their first Skycaddie I know for fact that they started saving strokes.
It does help if you have some idea of how far you hit each club, but I think golfers of all levels can benefit from having accurate yardages. Like I said, it’s better than any driver I’ve ever purchased in terms of benefit to my game.
We leave for Myrtle Beach the 24th (all 52 of us) and we made the finial 5 to be “Ambushed” by Golf Digest Senior Editor Matt Ginella. If we do, in addition to the story on the web site, the story in the magazine, and the video report, he brings a bunch of golf balls and GPS/range finders. Maybe getting a free one, if it works out. Either way, should be a good time. 4 Days and 6 rounds of golf!
STAY AWAY FROM THE CALLAWAY UPRO.
I purchased mine in June and after investing on pro mode courses I cannot download anymore. The system times out.U PRO customer services is non existent not returning e-mails and the phone number is constantly busy.
This device was obviously lauched prematurely thus riddled with software problems. I am surprised that Callaway subscribes to products of this Quality.
I’M RETURNING MINE TODAY.
Michael, sorry to hear that you had troubles with your upro. Do you think it was an isolated incident, or is this an indication of issues with all of the units?
Callaway uPro GPS – a very good GPS but required some attention to get working. I just purchased my uPro within the last two weeks and am generally pleased with it although I encountered some problems initially. I had occasion to use the uPro before buying while playing in the 3M Championship Pro-Am two weeks ago. The unit performed extremely well and provided yardages that were accurate with the sprinklerheads at the TPC Twin Cities and with my pro’s yardage book. The numbers were also within one or two yards of a fellow competitors SkyCaddie. The ProMode flyovers were very useful for me since I had not played the course before and there was a substantial amount of water and hazards. All of this led me to buy one that day at the Callaway sales table.
Getting home and using the unit was another story, however. My unit came in the “red box” which some people suggest delineates the newer units manufactured after it was acquired by Callaway Golf. As a Mac user, I was attracted to this unit because it was Mac compatible. Unfortunately upon unboxing and connecting to my computer, I found that the unit would not connect. I have Windows XP installed in a Boot Camp partition on my Mac and so I attempted to use that to connect. I was completely successfuly in connecting through Win XP and while this got me up and running downloading courses, I was very distressed that I could not access it via Mac OS X. After sending an email to uPro customer support, I received both a phone call and an email from one of their representative to help me work through my problems. Apparently there was some formatting issue with the MicroSD card that the uPro uses to store the sync application and the course data. Following the instructions I was sent and using the downloaded file provided to restore the factory applications onto the reformatted card completely resolved my problem. I am now able to access and sync my uPro from both Win XP and Mac without issue.
I used my new uPro for the first time over the weekend. The playing experience with my purchased uPro was the same as I experienced at the 3M Championship and I am VERY pleased with my purchase. I think I would have preferred it to work flawlessly out of the box but the response from uPro tech support was more than satisfactory. I especially appreciated the phone call and the fact that the service rep left a direct dial number for me call back with further problems. This is just not done by anyone in tech service these days and it really makes me feel better about my purchase as it is a substantial expenditure for sure.
I would highly recommend this GPS as it is head and shoulders above the others I have tried. None of those others were compelling and all were larger than the uPro. I can swing with this unit in my pocket and not feel out of balance or otherwise distracted. Overall I highly recommend the uPro but don’t be surprised if you need to give it some attention out of the box to get it working, especially if you are a Mac user. Also my experience with Customer Service was completely different than the previous poster. Although I did wait a couple days to hear back, I was more than pleased with the quality of the response.
Scott,
what exactly did you have to do to get your Upro to connect with your Mac because I am having the same problem with my macintosh.
phillip
Philip,
I was sent a link and instructions from Callaway uPro tech support. I’m not sure if I am allowed to post the link here so I recommend that you email them at upro_support@callawaygolf.com. The instructions are listed below. I found that I could access the files on the microSD via my Boot Camp WinXP partition. If you don’t want to wait for the link from tech support and you have access to Win XP, copy the files off into Windows, follow the reformat instructions and restore the files from Windows again. Please keep in mind that they may not be the latest updates which I would expect you to get from Tech support.
Scott
Mac Restore instructions
1 – click on the following link (link removed)
2 – click on the download button
3 – choose the Save option
4 – the file will be saved as a disk image to your Mac desktop
5 – after the download has completed, close the link.
6 – turn on the uPro and let it boot to its Main Menu
7 – go to Settings > Device Settings > Format MicroSD > press u-button
8 – leave the warning message on the screen – hold down the left arrowuntil the warning changes to YES – NO
9 – highlight YES (white background) and press the u-button, the formatwill start.
10 – when format has completed, click the Menu (power on/off) buttontwice
11 – attach the uPro to the computer
12 – double click the disk image from step 4 and double click theRestore file
13 – follow the instructions on the screen. This will start the copy ofcopies files to the uPro.
14 – when the copy is complete, disconnect the uPro
15 – turn off the uPro
16 – turn on the uPro
17 – when the uPro is on its Main Menu, plug it into the Mac
18 – when the uPro displays shows USB Connected / Connected to Host, youshould see a uPro icon appear on you Mac desktop
I bought uPro yesterday and I am already quite disappointed. My Apple laptop will not recognize uPro in “Desktop” Secondly, I cannot create a password. What screen to I go to?
Joseph…did you read the comments posted above. Those guys were having some Mac difficult too. Not sure if what they were discussing solves your problem. Check it out.
Heck, I couldn’t get my Sky Caddie to connect to my mac without a ton of troubles. It’s not the GPS device, it’s the interface with Mac..as usual.
I really encourage you to contact Callaway Tech Support. It took a couple days to get back to me on this but their solution really did work perfectly. I’ve contacted them again to request permission to post the file link they gave me and have provided them a link to this blog to see the comments in the hopes they can help.
I want desperately to purchase a Gallaway uPRO but when I went to Dick’s sports store they told me there were issues with them and none of their stores are carrying them now or in the future. I tried Googling it but didn’t find anything other than the MAC issues.
It looks so much better than even the skycaddie but I’m afraid to spend the money and find out it is no longer backed up or on the market.
Anyone know if this is rumor or is the guy at Dick’s uninformed? I wrote to Callaway Upro several days ago but have not received an answer.
I was in Dick’s Sporting Goods in Pittsburgh the other day and they were not carrying them. However, Golf Galaxy, which was acquired by Dick’s about 18 months ago, does still carry them. If you have one nearby you can take it for a test drive and purchase there.
As a follow-up to my earlier post on rectifying issues with Mac connectivity, I did exchange emails with Bill Dove at uPro Tech Support. He did report that they are regularly updating their software and that if anyone has issues they need to hear about it directly and will be happy to help you through any issues.
Hello. After what I read about callaway upro, should I buy this product?
François,
I seem to be the only one responding at the moment so I’ll give you my take. I really like my uPro. It has been a tremendous asset to me over the three rounds I’ve played with it. I am presently a 5.0 index and have been as low as 2.8 about three years ago. My last two rounds have been 73 (+1) and 72 (E) resulting in my first negative handicap deviation in about 5 years.
Am I going to tell you that it is all due to the uPro, no. However, I do have several instances in each round where the yardage I walked off from the sprinklerheads was decidedly different from what the GPS said. Had I used the markers exclusively, I expect my shots would have been short or long into bunkers, hazards, or difficult shortside lies. It is these strokes that I was surrendering even when my game was in better form. Admittedly I have made some improvements in my game recently but overall, I can now see where the GPS improved me by 3-5 strokes per round.
While that is an argument for GPS use in general, I am very pleased that I chose a uPro. It is, however, not perfect. I this day and age of mobile phones we expect all our handheld devices to be an iPhoe or Blackberry. These devices are still being perfected and the uPro is no exception.
The selling points for me were:
1) Lack of an annual fee. Yes the courses can cost a lot if you buy them one at a time. I’ve seen a number of complaints about $10 courses. Everything is more expensive if you buy one at a time. Twenty courses for $80 ($4/course) should be a good fit for most people. Keep in mind that you don’t need Pro level courses for every course you play. If you have a municipal course with few hazards or one that you know well, the pro mode course is not a necessity. The basic mode courses are very good and are FREE. Take advantage of them. I love target golf so the Pro Mode courses are great for those layouts with a lot of club selection. Grip and rip wide open courses don’t benefit much from Pro Mode.
2) Size – this unit is smaller than a Classic iPod and more like the original Nano. I can swing without disruption with it in my pocket and it fits easily in the cupholder of the cart with no accessories. It doesn’t have any bulky antenna’s to poke you or get caught on your pocket when you take it in and out (whic you will do a lot).
3) Mac compatibility. This was critical for me. I work with Windows XP all day and am incessantly frustrated by it. I am a Mac user and wanted Mac compatibility. I’ll admit it did not work out of the box and took some effort on my part. The tech support was great and it was fixed on their first try and has not failed me yet.
Other thoughts
Some people have complained about the unit locking up on them during a round. I have not had this problem but when I fixed my Mac compatiblity issue above, I got the latest software as far as I can tell. This may have prevented me from having the problem.
The upload speed when syncing the unit is slow. My best guess is that it is a USB 1.1 connection and not a USB 2.0. This seems to be an awful oversight but not one I can’t live with if I must. If you upload one or two courses it will only take a few minutes. If you upload a lot you will have to set it and go watch TV or have dinner.
Others have complained about the screen in full sunlight. Mine is not spectacular but it is nowhere near as difficult to read as many reviewers have stated and comparable to my mobile phone’s screen.
While not perfect, the uPro was the one unit I felt confident in purchasing. I was not convinced by any of the competitive units that I considered. I think it is a good product that has the potential to be great if Callaway can smooth out some of the points mentioned above. I hope this helps.
FYI – Callaway offers a $100 rebate for purchases made through the end of July.
Thank you Scott J for your answer. In september, my girlfriend and I are going to Myrtle beach S.C. for the third year in a row. I read that almost all the golf courses, in Myrtle Beach, are avalaible. Avalaible mean what? Or request mean what? How much it will cost me to download 20 golf courses in Myrtle beach? I hope my English is not to bad because I speak French all the time. I don’t I have the chance to practice every day. Have a nice day everybody.
François,
I am certain that your English is much better than my French. Unfortunately, I haven’t actively spoken your native language for perhaps 15 years (which is a shame).
As far as the course pricing for 20 ProMode courses, I would recommend that you purchase 60 credits for US$80. Each pro-mode course costs 3 credits so 60 equates to 20 courses. Courses with 27 holes cost more credits and courses with only 9 holes cost fewer credits. The vast majority of 18 hole courses cost 3 credits.
You do have the alternative of downloading only the Basic Mode courses at no charge whatsoever. These lack the flyover videos and the “AnyPoint” calculation function that sets the uPro apart from other GPS’.
The basic mode courses are very good and are plenty if you already know the course intimately. If you are completely unfamiliar with the course or face one with many bunkers and water hazards around which you will have to navigate the ProMode courses can be invaluable to have.
Enjoy your trip to Myrtle Beach. I looked on the Callaway uPro website and there are four pages of courses available in Myrtle Beach in both basic and ProMode. I highly recommend the Davis Love and Tom Fazio courses at Barefoot Landing as well as the Jack Nicklaus course at Long Bay. The island fairway at King’s North is also not to be missed.
Wish I could get mine to work I have a mac and it wont load the software. Did it on my friends pc and works fine. Will have to call em on Monday. So, is the red box the newer one? Mine is red box and says callaway on it. Also, my screen did not seem to have a screen protector for shipping but the box was factory sealed??? Is it a good idea to use a screen protector
Joe,
It sounds like you had the same problem I did. The tech service people can definitely help you. I think they had a batch of microSD cards that got formatted poorly. The software is on there but there is something wrong with the card that the mac OS doesn’t recognize it (but Windows does). Once you reformat it and reload the software according to their instructions, it will work fine. Mine has been flawless since I did it.
I’m definitely leaning toward getting a screen protector.
Thanks Scott. I hope the phone call will help. I have played with it and like it so far. What did freak me out a bit is that I only had to charge it for like 45 min and then the led was blinking.
I’m also thinking the urethane protector
Got it fixed in minutes. Service was top notch
Just got the UPRO for b-day after much research.. I had problems downloading- it would time out. I was getting really frustrated and on hold for 2 hours (granted at peak time). The tech said to make sure I am not using a router and am wired straight into the modem. Courses downloaded instantly when i got off the phone. If on a PC try that if you are having issues.
Thought I’d lend my thoughts. Just got my upro this past Friday (red box). I also have a MAC (version 10.4.11). As soon as I hooked up the upro to my MAC, the icon came up on the desktop in a few seconds. I have had no problems at all syncing or anything.
My only question is how are the MAC people properly disconnecting their upro? When the little window tells me to disconnect i hit “ok” in the window. Then in the Finder, I also hit EJECT Upro. When hit EJECT UPRO, the icon disappears from my desktop and when I take out the USB cable i get a warning saying it was not properly disconnected????
Anyone know anything about this?
As far as playing on the course with it I used it yesterday for the first time on my home course. It was absolutely amazing. I played my home course hundreds of times and there are several holes where i knew i have to layup but would always guess at how far that layup was. The measure feature is incredible so you can see how far it is to carry a hazard, layup, and so on. The shot measurement is also a nice feature. The flyover is good especially for courses you have never played before. I am going to Myrtle Beach in September so this will definitely come in handy.
There’s alot more I can write about it and how much i like it. Don’t hesitate, go get it.
Just a follow up to my own email. I was able to disconnect the Upro properly from my MAC. Also, someone previously mentioned difficulty downloading courses because of a wireless connection.
My MAC is wireless and I was able to download the course with no problem at all.
I used it this past Saturday and Sunday and both times it was flawless. The ability to measure the yardage for when you have to layup is worth the price of admission.
It’s defaulted to go into “sleep mode” after 30 seconds to conserve energy (which is good). One suggestion I’d make is that after you tee off and you’re walking/driving to your ball, take it out of sleep mode. I say this because this past weekend I’d get to my ball, then take it out of sleep mode. This resulted in the unit “finding itself” for a few seconds. After a few seconds it knows exactly where you’re standing. You’ll see the yardages change during this 5 second span even if you’re standing still (hence finding itself).
That’s why I suggest when you’re about 10-15 yards from your ball take it out of sleep mode so it can know your exact location by the time you get to your ball.
I just got my Upro. It was such a disappointment. I turned it on 10 minutes before tee time. I selected the course then income the flyover which was great then the yardage on the screen did not change as I drive to my ball. Next hole, same thing…all then way to 18 hole. The weather was a little over cast at 8:30 in Southern California then sunny clear sky an hour later. So, I have no idea when it did not work. In addition, the right button “Mark” for measuring your shot was useless. It did not indicate the yardage until I finished the hole (18 hole). Has anyone experience this problem? Have I done something wrong? Help me guys. Thanks
Tony,
Sorry but I didn’t experience that. I got mine this past Friday, used it saturday and sunday. I’m no expert, but was the battery charged completely? Maybe did not disconnect from the computer properly?
I dunno, I was just trying to think of what would cause it to not work.
I’d give tech support a call. Sorry it didn’t work, but contact support and have them help you fix it because when it work it’s an amazing tool to have.
Tony,
I have had a couple instances where my uPro didn’t pickup the signal for an extended period of time starting a round. Turning it off and back on helped. I also tried the “reset gps” option in the menus but did not get a confirmatory response when I chose the menu choice. I’m not sure if that even worked. The off and back on has worked both times. I’ve never had that problem with the mark button.
Perhaps we should all compare notes as to which software version we are running. I don’t have mine with me but will check it when I get home tonight and post that info here for comparison. It might tell us if any of us are out of date.
Scott
I just logged on to Upro’s website and viewed my account. I have software version 3.2
My MAC is version 10.4.11
I am not sure it did not work for me last week. However, I recalled that I did had a little problem with recharging the phone a day before I played. The unit was keep on flashing like it had seizures. I think what did wrong was plugged the wall charger first before I connected the USB to the wall charger. No more problem.
I also recalled that I was using Pro-Mode course when I was playing since I like the visual layout.
By the way, I use Windows Vista and has no problem with downloading the courses. Downloading the basic free courses are faster and Pro-Mode course is slow.
I just found out that I could check for satellite connection status by select “Info” mode to see my current longitude and latitude position.
Here is the good news. I just tested today using basic mode on a different golf course and it worked perfect. It yardage marker also work. However, I notice that the unit automatically went to screen save mode. When I took it out to check the yardage, it took a few seconds for the yardage recalibrate the new position. I will give another try with my free ProMode course this weekend see if I would have the same good result.
I also found this helpful website provide detail review of Upro http://criticalgolf.com/golf-gps-reviews/callaway-upro-gps-review
Thanks your responses to my questions
I bought a Callaway UPRO and I think that it is a terrible rangefinder. It is very misleading. They say that there is no annual membership fee, however they charge you per course that you download which is ridiculous. The yardages are not accurate, they do not map their courses like SkyCaddie does, you can not see all of your targets.
The UPRO does not pick up the signal very well, and the image starts to blur when you zoom in. It is very confusing to use and not user friendly at all. In my opinion they tried to disguise a piece of junk by making it all fancy.
Overall I think that Callaway should stick to what they are good at, which is golf equipment.
Sorry Tyson but I disagree. I think the GPS is amazing. Wouldn’t you rather pay $80 up front for 20 courses of ProMode that have to pay an annual fee of over $25? Besides, the Basic Mode is FREE and that along has more info on it than most other units on the market.
As far as operating the GPS, I think it’s pretty simple.
I agree with Chris. I think the uPro is a good rangefinder. I’ve played side by side with someone using a SkyCaddie and the yardages are always +/- 1 yard maybe 2 at most and agree with the sprinkler heads. I admit I’ve had some signal lag starting up the unit but in operation on the course, I get a very good signal here in Western PA even when in low lying areas of the golf course.
I have found that I have the yardages I need to the green and hazards whether in pro mode or in basic mode. I play a fair amount of target golf and have never been lacking for yardages to the appropriate target. I have never found its interface to be confusing.
As for the payment structure, I also agree with Chris. Perhaps the annual fee appeals more to you Tyson or perhaps you travel to a lot of different courses. If the majority of your play is golf trips with 3-5 new courses per trip, the annual fee is probably a better fit for you. For me, I play the same 20-30 courses and therefore the one time purchase makes more sense for me. I keep enough credits in my account that I can download a new course in a few minutes and be on my way. I object much more to the idea of spending $300+ on a unit that becomes useless if I don’t pay my fee. With the Callaway system my unit is always useful even if I never download another course.
If you are happier with another unit and pricing plan, then I think you are fortunate that such options exist out there for you to purchase. Perhaps someone who reads this blog would want to purchase your uPro from you if you no longer want it.
For comparison purposes my uPro version (Settings/Info/Version) is 1.32.32.32.30.
Had mine for about 5 rounds and love it. I have a mac and am still unsure how not to get that error msg when disconnecting?. I also had it have trouble find a satellite the last few times but after a few minutes it’s fine.
FYI I bought a little callaway cell phone case that clips on your belt and it works great to hold the gps
got it at golfsmith, sorry no model number
One more thing. I just got an email after asking about the updates for shot tracking and score keeping. They said it will be available late 2009
bummer but cool non the less
I have 1.32.32.32.30 as well
i have the upro no problems out of box but i dont have a mac looks like the mac has the problem only thing i would do is buy another battery i get 27 holes on one charge
Joe,
It appears that the uPro software doesn’t pass the eject command to the mac os. To avoid the error, I have to switch to the Finder and drag the icon for the micro SD card in the uPro to the trash.
It would be nice if the uPro did pass the eject command to the Finder in the same way that iTunes does with iPods.
Scott
Thanks a million Scott Worked like a charm
Joe, the other way it worked for me was to hit OK in the small window that tells you its ok to disconnect. Then I go to the Finder and eject it.
So basically a 2 step process:
1. Hit “OK” in the small window
2. Eject Upro in the finder.
I’m playing golf this weekend again and can’t wait to use it!
So, had a round of golf to play yesterday. Plugged in the upro to top it off because it was at 50% The led started blinking about an hour later. When I got to the course the battery showed that it was only charged to 80% Strange. Anyone else see this?
From Scott’s post above:
“icon for the micro SD card in the uPro to the trash.”
What is the micro SD card icon look like? Is that the red Upro icon in the finder?
Does anyone have the updated files or the restore download for Mac OSX 10.5.8? I just bought the upro and it is Sunday. Anxious to play with it.
Chris,
I don’t get a red uPro icon in the finder. The SD card in my uPro shows up in the finder with the white generic removable disc icon that I would get with any flash drive or memory card. They may have updated the card format since I got my uPro so don’t take my experience as what you should get. If you click once on the icon you are looking at and choose “get info” or type command – I it will tell you the type of item yo are looking at (file/folder/application/disk).
I too had some issues connecting my uPro to my Mac. Now that I finally got it working I love it! Every course I’ve played so far (about 20) the yardages have been very accurate.
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Folks, getting close to buying a GPS unit. Down to the Sonocaddie V300 or the uPro. I like the uPro flyover and Mc compatibility. One question: Once I hit the 50 course limit on the unit and want to purchase another course, do I lose one of my courses? Or can I keep them on my computer and load the ones I want when I want them?
You can definitely have more than 50 courses and load only the ones you wan to carry. I expect that you could even have two separate memory cards with different courses on each. I have both the basic and pro mode for many courses and will switch back and forth as needed. Its very easy to add and subtract courses from the unit using the provided software.
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