Usually at Stewart we like talking about what our machines can do, not what they don't do. However, one of those topics that come up every now and again is GPS and will we ever add an integrated GPS to our caddie lineup. The short answer...no. But, we wanted to share with you why we don't offer it in our range.

Obviously we've considered integrating GPS into our machines, but every time we've had those conversations internally we've reached the same conclusion for the following reasons:

We Don't Want To Make You Compromise

We're confident we make the best golf caddies available, but we're even more confident someone else makes a better GPS than we could. If we force you to have our GPS we're asking you to accept second-best, and we'd never do that! Buy the best caddie you can. But then buy the best GPS you can too.

You've Probably Already Got It

Most golfers already have GPS in some shape or form - in fact recently we conducted our largest ever customer survey, in which we found 96% of our golfers used some kind of GPS/distance measuring device - smartwatches are becoming almost as popular as smartphones. A good proportion of golfers also have a rangefinder for when they want the most accurate distance measurements. No GPS can compete for accuracy with a good quality laser rangefinder. 

GPS Is Free

Even if you don't have a GPS watch, there are countless really good smartphone apps out there that offer accurate GPS totally free of charge! So why would we make you pay extra for it? What's more, your phone screen is way bigger with better resolution and easier to see when the sun is shining (remember that?) than any caddie screen could ever be. If you want to go down this route we offer a smartphone holder that fits neatly to any of our caddies' handles. 

You're Not Always With Your Caddie

With remote control, you're often playing your shots some distance from your caddie - and for good reasons. How frustrating would it be to have paid the extra money to get the freedom a remote caddie gives you and then have to be constantly tied to it just to read your GPS? Walking back to a tee box; leaving your caddie on a fairway while you go to find your ball; etc etc; we've all been there, and we've all then realised we didn't know the distance! Keep your GPS with you and don't think you have to have your caddie with you 100% of the time.

Screens Don't Add Much Value

A screen just doesn't add any value out on the golf course. If you have a Follow caddie then you can't see it anyway, and if you're using Remote then it should be 10 - 15 yards ahead for the best experience, so again you can't see it. What a screen does do is provide another potential failure and maintenance point, and drains battery power. Power is for motors as far as we are concerned. To be frank, we go to the golf course to get away from screens and you should too!

In summary, we don't offer integrated GPS because honestly, we don't see the point. The beauty of our caddies is that they offer the best walking golf experience you'll ever have, so that's what we focus on giving you. For our money, the best place for traditional GPS is on your wrist, and the best way to get an accurate yardage is with a laser rangefinder.