RIDGELAND, Miss., — Only weeks after the USGA and R&A’s decision to allow the use of rangefinders as a condition of competition, SkyGolf, makers of the SkyCaddie "next-generation" GPS rangefinder, has been chosen by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) as the organization’s preferred GPS rangefinder. This means any of approximately 9,000 men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or junior college golfers could be some of the first to employ SkyCaddie for critical distances during competition once the new ruling takes effect in January 2006.
Last fall, the SkyCaddie was selected by the Tight Lies Tour as the official yardage-measuring device and was approved for use by players in competition for Tour events during the 2005 season. This marked the first time in the history of competitive golf for an electronic measuring device to be used by professional golfers during competitive tournament play. The results on Tour were phenomenal as twelve of the Top 15 money winners used the SkyCaddie to measure distances. "I never bothered to walk off any yardages during a single tournament," said Adam Rubinson, a 2002 PING All-American at TCU and 2003 Walker Cup team member from Fort Worth, Texas. "The information provided by the SkyCaddie was instant and on-the-money, giving me the time to focus on course management and club selection."
"The Golf Coaches Association of America is comprised of some the most respected teachers in the game today," said SkyGolf CEO Richard Edmonson. "These individuals do a tremendous job preparing talented young athletes for competition at the collegiate level, as well as life after college. We’re delighted to have the opportunity to help support this organization and its members, and believe our product can play a key role in helping them best position their athletes to succeed."
Edmonson said SkyCaddie’s technology provides instant access to the vital course information golfers need to play their best golf. Now golfers have at their fingertips information that was previously unavailable, without slowing down the game by pacing and calculating, allowing them to spend more time focusing on their next shot. According to RankMark, an independent golf equipment testing company, SkyCaddie improved scores of test participants on average by 5 strokes per round and saved them up to 25 minutes per 9-holes.
"The GCAA is excited about the impact range-finding devices will have on college golf and potentially the pace of play," said GCAA Executive Director Gregg Grost. "We believe SkyGolf’s innovative SkyCaddie GPS range-finding system will be beneficial to college players and coaches at all levels."
Currently, over 8,000 courses, including 65 of Golf Digest’s "2005 List of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses," are making the benefits of the SkyCaddie available to their members and guests. This database of SkyCourses – golf courses that have been professionally marked and are available for use with the SkyCaddie – is growing at a rate of 50 – 100 per week. SkyGolf estimates that more than 10,000 SkyCourses will be available by spring of 2006 – including almost 2,000 international courses.
Contact:
Chris Myers
(601) 605-6100, ext. 114
