With the 00's or aughts (or whatever you want to call the last decade) officially complete, the technological advances in golf during this period were still significant even if they weren't as groundbreaking as the equipment changes the game experienced during the 1990's. While the introduction of ultra-durable and lightweight metals is likely to never be challenged in terms of its direct impact on the sport, one could argue the biggest change in how we play the game now compared to 10 years ago has nothing to do with the clubs or balls we use so much as how we prepare for each shot. The introduction of GPS units and highly-detailed course maps has revolutionized the game for the average golfer, which have achieved a new level of accuracy and usefulness with SkyGolf's latest model, the SkyCaddie SG5.

I'm not suggesting there weren't great strides taken in the past decade with golf equipment, but with certain limits put in place by the USGA there was really only so much room for improvement. Sure, my Callaway FT-3 driver nets me 5-to-8 extra yards on average compared to the Titleist 975-D I was using back in 2001, and my new Titleist AP2 irons are much more consistent and controllable than the Ping i3 blades I used previously. The golf balls are supposedly better too, although back in 2000 the Pro-V1 was already immensely popular and the only real difference I've noticed in general is that balls tend to be a bit more durable now. All of these little improvements add up, of course, and have probably shaved a stroke or two from my average round, but it was the addition of the SkyCaddie SG5 to my game that had the most obvious and immediate impact.

The SkyCaddie's usefulness was apparent not just from situational observations, but could also be measured statistically. I compared the 15 rounds I played before using the SkyCaddie SG5 to 15 rounds using the device, played on the same courses in similar conditions. My average round improved from 78.7 to 77.1 and I hit approximately one-and-a-half more greens in regulation per 18 holes. While an improvement of 1.6 strokes per round may not sound like a dramatic difference to some, for a golfer with a 4 or 5 handicap like myself, it's huge. I suspect golfers with higher handicaps will experience even greater results.