The Quick Verdict
Get the SkyCaddie LX2. It's only $20 more, gives you a color touchscreen, a digital scorecard, hole maps (with Eagle upgrade), and it converts to a handheld via an included cradle. The GolfBuddy VOICE 3S+ earns its spot only if you want spoken yardages — it literally talks to you, which is genuinely useful if you'd rather not look at a screen mid-round. That's a real use case, but it's a narrow one. Check price at Amazon →
What They Have in Common
Both are entry-level GPS devices under $150. Both skip green contours, virtual caddie, automatic shot tracking, and heart rate. Both offer front/center/back yardages and hazard distances. Neither requires a subscription to get basic functionality. At this price tier, they're stripping away everything that isn't pure yardage data — they just go about it differently.
Where They Differ
The Whole Point of the VOICE 3S+: It Talks
The GolfBuddy's name tells you everything. This device speaks your yardages out loud — 10 male and female voice options, in multiple languages. You can clip it on, or detach it for cart or bag mounting, and hear front/center/back yardages without reading a screen. If you're the type who finds wrist-checking disruptive, or if you play with someone who has trouble reading small screens, this is genuinely useful functionality that nothing in the LX2's spec set replicates.
Everything else about the VOICE 3S+ is minimal by design. It runs a mono 128×64 pixel LCD — not color, not touchscreen, no hole maps, no scoring, no green view. There's no touchscreen. It reads as a device built to do one thing and skip everything else. GolfBuddy rates it at 18 hours in golf mode. SkyCaddie doesn't publish a GPS-mode battery figure for the LX2, so I can't rank the two on battery.
What it doesn't have is notable: no USB-C (still micro USB), IPX4 splash protection only, and no independent reviews I've seen in 2026. If you're caught in heavy rain, you'd want something rated higher, and the LX2 doesn't help settle it: SkyCaddie calls it water-resistant but publishes no IP rating.
The LX2: A Full Watch That Punches Above Its Price
The SkyCaddie LX2 is a watch, not a handheld — though SkyCaddie includes a cradle in the box that clips to your bag or belt and converts it. You're essentially getting both form factors for $149.95.
The display is a 1.28-inch JDI color touchscreen, which SkyCaddie describes as optimized for sunlight readability and low power consumption. SkyCaddie doesn't publish a GPS-mode hour count, though, which is worth noting if battery matters to your decision. SkyCaddie also says its 35,000 courses are ground-verified.
The PAR plan carries no annual fees and gives you front/center/back distances; the watch also has a digital scorecard and manual shot distance measurement. Upgrade to an Eagle membership, which is annual (I couldn't confirm its yearly price), and you unlock HoleVue hole maps, IntelliGreen green views, and the full target list. The scorecard puts the LX2 ahead of the VOICE 3S+, which has no scoring at all, for any golfer who tracks their score digitally.
The LX2 also has WiFi, which means course updates download without connecting to a computer. That's a small convenience that matters more than it sounds during a trip when you're playing an unfamiliar course.
40,000 Courses vs 35,000 Courses
GolfBuddy wins on raw course count: 40,000 preloaded vs 35,000 on the LX2. In practice, both libraries are large enough that this difference likely won't affect most golfers. The more relevant question is whether your home course and regular travel courses are in each database, and that's worth checking before you buy.
Who Should Buy Which
Get the GolfBuddy GB VOICE 3S+ if:
- You want spoken yardages without looking at anything — you clip it to your cart and let it talk
- You want a published battery figure: 18 hours in golf mode, where SkyCaddie publishes none for the LX2
- You're buying a device for a family member who's more comfortable with audio than wrist-checking or screen navigation
- You want slope mode for practice rounds (the VOICE 3S+ has it; the LX2 doesn't)
Get the SkyCaddie LX2 if:
- You want a color touchscreen at entry-level pricing
- You keep score on-device and want a digital scorecard built in
- You like the watch form factor but also want the option to run it as a handheld (cradle included)
- You might upgrade to Eagle membership later for hole maps and green view — the upgrade path is built in
- You want WiFi for course updates without connecting to a laptop
The Bottom Line
For most golfers shopping in the $130–$150 range, the LX2 wins. More features out of the box, a color touchscreen, a digital scorecard, an upgrade path to hole maps and green views, and a cradle that gives you both watch and handheld options — all for $20 more than the GolfBuddy. The VOICE 3S+ is genuinely good at what it does, and talking yardages are a legitimate differentiator. If you've been annoyed by wrist-checking mid-swing or you want a device for someone who'd rather hear the number than read it, go VOICE 3S+. Otherwise, the LX2 is the better all-around buy.