Motocaddy's S3 does not have GPS and it cannot tell golfers how many yards lie between the trolley and a point ahead, such as a bunker or the pin, but it can gauge the distance travelled during a round, the length of drives (as long as the trolley can get from tee to ball in a straight line), and the distance between yardage markers and golf balls. The S3 was also fitted with a temperature read-out facility, which was supposed to be what Brown describes as "a nice little touch", but this seemingly minor addition has been the source of confusion.
As temperature gauges are illegal in competition, the S3 was fitted with a ‘Competition mode' which turned the temperature gauge off, but then earlier this year the R&A recommended a new local rule to clubs, stipulating that any distance measuring device that can also measure other factors, such as slope or temperature, should be banned from competition altogether.
Motocaddy sought clarification from the R&A, which has confirmed that this new rule does not apply to the S3 trolley, and that it remains legal for use in competition as long as the competition mode is engaged.
To ensure no further confusion is caused, all Motocaddy S3 trolleys sold after April 1, 2009 do not have the temperature function at all.
