This electronic caddie identifies you, then follows you around for 18 holes.

Jen Maloy

I’ve walked Omni La Costa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif. several times since its 2024 renovation – carrying my bag every time.

It’s a fairly flat walk, which makes schlepping a bag full of clubs less daunting. And way more healthy than driving a cart. But last week, I jumped on the opportunity to play there using an electric caddie – the MGI AI Navigator Halo + Halo Eye ($2,995).

It was a fairly easy set-up out of the car trunk. Lifting it wasn’t tough – the unit weighs a little north of 33 pounds with the battery, and unfolding it is super easy. Then the MGI rep and I had to secure the wheels in the proper orientation. The entire setup took maybe five minutes.

The Halo Eye is a separate attachment that we added after my clubs were on the cart. Once activated, you have to stand in front of it about 8 feet away. It apparently scans your body so that it knows who to follow. The caddie also comes with a remote you can use to control it from afar. Or you can use the 4-inch color touchscreen on the handle, which doubles as a GPS device for shot distances.

Early on, the caddie wanted to follow my playing partner instead of me. But it quickly seemed to learn who I was. And once it was working, the experience was great. It has a 150-yard range so I could send it ahead at times. I also tried other features, like picking a specific spot out on the fairway where my ball had landed – to see if it could go there on its own. It did. Most of the time, however, I had it in “follow” mode where it always stayed about 10 feet behind me. I found myself often turning off its Geo Protect feature where it would avoid previously mapped bunkers, water hazards and curbs. That’s because it beeped the remote to tell me it encountered an obstacle and needed help. So frankly it was just easier to walk in areas with wider clearance and let it follow me freely.

When it worked – which was most of the time – I found it to be a liberating and fun way to play golf. I could walk, I didn’t have to carry clubs, and yet the bag would be right with me when I needed a club. It’s pretty reliable. And quiet.

According to the company, powerful brushless in-hub motors drive each wheel independently for smooth performance, while an improved fifth wheel adds reliable stability on any terrain. It uses an internal gyroscope to stay straight and throttle downhill speed, as well.

Its GPS system is pre-loaded with 40,000+ courses worldwide, by the way. And it took only a moment to sync with the course before the round. I was also impressed with how easy it was to pack up afterwards.

What struck me is that while I love golf and I love technology, I don’t necessarily like mixing the two. I’ve used electronic caddies before and they always seemed like a needless hassle. But using the Halo became second nature after a short while. That is, I didn’t find myself over-focusing on or worrying about if it was operating correctly. It somehow transformed into a nice and convenient complement to my walk.