Shot Tracking Systems – Syndication Server

Arccos Caddie Link tracks your shots without using your smartphone

This small devise clips to your belt and tracks every shot you hit, letting Arccos reveals statistics that can help you lower your scores.

Gear: Arccos Caddie Link wearable
Price: $99.99

Since the release of its first shot-tracking system in 2014, Arccos has aspired to collect data on every shot golfers hit and then use it to help them play better. Along the way, the screw-in sensors that attached to each club got smaller, and now you can buy grips with the sensors already built into them. Arccos-powered grips became available in Cobra clubs starting in 2017, and Ping made Arccos-enabled grips available starting in 2019.

The user interface and the smartphone app that collects the data have improved too, and the addition of the Arccos Caddie feature was also a massive step forward. Using artificial intelligence, Arccos Caddie 2.0 can make club recommendations based on your tendencies and how the hole lays out, just like seasoned human caddie would.

However, for some golfers, there was a catch: Arccos required golfers to keep their smartphone in their pocket as they played. Using your smartphone’s microphone and gyroscopes, along with its GPS, allowed Arccos to detect when you hit the ball and record the location of that shot. Unfortunately, while many golfers keep their phones handy in their carts or golf bags, many do not like carrying their phones in their pockets. But with the release of the new Arccos Caddie Link, the company is eliminating that problem.

Arccos Caddie Link was first announced in February 2019, and consumers have been able to pre-order it for several months. With it available starting today, those pre-orders will be fulfilled in the order in which they were received.

The unit itself is a black device that is about the same size as a matchbook: 2.5 inches tall, 1.25 inches wide and 0.75 inches thick. It weighs 25 grams and clips onto a belt, a pocket or a waistband.

Before the start of a round, golfers press a button on the Arccos Caddie Link and start the app on their smartphone. Using Bluetooth, the two devices link. At that point, you can put your phone anywhere you like while you play. Arccos Caddie Link detects the clubs you use and your location for each shot. Pressing the button as you stand over the hole records the flag’s position on that hole for the system, allowing it to create more accurate approach and proximity statistics later.

Arccos said the Caddie Link device’s battery lasts for 10 hours. It recharges using a standard micro USB cable.

When your round is complete, Caddie Link sends all of the collected data to the app. The system can show golfers how far they typically hit each club in their bag, where they tend to miss with each club and how different aspects of their game compare to players at various levels. Arccos said that in 2019, the average Arccos Caddie user who played at least five rounds lowered his or her handicap by 4.2 shots.

Shot Scope V3 smart watch

Shot Scope’s newest GPS-enable watch is thinner and lighter, but it packs a data-enhancing punch that could help lower scores.

Gear: Shot Scope V3 smart watch
Price: $219.99
Specs: GPS-enabled watch and 16 pre-labeled tags

Every week on the PGA Tour, golfers have their shots tracked by ShotLink, a network that involves scores of volunteers, laser-guided tracking systems and a lot of computer power. It’s state of the art and provides the game’s best players with a detailed look at every aspect of their games, from their average proximity to the hole from specific distances to their percentage of putts made from various ranges.

Recreational golfers do not have access to ShotLink, but a growing number are learning more about their strengths, weaknesses and tendencies thanks to shot-tracking systems. Shot Scope, which is among the most popular in Europe, just released the V3 GPS watch, and it is powerful, easy to use and among the most affordable.

While the previous version of the Shot Scope watch was large and somewhat rigid, the V3 watch looks more like an Apple Watch. While the screen size is 2 millimeters larger (diagonally), the watch itself is 20 millimeters smaller in length and 5 millimeters smaller in width. It is also 4 millimeters thinner. The color screen is easy to read in bright sunlight, and the watch does not inhibit a golf swing. The battery will last 10 hours in the golf mode and more than 10 days when used only as a timepiece.

For golfers who want to be stylish, five band colors are available.

Shot Scope V3 Smart Watch — On the course, the Shot Scope V3 show distances to the front, middle and back of the green, as well as distances to hazards. (Shot Scope)

A player does not need to carry a smartphone or have one nearby to use the Shot Scope V3. The watch has its own GPS, and according to Shot Scope, it can accurately determine a player’s position within 30 centimeters on any of the 35,000 courses that come preloaded.

The V3 comes with 16 pre-labeled, screw-in tags that golfers can easily attach to the top of any club. The addition of two extra tags means players who swap out a fairway wood for a driving iron or add an extra wedge depending on the course won’t have to swap out the tags before they play.

There is no syncing of the tags required because each tag uses a unique radio frequency (RFID), so the watch can determine which club is used to play every shot. That information, combined with the GPS location, allows Shot Scope to track a round without a player having to do anything.

The watch provides yardages to the front, middle and back of the green on the hole being played, along with distances to hazards.

Shot Scope V3 stats — Combining GPS and club data allows Shot Scope to create in-depth stats to help golfers improve. (Shot Scope)

After a round is complete, a player can see every shot played on a computer, tablet or a free smartphone app. The system reveals average distance with each club, and thanks to the Pin Collect feature, Shot Scope can determine where the hole is on the green, so it can also reveal things like average proximity to the hole with each club and make-percentage on short, medium and long putts.

In all, there are more than 100 stats available to peruse, and the company said golfers who use the system have reduced their handicap by an average of three shots.