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Golf Shot Tracker Guide: 4 Products To Enhance Your Stat Analysis
If you are looking to keep track of your stats and evaluate your performance on the course, a golf shot tracker system is worth researching. This category took off several years ago, and now there are numerous options available to golfers.
In this guide, I will go over four products that I think are worth your money. I will evaluate each of their strengths and weaknesses, and hopefully, make your decision a little easier!
Here are the shot tracking systems that I recommend:
- GAME GOLF
- Shot Scope
- Arccos
- Garmin CT10
Let’s take a more in-depth look at each one…
What Do Golf Shot Trackers Do?
Shot trackers use sensors that attach to your grips to record all of your shots on the golf course. When you finish your round, you’ll upload your data to an app, or online dashboard that will then make sense of everything for you.
You will receive top-level stats like fairways hit, greens in regulation, scrambling percentages, and putting metrics. Also, you can find out how far you are hitting each club on the course, versus how far you think you are hitting them. Many systems go a lot deeper and offer you advanced stats that will reveal every detail about your golf game like strokes gained.
Overall, if you are looking to improve as a golfer, I highly recommend using a shot tracking system.
For further reading, I wrote this article a while back, which outlines how you can use stats to set goals for your golf game.
GAME GOLF
GAME GOLF is one of the pioneers in the shot-tracking category. I tracked over 50 rounds using their original product and found it to be excellent in several areas.
It is very accurate at collecting data on the course. One caveat is that it is the only system that requires manual tagging. Tagging was not an issue for me, but some golfers might find it a nuisance. In my opinion, this is the only major downside of using GAME GOLF.
GAME GOLF’s stat portal is one of the best in the industry. It offers clear, actionable information on your golf game in many areas. On top of that, they have created an active social element that allows you to compete in online contests and share your rounds with friends.
You can snag a deal on their original unit
, or their newer GAME GOLF Live
for under $100. Recently, they announced their Smart Caddie app, which allows players to get real-time advice on the course based on their stats. Additionally, GAME GOLF Pro is slated for a release in November – it will allow golfers to track their shots without tagging.
You can read my full review on GAME GOLF here.
Arccos
Arccos is also another strong brand that was first to market in the golf shot tracker category. Their system does not require a golfer to tag shots manually. However, you must have a smartphone with GPS capabilities in your front pocket at all times to automatically record shots.
Their app uses artificial intelligence to give you on-course recommendations. On top of that, their online dashboard offers robust data analysis that can help shed light on where your game needs help.
Overall, Arccos is a great option for golfers who don’t mind having a phone in their pocket on the course. It automatically tracks your shots and gives you access to one of the best data analysis systems in the industry. To be transparent, this is the only product I have not tested because having a phone in my pocket while I play is a bit of a deal breaker!
Update: Arccos released their Caddie Link, which does not require a phone in your pocket anymore. You can check our review of Arccos here.
You can purchase their system for $199 here
.
Shot Scope
Shot Scope is one of the newcomers to golf shot trackers. The Scotland-based company figured out a way to blend what was missing from both GAME GOLF and Arccos and put it into one system.
I was very impressed with Shot Scope V2
when I tested it several months ago. Instead of having to tag shots manually, all GPS data on the course automatically records through a GPS watch. It solves the issue of having to carry your cell phone in your pocket. Also, the GPS watch provides great value with distances to various points on the green and hazards around the course.
Shot Scope was very accurate in my testing despite not having to manually tag shots. Additionally, their online dashboard is excellent at giving you a top-level view of your stats, as well as a deep dive in several categories like tee shots, approach shots, and short game.
The only downside is that the watch is a bit large, which might bother some golfers. Also, it carries a price tag of $249, which makes it a more significant investment compared to Arccos and GAME GOLF.
You can read my full review of Shot Scope here.
Garmin Approach CT10
Garmin recently announced the Approach CT10
. Similar to Shot Scope, it automatically records your shots on the course through the use of a GPS watch.
I got a chance to test out the CT10 and found it mostly accurate at capturing shots on the course. Their online stat dashboard is not as robust as the competition, but still more than capable of tracking your stats. I think it is more appropriate for golfers who want a simple analysis, and don’t need all of the extra detail (which in many cases is not necessary).
The only downside with this shot tracking system is the cost and compatibility. The Approach CT10 currently costs $299, and it only works with the Garmin Approach S20
and S60 watches
, which cost roughly $199 and $399 respectively. That can bring the total cost well beyond $500, which I believe makes the CT10 more attractive to current Garmin watch owners.
You can read my full review of the Garmin Approach CT10 here.
Wrapping It Up
Each golf shot tracker system has their strengths and weaknesses. On the whole, these four products do their jobs very well. As I mentioned earlier, I think it’s a great idea to keep track of your stats on the golf course because it can reveal the truth about your golf game. Taking this information to practice smarter, and make better decisions with your strategy can save you strokes.
My personal experience using Arccos:
The club tracking works quite well, very few missed/additional shots logged–except for the putter. The putter sensor seems to be very sensitive, and additional shots are often recorded. If you don’t know how far each clubs goes, and at what distance you can expect a “functional” shot, Arccos is a great tool.
The statistical analysis is poor and unreliable. Strokes gained for each shot are not numbers, but meaningless colors. There is one color for a poor shot, one color for a neutral, and three colors for varying degrees of good. Why is there such a bias for good shots? Why no numeric value? Further, there is no easy way to see how well you perform from various distances. The data is there, but the presentation isn’t easily absorbed. Putting stats are poor. All that’s collected is your initial putt distance. On the positive side, there is some good left/right/short/long of target info.
I’ve used two other systems: SkyCaddie, and the Golfmetrics phone app. SkyCaddie is great as a GPS unit, but the stats are far worse than Arccos. Golfmetrics is the creation of Mark Broadie, of “Strokes Gained” fame. The Golfmetrics stats are AWESOME! But you have to manually enter every shot.
As of August 22 Arccos has a handicap breakdown for each facet of your game. I dont know if yours was an earlier version but this is very nice so far.
Yes, I have the handicap breakdown too, and I think it’s a great overview. But drilling down into each category takes WAY more work than it should, and detailed putting stats simply don’t exist.
I wanted to leave this comment on the Game Golf unit. I purchased this unit four years ago and never had any issues with it. I had to replace some tags do to the wear and tear of putting the clubs in and out of the bag which was not a big issue. Recently the unit started shutting during my round of golf. I called the support line that Game Golf has on their website and you get the recording that this number is no longer is service. I went to the Game Golf site and sent an email stating the problem that I was having with the unit and made the comment that it might need a new battery but I wasn’t sure what the problem was and could someone tell me how to send the unit in and have it looked at. I got a reply back from one of the support people saying that they did not replace the battery in the unit and that I would need to get a new battery. They sent me instructions on how to open the back of the unit and and the battery number that I needed. After going to several places, Interstate Battery, Hardware stores, Best up and Staples they had no such battery and didn’t know how to get one. I got back on line and sent another email to Game Golf Support and the individual sent me an email back saying I would have to order it on line. My wife and I tried finding the battery on line and could not find it. After asking if I could send it in and have the unit looked at to see if it was in fact the battery or something else all I got back from their support was they did not replace batteries. I am very disappointed in their service to say the least and as of now I have put he unit up and will not be able to use it. I would not recommend purchasing this unit due to the poor service that is provided.
That does stink. But with arccod you only get 2 years out of a battery in the Unit and then have to pay to replace them..
Plus your unit is 1/2 the price. So you get roughly 7-8 years for the cost of one arccos. Not bad.
One things no one has mentioned is that in order to use the latest arccos sensors you need to pay yearly subscription of $99 on top of the cost of sensors which make the system quite expensive, not to mention the cost of replacement after the battery dies
Does any one know if Shot Scope V2 GPS or the others mentioned here need a yearly subscription same as arccos?
There is no subscription needed for Shot Scope. I just ordered V3. I’m hoping that will be an improvement over the ARCCOS I’ve had for the past two years. The ARCCOS app has really gone downhill lately with constant crashing during the round and typically only picks up around 70 of my 90+- shots, which is extremely frustrating when paying for that subscription.
I have used all three Arcos Shot Scope and game golf here’s my thoughts
Best graphics 1 Gamegolf 2 Arcos 3 ShotScope
Expensive 1 Arcos 2 Gamegolf 3 ShotScope
Most Reliable 1 ShotScope 2 Gamegolf 3 Arcos
Customer Service 1 ShotScope 2 Arcos 3 GameGolf
Arcos is Brilliant but the amount of times it has crashed missed shots etc is fairly high at least 10 times per round my course wasn’t even mapped properly > never had this issue with ShotScope and Gamegolf is ok but you must tag every shot
The caddie feature in Arcos is excellent but overall I think ShotScope is what people should aim for !
Good comments Dave C. I have been looking into Arccos and Shot Scope for a while now. The Arccos subscription is now up to $119. I believe it was $99 at one point. It’s kinda like Amazon with their Prime membership. Shot Scope looks good too. I’m just not big on wearing a watch. I have a rangefinder and just automatically reach for it and forget about the watch. But I guess the main purpose is to get the stats to figure out tendencies and how to improve. Shot Scope V3 is also much cheaper. Thanks for your input on this topic!
I’ve been using Golfshot’s new Auto Shot Tracking for Apple Watch. Very accurate and picks up just as many shots as my Arccos system did, but I only pay $49.99 / year for pro and don’t have to worry about sensors. It tracks against the recommended club from the app, but you can easily change it before or during tracking using the apple watch digital crown. Plus I can leave my phone in the cart and just focus on my game while tracking and scoring only from the watch. Best experience in my opinion