Shot Scope V2 Review

Shot Scope V2 Review
Shot Scope V2 GPS Watch and Tags

Shot Scope V2

Shot Scope On Amazon

Shot Scope V2 Review
Shotscope
Grade A
Teachers’ Comments: A great way to track your data for game improvement.

Shot Scope V2 is a combination GPS watch and golf performance tracking system designed to help players improve their golf games through the application of data. The Shot Scope V2 system consists of a GPS watch and a set of 20 tags that screw into the grips of your clubs. The watch senses the tag during the swing and records various types of shot data, such as drives, approaches, short game, and putting. The data can later be uploaded to the ShotScope site, allowing you to view the data analysis on the smartphone app, or on the website.

Shot Scope has three modes: GPS, Pro and GPS + Track.

While in GPS mode, the Shot Scope functions as many other GPS devices. It gives distances to the front, center and back of the green, as well as to hazards. I have found it to be accurate and useful in this function.

In the Pro mode, the Shot Scope V2 tracks player performance data without providing GPS information. This mode would be useful for competitive rounds where a GPS is not allowed, but where a player still wants to track data.

Finally, the GPS + Track mode does exactly what you would think: it provides GPS data while tracking shots.

Before heading out for your first Shot Scope round, a little setup is required. You need to install the app on your phone and register for a website account. Then, screw the tags into the proper clubs. On the website, you “set up your bag,” entering the make and model of each of the clubs according to the tags you installed. Then, you need to download the courses you play into the wristwatch. Unlike, say, a Garmin GPS, it doesn’t come preloaded.

Using Shot Scope on the course could not be easier. After selecting the mode and course, you simply play golf. There is no need to tap a device on the belt or log anything on a phone. The watch detects which club you are using by the tag on the end of the grip. ShotScope recommends that you take a practice swing or two to make sure that the device registers the swing. That’s not a problem for most people, but I have never incorporated practice swings into my routine, so it was a bit of a reworking.  On the principle of “my first swing is likely to be my best,” I usually just set and fire away.

The one interruption the flow comes on the greens. Because there is no way for Shot Scope to know the hole positions, and when the ball has dropped into the hole, some manual intervention is needed. After finishing, while still standing near the hole, you need to push a button on the watch to record the number of putts. Like taking a practice swing, that also required a little time to become a habit.

Practice putting strokes near the ball position also are a best practice with this device.

After the round, you upload your data to the cloud by connecting the watch to your phone via bluetooth. You can also apparently connect it to your computer, but I have not used that method. After a few seconds, the data is available in the ShotScope app for perusal.

Shot Scope has a nice data set, collecting more than a hundred different statistics. There are so many that, even after a couple of months of use, I still have not been able to use them all.

For the most part, I’ve stuck to using Shot Scope to analyze my shot shapes — whether I miss more left or right. I also have incorporated more realistic club distances. No more under-clubbing for this guy.

One neat feature is that the shotscope allows you to review your round hole-by-hole, and shot by shot. If you play the same course on a regular basis, you can study the results to devise a better strategy.

I’ve also found that on my home course, some holes generate dries that are consistently longer than others. Since it is mostly flat, I’m not sure why.

In any case, I found that it was fun reviewing the round, and thinking about how I could have made a better play.

There are so many graphs, categories and data that I could not possibly mention them all. I suggest that you take a look at the demo of the Shot Scope Performance Dashboard here. It will give you a very good idea of what the system offers.

Unlike some other GPS watches I have tested, it is nice that the Shot Scope uses a standard USB plug to charge. Other GPS watches have a proprietary charging attachment.

Battery life on the Shot Scope is decent — I have found that it will last a round and a half before needing a recharge. However, the power off function doesn’t seem to conserve battery life. Even if I have the Shot Scope V2 powered down, the battery still will be empty in a couple of days. To use it, I need to make sure that I plan ahead and charge it the night before a round. Since I play a lot of spontaneous rounds, that has caused me to miss quite a few data collection opportunities.

The Shot Scope V2 also takes a long time to charge. You can’t just quickly top off the tank.

The biggest downside of the Shotscope for me is the need to wear the relatively large watch. It took a long while for me to become comfortable playing with the Shot Scope on my wrist.  The band also could use some improvement. The clasp really doesn’t lay flat and the rubber is sweaty. When Shot Scope brings out its V3, I hope that they can reduce the size of the device, and design it with a standard watch band lug. A standard lug would allow me to replace it with a band that feels better on the wrist.

I really like the Shot Scope V2 and will continue to use it going forward. The data that it collects tells me so much more than my scorecard ever could about the state of my game.

 

The Shot Scope V2 Review was first published on GolfBlogger.Com on July 24, 2018.

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