It's time to move on from Arccos... Other options for tracking rounds?

[NoCaution]

I've been on Arccos for the last five years and used GameGolf for almost five years before that. GameGolf was great until it stopped working, and Arccos has been awesome, but they just reminded me that it's time to pay them for the privilege of using the product again, and the price is now $200 per year! I love the product, but this is just absurd. Even if I play 50 rounds per year (which is my average), it's gonna cost me effectively an extra $4 every single round to use it. I was already angry when it went up to $150 last year, so I'm done now. 

 

I've got through the 15th to use it, so I need to start planning on what to replace it with. I recently bought a rangefinder that I'm happy with, so I'd love to find an app to track scores, stats, and some basic GPS for seeing blind areas and whatnot. I don't need really shot-by-shot tracking anymore, though it would be nice. It's a shame to lose Arccos, but charging more than most streaming services is outrageous. 

 

Thoughts? What's your favorite app, and why?

[DB Golf]

I left Arccos for 18 Birdies. You can still track club distances, but I don’t use it for that because it’s too much time on my phone during a round. 

[Boogeyman]

I know that you are looking for an app but for shot tracking I've been pleased with Shot Scope. Doesn't give quite as much data as Arccos but there are no subscription fees and the sensors are barely noticable. The cheapest option that they have is the Connex version which is less than $100.

Edited November 30, 2024 by Boogeyman

[TomBomb51]

I have been looking for something as "out of the way" as possible so I am following this thread. I too left Arccos due to the cost but I have yet to pull the trigger on something because most require tapping, fumbling around with your phone etc. For now, I just have a spreadsheet where I manually track my stats after the round.

[dbone919]

Ive been on the search for something as simple as possible in this category as well. I dont want to wear or tap a sensor on my belt before each shot or mess with my phone.

 I have never tried a tracking system yet but what I found that meets the criteria above is Skygolfs GameTrax 360. Yeah you either need at least an iphone 14 pro or their Pro 5X rangefinder to operate but seems very simple after you attach the sensors to your clubs. I bought a Pro 5X this spring with this system in mind. It was originally suppose to launch in march/april this year. I assume they’ve been working out the bugs n such since and is reason for the delay.

Personally id rather have them delay the release until they get it right. It just released for beta testing and is available to order. I will say its not cheap($500) for the sensors and the website states errors will be made but overall the things its capable of look like nothing ive seen before. Will be picking up a set of sensors once spring hits again.  

[Golfcrzy]

Legitimate curiosity - 50 rounds a yr avg, $4 extra per round to have score tracking, shot by shot tracking, every round recorded as detailed as you like, post round and global analysis, handicapping, shot dispersion and bag mapping, hole by hole review, submission to GHIN, not to mention the standard gps and overlay for distances, granular sg data, highlight reels…app based or on the web, access it whenever you want. 

 

What price is that actually worth to you? What is extra to you? What are you really looking to get out of one of these systems?

 

Cheers 
 

(This is not snark but I kind of am thinking is this worth less than a single premium golf ball?)

Edited December 4, 2024 by Golfcrzy

[funkatation]

I just got the GameTrax 360. Using it for my first round tomorrow.

[dbone919]

5 hours ago, funkatation said:

I just got the GameTrax 360. Using it for my first round tomorrow.

Cant wait to hear your initial thoughts on it

[Golfcrzy]

18 hours ago, funkatation said:

I just got the GameTrax 360. Using it for my first round tomorrow.

Following 

[funkatation]

Wish it would pair with my watch is observation #1. Having to carry the SkyCaddie with me to the green isn’t super easy. It didn’t seem to grab every putt.  Playing again tomorrow.  However, Pro5X fixed one super big issue for me over the SX550, it works with my polarized sunglasses!  I’ll post a new thread when I have more time with it.

[jigdagod]

4 minutes ago, funkatation said:

Wish it would pair with my watch is observation #1. Having to carry the SkyCaddie with me to the green isn’t super easy. It didn’t seem to grab every putt.  Playing again tomorrow.  However, Pro5X fixed one super big issue for me over the SX550, it works with my polarized sunglasses!  I’ll post a new thread when I have more time with it.

I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say about it. I just purchased as well. I like the thought of a dedicated GPS device with the Pro 5X that is accurate instead of relying on my phone or other apps. Also was interested in the club data to be able to see what my good/bad shots look like so I could work on fixing what I did wrong instead of trying to guess. 
 

I currently use Shotscope X5 which I’m happy with. No subscription fees so that’s the plus and no steep cost for replacement tags. 

[dabohammer]

I also used arccos for a few years and finally grew tired of messing with the sensors before, during, and after every round.

 

I've tried about every alternative automatic shot tracking iphone/apple watch app, plus a Garmin s70.

 

If you've been using arccos with an apple watch, then using another app is pretty seamless. The two best options IMO were Golfshot and Tangent. Golfshot has some more features, automatic shot tracking, but it can be pretty buggy at times. I could not get it to cooperate with my home course, and always gave me wildly incorrect distances.

 

Tangent is made by a single developer and has phenomenal swing detection. It picks up your swing and then guesses which club and presents that on your apple watch. It's super easy to swipe up or down and change the clubs. After the round, it spits out a summary with strokes gained data as well. It's almost as seamless as arccos, however the UI is a little messy.

 

I'm using the s70 exclusively now. It has swing detection all over the course and provides good stat tracking. But per-club data only works if you use the tags or manually edit the round each time, which i'm not doing. It is the easiest to strap on and go play though, without fidling with settings and all of that.

[funkatation]

The Skycaddie subscription isn’t too bad considering I already was using their GPS.  The pin location feature was always why I stuck with them. I wish they would add some green slope features like GHIN or Golflogix has, then it would be perfect. 

[3PuttLefty]

I have been using Arccos for about 3 years.  I too let the subscription expire because of the renewal price. I then tried a few different options since August (about 5 months of misery) and decided I really miss the ease of Arccos.  I just purchased the Smoke smart sensors for about $135 from Costco which includes one year of membership. So I saved a few bucks and got all new sensors.

[zap311]

I tried Arccos a few years ago and found it missed too many shots using it with Apple Watch. I bought the ShotScope V5 watch when it came out earlier this year and I've been very happy with it. My goal is to get accurate insights on strokes gained to know where I can improve and ShotScope delivers that. The watch is lightweight, captures 95% of shots accurately and I never have to look at my phone during the round. After the round, I spend 5-10 minutes on my laptop confirming the shots and typically adding a few putts that were missed (i.e. a tap-in that was missed or shifting the location of a shot from green to fringe/fairway to ensure correct stats). The black club sensors are low profile and you will get used to them in a few rounds. Given the reasonable cost of the V5 and the ease of viewing the data via app or website, I would highly recommend you give it a try. No system will be perfect, but I think this delivers the best value.

[dbone919]

On 12/31/2024 at 1:34 AM, funkatation said:

Wish it would pair with my watch is observation #1. Having to carry the SkyCaddie with me to the green isn’t super easy. It didn’t seem to grab every putt.  Playing again tomorrow.  However, Pro5X fixed one super big issue for me over the SX550, it works with my polarized sunglasses!  I’ll post a new thread when I have more time with it.

Curious as to why you are bringing the skycaddie to the green…Are you just making sure it reads all your putts? 

[SA16]

16 hours ago, zap311 said:

I tried Arccos a few years ago and found it missed too many shots using it with Apple Watch. I bought the ShotScope V5 watch when it came out earlier this year and I've been very happy with it. My goal is to get accurate insights on strokes gained to know where I can improve and ShotScope delivers that. The watch is lightweight, captures 95% of shots accurately and I never have to look at my phone during the round. After the round, I spend 5-10 minutes on my laptop confirming the shots and typically adding a few putts that were missed (i.e. a tap-in that was missed or shifting the location of a shot from green to fringe/fairway to ensure correct stats). The black club sensors are low profile and you will get used to them in a few rounds. Given the reasonable cost of the V5 and the ease of viewing the data via app or website, I would highly recommend you give it a try. No system will be perfect, but I think this delivers the best value.

Also used ShotScope last year, and I agree with the review. Worth trying out for sure.

[italianstallion]

Question/Observation as the subscription fee seems to be the key issue with Arccos: If you purchase a set of grips one year and get the free subscription for the year, the following year when you go to replace the grips with new Arccos grips, won't you get another year of free Arccos with the new grips? 

[Binson]

I use GolfPad because of its low subscription price per year and because I find it easier to manage throughout a round than Arcos should Arcos have a misread. 

 

It certainly doesn't have as detailed a data set as Arcos, but it serves the purpose and has a good support team. 

[funkatation]

10 hours ago, dbone919 said:

Curious as to why you are bringing the skycaddie to the green…Are you just making sure it reads all your putts? 

Yes it uses the gps to mark where on the green you putt from. 

[dbone919]

1 hour ago, funkatation said:

Yes it uses the gps to mark where on the green you putt from. 

Gotcha. Thanks for the feedback. I can see how that would be a B to have to do hole after hole. Im not sure how much of that I will be able to handle. I might have to skip the putting part or something if it comes to it. 

[Sp4zRX]

Another vote for ShotScope. I used the V3 and then the X5 for about 2.5 years. While I haven’t used the others, I was very happy with it and it seemed to have plenty of data for me to know what my biggest areas of opportunities were. And you can’t beat the ‘no subscription fees’.

[DB Golf]

I just noticed the ShotScope CONNEX adapters are 30% off. 2-year warranty. $70 for at least 2 years of shot tracking is tempting. I don’t mind using my phone during rounds like the pros use their yardage books. If I switch back from 18 Birdies it’ll be for this. I doubt I’ll go back to Arccos because of the price. 

[Miker20890]

I’ve used shotscope and arccos. Prefer arccos just for the hole display and caddie distances. But do hate the subscription cost. Have 1 more year of subscription then I’ll reevaluate. 

[Wahler]

Got the Tangent app, free version, using it then got the coupon code for 30% off-less than $100 for the year, signed up not looking back

Works with Apple Watch-Iphone automatic tracts distance & caddie AI learns which club is which 

[edwelly]

I am also switching to Shot Scope this year. I never cared much for Arrcos. I felt it was too much of a hassle. I then tried GolfPad, and it was better, but I hated playing with my phone in my pocket.
I saw a great deal on the Shot Scope V5, so I will try it. It is supposed to pick up the tag sensor from the watch, and everything I have read said it does a pretty good job. The watch seems very lightweight as well. Fingers crossed!

 

-E

[edwelly]

This is what I bought for $160 - https://shotscope.com/us/products/golf-gps-watches/ex-display-v5/

It looks brand new and I get a 1yr warranty. 

 

-E

Edited January 13 by edwelly

[medic170979]

1 hour ago, edwelly said:

This is what I bought for $160 - https://shotscope.com/us/products/golf-gps-watches/ex-display-v5/

It looks brand new and I get a 1yr warranty. 

 

-E

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on it. Aside from the cost, Arccos would eat my watch battery up quickly. While I would love something to run on my Apple Watch, I’m not opposed to swapping to this for my golf round if it means my watch isn’t completely dead at the end. 

[edwelly]

@medic170979 - I work in IT, so I am overly techie with stuff. I tried Arccos and found it registered about 65% of my shots from my watch (Ultra series 1). I then switched to Golf Pad (a couple of my friends used it), and I hated having a phone in my front pocket. I started using the GolfPad app, not the tags, to track my shots, as the tags were unnecessary. I did that for about 6mos. I loved having the stats and seeing my shots after each round. And as everyone says, you don't hit it as far as you think 🙂
But as I said, I hated having a phone in my pocket, so I stopped tracking shots and started using the GolfPad app for distances. 
I recently returned to weaning a non-smartwatch and missed having yardages on my wrist. I started doing some research and found Shot Scope. If I understand it correctly, the watch will give me what I want from the wrist: yardages—F, M, B of green, hazards, water, etc. It is supposed to use NFC tags, so the watch on my wrist should auto-tag the club. For $160, this is almost too good to be true. And there is something called My Strategy in the app that looks really interesting. 
We just got 12" of snow, so it will be a few mos before I can try it. But I will report back after I do. 

 

-E

[medic170979]

@edwelly Thanks!  I also had issues with missed shots on Arccos, especially putts. I switched back to The Grint app which allows me to get yardages and also enter my score and some basic stats on my watch with their pro version for like $50/year. It works, but it’s not ideal as a long term solution.  I love having the data Arccos provides, but I got sick of editing my rounds afterwards to correct missed shots, etc.  Couple that with the battery drain and the increase to $200/year, I decided it was time to move on.  I look forward to your thoughts once this crap melts!

Edited January 13 by medic170979