Hands-On Review of the New Arccos Driver Tracking System

In a previous article, I recalled an interesting perspective from a former swing coach.  He would preach his strong belief that great golfers fall into one of two categories:  “Smart players” (those who can think their way around the course) and, for the sake of diplomacy, let’s call the second group “optimistic golfers”—the players who don’t need no stinkin’ warm ups; who see a small opening in the tree line but none of the trees; who think pressure only applies to the water in their shower.  If we envision a spectrum—with the thinkers on the far left and the optimists on the far right—you’ll find my game directly between the two.  Fine, you’ll find me slightly left of center, because if optimism wasn’t a small part of my game, I would have hung up my bag a long time ago.

So where does this put my chances of becoming a great golfer?  Well, the way I see it, I can either go left, toward the Thinking Man’s game, or I can miraculously relinquish 27 years’ worth of constant berating from the golf gods in one fell swoop, and go right.  Unless I take a ProV1 to the hippocampus in the near future, I wouldn’t consider crossing the golf gods; they’re hard enough on me as it is.  My conclusion: I need to become a smarter player.  So, where do I go from here?  I’ve read thousands of pages on short game instruction, yet the three putts continue stalking me like a psychotic ex-girlfriend with a restraining order.  I’ve watched instructional video upon instructional video on optimizing ball striking, yet my ball seems to have some sort of romantic affair with white and red stakes, not so much with short green grass.

Enter my new therapist, the Arccos Driver.

New Technology Introduction

The Arccos Driver is a new piece of technology that allows players to track specific driving statistics, all of which have been identified as crucial metrics for improving your long game.  For my readers who cringe at the thought of learning new technology, don’t.  As someone who falls into the “millennial” demographic, most would assume technology is somewhat of a sixth sense for me.  Well, the only “Sixth Sense” in my repertoire comes in DVD format, and I’m still having trouble hooking up my DVD player, so believe me when I say, if I can handle the Arccos Driver, you can too.

Packaging and Setup

As the old saying goes: Don’t judge a book by its cover.  In the golfing world, this saying is revised to read: Don’t judge a book by its cover. . .unless you’re buying golf equipment.

I was instructed early on in my golf career to focus solely on the aspects of the game that can be controlled.  As such, before I even step onto the first tee, I want to give myself the best chance of playing to my potential.  When I received my new device in the mail, I was pleased to see the high quality, unique retail packaging.  Call me a merchandising nerd, but any product worthy of my consideration better come packed in something eye-catching.  To me, this is a positive cue from the seller.  After all, if their product wasn’t worth anyone’s time and money, would they spend their own time and money creating a unique box to put it in?

My fiancé has a habit of buying furniture online.  More specifically, furniture that comes in 100+ separate pieces, with an instruction manual that looks like the inside of an Egyptian pyramid.  I’ve therefore grown accustomed to opening shipping boxes while simultaneously deciding if I have four hours to spare for assembly.

After installing the Arccos smartphone app, I “assembled” i.e. “pushed a button” on the Arccos driver, and I was ready to play.  I spent the next 3 hours and 59 minutes with my new Arccos device pressed tightly against my chest as I cried tears of joy.  Nearly four hours later, I left for the course, fully expecting a technological conundrum to unfold—something along the lines of being locked out of your email and trying to recover your password VIA EMAIL.  With low expectations—a familiar feeling for me on the golf course—I hit my first drive, checked my app, and there it was: A technological miracle.  She was alive!

Arccos Driver installation done! That was easy…

GPS

I decided to wait until I was through playing before analyzing my round.  One might make the assumption after hearing this statement that the Arccos Driver isn’t all that useful ON the course.  Not so.  I, in all honesty, had no idea this device offered yardage estimates for thousands of courses around the world.  Not only that, but from my brief experience using this device, the yardage has been spot-on.  Tough to argue that claim when you’re consistently pin-high on your approach shots.

I’ve seen GPS devices on the market retailing for well over $100.00.  The Arccos Driver retails for $79.99, and the app is free.  If that doesn’t provide a solid bang for your buck, you need financial guidance.

Analyzing the Metrics

Arccos Driver’s data metrics include: average driving distance, longest driving distance, standard deviation, fairways hit, and percentage of misses right or left.

Here’s a snapshot of my round:

Note:  I played late in the day and was only able to get nine holes in on a course primarily made up of non-driveable par 3’s.

My longest drive was 276 yards—respectable.  One can clearly deduce that I had a small case of the pushes, as all five of my drives landed right of the fairway.  In my defense, three of the five were no more than 5 yards off the fairway and relatively close to my desired landing area.

To explain how “driving handicap” is determined, I included a brief explanation below with visuals taken directly from Arccos’ support site, which is, you guessed it, included in the app.

Improving

Downward sloping trend lines indicate improvement.  In this example, the facet trend line (in our case, driver handicap) is showing improvement compared with the overall trend.  This trend indicates steady improvement in a facet (driving) of your game.

Getting Worse

An upward trending line could indicate that your driving is having a negative impact on your overall game.  An injury, new equipment, or another change could be the reason.

Consistent Strength

If a your driver handicap is consistently below your overall handicap, that facet is consistently helping your game.

Consistent weakness

If your driving handicap is consistently above your overall handicap, that facet could be hurting your game.

Fueling Improvement With Competition

I may not be your prototypical millennial, but I’m the first person to appreciate the benefits brought on by the influx of social media in recent years.  In essence, social media has made our world smaller and more accessible.  Sharing videos, pictures, likes/dislikes, etc. with people from the other side of the globe is no longer a futuristic pipe dream.  It’s reality.  So why should your golfing experience be any different?  Well, Arccos clearly answered that question by creatively implementing a social media aspect to their platform, which allows you to share scores, stats, and (for some) embarrassment among friends, family, colleagues, and even people you’ve never met before.  Because is there any better motivation for improving your game than the lingering thought of being ostracized?  The trash-talking possibilities are a competitor’s dream turned reality.

The Final Verdict

After playing golf for a quarter of a century, I’ve seen thousands of training tools.  Most of these claim to provide a solution to a specific problem: “Cure Your Slice With One Simple Device” and “Shave 5 Strokes Off Your Handicap in 5 Days” are just a couple that come to mind.  Guess what, that “device” they’re advertising…it doesn’t work, and anyone who promises to shave X strokes off your handicap in X days should not, in my opinion, be allowed anywhere near a golf course.

These ubiquitous claims make the worthy ones that much more noticeable.  Well, as far as the Arccos Driver goes, I’ve taken notice, and I’m a believer.

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Cover Photo via Flickr and Arccos