Shot Scope V3: Lightweight and Stylish GPS Shot Tracking Technology

While a quality sequel is already a tall order, delivering a successful third installment is an even more impressive, and rare, feat. But after having the past couple of weeks and logging several rounds, it’s easy to see that the Shot Scope V3 is another landmark advancement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Golficity (@golficity) on Jul 5, 2020 at 4:11pm PDT

Before getting into the V3, I think it’s important to highlight that Shot Scope has been around for approximately 5 years. And despite the fact that it’s one of the youngest companies in the shot tracking marketplace, the advancements that have been made demonstrate that Shot Scope genuinely values and looks to incorporate its users’ feedback into each new model.

For example, the V2 was a great piece of hardware. Over the V1, which strictly tracked your shots, the V2 was a drastic development as it added an LCD screen that provided golfers with GPS distances for the front, middle and back of the green, along with distances to the front and back of hazards (i.e., sand bunkers and water) on each hole. And in stark contrast to some (see also: “most”) of the other GPS devices out there, the V2 distances were true to where you were standing from (e.g., the neighboring fairway) and your angle of approach, as opposed to being calculated off of your closest point from the center of the fairway that you’re playing.

That said, nothing is perfect and some people complained that the V2 was bulky, that the battery wasn’t strong enough and that the clock was only viewable in a miltary-style, 24-hour time stamp.

The V3 addresses all of the V2’s weaknesses, and takes it several extra steps further forward.

Immediately noticeable is how much thinner and lighter the V3 is. To quantify the substantial difference, the V3 is roughly 60% smaller and weighs 21 grams (~⅓) lighter than the V2. Moreover, the display has been upgraded to a daylight readable color screen** and battery life is rated for more than 10 hours, making 36 holes on a single charge an easy feat.  And yes, the clock can also be put into a standard, 12-hour style.

Further impressive about the significant weight and size reductions is that the V3 is also more accurate—within 30 centimeters—with the help of its proprietary dual GPS antennas that are built into the Power-Sense AI strap—which is currently available in 5 different colors, Black, Blue, Red, Gray and Purple, with the possibility of swapping straps in the near future—that works with the small, button-sized sensors that are pre-marked and installed into each club to detect every shot.

In addition to streamlining the GPS watch, Shot Scope also simplified the entire process of using the V3. Instead of having to plug the watch into a computer any time there was a software or course map update, the V3 is preloaded with over 35,000 courses—both domestic and international—and simply connects and updates through the smartphone app over a Bluetooth connection. After completing a round you sync the shots through the app and can either review everything in the app or on a desktop, where it can also be edited and confirmed before being verified and added to your Shot Scope analytics.

On the course, the V3’s smaller size and reduced weight are very noticeable. Anyone who was bothered by either with the V2 (myself included) will immediately realize that the changes to the V3 make it feel as if it’s not even there.

Indeed, I have a smaller wrist and found the V3 no more noticeable than my WHOOP fitness tracker. Once you put it on, you barely realize there’s merely 40 grams—less than the weight of 1 golf ball—being worn on your lead wrist tracking every shot and, simultaneously, arming you with invaluable data concerning that bunker you need to avoid, the water hazard you need to carry or that green you’re looking to attack.

The fact that the changes made to the V3 have made it entirely passive mean that you can play your round undisturbed and, as a result, review a true representation of how you play and hit each and every shot, which is particularly important so when you go to analyze the stats, which include Average and Performance Average distances for each club, Tee Shot dispersion and distance for each club, Approach Shot dispersion and proximity for each club (which can be further adjusted for approach shot distance ranges), Short Game Shot dispersion and proximity for each club (which, likewise, can be adjusted) and Putting distance, shots per round, average length for shots holed, make percentage and average proximity to the hole.

Moreover, the new battery is a drastic improvement over the V2.  While the V2 required you charged up after every round, I was able to get 45 holes on a single, full charge with the V3, which meant I was able to leave it in my golf bag over the weekend and not have to worry about accidentally leaving it at home or, instead, not having enough juice to record all of Sunday’s round.

These stats, even when conducting just a cursory review, can quickly help you identify what needs work (short game from 20-40 yards), where you’re missing shots and your strengths (approach shots between 70-150 yards).  And while there is an abundance of stats, there are a few more that I would appreciate, such as a calculated handicap, trending handicap and strokes gained.  Fortunately, though, these are simple software tweaks that be added to the app or dashboard and collected using the same powerful hardware.

Whether it’s just to keep score, provide you with some GPS data while navigating a course or you’re looking to expose the flaws in your game so you can find what’s holding you back from that next milestone, the Shot Scope V3 will do all of those things, entirely free of any subscription fee.

**Golficity Pro Tip: since you’ll want to protect the V3’s color screen from getting scratched and nicked up, I would highly recommend grabbing a screen protector for an Apple Watch, like this one, to help keep the display easy to read and the screen looking new.