Wanted to say upfront thanks to the mod team for selecting me to test this product and to Shot Scope for providing the units for us to test.I’m Chris and live in Newport News, VA; which is about 20 minutes from MGS headquarters.I have been playing golf on and off since I was a teenager (I am now 56) and prior to actually getting out on a course I remember getting my hands on some clubs as a preteen with my neighborhood friends and hitting balls in a cemetery near the house where I grew up.I started playing on a regular basis in about 2000 when a friend invited me to play in his weekly group.The group has shrunk in size since then but I still play with a few from that group and play in my company’s golf league.My game has gone up and down through the years with my handicap getting as low as a 4 and is now probably about a 9 (guesstimate).I am generally a huge golf junkie and love learning about products and all things golf which is why I volunteered my time to be one of HQ’s most wanted testers.Being a most wanted tester lets me hit all the various clubs on the market but also lets me get access to see and touch lots of unique products in the golf world.
The Shot Scope PRO LX+ is an interesting product as it is really three products that have been packaged together:
PRO LX rangefinder - Will be comparing this to my 16-year-old Nikon Rangefinder
H4 GPS – Will be comparing this to my Bushnell Neo Ghost GPS.The Bushell is my current distance measuring device of choice and I use it 90% of the time when playing.
H4 shot tracking and online dashboard – I don’t currently have a system like Arccos but have tried some of the phone/computer-based systems like myRoundPro, 18Birdies, DECADE foundations, the Grint, and some excel based trackers.
The shot tracking aspect of the package is probably what interests me most since this is will be my first experience with automated stat capture.My prior experiences have been cumbersome paper based or requiring me to pull my phone out of my pocket for every show so I am very excited to see how easily the tagging feature is and how it does at capturing all my shots and see if my personal assessment of my game lines up with what Shot Scope indicates.This feature alone will probably be the key contributor in whether the product stays in the bag.
Some of the things I will work through are the various claims that Shot Scope makes like startup/course identification time, does slope calculation really provide meaningful information, rangefinder optics and accuracy, the various stats that it captures, and most importantly the battery life of the H4 unit since it becomes more difficult to track stats if the device can’t power on.
That’s a quick intro about me and what I am hoping to learn, but these reviews are done for you the MGS readers.Leave comments about what interests you with this product and if possible, I’ll give it a try and get you the information you need to make your purchase decision.
As I unboxed the various components, I was impressed with how it was organized and put together.The product appeared to be of high quality, has multiple color options, and based on claims attempts to provide data that should help a golfer improve.Reading through the website features like target lock vibrations, no phone required on the course, 15-hour battery life, strokes gained metrics, slope calculation, and no subscription fees made it seem like the perfect product.
There was some initial setup required like charging the battery on the H4 (GPS), installing the battery in the rangefinder, installing the tracking tags, creating shot scope accounts, and linking your phone to the H4.It took a couple of tries to get the device to connect to my phone but this seems to be a common problem based on other reviews I have read about the product.
On course impressions were generally favorable. Turing on, finding the course (when it worked), and club tagging were all straightforward processes.Remembering to tag the clubs was a personal issue and not related to the product capabilities in any way.
Aesthetics (4.5 out of 5 Stars)
H4 – The size of the GPS and tracking unit was compact and easily fit in your pocket or on your belt
Rangefinder – a little bigger that most current models but shaped in a way that made it easy to hold.
Both products appear to be durable to bumps and drops but because they are electronic devices, I do treat them carefully and try to avoid dropping them.The only durability issue I have seen reported is potential scratching of the H4 screen when tagging clubs.
I am going to deduct 0.5 starts for the storage case.While the case is of good quality, it is a little tight to fit the rangefinder, the H4 unit, and the belt clip.If you didn’t use the belt clip it fits perfectly.
The Numbers (5 out of 5 stars)
Both the products (H4 and Rangefinder) provide accurate yardages and are consistent with my other distance measuring devices.The slope feature isn’t as awe inspiring as I had hoped but the calculation seems in line with how far I hit my club.
The tagged data is fairly accurate but does requires some post round editing to get accurate shot locations.Putting and pin capture needs adjustment on most holes.
The instructions for using the device can be a bit difficult. To get the best results I strongly recommend reading the user guide and the FAQ on the site as there are subtle things that you should do to get accurate data.For example, if you don’t reach the green on a par 5 in two shots it should be marked as a positional shot.If you don’t, the proximity to the hole numbers for approach shots will be inflated.
Charging is quick, but battery life for the H4 is significantly less that 15 hours in Track+GPS mode.If you were playing back-to-back rounds, you would probably get both rounds in, but if they were a day apart.It would be a push to get both rounds on a single charge.
Customer support appears to be top notch. I leveraged them for my first round to get a course mapped that wasn’t included in their course database.I also leveraged their online support group on Facebook to troubleshoot issues and lean more about the product.
On-Course (1 out of 5 stars)
I’ll cover the "on course" views in 3 sections (H4, Rangefinder, Apps/dashboard)
Rangefinder (3 out of 5):
The rangefinder is very easy to use, buttons are well placed and the unit doesn’t require you to navigate lots of menus to change functionality.
I confused target-lock with pin-lock.The unit vibrates when you shoot anything not just the flag.When shooting distances, I typically looked at the back distance on the H4 and made sure the rangefinder distance was less than that number.
When using the rangefinder unless you pushed our eye against the viewfinder a white halo effect occurred that obscured the view of the displayed information.The unit was basically unusable with sunglasses on and the focus ring was easily turned causing the image frequent adjustment to get a focused display.
H4 (1 out of 5)
This is the most desired component of the product; especially the shot tracking.
Provides GPS distances to the green and various hazards on the hole
Easy to read and accurate.
Biggest issue is that while the magnet is strong, it can be dislodged from the belt clip.
Biggest adjustment is remembering to tag the club.This is the biggest different from their watch product
The watch is designed to automatically capture the club based on proximity when making a swing
The H4 is designed to manually tag which is more reliable assuming you can remember to tag the club.
While I loved the device, I had to significantly mark it down due to the device not being able to find a course that was supposed to be on the device. Based on the support site this is a common problem and often results in device replacement.I don’t expect to get to a course and have the GPS say no course found when the app indicates that the course is loaded on the device. This issue was documented several times in the Shot Scope facebook group with no real solution; often devices were replaced.In some cases it fixed the issues and in others it didn’t.
Apps/Dashboard (3 out of 5)
This is where you can do shot analysis and evaluate your performance.
App and Dashboard provide basically the same information, but navigation or functionality may be better in one over the other.
There is lots of information and you need to read the documentation to understand the right way to tag and identify shots and be able to understand what the information is telling you.It is not a simple log in and the software tells you what you need to improve.
Tagging locations aren’t 100% reliable and you need to remember your shots to when you review and sign off on your rounds. Round editing should ideally be done on a laptop/desktop computer and not a phone or tablet.
Occasional connection issues between the phone and app.
Shot Scope is continually adding new functionality!
Provides data in a "raw" data format as well as via strokes gained for tee shots, approaches, short game, putting, and overall; both against adjustable handicap benchmarks.
The Good, the bad, the in-between (2 out of 5 stars)
The product does what it advertises and someone willing to dig in and crunch some numbers can find out details on where they need to improve.Overall, the product is good, customer support is great, but there are a few things that can really frustrate the user which the biggest being phone/H4 connectivity when trying to sync information and the inability to find the course.The later is the most frustrating because you don’t find out until you are at the course and ready to play.If you want to track shots, attaching the H4 to the rangefinder makes it cumbersome to tag your clubs; attaching the H4 to your belt or putting it in your pocket are better options.
One of my favorite capabilities is the ability to capture each shot on the hole. I enjoy seeing people post these on the forum and am glad I can now do the same.
Play it or Trade it? (3 out of 5 stars)
I am going to continue to use the product despite its issues based on my desire to dig into my performance numbers.The big question will be how long to I want to track these numbers and will I get tired of the shot tracking aspect. Even though there are courses that aren't found; which is a huge reliability issue, I am going to persevere and see if I can work around or solve the problem. Keep an eye on the review comments and the ShotScope user community on the forum.
Conclusion
Depending on what capabilities the golfer is looking will depend on whether I would recommend this product.The LX+ is a packaged product that contains a rangefinder, GPS unit, and shot tracking capability.
If you are simply looking for a rangefinder, I would consider this an average product in the market place and would look elsewhere.
If you are looking for a device that provides front, middle, and back green distance, hazard distances, and layup distances the H4 could be a solid product since the information is accurate and it responds quickly.The hesitation to recommend even for only GPS capability is that the device occasionally cannot locate the course making it unusable for the round. While trying to collect some data for my review I had to go to three different courses to get a course that the unit could identify.
If you are interested in shot tracking; the captured data, analytics, and lack of subscription cost make this the perfect product.While you have to manually tag the clubs with each shot, you won’t miss shots unless you forget to tag them.It is also important to note that GPS locations aren’t perfect and you will need to edit your shots post round.Make sure you read the instructions, read the website, and are prepared to have to dig into data if you want to make full use of the shot tracking feature. Again, the big problem is that if you can’t locate the course, you can’t tag the shots.
This screen below is why I am hesitant to recommend this product:
Final Score (20.5 out of 30 stars)
One Year Update
It has been about a year since I started testing the Shotscope ProLX+ devices. I have continued to use the devices but I would say that my quest to dive into the data has waned.
RangeFinder: Still considered it an average to slight above average rangefinder. Use of a GPS device to get F/M/B distances is beneficial to help validate that flag readings are really the flag and not something in the background. Favorite aspect is the slope feature.
H4: I still consider it pretty reliable for capturing shots; most "problems" center around the putting green such as capturing the flag or putt locations. Occasionally, courses aren't picked up even though the device shows that the course is loaded and doesn't need an update. This happened during the MGS Pinehurst trip; Pine Needles wasn't recognized. I have also stopped using the H4 for anything other than GPS during my competitive league matches; not that it is difficult but I find it distracting to use around the green to capture the pin location. The main intent of the H4 is to capture data about your game to identify areas to work on to improve. While it does show how I compare against various handicap levels to help manage expectations at my level of play I find that the data doesn't reveal anything that I can't identify through normal game evaluation.
Summary: I think the product is good for the right person and would still rate it highly. I thought I was a data geek and wanted to know more detailed stats but after using the device I can only say the data is interesting but not game changing for me. Going forward I will still use the rangefinder and h4 unit for distances but probably won't do stat tracking anymore.
Shot Scope ProLX +
Posted
Introduction:
Wanted to say upfront thanks to the mod team for selecting me to test this product and to Shot Scope for providing the units for us to test. I’m Chris and live in Newport News, VA; which is about 20 minutes from MGS headquarters. I have been playing golf on and off since I was a teenager (I am now 56) and prior to actually getting out on a course I remember getting my hands on some clubs as a preteen with my neighborhood friends and hitting balls in a cemetery near the house where I grew up. I started playing on a regular basis in about 2000 when a friend invited me to play in his weekly group. The group has shrunk in size since then but I still play with a few from that group and play in my company’s golf league. My game has gone up and down through the years with my handicap getting as low as a 4 and is now probably about a 9 (guesstimate). I am generally a huge golf junkie and love learning about products and all things golf which is why I volunteered my time to be one of HQ’s most wanted testers. Being a most wanted tester lets me hit all the various clubs on the market but also lets me get access to see and touch lots of unique products in the golf world.
The Shot Scope PRO LX+ is an interesting product as it is really three products that have been packaged together:
The shot tracking aspect of the package is probably what interests me most since this is will be my first experience with automated stat capture. My prior experiences have been cumbersome paper based or requiring me to pull my phone out of my pocket for every show so I am very excited to see how easily the tagging feature is and how it does at capturing all my shots and see if my personal assessment of my game lines up with what Shot Scope indicates. This feature alone will probably be the key contributor in whether the product stays in the bag.
Some of the things I will work through are the various claims that Shot Scope makes like startup/course identification time, does slope calculation really provide meaningful information, rangefinder optics and accuracy, the various stats that it captures, and most importantly the battery life of the H4 unit since it becomes more difficult to track stats if the device can’t power on.
That’s a quick intro about me and what I am hoping to learn, but these reviews are done for you the MGS readers. Leave comments about what interests you with this product and if possible, I’ll give it a try and get you the information you need to make your purchase decision.
Unboxing/Setup:
https://forum.mygolfspy.com/tests/43-shot-scope-prolx/?do=findComment&comment=9591
Final Review:
First Impressions (5 out of 5 Stars)
As I unboxed the various components, I was impressed with how it was organized and put together. The product appeared to be of high quality, has multiple color options, and based on claims attempts to provide data that should help a golfer improve. Reading through the website features like target lock vibrations, no phone required on the course, 15-hour battery life, strokes gained metrics, slope calculation, and no subscription fees made it seem like the perfect product.
There was some initial setup required like charging the battery on the H4 (GPS), installing the battery in the rangefinder, installing the tracking tags, creating shot scope accounts, and linking your phone to the H4. It took a couple of tries to get the device to connect to my phone but this seems to be a common problem based on other reviews I have read about the product.
On course impressions were generally favorable. Turing on, finding the course (when it worked), and club tagging were all straightforward processes. Remembering to tag the clubs was a personal issue and not related to the product capabilities in any way.
Aesthetics (4.5 out of 5 Stars)
The Numbers (5 out of 5 stars)
On-Course (1 out of 5 stars)
I’ll cover the "on course" views in 3 sections (H4, Rangefinder, Apps/dashboard)
Rangefinder (3 out of 5):
H4 (1 out of 5)
Apps/Dashboard (3 out of 5)
The Good, the bad, the in-between (2 out of 5 stars)
The product does what it advertises and someone willing to dig in and crunch some numbers can find out details on where they need to improve. Overall, the product is good, customer support is great, but there are a few things that can really frustrate the user which the biggest being phone/H4 connectivity when trying to sync information and the inability to find the course. The later is the most frustrating because you don’t find out until you are at the course and ready to play. If you want to track shots, attaching the H4 to the rangefinder makes it cumbersome to tag your clubs; attaching the H4 to your belt or putting it in your pocket are better options.
One of my favorite capabilities is the ability to capture each shot on the hole. I enjoy seeing people post these on the forum and am glad I can now do the same.
Play it or Trade it? (3 out of 5 stars)
I am going to continue to use the product despite its issues based on my desire to dig into my performance numbers. The big question will be how long to I want to track these numbers and will I get tired of the shot tracking aspect. Even though there are courses that aren't found; which is a huge reliability issue, I am going to persevere and see if I can work around or solve the problem. Keep an eye on the review comments and the ShotScope user community on the forum.
Conclusion
Depending on what capabilities the golfer is looking will depend on whether I would recommend this product. The LX+ is a packaged product that contains a rangefinder, GPS unit, and shot tracking capability.
If you are simply looking for a rangefinder, I would consider this an average product in the market place and would look elsewhere.
If you are looking for a device that provides front, middle, and back green distance, hazard distances, and layup distances the H4 could be a solid product since the information is accurate and it responds quickly. The hesitation to recommend even for only GPS capability is that the device occasionally cannot locate the course making it unusable for the round. While trying to collect some data for my review I had to go to three different courses to get a course that the unit could identify.
If you are interested in shot tracking; the captured data, analytics, and lack of subscription cost make this the perfect product. While you have to manually tag the clubs with each shot, you won’t miss shots unless you forget to tag them. It is also important to note that GPS locations aren’t perfect and you will need to edit your shots post round. Make sure you read the instructions, read the website, and are prepared to have to dig into data if you want to make full use of the shot tracking feature. Again, the big problem is that if you can’t locate the course, you can’t tag the shots.
This screen below is why I am hesitant to recommend this product:
Final Score (20.5 out of 30 stars)
One Year Update
It has been about a year since I started testing the Shotscope ProLX+ devices. I have continued to use the devices but I would say that my quest to dive into the data has waned.
RangeFinder: Still considered it an average to slight above average rangefinder. Use of a GPS device to get F/M/B distances is beneficial to help validate that flag readings are really the flag and not something in the background. Favorite aspect is the slope feature.
H4: I still consider it pretty reliable for capturing shots; most "problems" center around the putting green such as capturing the flag or putt locations. Occasionally, courses aren't picked up even though the device shows that the course is loaded and doesn't need an update. This happened during the MGS Pinehurst trip; Pine Needles wasn't recognized. I have also stopped using the H4 for anything other than GPS during my competitive league matches; not that it is difficult but I find it distracting to use around the green to capture the pin location. The main intent of the H4 is to capture data about your game to identify areas to work on to improve. While it does show how I compare against various handicap levels to help manage expectations at my level of play I find that the data doesn't reveal anything that I can't identify through normal game evaluation.
Summary: I think the product is good for the right person and would still rate it highly. I thought I was a data geek and wanted to know more detailed stats but after using the device I can only say the data is interesting but not game changing for me. Going forward I will still use the rangefinder and h4 unit for distances but probably won't do stat tracking anymore.