MIGregB

If I understand the official Shot Scope test, it's all about the Mindset feature, not just the usual ball performance. It's obviously difficult to separate the two. But if you've chosen a Bridgestone model by using the Find My Ball app or at least a model that somewhat compares to your current gamer, the non-Mindset stuff should be minimized. Hopefully that can isolate whether Mindset helps you aim and execute a shot better than those without Mindset. IMHO, Mindset will better help those who don't have a solid pre-shot routine than those who do. Is it a helpful feature or simply interesting graphics? But again, that's what I think they're trying to determine.

The balls haven't arrived just yet for those of us in the Shot Scope testing group. Hopefully soon.

Terrific pre-Mindset comparison & review! I, too, am interested to see how the ball compares to my gamer(s), but the Mindset/Shot Scope test is more specifically about whether it can result in more shots in play with hard data to prove it. I'm concerned that my before & after "data" will be unfairly skewed as I have worked hard on my sequencing over the winter, and I got a new, more forgiving driver, both of which have already pretty substantially improved my shot data. I only have a few rounds under my belt this season so I'm still in the honeymoon phase of my changes; old habits have a "habit" of cropping up at the most inopportune times! Maybe I'll have enough 2024 rounds in before the Bridgestone's arrive to establish a new baseline. I'm anxious to see whether Mindset makes a difference, I just need to figure out how to establish that.

This should be interesting. Can't wait for some results. Congratulations all!

Another good group, congratulations all!!

A terrific spread of testers, congratulations to all!

Hmmm, sounds like market research to me. But yes, they are for me. The alternative is to fiddle with your smart phone, or some other such device, to let the app/tracking system know what club you're using and at what place on the curse course (that started out as a typo, but it seems far too appropriate at times to correct!!!).

@GolfSpy_BEN, I did think of one rookie question. But since I am, I'm not too embarrassed to ask . How contemporary should the rounds be for posting? Those played just that week? Up to the week prior? I can imagine there's more leeway for the 1st week, especially for those of us in the north who have to dodge rain/snow/cold in the beginning. But what's the guidelines? Thanks,

This is an incredible amount of work you're doing so that we can have a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to participating this year. Thank you!!!

I was waiting for that to come out, thanks for the heads-up! Let us know what you think after tomorrow's round.

I've been a Shot Scope user since the V1. I've had the V2, V3, H4 and now the X5. Each one has gotten better, but I agree with @tony@CIC that it felt like the X5 was beta tested on us early users. The X5, while still not flawless, is now pretty darn good. I'd still like much better battery life, though, so it could also be worn as a watch without daily charging. Or alternately, a more convenient method such as wireless charging. I tried Arccos in the past, well after it should have been stable, but had a lot of trouble with missed shots. And, of course, there's that annual fee for its use in any form. I also have tried the SwingU app. It seemed to work very well, but it took more user input during the round than I like. It also has an annual fee for any of the advanced level tracking info, but not for handicap calculation (at lease the last time I checked) which is the reason I still have it. I don't have the need for an official USGA HC. Also, it's a PITA to register legitimate rounds since no one in my golfing group partakes either, and the club I generally play doesn't make it any more convenient to post rounds. I simply use HC as one way to track progress. According to SwingU, the only thing missing in their calculation is the newly added weather factor so it's pretty accurate.

Dang... I don't know if I should be jealous or just POed. There's no club in my bag that's untouchable! Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty happy with my new Dark Speed X driver and Motore X combination that gave me back 18 yards on Shot Scope Average (OK, working hard on my sequencing to avoid duck-hooks had a hand in that as well) and 5 yards on Performance Average. But I wouldn't hesitate to check out other drivers if it could gain me more. I'm also still pretty happy with my JPX919 HM irons, but nothing so outstanding that I wouldn't hesitate to switch if I saw improvement. Same with my putter(s); I vacillate between an Odessey White Ice Saber Tooth and a White-Hot OG 1. There's only 1 "thing" in my bag that's untouchable, and it isn't club. It's my 23+ year old Nikon Laser 500 range finder. It has worked flawlessly the entire time. I have friends who have had to buy 2 or 3 other models because theirs stopped working. Now, to work on finding that club.......

Congratulations testers! I'm looking forward to your reports.

I don't think any of us in the full Shot Scope/Bridgestone test have received them yet. @GolfSpy_APH got them order a week ago today so we probably have at least a few more days before they arrive.

So... I need to pass on a warning for those who decide NOT to keep their demo shaft. First, though, I want to say that I do not believe this is an attempt to cheat anyone or slide anything past unsuspecting people. It's probably just the all-too common result of great idea people starting a company, but either neglecting or failing to recognize the importance of their back-end business systems. But after returning the demo shaft accomplished through their system by their process, my credit card has just been pre-charged, twice, for $250 each for a total of $500. This is not the same charge card pre-auth followed by a reversal of the same amount which was used to verify that the card is still valid during the demo period. This is two $250 charges. I'm not at all worried that I'll actually have to pay anything, but it may force me to have to dispute the charge to avoid having to front the $500 since my closing date is happening soon - a royal PITA! Another forum member warned me that this could happen so it's a known problem that they have not yet corrected. They need to fix it. Update: It has just been fixed. Glad they got on it right way.

I recently got the new Cobra Dark Speed X driver and played around with the Newton shaft before remaining with my trusty Motore X on which I installed a universal adapter so I can switch it between different models should I wish. But my next purchase has to be a specialty 50 deg gap wedge. I've used Mizuno JPX HM irons for several years (the 850's and now the 919's) and I really like them. But I've never been pleased with the gap wedges.; very inconsistent. I really need to find a place where I can do an outdoor, in and around the green demo.

Since the time that my iron play has improved to where I could even tell the difference between shafts in any substantial way (last 10-12 years or so), I've only played 3 different shafts, but tested 3 or 4 others. As @GolfSpy_APH suggested as a criteria, the Project X LZ 5.5 is my go-to and the one I always try out on a new iron whenever I can. I've tried the Project X LS 5.5 and a UST Recoil (can't remember the exact model), but I couldn't hit them high enough. I've also tried a Nippon Modus (again, can't remember the specific model), but I didn't like it as much as the LZ. I've had the Project X LZ 5.5 in 2 different Mizuno irons and like them a lot. Edit: Oh, yeah! I also tried Project X IO and the Elevate model. Neither worked as well for me as the LZs.

I had planned on saltwater balancing the Bridgestone I receive as well. But your test was interesting and encouraging. A few years ago, I saltwater balanced 3 different brand/model balls, anywhere from 9 to 12 balls each of Snell, Kirkland, and ProV1, and found that no one at that time had any that had 100% of their balls in balance, not even the ProV1s. Those that were out of balance all had a rate-of-return (the time it took to come back to the same position) about what your Bridgestone's did; all except one Signature. One of those puppies rotated like a Ferris wheel back to the same spot! That was during the time when Costco recalled an entire lot because of a mfg defect, but still. I reasoned at the time that since ProV1s are such well manufactured/inspected balls and even they had a slight imbalance at times, that slow rate didn't signify enough to be of concern. No clue whether that was a correct assumption, but I went with it regardless. So, 2 of 12 at that rate of imbalance doesn't worry me, at least until someone corrects me!

Based upon messages from @GolfSpy_APH, I see that you and I are part of the official Shot Scope/Mindset test, not just the sampling. He said our stash would be ordered today (Monday). I agree it would have been nice to have the balls by now (I'm playing today), but the OP ran into all kinds of last-minute additions/subtractions that complicated the start of the official test.

I know I'm probably just splitting hairs, but the tags are merely RFID devices that get picked up by the watch. There's no accelerometer, shock sensor or acoustic sensor to pick up the ball strike. But their AI software manages what's recorded as a shot; and it's getting better all the time. When I first started using Shot Scope 5 years ago using the V1 watch, I couldn't even take that warm-up swing behind the ball on the tee and then walk the 5-6 feet to the ball position without an additional shot being recorded. But now, at least on the tee box, as long as you stay within a small circle (I don't remember how small, but probably 6 feet or so), it assumes a practice swing and not a topped ball, so the erroneous shots are much fewer. But I sometimes swing well away from the ball, then go to another position to hit my ball. That does often register an erroneous shot. I'm only guessing, but I think the reason you didn't get an erroneous shot recorded in your example is because you went back to the same place with the different club. So the software assumed you changed clubs and didn't just mishit the 1st shot, only to return to the same place to take a 2nd. The software is that smart and getting smarter! Anyway, whether it's recording the actual shot or taking educated guesses, the results are the same. Reliable tracking, which was the OPS question.

Tags are registered when the NFC tag is close to the watch band which contains an antenna for that purpose. I've seen posts from a couple of users who have had issues with the tags registering. But I think there was always usually a reason behind it, like not wearing the watch on the lead hand or damaged tags (which rarely occurs), not some routine operational issue. I've had the opposite issue. I'm a person of a certain age (read: OLD!!!) who needs to loosen up a bit before every shot. It doesn't take much, just several casual swings before the real swing. To speed things up, I would start my swings in the background while others play so that I'm ready when it's my turn. But SS records a swing position when it tags the club, not when you hit the ball. That resulted in a bunch of false shots. To counteract that, I will pause the app or swing a non-tagged club I carry for that purpose. I really don't think you need to worry about the tags registering.

Only that it wasn't really much better than the Motore X, which is in itself is an excellent shaft that I've enjoyed since I got it. I really believe that the Newton is slightly straighter and if I was making the decision of which shaft to buy, it'd be the Newton. But I already own the $225 (new) shaft so I can't justify the added expense for such a small improvement. The demo program is an excellent way to test one out yourself, though. Even if they discontinue the 30-day demo period, they regularly offer15 days which in my case was ample time to test it out.

I got out to the range again today to finalize my thoughts on the Newton shaft. Unfortunately, as nice as it is, it just isn't enough better, if at all, than my Motore X. So I've decided to return it. This is a terrific shaft and a great program. I'm sure I wouldn't have even tried it if not for the demo promo. And I'm equally certain that I'd keep it if I didn't already own the Motore X. Many thanks to Angelo and the people at Newton for this opportunity! Good luck to all those still evaluating, I hope it works for you!

I am very excited to be chosen for the Shot Scope and Bridgestone Mindset testing opportunity for two reasons. First, this is my inaugural testing opportunity and I hope that I can add enough value to be chosen for others in the future. But second, and even more interesting, is this is a unique test for MGS in that they’ve figured out how to bring their datacratic philosophy to member testing. I’ve used Shot Scope for several years and value the data it provides. But how cool is it to have Shot Scope incorporated into a member’s test! This could open up a huge new source of objective testing for far less than putting launch monitors into everyone’s hands! A bit about myself. I’m in my early 70s now, but I didn’t take up golf until I was in my late 20s. And since the only organized sport I ever played was baseball, my golf game initially looked like I was still trying to play baseball! Pretty sad. I had knowledgeable friends who tried to help me, but I took the far-too common road to better golf; struggled for decades until a few things made sense between my ears. Now, with the advent of Internet golf videos and app feedback, I’ve improved further. I can honestly say that I’m a much better golfer today than I ever was – considerably shorter, but technically better. I no longer carry an official USGA handicap as neither my league nor my usual golf buddies partake and it became a chore to post legitimate scores; not to mention that I don’t do anything where the official handicap is necessary. So, I use the SwingU app which provides me with a reasonable HC number, missing only the new weather adjustment the USGA has recently added. Not that it’s my greatest my strength, but I am most comfortable driving the ball vs other parts of my game. That’s probably why I’ve always gravitated toward firm balls like the -Pro V1 X, my favorite, and the MaxFli Tour X which performs very close to the left dash, but costs nearly half the price when on sale. I’ve used firm golf balls for so long (I even used “Rock-flights” back in the day) that chipping and putting with soft balls just feels weird to me. I’m a bit concerned that the Bridgestone ball fitting guide put me in the Tour B RX which is considerably softer. I’ve always used the ball model name and the GC line on the MaxFli for alignment, so the Mindset graphic adds an interesting twist. With Shot Scope tracking everything, this could be a real eye opener for me.

They were overhead models, but I don't know which one. Not having a lot of LM experience, I can't say how accurate it was. But it was certainly in the same ballpark as what I see on Trackman and very consistent. I like them! I didn't get any suspicious numbers. I was on a TrueGolf E6 sim a few weeks ago and found them to be very inconsistent. Periodic wildly off numbers (sudden 10-12 mph swing speed increase, very high spin numbers on good shots, excessive smash factors). I had to throw out nearly half the swings when I was giving Angelo at Newton data. They were even surprised at how many bad numbers I got.