Final Reviews: Arccos Smart Sensors

The Review 09/26/2021

Arccos – Official MGS Forum Review by Glynn Stokes

·       Intro.

I am in my early 60’s and have been playing golf since was 8-9 years old. I took a 10-year break when I moved to Australia and in 1989 I took it up again. Within 5 years I was on low single digit handicap and played regular A Grade Pennant. In 2006 I damaged my knee that required 4 lots of surgery over 7 years. I returned to golf in 2013 and by 2015 I had got my handicap back to 11, which I was happy with. I then got ill which required me to change my clubs and more importantly change to Graphite Shafts. Today I play golf for fun and the social aspect it provides. If I happen to win a comp every now and then that is a bonus.

·       The Personal Questions:

·       What region do you play out of?

I live in regional Victoria and about 3 hours drive from Melbourne in Australia and are a member of Bairnsdale Golf Club.

·       How long have you been golfing?

I have been playing golf for 50+ years.

·       What kind of golfer are you?

I am an average golfer that has the skill to play really good golf, unfortunately illness, injury and age limits that ability.    

·       The Golf Questions:

·       Handicap? (Or average score)

My current handicap is 17.1

·       Strengths/Weaknesses of your game?

I have always been very good at putting, chipping and bunker play. Right now my weakness is consistency. I am really struggling with my woods and long irons.    

·       What is in your bag and how did you choose them? Touch quickly but try not to dwell on each club since this review isn’t about them

My driver, fairways and hybrid are Callaway Epic Flash, and my irons 4-AWare Callaway Steelhead Pro with graphite shafts and a Cleveland SW.  I was fitted at the Callaway Performance Centre. My Putter is a Callaway Warbird.  

·       **Do you consider yourself to be tech savvy?** Good devices should work well for Fred Flintstone as well as George Jetson.

I am tech savy.

·       **How do you currently get your yardages?**

I really have not checked my yardages since changing clubs.

 First Impressions

After a quick check of the product it looked like it would be simple to install.

Took about 30 min to install the sensors on my clubs. The only one that took a little more thought was the putter as it has a SuperStroke Grip.

 

Downloading the App and activation was easy as was the setup of CaddieLink.

Had some issues syncing the sensors on the clubs to the app. It took me 3 attempts to get them all to sync.  Some sensors were identified very quickly, others took allot of moving the phone around, up and down etc before they synced. I am using a Samsung Galaxy S20+.

Downloading the course and setting up all the relevant profile info was easy.

So first time on course I had some issues. It did not pick up the first few shots so I restarted the app and after that it appeared to be working as I could see the clubs and shots appearing on the app. However it did not pick up all my putts or sand shots so I need to work out why.

The information it provides is impressive. It shows the club selected and real-time distances from the tee and to the green as you walk along. It is seamless so all you need to do is play. I use an app called mScorecard which provides scoring and allows for the input of stats and I am using this to double check the data. My phone was on my buggy so when I play next I will put it in my pocket to see if the issue with missed shots is due to the distance the phone is way from Caddielink.

My first impression is that I am impressed with the solution overall.

 

Grading

Looks & Feel (3 out of 10 points) 

General Shape / Size / Fit 

o   The product came in quality packaging and in general looks well made.

o    once the sensors are fitted to the clubs.

Customization (if any)  - None

 

Durability or build quality (with a prediction on the long-term).

 

o   Out of the box the product looks well made.

o   The sensors are set into a rubber housing with a plastic base which screws in to the hole in the top of the grip. The potential issue I can see is that the club sits in your bag on the actual sensor itself. I am not sure how well they will stand up to the constant vibration of your clubs in your golf bag as you move around the course.

o   I had Caddielink and 7 Sensors fail. (See Customer Service for more information)

Storage cases.

 

o   Caddielink is the only thing that in theory requires a case and it comes with a basic cloth bag that offers little protection.

 

 

Setup (5 out of 15 points)

Are the instructions clear and easy to understand?

o   Instructions a basic and in some cases confusing.

o   Downloading and installing the app was simple.

o   Retro fitting the clubs with the sensors was easy.

o   The SuperStroke option makes installing the sensor on your putter simple. It took a bit of thinking to work out how the sensor attached using the Superstroke Installation Kit as it did not come with any instructions.

o   Initial pairing of the sensors to the individual clubs was not easy. In some cases it required multiple attempts. Be warned if this happens there is a good chance the sensors will fail.

o   Connecting Caddielink was an issue as it connects via Bluetooth and does so automatically with out the need for verification. My phone is set to block any unverified connections.

How quickly does it charge / how long does the battery last? Is the cable proprietary?

 

o   Caddielink take about 3 hours to charge and it looks like it would last 3-4 rounds.

o   The Cable looks like a standard micro USB cable.

Did you need to ask for help or search online for an answer during setup?

 

o   No.

 

 

Talk about any Customer Service interactions you’ve had.

 

o   Caddielink failed after first round. Support sent me an email with the procedure on how to run diagnostics to verify that Caddielink had failed. Once confirmed I was shipped a replacement.

o   On the next round I had 5 sensors become un-paired. Again I contact support and received and email requesting I try to Re-pair the 5 clubs, which worked.

o   From the every start I had shot detection issues. The response from support was pretty much canned, emails that told me how to run Sensor Diagnostics, Caddielick Link Diagnostics etc. It took me 8 weeks to hopefully find what was causing the issue.

As mentioned when I run the initial setup I found that more than half of the sensors took 25-35 seconds to be identified, in fact 3-4 I needed to try several times before they worked. When I run Sensor Diagnostics I had the same issue however all but one eventually connected. I advised support that a sensor had failed and was shipped a replacement.

The app and Caddielink have a range of diagnostic tools, which is good however you need to run several in order to identify potential issues with the sensors. Simply running Sensor Diagnostics may not tell you if there is an issue with the sensor. If it is totally dead then yes, however in my case I had 6 sensors that Sensor Diagnostics said were paired and therefore in theory working. However when I ran Caddielink Link Diagnosis I found that the sensors connection was intermittent. Now things started to make sense, as this would cause the Random Shot Detection issues I have been experiencing during the test. In the end I identified 7 sensors that were either not being identified by Caddielink or were acting strangely. For example Sensor Diagnosis would tell me that 2 sensors were not paired. I would then Re-Pair them and then double-check that they were paired. If I then run Sensor Diagnostics again 5 minutes later they again said not paired.

 

 

My advise to anyone is that if a sensor is not identified within 10 Seconds you have a potential problem.

 

 

To test I have finally found the problem, I played a round and tried to use the 7 clubs that had sensors as often as possible, every shot was detected. I can only hope that the replacement sensor work perfectly.

 

 

I hope my case is isolated. I live in Australia so the package has a long way to travel and we have know idea what could have happened to the package in transit.

Most/least useful metric presented.

 

o   Providing you can get accurate data I think the club distances matrix is the most valuable.

o   However I would think that most golfers could find the amount of information presented overwhelming.

o   I would love to see a basic version that simply offers club distances, fairways hit, greens hit etc. at a much more affordable yearly subscription.

 

 

Accuracy (12 out of 15 points)

Are the yardages accurate? (compare to another method if possible)        

o   Distance accuracy is limited by the accuracy of GPS. GPS-enabled smartphones are typically accurate to within a 4.9 m (16 ft.) I found it to responsible accurate. I used a laser to verify distances and they were generally within 3-5m.

 

 

Do the calculation or “plays like” distances match up with what you would’ve come up with?

 

o   Yes – I used another GPS Golf App to verify and they indicated pretty much the same distance.

On-Course (5 out of 30 points)

Did you have to think about or remember anything to use the product?

 

 

 

o   Yes, you need to make sure the course was downloaded and that CaddieLink was connected.

o   Be warned If you log out of the course is deleted and you to download it again. I have suggested that they need to save file on the phone to resolve this issue like other apps do.

Did it interfere with your normal golfing routine?

o   Yes, you cannot simply press Start Round and expect it to detect every shot, you need to check every shot and putt.

o   Manually adding shots may be ok during a practice round however during a competition I found it distracting and frustrating.

o   I have major issues with shot detection. I never managed to record a round without the need to add shots that Arccos simply failed to detect. I could understand it missing the odd shot here and there but in my case it failed to detect on average 14-16% of fairway shots and 8-10% of putts per round. 

How intuitive was using it on the course? 

o   I use a laser to obtain distances. I would generally this to review the round.

Did you like using it?

o   No as I could not get it to work properly.

Compare and contrast to what you are currently using or have used in the past.

o   I use mScorecard for scoring and statistics. It has the ability to record club distances however it requires more work. That said it is also free. As far as distances to the pin, bunkers etc I use a laser which is quick and accurate.

Do you play better or worse now that you’ve got a new method for yardages.

 

o   Worse as I spent more time trying to get it to work than think bout the shot I needed to play. Having accurate club distances will be of benefit and hopefully over the next 6-9 months that will lead to me playing better golf.

 

 

Miscellaneous (9 out of 10 points)

o   Caddielink makes life easier particularly if you have a big phone.

o   It also reduces the drain on battery in your phone.

 

 

Play it or Trade it? (10 out of 20 points)

Considering all the issues I have faced the answer should be Trade It

However, I really do see some merit in what this solution can provide. Hopefully we have resolved the detection issues and if this is the case then I will Play It until the subscription runs out.

Conclusion

This product has lots of potential and I would loved to have had it 30 years ago when I was totally committed to bring my handicap down to low single digits. Having data that allows you to identify deficiencies in your game is huge and therefore you know what you need to work on. More importantly though, it allows you to see any improvement.

I see this solution as a great tool to use in the short term as it provides one thing that all golfers should know – individual club distances.

However, would I spend $540AUD for the Sensors, Caddielink, Superstroke Kit plus the ongoing subscription of $140 per year, the simple answer is NO.  

Final Score: 44 (Add up all categories and present a total score out of 100

 

 

The Review 09/26/2021

Arccos – Official MGS Forum Review by Paul Hedrick

• Intro. -I am just an average guy in his middle 60’s that  started playing golf seriously about 4 years ago.  Currently I am able to play about once a week.

• The Personal Questions:

• What region do you play out of? - I live in Virginia,USA, so it looks like I am in Mid-Atlantic region

• How long have you been golfing? - I have been attempting to golf for approximately four years.

• What kind of golfer are you? - I would consider myself a golf enthusiast.  Knowing I will never be great, I strive to be OK.

• The Golf Questions:

• Handicap? (Or average score)

My current handicap is 12.7

• Strengths/Weaknesses of your game? - I can hit my driver well, short but well.  My weakest part of my game is most certainly my short game; I struggle with my wedges

• What is in your bag and how did you choose them? Touch quickly but try not to dwell on each club since this review isn’t about them - My driver, fairways and hybrid are Callaway, and my irons and wedges are Cleveland.  Seemore putter

• **Do you consider yourself to be tech savvy?** Good devices should work well for Fred Flintstone as well as George Jetson. - I am reasonably tech savvy, though as I age I do notice a definite change in this area.  I spent the first part of my career as an IT Director.

• **How do you currently get your yardages?** -I currently get my yardages in two ways: an app on my iPhone called The Grint and guesswork.

• First Impressions -The package arrived and I saw that it came with all the necessary parts:

 

Installing the sensors was very easy, and looked good for all my clubs except my putter: I have a SeeMore Putter and the grip made the Sensor set oddly on it, but it seems to work fine.  I can always regrip to something more standard if I find this too much an annoyance:

Downloading the app, setting up an account and parinig my clubs was simple and straightforward.  Downloading the course map I was going to play was likewise, simple and straightforward.  Where I struggled just a little bit was with my apple watch.  It seems you need to make some adjustments to the settings on the watch, which I was unaware of until setting up at the first tee.  However, once I accomplished that, the operation went smoothly.

During my first round, there was a period of adjustment on my part; learning how to get the most out of the systems.  One thing I was unable to do was measure the distance between my ball and some place along the fairway, such as a bunker or a tree I wished to avoid.  It is my understanding that this is a feature, so I will have to do some more research to understand that function.

As for the accuracy of my shots, I have this photo from the first tee.  I know I usually hit the green on my second shot of this par four, but never really had much of an idea how long my tee shot was.  On my second round yesterday, the Arccos Caddie did not record my tee shot off the same hole.  That was very frustrating in that I adjusted my number of putts to give me the correct score (3 putts! &*^%$!)

 

 

The conclusion of my first impression is I believe this will be a valuable tool for me to get a better idea of my game and help me make wise decisions.  However I would have hoped it would have been either more intuitive in its operation or have more detailed, written instructions;  I am not one that enjoys spending endless time ‘online’ searching for answers.

 

10/02/2021 update

I just completed my third round using the Arccos system. I cannot say I experienced any issues with it today. At the course I downloaded the layout, synced up the Arccos Caddie Link and used my Apple watch for shot detection.  As I have previously mentioned I do not have a concrete way of comparing distances, but from what I can determine they appear accurate.  One thing I have noticed is everyone thinks their device is the most accurate.  Should you come up with a distance that differs from theirs, the natural assumption on their part is that your device is inaccurate.  My goal for my next round is to play close attention to yardage distances.

10/05/2021 update

I played an unexpected round yesterday discovered something.  There are three ways of shot tracking with the Arccos system; 1) with you phone and you must leave the phone in your pocket when you play 2) with the Arccos Link, where you clip it to your pocket, or 3) on your Apple watch.  I never really wanted to try option one; I like to leave my pockets as empty as possible.  I have tried the Arccos Link.  I did experience missed shots and questionable distances.  For me option 3, the Apple watch, is the way forward.  I had nearly seamless performance yesterday using my watch.  No missed shots, yardages seemed reasonable to me, and I didn't have to carry anything extra as I am always wearing my watch.

10/09/2021 update

Yesterday I completed my fifth round of golf using the Arccos.  Using only my Apple Watch for shot detection it went nearly perfectly.  I did run into a slight problem on the back nine when my watch was not showing the yardage to the hole.  After a bit of fussing with it, I discovered how to get that back.  Again, I believe that if the documentation was more instructive I would not have had this difficulty.  I noticed on my latest round I am getting recomendations on which club to use, based on what I have done with that club, not necessarily what I 'feel' I should use.  That can be a bit depressing: in my head, I always play better!  LOL  I was playing alone and there was not many on the course so I could take my time and consider the yardages presented.  I used my laser rangefinder and measured to several features on the fairway and compared it to what Arccos indicated what the distance to be.  They were very close.  I would estimate between 1 and 2 percent of each other.  This brings up something else that has always come to my mind;  how would I know which is more accurate?  Whats to say my rangefinder is rubbish?  The way I look at it is as long as I use one 'yardstick' to measure, and stick with it, I will become accustomed to it and that will become my normal.

Up until now I have only been concentrating on how to use the Arccos, and not paid any attention to post round.  I will continue to hone the operation of the system, however I will begin to look at and consider the post round statistics moving forward.

10/11/2021 Update

Yesterday completed my 6th round using Arccos.  I am still struggling with shot detection.  It was lightly raining yesterday, I do not let that stop me from playing, and was wearing a light outer jacket. Using my apple watch for shot detection, everything seemed find until on the back 9.  I noticed that on a couple of holes my driver was not detected.  Fussing around a bit on my phone I found that I had covered the watch face and that is something you cannot do.  Taking of my jacket everything started working fine again.  While I find that the systems 'works', it seems to me it is very 'fussy'; will only work under ideal conditions. 

This round I spent a bit of time post round, reviewing my clubs.  Since I did not know for certain my average yardages per club, it was a revelation to me, and will provide a good foundation moving forward with club selection.

 

 10/30/2021 Final Wrap Up

 

Grading 

Looks & Feel (9 out of 10 points) 

Describe the following for the device:

• General Shape / Size / Fit - All the pieces fit together well with the exception of the sensor on my putter.  This isn't a deal breaker, but it is a little disappointing.

• Customization (if any) - As far as I can tell no customization was necessary

• Durability or build quality (with a prediction on the long-term) - The sensors appear of quality build.That they have a rubber outside is a plus in my estimation, but is really too soon to determine the durability

• Storage cases - For the most part there is no need for storage cases.  The one exception would be the Link.  I would like to have seen something more robust than a little bag.

Setup (11 out of 15 points)

• Are the instructions clear and easy to understand? - Other than the installation instructions, there are no instructions.  In my opinion this is a major shortcoming.  As mentioned above, I would like to have seen a detailed operations manual, even if I had to download and print it

• How quickly does it charge / how long does the battery last? Is the cable proprietary? - The cable to charge the link looks like a standard USB C.  One was provided, but if you needed you can easily find a replacement.  It charges fully overnight.

• Did you need to ask for help or search online for an answer during setup? - No. The setup itself was fairly straightforward.  The only issue I did run into was when on the course for the first time, I had to adjust the setting on my Apple Watch.  I would have preferred to have known this ahead of time so I could just play.

• Talk about any Customer Service interactions you’ve had - I have had only one issue where I contacted Customer Service.  On my second round using the Arccos, it failed to record my tee shot off two separate holes.  As of now, I still have not had a response.

• Most/least useful metric presented? - I find the club recommendation, based on my history, to be the most useful. If I am vacillating between two clubs, I take a look and see what Arccos recommends, and it usually turns out well.

 

Accuracy (13 out of 15 points)

• Are the yardages accurate? (compare to another method if possible) - Compared to my laser rangefinder and The Grint GPS app on my phone, the yardages and the Arccos system seem to be within 1% of the other readings. That always gets back to ‘how do you know the others are accurate’?

• Do the calculation or “plays like” distances match up with what you would’ve come up with? - Again, yes, within a very small variation.

• Are there any intermediate targets you have trouble getting distances for? - No.  I simply used my finger on the phone face and could determine distances to various locations on the fairway

On-Course (28 out of 30 points)

• Did you have to think about or remember anything to use the product? - Yes I did.  I had to make sure that whichever shot detection device I was using had a clear screen to the club swing.

• Did it interfere with your normal golfing routine? - Yes, it did interfere with my normal golfing routine.  If I neglected to keep the shot detection method clear to the club swing, I would have shots not recorded, and therefore would give me a false score at the end of the round.

• How intuitive was using it on the course? - When it was working as it should, it was great.  However if something went wrong, it could take a few holes to get it back to working properly.

• Did you like using it? - Again, when it was working as it should, I did enjoy it.  I did not enjoy it when I had to figure out what went wrong and correct it.  That can take some time, and holding the game up.

• Compare and contrast to what you are currently using or have used in the past. -in the past I have used The Grint app on my iPhone, and before that a laser rangefinder.  As far as I can tell, it is as accurate as either, and when it is working properly, results in so much more data.

• Do you play better or worse now that you’ve got a new method for yardages? - I have been playing better since I started using Arccos, but I cannot really say why.  I do not know, yet, if the data provided helps, or the fact that it is ‘New’ and interesting.  I will have a better handle on that in the next 6 months.

Miscellaneous (9 out of 10 points)

It seems to me that the package arrived very soon after I was informed it shipped; no real complaints here. As I have mentioned before, I would like to have more complete operating instructions.

 

Play it or Trade it? (18 out of 20 points)

I will use the Arccos systems for the year that has been included.  I will have to wait until that time to decide if I want to continue with it.  Generally I do not believe this to be a product for me, as it requires too much ‘fussing’ with.  Perhaps it is my age, but I would just rather focus on the Game, and not the technology.  This could be a better fit for a younger person with my patience than I have.

 

Conclusion

To sum it all up, this is a good system.  Perfect? In no way.  It requires way too much ‘fussing’ in my opinion.  I liken it to BMW Automobiles.  I have owned two BMW’s, and when they were running as they should, they were AWESOME.  However I was always having to fuss with them; this sensor went out, this needed adjustment, etc.  The Arccos system, again in my opinion, requires way too much fussing on the course and takes away from the pleasure of the game.  Additionally the amount of data provided is a bit too overwhelming to me.  I would have preferred shot distances, club remondation only.   Finally, perhaps I just expect too much from technology. Knowing what I know not, I would not purchase this system

Final Score: 88 (Add up all categories and present a total score out of 100)

 

 

Arccos Smart Sensors – Official MGS Forum Review by KC Golf

The Warm Up

Thank you for picking me MGS.  Its an honour to provide my first official review.  So I am pretty excited about the opportunity.

Like many golfers, my golf game lacks consistency.  My index is currently 8.4, but it can range from 8 to 13 over the last 3 years.  I play mostly up in Canada, so our season is short.  I have played golf for a long time.  My Dad took me to the range a lot when I was 7 or 8 and we played a lot of publics and muni’s growing up. We were both very average at best and my Dad read a lot of golf books all the time, but we loved going out together and having fun.  We did a lot of father / son golf vacations over the years, but he hung it up about 15 years ago, after getting frustrated by forced carries.  We like watching golf too, so my Dad took me to a few tournaments like the Canadian Open when I was younger, and I have been fortunate to go to a few majors over the years as well.

I am trying to get my 10 year old son to love golf as well, so we play alternating shot a lot for 9 holes and he has been getting group lessons for the last 3 years, but he still likes the milkshakes and the cheeseburgers more than the golf. He says watching golf is really boring. But he’s curious about the Arccos, so may be he will start liking stats.

My Game “Generally”

My game is probably typical for mid handicappers on MGS.  I have gone for swing instruction quite a lot over the years, but I only started getting more serious about my golf game in the last 10-15 years.  With lessons over time, my golf swing has gotten on a shallower plane and with a more orthodox overall swing with decent swing tempo. Generally, I hit a natural fade in my drives and long irons.  Misses are mostly slices, but I can on occasion hit my wedges thin or throw in a hosel rocket too.  I can’t draw a driver consistently, so I usually hit a FW on a dogleg left.  My coach tells me that I need to focus on less tension and swinging smoothly when under pressure particularly during match play, I don’t play stroke tournaments very often.  

I have been told that my steady, natural tempo has always been the strength of my game. So I generally find the fairway. No magical distance or high trajectory irons landing softly with backspin on the greens, so I am always more likely to be hitting long irons short of the green and trying to roll it on.  I play mostly in Calgary, so with the higher altitude, my distances are 5-10 yards longer than at sea level.  It can be very windy here, so that makes average distances for Arccos more tricky. 

That being said, this year, I am hitting the ball farther and hitting my irons crisper thanks to the work I did with my coach using a Trackman / GC Quad.  Also started using Super Speed sticks over the Winter to improve overall clubhead speed. 

WITB - 2021

Here’s a look of what’s in my bag.  Woods: TSi3 Tensei AV White Stiff 9 deg. – set to A1, Titleist FW Wood 917 16.5 degree Tensei Blue Reg – set to A1, Titleist 818 H1 21 deg Tensei Blue Reg.  Irons: Titleist AP2 4 iron AMT reg flex, Haywood Signature iron 5 - PW TT DG Stiff.  Wedges: TM Tour Preferred 52, Haywood 56, TM Tour Preferred 60.  Putter: Scotty Cameron – Special Select Squareback 2.0

]

I have been fitted for most of my bag except my latest set of Haywood irons which I bought direct because of the Covid lockdown.  The Titleist TSi3 driver with the Tensei AV White Stiff is great.  My driver swing speed ranges from 97 – 102.  Really happy with the TSi3 driver which has true forgiveness, nice trajectory, great sound and good distance.  My old driver, a TM M3 Tensei blue stiff was great, but the shaft is now a bit too soft and so it was launching too high with too much spin even when it was set at 8.5.  Within my bag, what changes often is wedges.  I have a fitted set of Vokey’s but its hit or miss for me, so they are not in my bag right now.  I have about 12-15 wedges kicking around, but I like the old TMs. I like the feel and predictable turf interaction so I buy new ones when I can find them. My sand play particularly long greenside bunker shots are poor; however, short bunker shots on a flat or uphill lies are not bad.  
My new gamer putter which I got last year is a Scotty Special Select Squareback 2.0 which I got fitted for.  I have always been a blade guy, so this new more forgiving blade was great for rolling longer putts.  It also has a look and click sound that gives me confidence.  Short putts are where I struggle, and so I am sure Arccos will be picking that up very quickly.

The Haywood irons which is a start-up out of Vancouver is a relatively new direct to consumer model.  Josh Haywood is a very nice guy who is very customer focused, so it was an easy choice to try out.  I bought them early in the season, but only started playing them after finishing match play etc., so only playing them in the last 4-6 weeks.  I have used their wedges for the last 2 years, so I bought the iron set which I thought look and would play similar to a TM 790. Haywood has a better sound.  I took a bit of a flyer on it, but other custom options were hard to come by this Spring, so I went with it.  The irons are set 2 degrees weaker, with standard length and lie angle, so close in loft, lie and length to my stock AP2s. They are pretty forgiving compared to my AP2s, but they can be a bit hot off the centre, so it can go a bit long sometimes. The sound is good and the turf interaction is good as well. My old AP2s are AMTs, so I find the lighter 4 iron is more consistent than my heavier Haywood 4 iron, so that is why its in my bag.  

Garmin vs Arccos?

In terms of stat tracking, I have used a Garmin watch and Garmin CTs for a long time, and so getting to test Arccos is really going to be fun.  In general, I love new technologies, so I am always trying new tech stuff (not just with golf), but I was happy with my Garmins until I saw my friends detailed shots gained stats on his Arccos.  

Here are two pics of what a Garmin looks like vs Arccos on the same hole at my regular track.  You can see how much better the Arccos looks.  Its interesting that Garmin just changed the look of their course maps in the last month or so.  Garmin does note if you had a rough, sand or fairway lie. So that is a little better than Arccos. I like the older version of the Garmin map to be honest since its easier to see than this current fancier Garmin graphics.  Left is Arccos and right is Garmin for the same hole.

 

 

First Impressions - Arccos System is Sweet!

After enrolling / registering on the website, the Arccos site tells me with my current 9 index, I could potentially improve by 3 strokes by using Arccos.  Obviously, I am pretty psyched if that happens.  Let’s see if that’s really possible…

I installed my new grips last week and they look almost exactly the same as my old one and it barely different in length and very little if any difference in weight.

I have not had GP Plus 4s on all of my clubs before.  I used to use GP Plus 4s on my woods, but I had GP MCC Midsize with no extra wraps on all of my other clubs.  After 2 rounds, I really like the feel of the GP Plus 4s on my irons and wedges.  

Here’s a pic that shows how big the Link is compared to my Arccos GP Plus 4 grips.  Also the placement of the Link is half way down on the pocket seam.

 

You have to put the Link on your lead leg (left leg for right handers).  They say that it should not be on your belt buckle if you have a sweater or a vest that might obstruct it, so I have it on the outside of my pants pocket.

The Link is not very intrusive and it works pretty well.  Linking it to my iPhone was pretty simple before the round.  Turn it on and sink it to the start the round screen on Arccos.  It is supposed to work with my Apple Watch, but I haven’t tried that yet. 

The Set Up is Painless

Set up was easy.  You link each club by scanning the grip end when prompted.  It was simple and straight forward.  One small setup criticism, is that it has most club brands and models, including the Haywood Signature in the Arccos data base.  But it did not have my specific Scotty, Haywood wedge or Haywood Signature PW (it does have 4 – 9).  Weirdly, it does not allow you to manually enter it either.  May be I am not tech savy enough to figure it out, but on the App, the options to customize appear limited.

I have not figured out exactly how far my iPhone can be from the Link and still maintain contact.  I have tried leaving my phone in my back pocket or in my golf pull cart and so far it seems to be working well.  I did have some missed shots on my first 9 holes (with my driver tee shots mostly not being registered a few times), but now it seems to be fine.  I played 18 over the weekend and it picked up all of my shots except 2 wedge shots which may have been confused with my putter and wedge being pulled from my bag for around the green.  Also, one thing it defaults to for putting, is that it assumes your last putt is always 2 ft. and you can adjust that down manually later to 1 ft., but it doesn’t give an option for less than 1 ft (like a tap in / lip-out) which could be helpful for more detailed putting stats.

So far, I would say the linking of the Garmin watch and the sensors on the Garmin is easier and generally better than Arccos.  I never really have missed shots on the Garmin as long as you change the watch to each hole as you play it.  So with Garmin no link required and no phone needed.  However, you do have to replace the batteries on the CT sensors once every 3-4 years.

I really like the Arccos on the course so far.  In terms of data for each approach shot, Arccos is great. Really puts Garmin to shame. You can adjust the pin position for distance after you laser it and then it tells you elevation change, temperature, wind, etc. to adjust for actual shot distance.  It shows you how it adjusts in a detailed menu as well.  Garmin only allows pre-set dots that may or may not be that close to where the flag is.  They say the new smart club distances is a new feature I am eager to try out. The Arccos is totally mind blowing in its details on things like approach distances.  

Arccos New Beta Stats

Here's a screen for the current Beta version of some Arccos stats:

This is only after 2 half rounds of 9 and 1 round of 18, but it already has some good details on the weaknesses and strengths of my game.  I’m sure I have more than 3 things to work on!

Looking forward to seeing how the rest of the test goes.   So far so good  Thanks Arccos / thanks MGS!

Feel free to ask me questions or if you are an Arccos user please reach out and give me tips or areas I should be looking at to provide a more comprehensive review.

 

Final Grading 

Looks & Feel (9 out of 10 points) 

• The Golf Pride Plus 4 grips with sensors, look almost the same as the stock grips. They look and perform the same.  I could not sense the difference in weight from stock GP Plus 4s.  Again not a scratch golfer, so another player may feel the difference, but I did not.
• I am deducting a point since the Link while a lot better than having the phone in your front pocket, but it is not as smooth or accurate as a Garmin CT / Watch combo.
• For what its worth, it comes in a nice set of boxes and looks like a premium product.
• I like the look of the Arccos App IOS system. Its slick, its too bad it doesn’t run on an Ipad (like the Garmin App).
• I would definitely consider buying the sensors to try them after my grips wear out.

Setup (13 out of 15 points)

• The installation was pretty straight-forward for me.  Its fairly simple and it was pretty clear once you get a hang on it.
• I am docking two points since it doesn’t have all the major club brands listed.  Okay, I can understand if my clubs were custom or one offs, but they aren’t (Arccos has the Brands but not the models in its database), so why can’t I input them into the system?
• Also I would think the system should allow for you to input my clubs (into the App) if its not in the system (other Brands, or custom clubs, etc).
• The setup is fairly easy. Encountered no real problems. It was actually pretty fast doing your whole bag.
• Switching out clubs was not as easy on the system and you can’t have extra clubs in your bag, so again a side by side comparison of 2 FWs or 2 putters (as an example) is not possible.
• I did like the ability of the system to eliminate shots from your individual club distance stats. Something Garmin doesn’t allow, but is easy to use and great in the new version of the Arccos App.

Accuracy (13 out of 15 points)

• I found the yardages to the pin pretty accurate throughout the test.
• I did compare it to my Bushnell Laser and it was very close.  Its not far off at all.
• Compared to my Garmin CT and watch, I found it varied long or short by 2-3 yards at most.  Totally reasonable in my view.
• On a round playing with my fellow Arccos tester Paul H. (who used an iPhone and I used the Link) are yardages were pretty comparable.  Some slight differences, but again totally reasonable.  I was actually surprised by how close our yardage were.
• I am docking 2 points for green pin locations (on Link) and putting distances.  The system is better than it was in the past (I am told), but the distances are definitely off and in some cases by a lot.  So I am manually changing the distances of my putts almost every time. 
• I should note that if someone with Arccos has played the course before you that day.  It puts the Pin in the location set by the previous player. Just a great use of technology.

On-Course (28 out of 30 points)

• As you can see from the various posted pictures, the App gives you detailed adjustments in calculating distance to the pin. Slope, temp, altitude, wind, etc.  Its almost too detailed, but I am definitely not complaining. My playing partners remarked that the Arccos App is very accurate and very helpful. It did improve my confidence on what to hit for my approach shots.  It also helps my playing partners with distance as well. Took a lot of the guess work out of which club to hit and how hard to hit it.  
• Looking at my phone during my round to look at what to hit on approaches or to adjust the number of putts or the distance of putts was a negative.  It made me feel a little anti-social.  Also I had to look at the details of how the approach distance was calculated if it was windy since the strength of the wind and its direction was generally off (not blaming the App it only uses prevailing wind speed and direction in the area, not at your specific location).
• Did try the Caddy club selection and the Caddy strategy for how to play the course with my typical distances.  Both were very good add ons for the App.  
• The best part of Arccos is the rich amount of data I got after each round or to see the major trends in my rounds.  
• Having shots gained data sorted and compiled in a usable way was just awesome.  Nothing comes close to it.  It really dissected the weaknesses of my game in way that I was not aware of.  As an example, it showed me that my bunker play around the greens was actually pretty good for my relative handicap, but my short to mid range putts (after the sand) were poor, I was always of the view it was my sand play that was poor.
• As you can see from my pics in my review and some of the after comments, the data is really unmatched and (in my view) totally worth the annual cost.  

Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points)

• The biggest problems are missed shots and putt tracking.  This is the major Arccos problem and is clearly not as good as Garmin CT / watch in its ability to track shots.  I believe this is solvable, and the Link is a good add-on that has eliminated some of the problems.  But its definitely not full proof.  Hopefully with better software updates these issues can get solved.
• In my view this is not a deal killer.  The approach shot distances and the post round data is so great, that I am not docking that many points for this issue. 
• It has interesting course stats that I have never seen before like whether your putting is streaky or improves or declines over the course of a round.  As an example, my data shows that I seem to be generally better at putting in the middle of my round, but it declines towards the end of my round.
• In other areas, Arccos also provides the ability to compare your play in the last 5 rounds to the prior 5 rounds.  It also allows you to compare you current play to your target index. It then shows you how to get to your target index.
• The system actually gives you three tips or areas to work on to lower your handicap.
• Customer service is excellent.  I tried to play a course not on their system and they were very responsive on the update and what they were doing to fix it.  Their customer service responsiveness overall when I was having problems with the App was excellent.

Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20 points)

• I am definitely playing it.  I believe I have convinced 10-12 other people to buy it or try it.
• Is it perfect? Not quite, but it’s a very good product.
• If you could combine Garmin’s CT and watch with Arccos data analysis it would be perfect, but its close.  The Garmin putting stats were never useable in my view, so Arccos provides good data if you input it correctly.
• I love the quantitative side of Arccos.  Its better than trying to use your own intuition to diagnose your problems with your golf game.  
• In terms of my handicap / index…  Arccos indicated it could improve my Index by 3 strokes.  It decreased by 2.1 when the season ended and that was in less than 2 months, so its definitely possible.  In fact, I think my index could potentially drop by 4-6 strokes with this new data and their tips on the areas of focus / improvement. 

Conclusions

I really like the potential of the technology and the useable data of Arccos.  Its definitely designed for players that serious about improving their game. Its definitely not for beginners or those that don’t like tech generally.  I will be using the Arccos data over the Winter with my coach to figure out areas for improvement.

I can see that for some people its too much data, but I believe Arccos does a good job analyzing your game and providing useable pieces for the average golfer.

One thing I would suggest to Arccos is for those that want only basic data, may be they should provide a lower annual price point. The current price is likely fine for more serious golfers who want the detailed data.  Arccos actually has more detailed data available for even more serious golfers called ATLAS, but it’s an expensive add-on written report.  I may have to try that in 2022.

Final Score: 91 / 100

 

 

December 1, 2021

Arccos Caddie / Sensors / SmartLink – Official MGS Forum Review by goaliedad30

Intro – About me

I’m a low handicap golfer (index fluctuates between 2 & 4, typically, mostly right around 3). I’ve been playing for 53 years … started when I was 6. I play most of my golf in the San Francisco Bay Area, but do travel regularly, and have played courses all over the US, as well as Canada, the UK, and Ireland. Since I retired a couple of years ago, I’m now playing close to 200 rounds per year.

 

I’m generally a strong iron player, and good around & on the greens. My driver is inconsistent. On days I’m driving it well, I’m usually near or under par; on days when it’s not working, I’m likely in the high 70’s. My scores this year range from 69 to 84. I’m playing a TM M6 driver (10.5*, stiff shaft), and TM p770 irons (Modus 105 S). Wedges are Cleveland RTX4 (50/54/58) and the putter is a TM Spider X. (Driver dispersion from the app below; you can see what I mean!)

 

I’m tech savvy (a retired Silicon Valley senior executive), but on course, I really don’t want much interaction with technology. I get yardages from a Garmin G80, and use a laser rangefinder for distances inside of 100 yards or so.

First Impressions

OK, enough about me! Let’s talk about the Arccos Sensors, and Caddie Link products!

The products arrived in slick packaging that was super easy to open and understand. The sensors themselves included 13 club sensors, and one putter sensor. Here are the boxes, and the inside with just the putter sensor left in it (the others are installed in my clubs!) I didn’t use the putter sensor, since I also received a specialty sensor for my SuperStroke putter grip.

 

The sensors were super easy to install, and the quick start guides were easy to follow. I did have to head to the Arccos Academy website for the video on installing the SuperStroke adapter, but it was very straightforward to accomplish.

I’d already registered with Arccos, downloaded the app (Android phone, Pixel 3XL, with GoogleFi service), so it was easy to pair the sensors. One at a time, I pulled them from the bag, focused the camera on the sensor, and it paired pretty much instantly. If you’re familiar with depositing a check with a mobile app from your bank, scanning a QR code, or using an app to scan a passport into a frequent flyer account, this will be just as easy.

With the sensors paired, I moved on to the Caddie Link device. This is one of the big selling points for me; I do NOT like to carry my phone in my pocket while playing. I typically keep it in the cart or zipped in my bag. The idea of having a small device clipped to my belt that captures the data with no user input is exactly what I’d like to have on the golf course for tracking shot data.

Pairing the device was as easy as turning it on while it was near my phone, with the Arccos app open. Truly plug & play! It’s very small, and uses a single multi-color LED to communicate status, all of which is spelled out clearly in the startup guide.

 

 

Overall, the unboxing, registration, pairing, and startup experience was very simple, and easy to understand. I was extremely pleased with how quickly I went from “boxes received” to “ready to hit the course”; the whole process probably took 15 minutes at most.

Grading

Looks & Feel (9 out of 10 points)

The sensors, Link, and app were all generally really simple and straightforward to use. There is lots of data available, and the navigation is pretty simple. I deducted one point because certain parts of the interface, especially on the phone, are somewhat clunky or difficult to use. In particular, the sensor diagnostics (more on the later) and the add/edit shot/add penalty functions aren’t super easy to use on course (especially since I am not wearing my reading glasses). 

The data provided from the analytics is top-notch, and the drill-downs are obvious and very deep. For example, here’s a view of my distances, along with GIR percentages for each club. Super useful, easy to consume, yet you can drill down in detail as far as you want. A great UI! 

 

 

 

Setup (15 out of 15 points)

The setup is one of the areas that Arccos really shines. As noted above, the sensors install easily, they pair quickly, and setting up my profile was super easy. This is one of the areas they’ve really gotten right.  

Accuracy (10 out of 15 points)

Accuracy is sadly a mixed bag in my book. On the positive front, as long as the sensors were working, long shots were tracked VERY accurately, with essentially zero interaction. Bunkers (both fairway and greenside) were also inconsistent. I found that perhaps 30% of bunker shots were missed (or in some cases, double counted). Putts were a mixed bag, and especially short putts were relatively poorly tracked. I’ll cover this below in the on-course section, but that really meant I needed to constantly check the phone for missed shots or putts. Unfortunately, I prefer not to have technology interaction on the course, so that was a real negative for me.

 The yardages provided were accurate, and the “Ask the Caddie” generally gave me the same input as I’d already arrived at myself. I was also impressed that the “SmartDistance” yardages and ranges coincided with what I already knew about my game. I know how far clubs go (on reasonable strikes, my misses are hole high, left or right), and I know how to hit them with different distances and trajectories. The data provided confirmed that. For a golfer who doesn’t really have a good handle on how far they hit the ball, this data could provide a MAJOR boost to their game.

 

As an example, I know my 7i is a 145-153 club (depending on weather, elevation, etc.), and I know that my misses tend to be right (I’m afraid of over-hooking it, so don’t finish the shot if there’s trouble left. That’s exactly what the drill-down data showed!

 

Overall, long game accuracy from tee/fairway/rough was very good (unless a sensor was broken). Bunkers, greenside, and putting was a mixed bag.

On-Course (20 out of 30 points)

On course for me was a mixed bag. I had significant sensor issues (6 of 13 failed over the course of about 20 rounds), and found early on that bunker shots and putts were inconsistently tracked. This meant that ultimately, if I wanted accurate data, I felt like I needed to check my phone after every shot to determine if it recorded correctly, and if not, to edit / add shots as appropriate. I found this to be a major detriment to my golf routine, and definitely played worse when I was focused on “tracking” versus just playing golf. 

I also struggled to adapt to the need to mark the hole location, in order to get solid data about short game and putting performance. The tool was easy – press the button on the Link while standing by the hole. I just never got to a habit of making sure I did it! I suspect as I use the system more, I will develop this as a simple habit (probably as soon as I walk onto the green). 

One of the allures of tracking using the Arccos product was the ability to get great, insightful data while not having to interact with a device after every shot. On the handful of days it accomplished that, it was an absolute joy to use. Sadly, it was too inconsistent in executing that, so it meant that I had to change my routine to accommodate the system; that to me is a major drawback relative to the value proposition I think Arccos is selling. 

Miscellaneous (5 out of 10 points)

My single biggest issue during the test was sensor failure. Over the course of 20 or so rounds, I had 6 of the 13 non-putter sensors fail. The diagnostic tool is great, and one of the other sensors just needed to be re-paired, but 6 actually had to be replaced. On the positive front, the customer support was outstanding! The diagnostic tool would generate a report, which I emailed to the support department right from the phone, and a replacement sensor was usually in the mail within 24 hours. That said, I’m playing golf 4-6 days a week, so given shipping time, that meant if a sensor failed, I would have to remember that, and manually edit for that club for at least 2-3 rounds. 

If the failure rate is really that high, it seems that perhaps each box should ship with some extra sensors, designed to provide immediate replacement. Then the replacement shipped from Arccos could go to my stock on hand for future replacements.  If I had perhaps 2 extra sensors, then I wouldn’t have noticed this issue nearly as much.

Play it or Trade it? (15 out of 20 points)

In general, I LOVE the concept. When it works seamlessly, the data is super-useful, and can really direct where I focus my practice time. For a low handicapper, finding exactly where to spend the time to get from a 2 to scratch is very helpful. That said, I really dislike the amount of interaction it took, and how much that distracted from my on-course focus. For me, this is a useful tool in practice and casual rounds to gain insight into where my game needs improvement. I would never use this in a competitive round due to the distractions it provides.

 

To me the target profile for the device falls into some combination of the following:

·        A golfer that’s a “stats geek” – really loves to dive into the data

·        Really uses the data to fine tune both club selection and practice focus

·        Currently does NOT have a good handle on club distances and miss tendencies

·        Love to interact with the technology on the course

Conclusion

The Arccos system provides FABULOUS data. It really focuses your attention on where to work for game improvement. In my case, it confirmed much of what I already knew, but for many golfers, this data could be very eye-opening. When it works, it truly seamless. Unfortunately, between significant sensor failures and other “misses” (putts, bunker shots), it requires too much constant interaction on the golf course for my taste. I feel like I’m being asked to fit my routine to the system, versus the system integrating easily with my golf style.

Final Score: 74/100

 

Congrats. 

@Paul Hedrick

@Firebird

@KC Golf@goaliedad30  Yall will truley enjoy these the more you use them over time. I've had them for 2years and it really helps to get a better understanding of your numbers. 

@Paul Hedrick

@Firebird

@KC Golf

@goaliedad30

Congrats testers.

 

Congratulations to the testers.

@Paul Hedrick

@Firebird

@KC Golf

@goaliedad30

I started using them this year and the system is fantastic.  I use an old iPhone 7+ and it picks up nearly every shot.  I just check it while others are putting out and add anything that may have been missed.  Always keep your phone facing up so the microphone is closest to your pocket opening.  I also run Strava at the same time and haven't had any problems doing that.  Even though my battery is nearing the "replace" condition in the old phone - I easily get a round in and still have about half a charge leftover.  Make sure you keep the clubs upside down and in your bag - they "turn on" when upright, have sunlight, and detect air so if you have them in your den sitting upright, you might drain all the battery.  If the putter sensor sits funny, many of us (on the FB page) have drilled a small hole adjacent to the standard hole to have it centered on the grip.  Overall it's pretty flawless - but feel free to PM me if you can't figure something out.  It took a bit of searching to figure out how to do a few things.

congrats testers arccos is really cool

25 minutes ago, Clayton said:

 

Congratulations to the testers.

@Paul Hedrick

@Firebird

@KC Golf

@goaliedad30

I started using them this year and the system is fantastic.  I use an old iPhone 7+ and it picks up nearly every shot.  I just check it while others are putting out and add anything that may have been missed.  Always keep your phone facing up so the microphone is closest to your pocket opening.  I also run Strava at the same time and haven't had any problems doing that.  Even though my battery is nearing the "replace" condition in the old phone - I easily get a round in and still have about half a charge leftover.  Make sure you keep the clubs upside down and in your bag - they "turn on" when upright, have sunlight, and detect air so if you have them in your den sitting upright, you might drain all the battery.  If the putter sensor sits funny, many of us (on the FB page) have drilled a small hole adjacent to the standard hole to have it centered on the grip.  Overall it's pretty flawless - but feel free to PM me if you can't figure something out.  It took a bit of searching to figure out how to do a few things.

Thank you for the head up

Congrats to the testers.

Be curious how you all do with Arccos

congratulations group.  Will be following this one.

Congrats everyone

 

Lots of new names there….congrats! 

Congrats guys. Love to see how Arccos works for you 

Congrats guys!...cant wait to read your reviews. Seriously considering getting these. Enjoy!

Any one had issues with getting Caddielink to identify club and shot. Yesterday I was not able to get it to work. Turned it on and said it was connected but no data. Restarted the app and Caddielink and again it gave me the tick but still no go. 
 

One negative is that Caddielink connection icon on screen is in the same spot at where it show the club selected so it is difficult to see if it is working correctly on the first tee.

All:

Here's my initial impressions review. Unboxing, installation, setup, and first couple of rounds. 
TL;DR = Simple, easy, accurate, with a couple of minor interface issues. I'm impressed, and can't wait to get more data!

--

Arccos Sensors / Caddie Link – Official MGS Forum review by goaliedad30

Introduction

I’m currently 58 years old, and have been playing golf for 51 years. While I was a scratch player in high school and college, my index now hovers between 2 and 4, depending upon the state of my game. I play out of a private club in Northern California; it’s a hilly track with tees that range from 5,700 – 7,000 yards. I typically play around 6,500 yards. On a good day, I’m right around par. On a bad day, I can be in the 80-81 range. My average score is right around 77.

Strengths/Weaknesses of my game

I’m generally a good iron player. My distances are dialed in, and my misses are more right/left than long/short (unless it’s a crazy windy day). My short game is generally pretty good, and my lag putting is another strength – I typically have very few 3-putts. I’m also a good bunker player.

Weaknesses are really driver and wedge play. On days when I’m driving it well, I score well. If I’m fighting it off the tee, I have to scramble to turn in a good round, and if I’m having a so-so short game day, I can end up with a big number. My proximity to hole with wedges is OK, but not nearly good enough to get back to scratch. I am working on that, and it’s getting better!

WITB?

My current setup looks as follows:

TM M6 driver, 3w, 5w, 7w
TM SIM 5h
TM p770 6-PW
Cleveland RTX4 50/54/58
TM Spider X putter

The driver & fairway woods are solid, and were fit by our pro for me. 7w is essentially my 4i replacement. The irons were acquired last year, replacing some 6 year old TM Psi irons. Very similar topline and head profile; I went from DG300S shafts (120g) to Modus (105g), which was a definite improvement for me. I’ve been a Cleveland wedge guy since my first 588’s years ago; they just work for me.

Current yardage tools / tech savvy

I currently own and use a Garmin G80 approach which is my primary distance tool. I like having front / middle / back, along with carry distance to bunkers, hazards, and the like. I also like the large screen view of the hole (I’ve always been a yardage book guy …). I supplement that with a Precision Pro 7 rangefinder that I use primarily inside 100 yards for specific wedge distance information. Sometimes I will use the rangefinder if a flag is positioned short of, or just past, a slope or ledge, so I know a specific carry distance.

Technically, I’m a retired Silicon Valley senior executive, so very comfortable with tech tools. That said, when I’m playing golf, I really don’t want a tech experience; I want to focus on my game, the shot at hand, and enjoying the day with my partners. I’m willing to invest time in learning an interface and doing some setup if it provides me a seamless, simple experience when I’m on course.

First Impressions - SETUP

OK, enough about me! Let’s talk about the Arccos Sensors, and Caddie Link products!

The products arrived in slick packaging that was super easy to open and understand. The sensors themselves included 13 club sensors, and one putter sensor. Here are the boxes, and the inside with just the putter sensor left in it (the others are installed in my clubs!) I didn’t use the putter sensor, since I also received a specialty sensor for my SuperStroke putter grip.

   

 

 

The sensors were super easy to install, and the quick start guides were easy to follow. I did have to head to the Arccos Academy website for the video on installing the SuperStroke adapter, but it was very straightforward to accomplish.

I’d already registered with Arccos, downloaded the app (Android phone, Pixel 3XL, with GoogleFi service), so it was easy to pair the sensors. One at a time, I pulled them from the bag, focused the camera on the sensor, and it paired pretty much instantly. If you’re familiar with depositing a check with a mobile app from your bank, scanning a QR code, or using an app to scan a passport into a frequent flyer account, this will be just as easy.

With the sensors paired, I moved on to the Caddie Link device. This is one of the big selling points for me; I do NOT like to carry my phone in my pocket while playing. I typically keep it in the cart or zipped in my bag. The idea of having a small device clipped to my belt that captures the data with no user input is exactly what I’d like to have on the golf course for tracking shot data.

Pairing the device was as easy as turning it on while it was near my phone, with the Arccos app open. Truly plug & play! It’s very small, and uses a single multi-color LED to communicate status, all of which is spelled out clearly in the startup guide.

 

Overall, the unboxing, registration, pairing, and startup experience was very simple, and easy to understand. I was extremely pleased with how quickly I went from “boxes received” to “ready to hit the course”; the whole process probably took 15 minutes at most.

First Impressions – ON COURSE

I’ve now played a couple of partial rounds, and two “full, good tracking” rounds using the sensors and Link. Overall, I’ve been very impressed with the ability of the sensors to capture full swing shots. They seems to easily detect full swings with every club, and accurately mark those on the course map. The first few outings were less successful around the greens, however. When carrying multiple clubs to the green, I’d get false readings (multiple shots), and it seems to struggle to accurately pick up putts, especially short tap-ins. Additionally, with the phone left in the cart, I’d periodically get completely missed readings.

For today’s round, I tried a different tack: I carried my bag for much of the round, and never took out more than one club. I also put my phone in my back pocket, near the Link device. This proved MUCH more successful! It still struggled to pick up some short putts, but I could correct that on the next tee. I went from probably 80% accuracy overall to 95%+. The downside for me was that I needed to check the phone on the next tee to ensure things were recorded correctly, which interfered with my “focus on golf” desire.

I’m looking forward to getting more rounds in the books to determine the real impact on my overall focus. The stats are super helpful, and getting more shots recorded will give me lots of useful information. I will be working on my own routines / habits / interactions with the unit as I get more time on the course with it. Today, I was very successful using the Link to mark the hole location on the green, without it being a distraction (it’s a simple button press on the Link itself).

Overall, I’m impressed right now. The data tracking is generally both seamless and accurate. For things that need a little more interaction, I’ll need to figure out whether in-round or post-round is a better idea for me. I’m looking forward to seeing what the in-depth stats and analysis tell me after I’ve created a better data set.

For now – Arccos is delivering on their promise of simple, accurate shot tracking!

Post "First Impressions":

Played a couple of 9 hole rounds and found a few more data points and some recurring issues:

- Took my Garmin watch with me to see how accurate the yardages were compared to Arccos.  Interestingly, there was a 1 - 7 yard difference between the two Apps with most yardages differing by 5 or so yards.  Garmin was generally longer than the Arccos. Again, I didn't have my Garmin CT sensors on my clubs, only the Arccos sensors and the Link, so not sure if that made a difference in the accuracy of the Garmin.  After lasering a few pins with my Bushnell, it appears the Arccos is more accurate on actual distances.

- Shot misses on Arccos still seem to be fairly common on putts.  In many cases it just doesn't record my shorter putts.  Its too bad the microphone doesn't pick up the ball hitting the bottom of the cup.   I would say on the plus side, I have not had any missed drives (Driver / FW) after my first round with Arccos.

- I would also say the putter sensor (Non Super Stroke) that comes standard with Arccos has fallen off in my standup bag a few times already.  One of the guys I was playing with thought I was upset since I started emptying my stand bag by putting it upside down and shaking it.   Fortunately, I haven't lost the putter sensor yet, but it sticks out slightly from my Scotty Cameron Pistolini Plus grip.  I can take a picture of it, if you are curious. I never had this problem with my CT putter sensor.

- Sometimes I get extra putts with Arccos.  I thought it was an issue with carrying 2 or 3 clubs to the green and it was confused.  But with putts and green side wedges, it appears to pick up another member of the foursome if he or she hits a wedge shot in my area of the green, even if I am not practicing or swinging.  It seems to record the other persons shot as my putt.  For instance, I was on the green in reg on a par 3.  Made a 2 putt and was walking off the green and I look at my Arccos and it says double bogey with a 4 putt.  Had to remove 2 putts and re-enter my putt distances to accurately track my putting data.

- I tried to add a missing hole on my Arccos App on purpose today by starting the App only on the second hole.  I inputted the details of the first hole as a missed hole by adding all of my shots later.  Unlike Garmin which won't allow you to add data for a missed hole, Arccos was painless.  Extra points to Arccos.

- One thing I am surprised by is that you can't run the Arccos App on the iPad.  So you can only see your data and the holes on a web browser or the iPhone App.  Garmin allows you to see your data on their App on an iPad.  The reason why I point to this, is on one of my par 5 holes at my home course, the hole picture doesn't show the back tees, so you can't see the distance of the drive on the iPhone screen.

Other Impressions:

I am really enjoying the stats and the feature rich data on the course and after the round.  Its accurately characterizing the weaknesses of my game overall or a particular round.  It is also noting what went well in my round too.  The analysis of how my game is trending is great too.  Here are some of the trends identified by Arccos:

I am very impressed with the distance to the pin data with the various factors involved in its calculation: temp, slope, altitude, wind direction / strength and how each variable adds or subtracts distance.  It seems to be very accurate or may be its giving me confidence, so my approach shots have been better.  Arccos has gotten me a few closest to the pin shots and won me a few dollars, but its too bad Arccos can't read my putts to make some Birdies.  

 

Arccos tracking of putts was really a problem on my last round. 

Does anyone have a good trick on how to get the putter sensor and Link to work well on putts?  Do I cover the sensor with my hand when I am waiting for my turn?

It usually just adds more putts than I actually made, particularly if others are making short putts near me, etc.  Or that’s what I think it’s doing. Hard to tell. 

I am manually adding or subtracting putts almost every time after each hole. 

Open to any and all suggestions?

Just going through settings and one is Blue Rabbit Enabled. Did a search but nothing comes up.

Anyone know what this is and does.

Really frustrating day on course today. Got there with time to spare to make sure Arccos was working. Put Caddielink on my left pocket and my phone in my right pocket so that I new that there could be know issues with Bluetooth range. Caddielink said it was connected and working. Took out my 3 wood and held it close to my pocket as I walked on to the tee. Nailed a shot straight down the middle, shock horror, looked at my phone, absolutely nothing. Restarted the app and Caddielink and tried again, still nothing. Turned Caddielink off,  restarted the app, put the phone in my left pocket and finally I got some data. Walked to my ball, took out a 9 iron, hit my shot and again nothing. Logged out and put my phone in my bag and finished my round. 
 

This is the 4th time I have tried to get Arccos to work. First time it worked ok, second time I managed to get it working using the phone, but again it missed lots of shots.

So going to uninstall, then reinstall the app and re sync Caddielink and try again on Tuesday. If this does not resolve the issue then the next step will be to contact Arccos support.

Quick update.

After the first couple of 9 hole experiences, I have been using Caddie Link with pretty good success. I did find out that the jacket can’t cover the Link or it will not track my shots. Obviously, an easy fix. 

I have had the odd wedge shot not work / track  for me.  It seems to happen if it’s a soft wedge around the green. Arccos may think I was practicing or didn’t hit it. It’s easy to add shots later on the App  Also, I would note with penalty strokes, its pretty easy to add that as well.

My problem is generally not with shot tracking, but with putts.  At the suggestion of the MGS Arccos user group, I stopped tapping ball marks with my putter which seems to eliminate most ghost putts. 

I am finding that I still have to manual change the pin positions since the Link (button pressing) is generally imprecise in positioning the pin on the green. I would say it’s pretty cool when another Arccos user is playing ahead of you. Since the pins are adjusted by the last user playing that day and you get to benefit from that. This has made my round easier. since it allows me to know distance to pin (without having to Laser it) and also tracks putting distances better as well.

As a result of the GPS, the putting lengths are off sometimes by 5-10 feet but again it’s an easy fix since you can just manually enter the various putt lengths.  The new putt tracking on the Arccos update let’s you track the number of putts and each length of putt.  Still getting the odd extra putt. Not sure why. 

But again these are minor issues that can be changed on the App. 

Generally finding the Arccos system pretty good and the data it is producing for me is fantastic. 

Spent this afternoon running diagnostics on the sensors to ensure all are working. All 14 are active. 
 

Then looked up how to diagnose Caddielink not detecting clubs or shots.

https://support.arccosgolf.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045850252-What-happens-when-Arccos-Caddie-Link-isn-t-detecting-any-shots-

Checked all the steps listed and all are correct so then ran Caddielink Link Diagnostics and found that Caddielink is connected and the GPS is working. However when I tried to identify a club, nothing happened. I tried several clubs and none worked.

So I can only assume that Caddielink is faulty.

Tomorrow I will try using the phone in my pocket and see if this works. If it does this should confirm that it is Caddielink is the problem.

6 hours ago, Firebird said:

Spent this afternoon running diagnostics on the sensors to ensure all are working. All 14 are active. 
 

Then looked up how to diagnose Caddielink not detecting clubs or shots.

https://support.arccosgolf.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045850252-What-happens-when-Arccos-Caddie-Link-isn-t-detecting-any-shots-

Checked all the steps listed and all are correct so then ran Caddielink Link Diagnostics and found that Caddielink is connected and the GPS is working. However when I tried to identify a club, nothing happened. I tried several clubs and none worked.

So I can only assume that Caddielink is faulty.

Tomorrow I will try using the phone in my pocket and see if this works. If it does this should confirm that it is Caddielink is the problem.

Hopefully that does the trick.  I have 50 rounds on my Arccos sensors, just using the iPhone 7+ and they still work perfectly.  Our local course will shut down sometime this month for the winter and I'm working in a golfsim place now so I'm going to remove them and store in a bag with tape over the ends for the winter.  Hopefully they do fine next season as well - some people are getting 3 seasons but not sure how common that is.

Great customer service! I had a sensor go bad over the weekend. Submitted a report Sunday evening. Already have a reply and they are sending a replacement sensor.

Well done, support team!

Agree, great customer service. I received this overnight.

Oct 11, 2021, 13:48 ADT  Greetings, We are sorry to hear about the issues you have experienced with your Link device and thank you for the diagnostics and information you provided. From the diagnostics the Link connects properly, the bag is synced, and the GPS signal is ok. The hit test and club visible though not providing any feedback could be the sign of a microphone defect with the Link itself. If you provide us with your order number for the Link purchase as well as your current shipping address we can submit this to our Link team for approval of a return and replacement. If you have further questions, feel free to visit https://support.arccosgolf.com. Have a wonderful day!!

Played with the phone in my pocket on Tuesday and it worked perfectly, so this proved that Caddielink has a fault with the microphone.

The bad news was that it drained the battery after 14 holes. Considering I have a Samsung S20+ with a 4500mah battery and it was at 98% when I started I have to say I was shocked. I usually run two apps when I play, MiScore which is the official Australian PGA scoring app and mScorecard which I use for scoring and stats. Both run GPS and if the battery was on 98% it would be on 84-86% after a round.

I have modified the settings on my phone to use less power and have also been informed by Arccos to turn on Blue Rabbit, this helps preserve battery life with shot detection. I would recommend keeping enabled. I will see if this allows me to complete 18 holes this week.

Also they advised that Caddielink drastically reduces power consumption so once the new unit arrives in 7-10 days I test to see how bigger difference it makes.

What I will say is that if you have the newer Samsung phones with the high speed processors, I would recommend you get Caddielink as if you are like me and you have to run a scoring app plus want to run other apps on course I would be surprised if the battery will last 18 holes. Again, if I can get it to last 18 holes using the phone in the pocket method I will then see what happens when I run multiple apps.

So, I've now had my second sensor fail. Sent in another support request, and I'm sure it will be shipped quickly. Customer service seems to be quite good. Sadly, I've probably played a grand total of 12 rounds, and already had two sensors fail. That seems REALLY fragile.

Unfortunately I sprained my ankle so know golf for me for at least another 4 week.

So in order to keep testing, I installed the sensors on my wife’s clubs and the app on her Samsung A5 phone. Now I know this will screw up the data but as I only managed to get Arccos to record 3 18 holes round out of 12 it will be easy to exclude that data.

It will also provide a second persons feedback.

The Arccos system looks like a great game analysis tool.  Would love to put my engineering background to good use evaluating the product.

I bought the Arccos sensors early on. I could hardly finish 9 holes before my phone battery died so I gave up on them. I'd really like to give them another try.

This is perfect timing. I’ve been looking at these really hard lately so I can keep better track of my stats. I’ve been practicing a bunch and taking lessons.  I feel like this would help me progress faster.  I’m fortunate to get to play quite a bit and would love to get picked! 

Would love to try this - currently using pen and paper

Yes, i would be very interested in seeing if the ARCCOS would help me revive my 3-4-5 iron play which used to be quite reliable.  My short game is excellent and putting is fine as are my short irons.  I rarely play courses with a slope less than 130.  I would be interested in the smart sensors only Not the grips.  Thanks a bunch.

It would be nice to know exactly how far I am now hitting my clubs and more importantly the variation between shots with the same club.

 

 

Sign me up. Just got new Ping 425 want to try this one out fir sure. Like to have the clio rather then the phone in my pocket. Been trying to test something and never picked. Do random people ever get picked? 

Just looking at buying shot tracking - I think its the next level for my improvement ....

So I would love this!!

First time posting!

Quick question about this "caddie":  does this system eliminate the need for a rangefinder? 

If so, seems like a great investment and value, as some rangefinders can be almost double the price!  Looks like an awesome and intriguing tool for golfers trying to reach their highest potential.  Hope to have a chance to test it!

-Dave

I started playing golf about 4 years ago and started playing more regularly this season. After my first year, I picked up the Game golf live. I used it a bit and was excited to really get into improving my game, but this year it has stopped working. I have been looking at arccos for some time now and it looks amazing. Would be excellent to test it out at a few courses!

Unfortunately, I will have to sit this one out! I bought the Arccos Caddie sensors just over a month ago and it's honestly the best system I've used! The level of detail of the data is world class and no other app in my opinion comes close to this! Besides the Automatic Shot Tracking, Strokes Gained Analytics, and Rangefinder the greatest benefits, for any golfer, is the fact that it commends you in 3 areas of your game but also suggests 3 areas of your game that needs work, based on the data that the system collects. Working on these areas, considered as the low hanging fruit, will not only help reduce your scores, but also lower your handicap drastically! When I bought the system, my handicap was sitting on 27.9 but since using the system and working on the areas of my game that the system suggests, my handicap has decreased to 23.7 in just over a month! Yes it involved practice, but now I know what to practice where before it was a guessing game! The Caddie Advice is out of this world! Not only does it adapt to your individual needs and personal golfing experience, but it provides you with the best real-time strategies, club recommendations, and even predicts the outcome for every shot you play! Truly the best system for any golfer on the market! Thanks Arccos!

Unfortunately, I will have to opt out from this one as I bought my Arccos Caddie Sensors about a month ago  But in all honesty, the Arccos Caddie system is absolutely amazing! The Auto-Shot Tracking, Rangefinder, and Personal Caddie Advice (provides you with real-time strategies and alternatives based on your strengths, club recommendations, advanced game analytics, as well as outcome predictions for every shot) features are amazing, but the best is the fact that it gives you areas to focus on in your game that will help you lower your scores and your handicap in no time! Before I had no clue what to work on to lower my scores and my handicap and it was all a guessing game! But since I started using this feature and actively worked on the areas suggested by the system, my handicap went from 27.9 down to 23.7 (according to TheGrint stats)! I'm not where I want to be, but I'm not where I used to be! Thank you, Arccos! Definitely, something that every golfer needs!

Looks like we have a ton of fresh spies in on this test! Good luck to whomever is chosen.

I keep hearing about these and a friend got them and loves them. He encouraged me to buy them but I just bought a rangefinder, so maybe next season unless...

i have tried the other one and it was not very good and i would love to see my stats and improvements with Arccos

I had Game Golf  then the Game Golf Pro and now i’m using the Shot Scope v3 with the club tracker.
-Overall the game golf pro is a great concept didn’t have a display to show distance etc…
-I had the shot scope v3 for quite a while and i’m very impressed with the precision and the speed of acquiring the distance. I play all year round ( more than 100 round per year) , i used the app on my phone to look at my stats and this help me to control better my distance.
If you need a tester .please let me know

As an avid golf, I would love to be a tester.  I feel I could offer a great deal of insight if selected.

As an avid golf, I would love to be a tester.  I feel I could offer a great deal of insight if selected.

I have been using Garmin CTs for a number of years, but a little frustrated by the lack of stats similar to an Arccos, so very interested in comparing the two systems. 
 

Would love to get some of the iron data with this, would allow me to drive down  and help me with any changes I need to make

As a stat nut I would love to get a shot at the Arcos. Currently use the Garmin S60 watch but not sure how accurate it actually is. Been plenty of time where I've used the laser to measure to the stick and have gone over the green and and the Garmin says I went the distance the laser said was to the pin. 

Well I currently use golf pad android app paired with my smart watch, but I really like the idea of an app automatically knowing which club I'm using... I've heard of Arccos and would love to test them out... I play about 12 round a month so I definitely would have good feedback QUICKLY! Best of luck to all who signed up!

Well I currently use golf pad android app paired with my smart watch, but I really like the idea of an app automatically knowing which club I'm using... I've heard of Arccos and would love to test them out... I play about 12 round a month so I definitely would have good feedback QUICKLY! Best of luck to all who signed up!

0.001% Chance of winning?  So ..... you're telling me there's a chance?  

 

How win

 

 

Congratulations testers! Arccos is a great product and I can't wait to see how it works for you all.