#CobraCONNECT Challenge 3

[robertson153]

Other than handicap, what is the most surprising thing you have learned about your game since using Arccos?

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New sticks, tracking equipment, being fit, 3 months of competition and I still suck
On a serious note, my inconsistency’s in distance. Being able to find my “reliable” distances.


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[sirchunksalot]

17 hours ago, bardle said:

Things like that really set Arccos apart from just "O look I improved at approach shots this round" type of mentality. Its a nerds tool and you can dig in as far as you want. Course stats show that I had never hit the green on hole 4 of my home course. It's a 190 yd par 3 with a massive bunker left. A little arccos research made me realize I was taking too much club and that by mising the green left in that bunker or short of it my chances of getting out with a par were abysmal. Instead I chose a shorter club and aimed for the right front of the green and got my first par ever after hitting the front of the green. There is limitless opportunity to find places you can shave strokes off if you have the willingness to take a look. Is your FIR % on a certain hole less than 50%? Take an iron and just stay in play and get a par instead of a bogey or a bogey instead of a double...

Here's a screenie of my home course, one of my favorite parts of the analytics system:

This part just sent me down a rabbit hole looking at the analytics of each hole I've played recently. I didn't know you could do this and now I know in my last 10 rounds there's three holes I have not had a par on. Holes 3, 9, and 17 have all been bogey or worse. Well, now I have a new goal. 

Thank you for pointing this feature out!

[bardle]

8 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

This part just sent me down a rabbit hole looking at the analytics of each hole one played recently. I didn't know you could do this and now I know in my last 10 rounds there's three holes I have not had a post on. Holes 3, 9, and 17 have all been bogey or worse. Well, now I have a new goal. 

Thank you for pointing this feature out!

Ha! No problem. Yeah there are a few things only available on desktop. But Arccos doesn't really tell you that so you have to kind of go and discover it on your own. 

[JohnSmalls]

@bardle that was well and above the review I was expecting. Great, great job.  You may have just convinced me that Arccos has taken the lead over Shot Scope. What say you, @Nunfa0?

[Nunfa0]

18 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

@bardle that was well and above the review I was expecting. Great, great job.  You may have just convinced me that Arccos has taken the lead over Shot Scope. What say you, @Nunfa0?

Definitely @JohnSmalls, the difference is Shotscope is like a nice whisky and Arccos is a 40 year old single malt 

[Nunfa0]

Can you believe that this roller coaster is nearly over?!?

So this week we are giving our views on the Arccos system. I started to plan a big review with all sorts of stats and photos but then @bardle posted followed by @Bucky CC

So I will just give my take on it.

Arccos is the type of thing every golfer should be adding to their game. I don't care what handicap you play to, this system can help you. It gives you accurate data on how far you hit each club, how close you get to the hole and how many shots it takes to get in the hole.

It will give you an honest, non sugar coated, appraisal of you game and point out where to start your improvement. For me it showed two places I had to really work on... chipping and approach play

Needless to say I immediately started working on my chipping and yes it has improved 

The way it presents the stats is easy to understand and simple to dig into.

Now I am not saying the system is perfect, occasionally it misses shots, the caddie seems to be laughing at you if you get off line, if you're the first one to play the course on the day you will have to mark the pin position and the caddie occasionally can't find the tee your playing from. But compared to the positives they are just minor annoyances.

I love the integrated grips but even the screw in sensors are quality. Also if you have an issue with a sensor they are easily replaced. Another feature I love is the app. It just provides excellent data during your round and I love having the map of the hole available at your finger tips, it was a real life saver when I played a course for the first time.

I have to admit that I have been using a laser the whole time to narrow down the distances for me but that is purely because I still have Arccos set in yards not meters ( so the bulk of the audience can understand my stats). I will be changing it when the challenge is over and won't be leaning on the laser so much.

Finally I will say this, I love Arccos and even if I didn't have the Cobra clubs I would still have it in whatever set I had.

Oh and before I forget, this week we had to follow the caddies instructions for an entire round. This entailed choosing an option on the tee and playing each shot for that plan all the way to the green. I had a couple of goes at this and my second attempt proved very fruitful.

A very solid 76 with only one indiscretion so a total of 76.3 

 

 

 

[oaks]

Once again the Cobra Conect thread is the thread of the summer.   You guys are great and playing some good golf.   

Keep it up!    And to my fellow Arccos tester @palvord - lets bring home a big time Victory!

[palvord]

Wait. What?!? It's over?

I'll do a post mortem later, but let's talk about the Arccos system.

I was privileged in the fall of 2018 to be able to test and review the Arccos 360 system.  My stage 2 shows that I was slightly unimpressed with the system:

Since that time, Arccos pushed a new update out to the app and well:

Before I get into what I like about the improvements, let me just say that Arccos may have a fan for life because to experience all of the new benefits of the upgrade, all you had to do was...complete the upgrade to the free app on your phone. No new purchase required. 

In a time where receiving the benefits of new and better technology generally requires you to purchase something new, I really appreciate that a company did not force you to make an entire new purchase to receive the benefits of their hard work. Kudos to Arccos.

@bardle, @Bucky CC, and @Nunfa0 have been incredibly thorough with their thoughts on the product and I fully echo their thoughts.

In my first review of the Arccos system, I thought they did a great job with the accuracy of their yardages, and "plays like" yardages. Having the hole layout on your phone is very helpful for finding hidden hazards and yardages needed to avoid them. 

Where Arccos showed the most massive improvement from my initial review is in the shot sensing, including putting. I have played rounds where all I look at my phone for is the yardages and the score at the end of the round was correct. This change had to have taken them quite sometime, but it has completely changed my view of the system. If you don't have a shot tracking system, get Arccos.

As I predicted, the more you play, the more the system increases its accuracy of knowing the distances of your clubs and gapping. The system does a much better job though of sensing if you are punching out or hit a flubbed shot and not taking that into account for your true average. In the fall, I never trusted the club suggestions that Arccos would give, but now I really trust the suggestions.

For the caddie....uummmm...I'm not a fan.

There have been quite a few examples of where the suggestions don't seem to be accurate for helping you score the lowest score possible.  I present to you a few more for your consideration:
 

I don't really use the caddie system ever, but don't find it to be necessary to call the system a win. 

Overall, you would be hard pressed to find a better GPS system that is accurate for the money. Add in the data collection that Arccos does for your golf game, and you are getting an incredible system with Arccos. Being able to dive into all of the data as much or as little as you want is very helpful. The system does not force their data on you, but provides you with an easy way to find out how to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your game.

In the fall of 2018, I said that you would be better of spending your money elsewhere. I am happy to say that Arccos has changed my mind. Thank you, Arccos for your hard work to improve your system. You have a fan for life.

 

[Bucky CC]

Seems like so far we're all fans of Arccos in general but the Caddie could definitely use some work.  Are any of you planning on purchasing the Link device so you can take your phone out of your pocket (and play connect to a bluetooth speaker)?  I pre-ordered one back in May.

[sirchunksalot]

You all have done an amazing job this year, both with the reviews and the challenges. Regular reviews take a lot of time and commitment and the Cobra Connect Challenge isn't a regular review, it's a beast. Thank you for keeping us entertained and most importantly, the information you have provided us on both the clubs and Arccos.


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[GB13]

Wow, I can’t believe this challenge is over. I just went back and read over all of the reviews, and they were all magnificent. The mods picked 5 great competitors, and y’all did a wonderful job, not just for the forum, but for Cobra and Arccos as well. I’m sad I missed the fun of the last couple weeks, but even as a reader, I really enjoyed this challenge. 

[yungkory]

3 hours ago, Bucky CC said:

Seems like so far we're all fans of Arccos in general but the Caddie could definitely use some work.  Are any of you planning on purchasing the Link device so you can take your phone out of your pocket (and play connect to a bluetooth speaker)?  I pre-ordered one back in May.

I also pre-ordered one, but mostly to save my phone's battery while I play. The Android version of Arccos, with my Pixel 3, just don't seem to play nicely compared to other phones, especially iOS devices. I gave up marking pin locations because I'm trying to minimize my screen-on time. Can't wait to test the Link button, and not have to keep my phone on me during my rounds.

[Nunfa0]

3 hours ago, Bucky CC said:

Seems like so far we're all fans of Arccos in general but the Caddie could definitely use some work.  Are any of you planning on purchasing the Link device so you can take your phone out of your pocket (and play connect to a bluetooth speaker)?  I pre-ordered one back in May.

I am going to look into it

[Nunfa0]

22 minutes ago, yungkory said:

I also pre-ordered one, but mostly to save my phone's battery while I play. The Android version of Arccos, with my Pixel 3, just don't seem to play nicely compared to other phones, especially iOS devices. I gave up marking pin locations because I'm trying to minimize my screen-on time. Can't wait to test the Link button, and not have to keep my phone on me during my rounds.

I have an android as well and it doesn't drain the battery much at all.

[Wedgie]

I'll third what GB13 and Sirchunksalot said.  You guys have done an amazing job throughout the entire challenge.  I signed up and wasn't selected and after seeing what you guys have been thru I'm glad I wasn't.  You all have gone above and beyond and provided a lot more than I ever could have.  Well done guys!

Regards,

Team Bardle

[palvord]

Seems like so far we're all fans of Arccos in general but the Caddie could definitely use some work.  Are any of you planning on purchasing the Link device so you can take your phone out of your pocket (and play connect to a bluetooth speaker)?  I pre-ordered one back in May.

I have not pre-ordered it, but am really tempted to get it. I think it’s really going to make it easier to leave the phone away and focus purely on golf.


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[STUDque]

Psst. 1 hour left to enter the Week 8 Contest. 

 

Well, not exactly an hour. 9pm EST. 

[edingc]

9 hours ago, Bucky CC said:

Seems like so far we're all fans of Arccos in general but the Caddie could definitely use some work.  Are any of you planning on purchasing the Link device so you can take your phone out of your pocket (and play connect to a bluetooth speaker)?  I pre-ordered one back in May.

This is the biggest thing preventing me from upgrading from GAME Golf to Arccos. I actually like tagging each shot and not having to have my phone running during a round. Much less intrusive. Once Link comes out I'll have to reconsider.

[Bucky CC]

Last round of the 2019 Cobra Connect Challenge 3 is in the books.  It also happened to be my best round in the last few weeks.

First 8 holes I was -1 under par.  Followed Arccos Caddie recommendation of a 3 wood off the tee on hole 9 and promptly hooked it OB.  Stupid double bogey left me at +1 after 9 holes.  Shook off the double and played rocked solid golf to get back to even par after 16 holes.  Unfortunately I knew exactly where I stood on the 17 tee box and bogeyed the last two.  It wasn't quite Jean van de Velde  bad but it still hurt.

Best round of the week was tonight's 74 on a 70.3/123 par 72 course.  Disagreed with Caddie on one hole when it wanted me to hit 3 wood and I took out my driver instead.  I got a par on that hole so I'm clearly smarter than the Arccos A.I. right?  

[goaliewales14]

I just want to echo what everyone else has already said that you guys did a fantastic job on this!!  It's truly been great reading all the stories and the great reviews!! 

[robertson153]

Here we go, last review for the 2019 CobraConnectChallenge3!! Last couple of weeks we have been focusing on Arccos, mainly the caddie feature. I guess I’ll be the first to say, I’m not a fan.
The tracking system itself is very nice. I HATE having my phone in my pocket while playing. There have been 4-5 times I didn’t track because I didn’t want the aggravation of my phone in my pocket. Maybe once the link thing comes out, it’ll be better.
The thing most people would benefit the most from, distances. I pretty much know the range on all my clubs. That comes from a lot of range time and playing several rounds. I play with several people that think they can hit “x” iron 160 but in reality it’s only 145-150. The smart distance feature is really really close, I’ll give it that. The thing that throws it off for me, I hit 4 iron off the tee or punch shots out of trouble. So there’s such a big discrepancy in distances it don’t know what to make my smart distance. Other than that it’s pretty darn close.
My hybrid had some slight mishits on it, so that kinda skewed the average. As you can see pretty big gap between PW and 50*, need to work on that.
Having to move the pin on every hole wasn’t fun. Unless the hole was cut dead center, you would have to move it. A button you could push as you’re getting you ball out of the hole would be nice. The putter sensor was all over the place, it would either not pick up a putt, or add a putt, very seldom was it right. I did use my Apple Watch series2 a couple of times, it vibrates when a shot has been detected, that was nice. I would’ve used it every time, but I don’t like wearing a watch as it’s in the way of my glove.
This has already been addressed, but, Arccos doesn’t take into account trees. When using the caddie feature on one of my home course holes this is what is says. That’s all fine and dandy but this is what that hole really looks like. With an arrow showing the intended line.
Here’s the results from trying to hook it around the trees. Spoiler alert......it didn’t work. Had to take a drop after I flew it 30-40 yards in the woods, at least I found my ball
One of the things I’ve really liked, is it showing you what you need to work on the most. The days my driving handicap was high, I would spend extra time on the range working on that, same thing for approach shots, chipping, or putting. You can get out of Arccos as much as you want to, to do so, you really need to do it on a computer using the “dashboard”. I looked at it a time or two, but to be honest, it’s not the most user friendly.
In my conclusion, I will probably not be using Arccos in the near future, when the link comes out, we’ll see. For now I’ll use the data I’ve accumulated to work on my game for the rest of my season, another 2-3 months depending. I still say the Cobra F9 Speedback lineup has been key to my made improvements over the last few months. If anyone is considering a whole new bag, or just one new stick, please give Cobra a shot. Here’s one last look, for now, of the amazing setup I’ve been gaming this summer. Thank you MGS for choosing me, IMO, for the most important review of the year. I hope I’ve lived up to your all’s expectations.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to PM me, or ask on the thread.


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[robertson153]

I’m gonna make a separate post for this. As you know we had to use caddie for every shot. We could play as many rounds as we wanted to. If we disagreed with caddie we could hit whatever club we choose, with a 1/3 stroke penalty for every time. I disagreed 6 times, and shot my all time low, beating my old record by 1 shot. Gross score was a 75, net was 77 after six 1/3 disagreements. At least 3 of the strokes were because caddie was telling me to hit 4 iron on 140-145 yard shots . Rating of 71.10 and slope of 129.


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[Bucky CC]

9 minutes ago, robertson153 said:

I’m gonna make a separate post for this. As you know we had to use caddie for every shot. We could play as many rounds as we wanted to. If we disagreed with caddie we could hit whatever club we choose, with a 1/3 stroke penalty for every time. I disagreed 6 times, and shot my all time low, beating my old record by 1 shot. Gross score was a 75, net was 77 after six 1/3 disagreements. At least 3 of the strokes were because caddie was telling me to hit 4 iron on 140-145 yard shots . Rating of 71.10 and slope of 129.

Nice round.  I think we know who this week's winner is!

[JohnSmalls]

1 hour ago, Bucky CC said:

Last round of the 2019 Cobra Connect Challenge 3 is in the books.  It also happened to be my best round in the last few weeks.

First 8 holes I was -1 under par.  Followed Arccos Caddie recommendation of a 3 wood off the tee on hole 9 and promptly hooked it OB.  Stupid double bogey left me at +1 after 9 holes.  Shook off the double and played rocked solid golf to get back to even par after 16 holes.  Unfortunately I knew exactly where I stood on the 17 tee box and bogeyed the last two.  It wasn't quite Jean van de Velde  bad but it still hurt.

Best round of the week was tonight's 74 on a 70.3/123 par 72 course.  Disagreed with Caddie on one hole when it wanted me to hit 3 wood and I took out my driver instead.  I got a par on that hole so I'm clearly smarter than the Arccos A.I. right?  

Would have birdied if you’d listen to your caddie

19 hours ago, Nunfa0 said:

Definitely @JohnSmalls, the difference is Shotscope is like a nice whisky and Arccos is a 40 year old single malt 

I was hoping you wouldn’t say that . And you had to use an analogy that really works for me. 

It has been really interesting to see the reviews about Arccos. When we reviewed ShotScope last year I’d say the two systems looked like they were pretty neck and neck.  I really do like ShotScope but the more I read the reviews in this thread the more I think Arccos has done a better job at product improvement over the last year.  

[JohnSmalls]

10 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

You all have done an amazing job this year, both with the reviews and the challenges. Regular reviews take a lot of time and commitment and the Cobra Connect Challenge isn't a regular review, it's a beast. Thank you for keeping us entertained and most importantly, the information you have provided us on both the clubs and Arccos.


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This echos my feelings as well. Fantastic job from everyone.  It has been a blast sharing a little banter and watching you guys duke it out.  Still hoping for a @Nunfa0 haka (people don’t forget).  Nonetheless it has been an awesome few months!

[palvord]

I submit my humble offering of my final official round in the Cobra Connect Challenge 3.

Using the Arrcos Caddie suggestions, yesterday I shot a 91 at Timber Wolf Golf Course. Course rating was 71.5 and slope is 125. I disagreed with the recommendations 3 times for a total of 92.

I can't fully blame the Caddie for me not having a better round. Yes, some of the time I didn't agree with the recommendations and let that thought creep in my head. With that negative thought nestled in my brain, I promptly executed poorly.

When I fully committed to the recommendations, I had some great results.

For example:

This is a blind tee shot over trees, that you have to land short of the water and trees on the other side. The screenshot makes it look less intimidating than off the tee. (I should have taken a picture, but I didn't realize I was going to par this hole)

While this doesn't change my viewpoint on the Caddie system, perhaps there is something to the suggestions given. And just like any player/caddie relationship it takes trust and commitment for it to work.

[MaxEntropy]

Congrats to all 5 of you, no matter who wins. You guys did a great job! 

Thanks for all the work you guys put into this! 

[Nunfa0]

6 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

Would have birdied if you’d listen to your caddie

I was hoping you wouldn’t say that . And you had to use an analogy that really works for me. 

It has been really interesting to see the reviews about Arccos. When we reviewed ShotScope last year I’d say the two systems looked like they were pretty neck and neck.  I really do like ShotScope but the more I read the reviews in this thread the more I think Arccos has done a better job at product improvement over the last year.  

Arccos has made awesome strides since our Shot Scope test and in my opinion is a superior product. Don't get me wrong, Shot Scope is great but the way Arccos presents the data, the fact that once the course is downloaded is an instant start, having a course map on your phone, being able to correct errors as you play all lift Arccos above and beyond

[STUDque]

ANNNNNNND we're done!  Well, the competition part is.  There's still wrap-up to do but let's focus on the final week of another successful season:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Week 8 Recap...

Competitors: This week, our guys followed Caddie's advice through and through.  This optional feature introduced some new course strategies to each player even if there was a touch of crazy in each.  Shawties went low low low low as 4/5 competitors lived under Net Par.  Great shooting guys!!

 

Forum Members: There were many guesses, but only one that wins the prize.  Over the course of the challenge, our golfers improved their handicap by a combined 14 strokes -- 21%!  Would you like to reduce your handicap by 21%????  How about the whopping 47% that @Bucky CC reduced his by?  The rich keep getting richer as our champ took this challenge by storm.

So there you have it, the answer is 14-stroke improvement.  @Wedgie with 13 was the leader in the clubhouse for most of the guessing until a late revision came in of 14.7 which beat him by .3 points.  Congratulations to @MaxEntropy for earning yourself the power of data!!!

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

What's Left?

Sometime this week, the competitors will post their final wrap-ups to the challenge.  This will include their current handicaps, "Personal Bests" list, total rounds played, and final thoughts.  After that, I'll do the churn to establish the points for our "Overall Standings" and award our prizes. 

The big carrot remains out there for the Overall Forum Member Prize: F9 Driver

Stay Tuned!

 

 

 

 

[Wedgie]

Wedgie gets denied by a late revision. Who was it? Congrats Max but I’ll get you next year and congrats to all the guys, they poured everything they had into this contest.

 

Great showing by Bardle as expected and I can’t wait to read the final summaries from each of you.

 

 

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