Shot Scope V5 | Unofficial Review

[pmak]

Introduction

I've been on the fence of trying a shot tracking watch for a while, and I finally decided to give Shot Scope a try and bought the newest V5 watch bundle. Previously I would note down yardages on my notes app when playing, then input the round manually on the MyTaylormadePro app after the round, which was a bit tedious and takes a while to do. I did like that way because I could be really accurate with numbers (using a laser rangefinder), but it was enough of a hassle for me to only input very few rounds to really get any historical shot tracking benefits.

I bought the V5 because I found a good promo code, and bought it directly from the Shot Scope website. I also liked the fact that there were physical buttons instead of a touchscreen. In my mind, a watch doesn't have enough real estate for touchscreens to be useful. I also read that the X5 (touchscreen Shoot Scope watch) struggled in the rain, and living in west coast Canada, we get a lot of rainy rounds. I ordered it in early April, and it was delivered within 5 days of purchase, which was surprisingly quick! The main reason I went with Shot Scope over other watches was because they promise no subscription fees. I couldn't justify forking over the cost of a watch, and then on top of that pay a subscription every month to keep using it.

Figured since it's so new, I'd provide some of my feedback so far. I've never used a golf GPS watch before, so this was all a new experience for me.

I haven't figured out how to save posts for later, and this might end up being a longer post, so I might post an incomplete topic and update when I get to the different sections. This especially applies to uploading pictures.

Unboxing

The watch came with 16 tags, and was packaged quite securely, with the watch on full display the moment you open the box. The packaging seemed well thought out and was quite lightweight.

The watch came with a plastic film to protect the screen, but otherwise was just wrapped around a piece of painted cardboard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tags came screwed into holes of another piece of thin cardboard as a clever way of keeping them separated in the box.

Pros:

- Buttons are easy to use
- Watch screen is large and bright
- Watch is quite light
- The charging cable is very secure

Cons:

- Watch didn't feel "premium" (but then again, I didn't expect it to). Rubber straps and a plastic dial feels like durability may be an issue in the future
- Buttons weren't "sturdy"? The first thing I noticed was that the buttons were loose (they can spin freely in the socket), but it didn't affect anything. Just felt strange that it wasn't secure
- Due to the strap being the RFID reader, the straps are actually reversed on how a normal watch is. That is, the loop is on the strap closest to your body rather than the outside strap, which makes putting on the watch quite awkward
- Watch is bigger than the FitBit I'm used to, so playing in it takes some time to adjust
- The charging cable is so secure, it's quite a struggle to take it off. I found wiggling it side to side makes it easier rather than a straight pull

Setup

Getting the app set up was reasonably straightforward. Install the app, create an account, then connect the watch to your app to finalize your account. Unfortunately you cannot access any features of the app until you have a Shot Scope product linked to your account.

Setting up the tags was pretty simple too. Since the tags themselves are pre-marked, there's no physical setup besides screwing them into the correct club. In the app (or desktop dashboard), you can add your clubs to make up your bag and then link the tag to your clubs. You can have many spare clubs, but at any time, the tag can only be linked to one active club.

Cons:

- Limited personalization on the clubs. Can only select a brand and model (no shaft or flex or settings)

On the course

Screen

The screen has a slight matte finish to it, but it is surprisingly bright and I had zero issues viewing the screen on the course in bright and sunny conditions.

Connecting

Getting started on the course is pretty simple as well. A couple button clicks and then it will attempt to get the GPS signal. The first time out it literally took 5 seconds to get the signal and get started. I've used it 3 other times now, and it probably averages around 1 minute to get the signal. Then you choose the course that you are playing on the screen and begin the round. It'll ask you if you want only GPS or GPS + tracking, but I've always just used the latter.

One thing to note is they recommend starting the round when you walk up to the first tee so that your warmup shots won't be tagged as shots on your first hole. It makes sense, but if the GPS takes a while to set up, then it's a bit awkward having to wait for it before you start hitting your tee shot. Or in my case, I just hit and had to add the shot after the round since the GPS took unusually long that time. I suggest starting the round early, but utilize the "pause tracking" feature designed for when you're hitting practice shots. Then when you're on the first tee, resume the round for instant starts.

Cons:

- GPS can take a while to connect

GPS

The GPS was very easy to use. The default screen gives you front, middle, and back yardages from where you are standing. A couple button presses and you can see distances to bunkers and water hazards, as well as a full screen hole map with an adjustable distance ring.

I compared the numbers to my rangefinder and found all values to be very reasonable. In particular, I can trust the watch when I hit some wayward drives and can't actually laser anything useful.

Hole map

I really enjoyed the hole map feature, which gives a full colour display of the hole, and a distance ring that you can move up and down to get distances to anything. The only gripe I have is that it only shows a hole outline, and doesn't include any trees (at least large ones), so it's tough to judge how much room you have sometimes.

Cons:

- It takes too many button presses to get to this. You first need to "unlock" the watch, then click the bottom left button, then click the top right button to cycle to the hole map
- Doesn't show trees

Shot tagging

The great thing is I just hold onto the club and it'll automatically tag the club I'm holding for the shot. Shot Scope recommends making a few practice swings beside your ball before hitting to train their AI, but I don't have enough rounds under my belt to really see a difference.

In terms of tagging, I didn't have many issues of missing shots. The ones that it misses are usually when I duff a flop shot or bunker shot and have to re-hit from around the same area, which is totally within my expectations of a GPS watch.

Cons:

- You need to be careful not to hold your club in your watch hand when not hitting, since the tagging is quite sensitive and will register a shot. Even resting your hand on the grip when watching your playing partners may trigger a false positive.

Putting

I use an armlock putter, so I cannot use the putter tag that is included. Instead, Shot Scope has a "manual" putting mode, where you press a button to log a putt. I actually prefer this anyway, as I don't think tech is advanced enough to track when I'm hitting a putt vs just making some practice strokes somewhere else on the green. It hasn't missed a shot since it's entirely up to me to click.

Shot Scope has a "Pin Collect" feature, which integrates into the manual putting screen. When you have holed out, click the pin collect to log where the pin was on that hole. I have my doubts on GPS technology and its accuracy for putting though.

Cons:

- Pin collect can be quite a pain. Once you reach the green (or somewhere close), it turns on the pin collect screen and won't let you leave it. I think it's 50/50 in terms of tagging chip shots after it switches, which can be annoying. I'd love to see manual pin collect mode in the future, since now I'm purposefully avoiding the green when approaching my chip shots. I also can't just walk up to survey my landing spots, or else pin collect will be too aggressive and turn on when I don't want it to.
- Putting data is not accurate. I have to adjust post round to get the pin and putts in the right place. I don't have high expectations for this though, as GPS tech realistically can't be accurate enough to distinguish a 4 ft putt from a 5 ft putt.

Other features

There's also an option to set the hole location, but I find that feature a bit pointless, as without a pin sheet, you're just guessing anyway. Much easier to use a laser or estimate using the F/M/B yardages.

Another feature is "last shot", which tells you how far your last shot travelled. I like this feature for seeing how far I hit my drive after I hit the occasional big bomb

Ending the round

When you finish the last hole, there's an option to end the round. Clicking confirm will end it and you can turn off the watch right after. However, to get your round into your account, you'll need to connect your watch to the app on your phone to sync the rounds, which can take a couple minutes depending on your connection.

Cons:

- Sometimes I struggle to connect my watch. Restarting the app and bluetooth sometimes helps, but sometimes it just takes time, which can be frustrating.

Post round editing

Once the rounds have been synced, you'll need to edit and sign off on your round to make it official. You can do it either on your phone or the desktop dashboard. I've tried both, and I probably prefer the phone. Maybe if I used an iPad or something similar I'd like that more. The mobile app is very simple to use, and has a "nudge" feature to move your shots by small increments to get it more precise. Not sure if the dashboard has it, but I didn't find it when I used it once. The dashboard UI in my opinion can be improved because there is way more real estate on a laptop screen, but the map in which you drag and edit shots only takes up a small section, which is a waste of space and makes it harder to move shots accurately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cons:

- The dashboard site can be quite confusing and difficult to navigate

Data tracking and performance

Shot Scope tracks your shots as is, and in post analysis, provides a wealth of data. It may not be as polished as other apps, but for my purposes it serves my needs.

Data includes:

- Distances for each club, including average, longest, and P-average (performance average, aka removing outliers)

- Shot dispersion patterns per club to identify tendencies and areas for improvement. Also to use for MyStrategy

- Strokes Gained per club against chosen handicaps

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cons:

- It doesn't feel as polished or premium of a website

MyStrategy

MyStrategy is Shot Scope's version of a course preview using Google maps. I can't lie, another big reason for me to get the watch was for this exact feature. I've been looking into the Decade golf yardage books and doing my own Google map pre-round work, but this makes it so much easier. You can overlay your own clubs and Shot Scope will provide your performance average and shot dispersion to help you decide where to aim, and how much room there is between hazards with your specific shot pattern. While there are things that can be improved, I really like the feature and it allows me to be prepared when playing a course I've never seen before, particularly for tournaments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pros:

- Full GPS hole displays with distance rings
- Draggable cursor to find specific distances
- Overlay your own clubs with distances and shot patterns

Cons:

- Doesn't allow you to plot a second shot (e.g. on a long par 5)

Conclusion

Overall, I think the watch is quite worth it, if not for the MyStrategy on its own. I think with more rounds under my belt I can get better averages and shot patterns to really bring that experience to another level. I applaud Shot Scope on a well designed product, but hope the app and dashboard can get continuous updates to improve on the look and feel in the future.

Edited May 5 by pmak

[cksurfdude]

Nice write-up, especially from a new user perspective.

FYI if you have not seen it, there is a "ShotScope Users Group" topic under Equipment > Tech. A bunch of new and experienced users in there and a great place to get tips and ask questions.