There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.
What We Tried
Arccos Caddie Link – the add-on device for the Arccos Caddie shot-tracking system that eliminates the need to keep your phone in your pocket while playing golf.
Your Arccos Caddie Link Tester
Tony Covey – MyGolfSpy editor, writer and long-time Arccos user (I once played Mr. Arccos on an internet talk show) who is all too aware that some of you don’t want to keep your phones in your pocket while playing golf. Some others of you don’t even have pockets.
The Arccos Caddie Link Experience
Curious to see if Arccos Caddie Link was worth the 1.5 years it took to take it from vaporware to tangible product, I charged it, tossed it in my bag and headed off to the course.
From an ease-of-use standpoint, Link couldn’t be simpler. I was fully prepared for one of those taxing “will it, won’t it, pair?” Bluetooth battles. I even got to the course early just in case but there was none of that “fighting with settings” crap. Pressing Link’s single button, it effortlessly paired with my phone. Once that was done, the option to use Link Shot Tracking was waiting for me in the Arccos app.
True story: I got so wrapped up in the simplicity of connecting Link, I forgot to start my round. I figured it out before I hit my fourth second shot and added my drive manually. Frankly, it’s just as well Arccos didn’t see it. The guys whose house I hit saw enough for everyone.
Breakfast ball. Sadly, all of this is true. I digress.
One click in the app and my phone was out of my pocket forever – except when I put it back in by accident. Force of habit and whatnot.
Wearing Link
Arccos Caddie Link is designed to clip to your belt or your pocket. It can also be kept in your pocket, which is what I planned to do until I read the part in the manual about getting the best results when Link’s microphone was left unobstructed. Logically, Link in the pocket should work every bit as well as your phone in your pocket. I’m hoping for better so I decided to clip it to my belt.
Some of you kids may not remember this but back before we all had a library of music on our phones, Apple and others (still can’t believe Zune never took off) sold stand-alone MP3 players. Napster bad! Anyway, raise your hand if you owned an iPod shuffle. It’s a good point of reference for the physical size of the Link. The larger point is that having Link clipped to my belt it’s way less obtrusive to me than wearing a watch.
Arccos Caddie Link – Burning Questions
With the ease-of-use and comfort and convenience concerns behind me, there were three pressing questions to answer over the course of a round of golf:
- Does Arccos Caddie Link work?
- Does Arccos Caddie Link work better than the phone?
- What else can Arccos Caddie Link do?
First, yeah, it works. There’s really nothing you need to mess with during your round. If your phone is nearby (I kept mine in the console of my pushcart), you can double-check that things are working or make small edits to your round. In terms of working as well as the phone, Link is flawless.
The answer to the second question boils down to a couple of factors. First, there’s the microphone. Since Arccos relies on your phone’s microphone to detect shots, it follows that removing as many impediments to the success of that microphone (whatever else might be in your pocket, the lining if your pocket and your pants – I’m not suggesting you remove your pants) can only help.
Worn on the belt, Arccos didn’t miss any of the types of shots that had proven problematic in the past. Wedge shots from the rough have been a pain point in the past but Link recorded all of them (and I gave it plenty of chances to fail). That’s not to say Arccos will never miss a shot…I’m sure that’s inevitable…but, anecdotally, Link’s shot detection has improved compared to the phone.
Arccos Link – More to Come?
The other benefit of Link isn’t as obvious. For the first time, Arccos is in complete control of a critical piece of hardware that controls the system. The Link device means Arccos is no longer limited by whatever features Apple and Android bundle into their phones. It’s also not limited by whatever features happen to be offered by your watch. As a result, Arccos Link has the potential to do whatever Arccos wants it to do (within reason, of course).
With the initial release, you can mark the position of the pin with a single-click of Link’s button (powering on and off requires a press and hold). That functionality worked effortlessly and flawlessly. While it’s far from a given, it’s easy to foresee an upgrade that adds double-click to add a putt, triple-click to order a breakfast sandwich (that’s my buddy’s code for three Miller Lites) at the turn or allow users to customize an assortment of click functions. Point being, what Arccos Caddie Link does today doesn’t tap into the full potential of what it might do in the future. Emphasis on might. I’m certainly not making any promises. I mean, the last time Arccos said something was coming, it took 18 months.
The Takeaway
Arccos solves both the phone in the pocket and the “my pants/skirt/skort don’t have pockets” problem without requiring you to throw money at an Apple watch. It works simply, flawlessly and as advertised. Of course, you have to throw money ($99) at Link and yeah, that sucks a little. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. At some point, it seems logical we’ll see it bundled with sensors. The bottom line is that Arccos Caddie Link removes the biggest complaint about the Arccos system and it does it simply and without intrusion. That’s a win in my book.
Arccos Caddie Link is available for pre-order now.
It is expected to ship in September.
Lage Rolstad
2 years agoWill Link soon be developed with a simple tap/speaker for announcing distanse to green (should be easy to implement as all data is available in device). Will skip nede for yet another distance device (watch, etc).
Thx Lage (Oslo)
Richie DeLong
2 years agoJust tried using the Link / Sensor system and was extremely disappointed. Out of the first 4 holes, I think it only detected 4-5 shots. It is hard for me to believe that the Link product is a vast improvement over the prior generation. If the hardware is so obviously buggy, it would be interesting to see how will their A.I. algorithms actually work for $120/year subscription rate. Also, the online dashboard currently just displays a gray page with not information..
Andrew
2 years agoI have about 9 rounds under the belt with Arccos and these are my findings:
I use the screw in sensors and keep my android phone in my front pocket , as instructed. It misses most chips for around the green. It misses most tap in putts. I have to add about ten shots per round to get the correct score. It misses pretty much all shots when I wear rain gear.
It’s good at detecting the hole you are playing – I cut from the 2nd to the 11th then the 12th to the 5th on my local course and it registerd shots on the holes correctly.
The stats are really good but I will have to revise my understanding of strokes gained. I shot +2 in a 9-hole round and the app said I lost 2.8 shots to a 6 handicap. My understanding was that strokes gained would add up close to the difference between the score and the handicap (e.g. shooting +4 over 18 holes would be close to 2 strokes gained).
I’ve used Shotscope, Arccos and Game Golf Live. GGL is the only one to reliably detect every shot because I had to manually tag each shot and just made it part of my shot routine. GGL regularly got confused about one hole on my course and would register shots near the 8th green as being from the 9th tee. Shotscope missed a lot of my shots because I rarely take a practice swing but was the best on the greens because of the pin location button. GGL would have been my choice but their stats a nowhere near the level of Arccos and Shotscope. So I’m still waiting for the ideal system.
Phill S.
3 years agoMy first round with the Link!
Finally received my Link and used it this past Saturday. It had far fewer missed shots as compared to the Apple Watch. Most were tap ins that were missed.
It is very easy and quick now to mark hole location. What it provides is your distance where you made you first putt to the flag. it doesn’t record your second or god forbid third putt.
Using the Apple watch for distances only used just 30% battery vs. nearly 80% for shot detection. Much improvement!
Now for the issue – The watch did auto advance, BUT every time I got to a new hole, the Arccos watch app would go into the background and I had to press the crown, find the app and select it to come to the foreground. This is VERY annoying. I have sent this into Arccos support to see if there is a setting to change this? Has anyone else run into this issue?
David Mayes
3 years agoI recently started using the Arccos system. I tried with my phone in my pocket and it worked about 80%. It had trouble detecting my drives for some reason. I have an Apple Watch Series 5 and unlocked it after a few rounds thinking it would be a better way to detect shots. It was way worse. Couldn’t even get through 3 holes before it basically stopped detecting altogether. So, I now ordered a Link hoping that will be the charm. My question is: If I pair my phone with the Link can I still use the watch for distances, club recommendations, round editing on the fly, or am I forced to use my phone for some/all of these features. It’s really helpful to have the info on my wrist, but the poor shot detection defeats the purpose of the system so I’d like the “best of both worlds”. Thanks!
Perry Moore
3 years agoFor those wondering about timing of pre-order shipments, I placed my original order on Feb 2, 2019 and I just received my Link today (Sept 2, 2020).
I cannot wait to use it.
Thanks
Divot
3 years agoNo one has talked about the potential to lose something that is clipped on to your belt, at $100 a pop – this would be a big concern for me
claus
3 years agoThe clip is so tight.that the Caddie Link will not fall off when clipped.
Bigger danger is that you forget its clipped on and throw it in the washing machine with your golf trousers after the round ….
Scott C
3 years agoSince you brought it up, what happens when it goes through the washing machine? Had to ask!
Mark Hodgson
3 years agoMine fell off at end of first hole dunt realise till 7th went back to loction as last seen
Gone
£75 for 1 hole
Been offered a replacement at25% off
No thanks
Dave
2 years agoI just don’t get it. All it does is tell you what club you are holding in your hand. It hears the shot, but it doesn’t tell you ANYTHING about the shot. Club speed? Nope. Flight path? Nope. It knows where it landed because you are standing there.
It gathers stats and that’s cool. But that’s basically all it does and there are free apps that do that and they don’t require special grips or a sensor on every club.
David
2 years agoSame with me. Lost mine during my second round, apparently after the second hole. Knew exactly where I was between second hole and third tee, no sign of it.
It seems the Link batches the shots and transmits them to the phone a bit later (i.e. not immediately), so no telling where it was actually lost
For what it is worth, the clip is very stiff, and only fits a thin web-type belt, which I wore during my first round. When I wore my thicker leather belt it worked its way off. A very poor design!
Bob de Laat
2 years agoI tied a 10 cm thin (0.2 mm) transparent nylon wire to the clip and to a safetypin that I fasten to the inside of my pocket.
Greg
3 years agoReally excited for my link to arrive! I have used the phone-in-pocket system, and don’t mind it in there at all because that’s usually where I keep my phone anyway, but taking it in and out to make edits frequently was annoying (adding penalties, tap ins, deleting practice balls). Keeping my phone on the push cart so I can do these will be great, but still I was on the fence UNTIL reading about the click for flag position feature. I think this will make my approach/chipping/putting stats a lot more accurate, and I just couldn’t be bothered to have one more thing to do in the app before. This will be a game-changer for me!
Phill S.
3 years agoWhen did you order your Link? I am curious since I pre ordered mine in July of last year.
Greg
3 years agoMid July this year. We’ll see when (if?) it arrives!
HAC
3 years agoI have never used Arccos or Shot Scope so forgive me if I am asking a simple question. I don’t really understand the usefulness of some of the distance data I would see. First, I play in a hilly course. A similarly struck drive can go 20-30 yards more or less depeNdenton whether a hole is uphill or downhill. Second, the course can be windy (more in spring and fall than in summer). Third, sometimes the course is dry and the ball runs. Other times, like last week, the corse was soaked and I could see holes in the fairway from where by drive hit the ground. Can these devices provide meaningful average distance data given all these common situations – for drives, for irons, etc.? Interested in how all this is taken into account. Thanks for any help.
Greg
3 years agoOver time the taking of averages is generally very good. Arccos knows slope, and wind, but not really ground conditions so it accounts for some of those, but not perfectly. It also doesn’t use abnormally long or short shots in your average once it has a decent number of shots for baseline unless you are consistently longer or shorter. My only complaint is not being able to chose which shots are selected or not. I know lots of folks would use this to include longer shots and bump their ego, but I use my 5-iron to punch out of trees and up the fairway a lot, so the distance average for that particular club is lower than what I actually hit it because I can’t delete those from the average..
Ernest Poirier
3 years agoAll valid points.
I play a fairly flat course, but wide open and the wind changes day to day.. My club choices are based on simulator data accumulated over the winter in 0 wind, 0 slope…and I try to adjust them based on current playing conditions..
I use ShotScope to focus my practice sessions. Should I be working on my tee shots (FIR), irons (GIR), or shortgame (wedges and chipping).
HAC
3 years agoThanks guys for the responses.
Brian
3 years agoI have had such a bittersweet relationship with Arccos. I’ve had the V1 and 360 sensors. Rarely had any issues with the V1’s and the 360’s started off good. Over the last 18 months though, the 360 sensors have been awful. According to Arccos, I shoot in the 50’s every week (I wish) but in reality I have to edit 20+ shots a round, every round. I have tried having my phone in both front pockets and with the microphone pointing down. I have unpaired and re-paired my sensors. I’ve used the Apple Watch 5. Same results. I’ve contacted customer support and they have always gotten back to me quickly but just tell me the same things over and over. I finally took them off about 2 months ago after I got home and found it recorded a 39 on like the 8th hole and nothing for the rest of the round.
To me the sensors are worthless if I constantly have to guess where I played a shot from. Now asking me for another $100 just so my sensors actually capture all the shots is insulting. Would have been nice if they went to the people with documented cases of the sensors not working consistently and offered it at cost. Especially multiple version buyers. Anyway, I haven’t really missed them too much. I gained enough data from the originals and the 360’s, before the troubles, to help my game.
Mike
3 years agoArccos is a problem.
Issue 1 – They came out with the screw into the end of you grip sensor. After 5-6 rounds they start to fall off and you have to buy more sensors.
Issue 2 – They came out with the built in Arccos grips. Problem is they don’t tell you if you wear hearing aids that the system doesn’t work because the product uses the iPhone’s speaker system and if you are already using it for your hearing aids it doesn’t work. This was revealed after I spent $200 on the screw in sensors and another $200 on the in grip sensors. Company was willing to do absolutely nothing about it.
Good Bye Arccos forever!!!!
Phill S.
3 years agoI never had any issues with the screws falling after 2 years of use, this includes switching them to a new set of irons and many times moving the putter sensor to different putters that rotate in & out of time out!
Arccos has been good in standing behind their product for me. From other comments below it seems the the Link frees up the phone from hijacking the Bluetooth. Unfortunately it seems you are too far past giving Arccos another try.
Art
3 years agoI too have experienced sensors breaking and coming unscrewed. One occurrence each. Customer service has been fantastic in replacing sensors. 160+ rounds, similar amount of practice time, over 1.5 years.
I’ve got other complaints, but durability and customer service aren’t on the list.
David
3 years agoTotally agree – although you can just manage it by the number of last rounds played. i.e. last 10…. last 20…. or just set a date range for the winter months ( screen shot it) and then the summer months and compare…
TheDon69
3 years agoHi I still would need my phone because I use the ask caddie function for distances and club advice how would buying this help leaving my phone in my bag is not always an option because some tee boxes are some distance from where I would leave my bag or am I pay for option of being able to put my phone in my back pocket. Don’t get me wrong I love the system cheers
John
Peter
3 years agoI have used Arccos for a year now (in the back pocket) and apart from having to edit the putts from time to time, I have not had an issue. Love the app. Can’t see a reason to upgrade
Russell
3 years agoThe biggest problem I have with it is that it kills your phone battery, does the link alleviate that in any way?
Kevin Skrei
3 years agoYes! It significantly reduces the battery consumption on the phone.
Phill S.
3 years agoOut of curiosity, when did you order the link? I have been told they are processing the pre-orders in sequence of when the pre-order was placed. I ordered mine July 6, 2019. This will give me a clue to when I might expect mine. Thanks.
Paul
3 years agoI really like the system and have used it since it’s release., been waiting for the link… will we be contacted again before shipping for payment?
I wish we could have a summer and winter profile, my distances change so much over the winter due to a big temp / conditions switch. I end up having to take off my sensors. I found they then don’t work after 2 or three months down time. Should I put stickers back over the sensor as they have when I bought them?
Grant
3 years agoI bought Cobra F9’s 2 years ago and to get the Arccos sensors the only choice was pencil thin grips. Then, I bought after market sensors for my other clubs. Expecting a workable configuration of clubs & software, the whole setup was miserably bad. I went back to the instructions a half dozen times with no better results. Eventually I sliced off the grips and moved on. Until somebody develops a very reliable system, I’ll go without and save myself the aggravation. Keep at it guys.
Joseph Loukota
3 years agoReally? Just wait ANOTHER 2 months when ShotScope V3 works (usually) flawlessly & is unobtrusive on my wrist (minus the tan line)..
Sorry, Arccos…you had an “epic fail” with the Link delay for 18 months & allowed us to find an alternative
Ernest Poirier
3 years agoJoseph,
Can you comment on the accuracy of the putting strokes captured by the V3?
I carry a green’s book with me, of my course. I pace off all my putts (3yd, 5yd, 12 yds, etc…), and after each round, I have to spend a lot of time editing my putts in the ShotScope dashboard, because my V2 isn’t accurate.
Eric Broder
3 years agoI know this is an Arccos article, but a few people have asked about ShotScope. I recently got the ShotScope V2 (it was pretty cheap on eBay). I was really concerned that it’s size would be a distraction but, honestly, I don’t even know it’s there unless I’m entering data (# putts, penalties). No phone required. It’s a perfectly fine GPS device (I’ve used it to replace my Bushnell Phantom).
My only concern, again after only 4 rounds, is the editing after I’m back home. I still need to refine my method of remembering what might need adjusting. But I’d say there are 4 or 5 strokes I need to edit, mostly when it records a putt from the fringe as having been from the green, or if I take a gimme, distorting my #putts. The computer interface on their “dashboard” allows you to zoom in to adjust where putts took place, but it doesn’t zoom in far enough for real fine-tuning (e.g: gimme’s), so my putt distances aren’t all accurate. It does advance to the next hole on the rare occasions that I forget to record the number of putts I took.
Ernest Poirier
3 years agoI completely agree. I have been using ShotScope for a few years, and the after-round editing is time consuming, because the watch itself is not accurate enough.
I’ve reverted to printing a green’s sheet for my course, and I draw my putts on the greens, so that afterwards, I can edit them in the Dashboard.
Another concern that I’ve had, is – have you ever really calculated your own FIR and compared it to their calculation? I don’t see how hitting a par 3 should be considered a FIR, but their calculations are inflated in that area, so I’m concerned that other areas may also be skewed.
mackdaddy9
3 years agoThanks that is just what I have been waiting for before I pulled the trigger on a purchase.
Mike
3 years agoAdmittedly I have no experience with Arccos, but I had no idea it uses a microphone to detect shots. This may be a stupid question but how do you make sure it doesn’t detect and count shots made by a playing partner you’re standing near when they hit? Sorry if this isn’t even remotely a problem haha
Kevin Skrei
3 years agoHi Mike, Arccos doesn’t listen for the impact of the club. The sensor emits sound when a hit occurs. The microphone is used to listen to the sensor and not the club impact.
Arccos Golf
3 years agoHi Mike,
Here’s how it works! Once installed, the Arccos Caddie Smart Sensors or Smart Grips detect the impact of you hitting a golf ball. Each sensor has a unique transmitter inside of it paired to your phone, and clubs are paired as separate and unique devices. This allows the app to know which club was used when hitting a shot. The app will not detect shots from other sensors that are not paired to your account.
When a sensor detects an impact, it sends a signal to the phone’s microphone. That signal says something like, “I’m a 5-iron and I just hit a shot.” When the phone receives or “hears” that signal, it uses its GPS capability to make a note of exactly where that shot occurred.
The Arccos Caddie app then overlays that data onto a map of the hole you’re playing. Arccos knows where the fairways, bunkers, and greens are located and therefore can categorize shots as drives, approaches, chips, sand shots, and putts.
Ernest
3 years agoTwo comments:
1) the author mentions the need for a phone. But to be absolutely clear, do you need a Smart Phone…with a data plan, in order for this to work?
2) in the “burning questions” section, why was there no mention of the ACCURACY of the data being captured?
I have been using ShotScope for nearly 3 years now (no, the watch doesn’t bother me), but the #1 complaint I have, is that ShotScope v2 is NOT accurate enough, especially on the greens. I’ve reverted to carrying a yardage book with me of 18 greens, and I … with a PENCIL!!!… draw the pin and all my putts. Once my round is over, I spend nearly 30 minutes adjusting what was captured by the watch, so that my statistics are accurate.
Arccos Golf
3 years agoHi Ernest,
In regards to your first question, you do need a smart phone but it does not need to have a data plan, as long as you download course data over WIFI prior to your round.
After a course has been downloaded, you will see a blue checkmark signifying the course has been stored on your phone. This allows you to play on that course using only your Arccos Caddie Link or phone for shot detection.
Note: without a cellular connection, you will not be able to receive Arccos Caddie shot recommendations.
Ernest
3 years agoThank you for taking the time to read and reply to my comment.
Barry Price
3 years agoI’m a tad confused by something in the article. I’m not a Arccos user currently. However, I’m very interested in a system with this type of functionality. You mentioned in the article that it’s best not to place the “Link” in your pocket because it obstructs the microphone. Therefore, it’s best clipped onto the belt. But, in a couple of paragraphs later, you state that it uses the microphone of your telephone, and therefore it’s best to leave your telephone in a place where it can be least obstructed. So, does this system have to use both the “Link’s” mic as well as the mic on our telephone, or does it just use one or the other?
Thank you for the article. I would love to have a shot tracking system that works. I have a Garmin S62 that Garmin has been trying to get the shot tracking working for me for a month. Then they had a malware virus that took their entire system down for nearly another week. So, I’m very frustrated with Garmin,. Not to mention, that the huge watch I have to wear is cumbersome to say the least.
Tony Covey
3 years agoIt’s one or the other (or the other). Once you select Link as your tracking device, it uses Link’s onboard microphone as well as Link’s GPS to track shots.
John C. Coppock
3 years agoI used Arccos 360 sensors with my iPhone and Apple Watch and liked the way it worked!! I am 73 and had to start wearing hearing aids that pair with my phone. Now Arccos won’t work if hearing aids are paired. Arccos CS doesn’t have a fix for this problem other than don’t use the hearing aids. It seems that using Arccos can’t share the Bluetooth with other apps!!!!
Arccos Golf
3 years agoHi John,
If you are using Arccos Caddie Link for shot detection, you will now be able to use hearing aids, listen to music, and track your stats!
Jon Silverberg
3 years agoJohn: I also have hearing aids (Widex brand) that pair with an app on my Android-based Pixel 2. However, the app is only for changing settings (like volume, frequency enhancement, etc.), and does not have to be active to use the hearing aids. It sounds like you must have the app running to use your brand of hearing aids; you might ask your hearing aid manufacturer if there’s a way around this problem.
Tim
3 years agoI’m a newer Arccos user (2 rounds so far) and have really enjoyed the experience so far, but never have my phone in my pocket prior to using the tech and do not enjoy that part of the experience. So when I saw the Link I was immediately sold.
Chris,
Was any testing done where the phone was a good distance from the Link? Although I don’t enjoy it, I find myself riding in carts quite a bit and was wondering if the link will still work if say I go right and my partner goes left, they take the cart and I walk across the entirety of the fairway. Will my shot still be detected with a 20+ yard gap between the sensors/Link and my phone.
Thanks for the initial review.
Kevin Skrei
3 years agoHi Tim, as long as you keep your Link device on you at all times, the phone and Link will continuously sync while in range with each other. The Link is the device responsible for recording your shots and just transfers the data over to the phone whenever they are close to each other (about 30 meters).
John Holmes
3 years agoI bought some Ping G710 irons that included the Arccos sensors., so bought additional ones for the set and used it relatively successfully for a few rounds. However with the Shotscope V3 released (£170 UK) I decided to switch. Having to pay another £90 for the Arccos Link in addition to an annual subscription just doesn’t make sense compared to Shotscope. I think Arccos missed a trick as I understand the phone still needs to be bluetooth linked to the mobile during the round. With Shotscope you have a good GPS to give yardage and can link to the mobile app post round. I dont think there is a great difference to the stats collected, Arccos present it slightly better, but value for money is not Arccos strong point.
Phil Murphy
3 years agoYou set up the round on your phone but once that’s done you can turn it off/leave it in the cart/bag. Post round they will sync the data between the link and phone
RobB
3 years agoI have just ordered cobra irons with Accros in grips, I understand they will send extra sensors for existing clubs so that you can monitor a full round.
Question: is the Shotscope V3 a better and more reliable system?
Patrick Idoux
3 years agoCan you give us a recommedation? I just bought a Shot Scope but have not even opened it. Which is better? Should I send this back?
Peter
3 years agoI ended up buying Arccos because 1) I didn’t want to wear a watch and 2) I wanted Strokes Gained data, which Shotscope doesn’t have. There are some good reviews of Shotscope out there now (check out Crossfield on youtube), and it seems like a great product but these two points made the decision for me.
Art
3 years agoHeads-up, the strokes gained data on Arccos is very poor. I find other functionality very valuable, but not strokes gained. They tout “Tour Level Analytics”, now if only there were a golf-consumer-first entity that would verify that claim. Never mind, I’ll do it–the claim is a farce. I know Arccos is talking about an upgrade, but Link took how long??
Dao Le
3 years agoLink seems like a good product but Apple Watch is the way to go. I have been using Arccos for two years and used the phone to detect shots initially. I have been using the Apple Watch Series 4 to detect shots for the past year and it works great. Yes it will miss the occasional shot and putt, but the benefit of having it as a range finder with club recommendation right in your wrist is fantastic. You do need to have the watch fully charged before the round because it burns through about 90% of the watch battery in four hours.
Using link won’t give you this information unless you pull out your phone, which then defeats the purpose of having Link.
Phill S.
3 years agoI am “hoping” that if you select the link as the shot recording device, the Apple Watch will have a better battery life. You are correct that you will still need the phone or watch to get distances and club recommendation.
Phill S
3 years agoHow did it work regarding hole advancing?
What I have been told by Arccos, that if a putt is not taken or sensed the auto hole advance will not work! So if you hit it close and take a gimme or if you are out of a hole based on equitable stroke control and just pick up without a putt taken/sensed hole advance won’t work.
Did you have a chance to run into a similar situation?
Arccos Golf
3 years agoHi Phill,
As long as you keep your phone in your pocket, or Arccos Caddie Link clipped to your pocket or belt, and access each green and the following tee box sequentially, Arccos Caddie will automatically switch holes for you.
If you skip a hole or do not play the holes in sequential order, you will need to manually swipe to the new hole that you will be playing and tap ‘Play Hole.’
Phill S.
3 years agoThanks. I can’t wait to hit the lottery (a.k.a. my turn in the pre-order queue to receive the Link). My current usage is that the phone sits in the cart and I use the Apple Watch to record shots. It apparently doesn’t recognize the green unless a putt is sensed. I am not always diligent in double checking the hole advancement has occurred on the watch and it screws up the tracking of shots to the previous hole.
The phone app advances correctly, but I am not using it to record shots. Maybe the Watch app needs a tweak/fix to work more like the phone app in this regard.
Robert
3 years agoThanks for the review (and the sense of humor!) hahahhaha.
I have a Blast Motion sensor. How does the Arccos Caddie Link compare to the Blast Motion Sensor?
I suppose I’ll just buy one and see for myself. But perhaps someone who has already used both has some insight.
Arccos Golf
3 years agoHi Robert,
Arccos Caddie is designed to be an on-course tool and is not designed to be a swing analyzer.
Here’s how it works! Once installed, the Arccos Caddie Smart Sensors or Smart Grips detect the impact of you hitting a golf ball. Each sensor has a unique transmitter inside of it paired to your phone, and clubs are paired as separate and unique devices. This allows the app to know which club was used when hitting a shot.
When a sensor detects an impact, it sends a signal to the phone’s microphone. That signal says something like, “I’m a 5-iron and I just hit a shot.” When the phone receives or “hears” that signal, it uses its GPS capability to make a note of exactly where that shot occurred.
The Arccos Caddie app then overlays that data onto a map of the hole you’re playing. Arccos knows where the fairways, bunkers, and greens are located and therefore can categorize shots as drives, approaches, chips, sand shots, and putts.
Walt
3 years agoTony- Thanks for the in stride update. I’m looking forward to my Arccos Link as well. However, I do like using the caddie system for shot recommendations. Looking forward to the potential this “might” bring for future Arccos add ons/integration.
Luis
3 years agoDoes the link have it’s on GPS? I use caddies from time to time. If the caddy walks away from me, will my shot be tracked accurately? Or from where the caddy is standing. Same with a golf cart. If my partner drives away to hit his ball, before I hit mine, where is the shot tracked from?
Dr. Strangelove
3 years agoThis reads kind of funny. Are you thinking of putting the Link or your phone on the Caddy instead of on yourself?
Arccos Golf
3 years agoHi Luis,
Yes, the Arccos Caddie Link device does have GPS built-in but please note that the Arccos Caddie Link device must be clipped to your belt or pocket.
When ready to start a round you simply turn on your Link by pressing the crown icon (you will hear a beep) and select Arccos Caddie Link as the shot recording device via the interface on your smartphone. Start the round on your phone, clip Arccos Caddie Link to your belt or pocket, and play.
You can keep your phone in your bag, the cart, your trolley, pull cart, or keep it in your pocket, it’s entirely up to you. During the round you can also set pin positions, by quickly pressing the power button when you are next to the hole. When you are in Bluetooth range of your smartphone Arccos Caddie Link will automatically transmit your shot data allowing you to interact with your smartphone during a round, or you can wait until the round is over.
MattGo
3 years agoMr. Arccos needed this arrow in his quiver. This makes Arccos more compelling. I do currently wear a Bushnell Ion and have gotten used to wearing a watch. The ShotScope V3 looks to provide everything on your wrist without needing to pick up the phone to get your yardage. Do you use a rangefinder with the Arccos? This seems to make the Arccos mostly a stat accumulator. Which definitely has its place.
Arccos Golf
3 years agoHi,
The Arccos Caddie app also features the Arccos Caddie Rangefinder.
Arccos Caddie Rangefinder will provide golfers with club recommendations from Golf’s Smartest Caddie, so they can truly trust the club they pull for every shot.
The Arccos Caddie Rangefinder also takes into account wind (speed, direction and gusts), temperature, humidity, and altitude. The altitude calculation is personalized to each Arccos Caddie user based on any altitude differential between their home course and the one they’re playing.
Sean
3 years agoI tried to use Arcoss many times, both the 1st gen where you had to screw the sensor into the grip and the connected grips later on a set of Cobra irons. I was lucky to get it to pick up 1 putt a round, so it just wasn’t worth the hassle for me to not have a complete product. While the Link sounds interesting, I agree that I’m not throwing more $ at a product to get it to work like it should out of the box.
Ernest
3 years agoSean, I use ShotScope, and I never miss a shot, or a putt.
I do – however – spend nearly 30 minutes after every round, adjusting the locations of my putts, so that they actually represent where I was on the course.
I suspect that the ShotScope satellites are not accurate enough, so I carry with me a yardage book and mark my putts down with a PENCIL 😮
Pat
3 years agoI got tired of the phone in the pocket so I only use the system occasionally. I pre-ordered the link so I hope that comes sometime soon. The preview caddie feature was very helpful on a recent trip to plan out my round.
Funkaholic
3 years agoI have never had an issue and got used to my phone in my pocket, it only failed me in a pouring rain. I would like to leave my phone in the cart though. I wouldn’t mind wearing this on my belt but, it is damn hot in Georgia in the summer so my shirt is rarely tucked in for long, I imagine that is about the same level of obstruction as a pocket would be. I might have to give this thing a try.
Jae Min
3 years agoDoes this work with Gen 1 sensors?
Arccos Golf
3 years agoHi Jae,
Arccos Caddie Link is not compatible with any of our 1st generation Bluetooth products, including Gen-1 putter sensors. We do offer a trade-up program that allows any 1st generation Arccos user to trade-in their set of sensors and upgrade. More information is available on our homepage, under “Trade Up”.
Chris Pasut
3 years agoI’ve been an arccos user now for 3 years. I was willing to accept the phone in the pocket for a while. But when i got my iphone xr it became too big to be comfortable with in my pocket. I was excited when then made it usable with the apple watch however that quickly changed when i tried it and noticed its was just missing too many shot to be useful. I just don’t don’t how i feel about spending another $100 on this system just to make it work like it should have from the start.
Benjamin Thompson
3 years agoEven though the manual says to clip it on the outside, have you tried to play with it in your pocket? I’ve got a hard time getting over looking like a total dweeb with a clip on your waistband.
Anthony Langenberg
3 years agoBenjamin: I’m sitting here thinking the exact same thing. Everybody I’m paired with is going to ask “what is that attached to your belt?”
Loyd Potter
3 years agoSo wear it as an earring. LOL