Shot Scope X5 GPS Golf Watch – Key Takeaways
- Updated/upgraded GPS and shot tracking
- Includes dogleg and layup distances, full green views
- Updated tags fit domed grips
- $299.99, available now
The new Shot Scope X5 GPS golf watch/shot tracker isn’t exactly replacing the company’s existing GPS and shot-tracking hardware.
Maybe enhancing is a better word. So are updating and upgrading. If you’re into phraseology, improving upon works.
But blowing away might be the most accurate.
The new X5, at the very least, puts Shot Scope in the general neighborhood with other high-end, ultra-cool GPS golf watches. But when you factor in the industry’s easiest-to-use shot- and data-tracking system, a stout but not overwhelming statistics package and no subscription fees, you have an intriguing option.
Throw in a price tag of just under $300 and you have, in the words of Sherrif Buford T. Justice, an attention-getter.
Shot Scope X5 GPS Golf Watch
As it turns out, lots of attention.
“You’re seeing the evolution of our brand across all product lines,” says Shot Scope COO Gavin Dear. “The X5 is a step above our V3 line. It provides more benefits. It’s crammed with features and it’s an outstanding value.”
Much of that, of course, will be verified or disputed by our testing. But at first glance, Shot Scope has indeed upped its game.
Shot Scope hit the scene seven years ago with its V1 shot-tracking wristband. The V1 was a proof-of-concept type product: it was an aircraft-carrier sized band that, when combined with Shot Scope’s simple club tags, tracked your shots without any additional effort on your part. You didn’t need a phone in your pocket; you didn’t have to touch anything to anything else. You just played golf.
With an aircraft carrier on your wrist.
The somewhat smaller V2 came out in 2017, combining shot tracking with a GPS watch. Three years later, the much smaller V3 made its debut. The X5, however, takes the next step. While it’s neither Rolex nor Tag-level fashionable nor Apple-watch-level functional, you could conceivably wear it as an everyday watch. And while it’s not Garmin S62-level cool, shot tracking is automatic and it’s a fraction of the price.
“We’ve refined the performance tracking technology,” says Dear. “And we’ve added features like green view, dogleg and layup distances, step counting and scorekeeping. And full hole-mapping is coming this summer.”
Form and Function
While I’m not sure it qualifies as sexy, the Shot Scope X5 GPS golf watch is clearly more stylish than the V3. It features a full-color, 1.2-inch touchscreen, five customizable watch faces and different color straps. You can navigate the watch menus using the touchscreen or by using the rotating ceramic bezel.
“I’m a touchscreen person,” says Dear. “But there are people who prefer the rotary bezel. The X5 gives you options.”
Shot Scope has upgraded the GPS functionality as well. There are the standard front-middle-back distances as well as front and carry distances for hazards. Shot Scope has added two useful numbers: the distance to the dogleg and distances to various layup points. There’s also a new green view function that allows you to place the pin using the touchscreen. Once you hole out, you can set the exact location of the pin using Shot Scope’s unique Pin Collect feature.
Full hole mapping will be part of a free firmware update this summer.
“You’ll get there just by tapping the touchscreen,” Dear explains. “You can find distances to different points just by tapping. You probably won’t use it on a course you play all the time. But it’s really helpful on courses you don’t know.”
Shot Scope X5 GPS Golf Watch: AI Power
As any dedicated ARCCOS or Shot Scope user can attest, missed or added shots are hemorrhoids in shot-tracking’s backside. To reduce the swelling, Shot Scope is enhancing its accuracy through artificial intelligence in its Power-Sense AI strap technology.
“As the X5 does more shot tracking, it’s able to learn a little bit about you as an individual,” says Dear. “For instance, I’m a waggle person. My watch learns that I like to waggle the club before making a shot. Maybe you like to take a couple of practice swings. Over time, it’s going to learn the difference between a waggle, a practice swing and a real shot.”
Shot Scope is also improving its RFID (radio-frequency identification) club tags. It’s the combination of the RFID tags and the sensing technology in the watch strap itself that allows the X5 to know what club you’re hitting. To improve that communication, Shot Scope is making the tags just a skosh bigger.
“What that does is extend the range that our watches can pick up shots,” says Dear. “It gives us maybe another 1.2 centimeters of range. That doesn’t sound like a lot but it really extends the data capture range.”
Missed shots are a fact of life with any shot-tracking platform and Dear acknowledges that no system is going to collect every shot all the time.
‘The challenge is how can we make this better,” he says. “Previously, you might have missed two shots per round. Now it’s maybe 0.7. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it is better.”
And speaking of better, Shot Scope is also addressing another nagging issue. The new RFID tags have been redesigned with a concave underside to fit better with grips with a domed, or convex, butt end.
Little things matter.
No Subscription Fees
While both ARCCOS and Shot Scope have their respective strengths and weaknesses, one big difference is cost. A set of ARCCOS sensors will run you $199.99 while the Starter Bundle with ARCOSS Link is $299.98.
You do get a one-year subscription with purchase. But after the year is up, it’s $12.99 per month (nearly $160 per year) to keep using it. With Shot Scope, there’s no subscription fee.
At all.
“We’re trying to help golfers improve,” says Dear. “And if you’re charging a monthly subscription on top of that? If you live in the Northeast, how much golf do you play in January or February?”
Shot Scope’s analytics package may not be as robust as what ARCCOS provides but it does include Strokes Gained data, distances by club (with and without outliers removed), medals and customizable leaderboards.
“It’s probably enough for most golfers,” says Dear. “You’re not paying for technology you won’t use.”
Recently, Shot Scope added Shot Scope Academy, which gives coaches and instructors access to their students’ data, also free of charge.
“With data, they can remove that awkward first 10 minutes of a lesson when you ask the mid-handicapper how he’s been playing. The pro can take a few minutes to look over your stats before the lesson and then say, ‘OK, we’re going to work on putting today.’”
Dear says more than 400 teaching pros and coaches have already signed up for Shot Scope Academy.
Shot Scope X5 GPS Golf Watch: Specs, Price and Availability
The Shot Scope X5 GPS golf watch isn’t replacing anything in the Shot Scope lineup. The nearly three-year-old V3 GPS watch is still current (although it is due for replacement next year) as is the handheld H4 unit. Shot Scope also has the value-price G3 GPS-only watch as well as its expanding family of laser rangefinders.
“We want to provide options for golfers within the Shot Scope framework,” says Dear. “We know watches aren’t for everybody. And we know performance tracking isn’t for everybody. But we do offer a bunch of different options at different price points.”
Size and weight are genuine concerns with any wrist-mounted golf accessory. While the Shot Scope X5 isn’t Apple watch level svelte, it does weigh less than two ounces. That’s a good 20-percent lighter than the Garmin S62.
When it comes to GPS, there are always questions of accuracy. Since they all use the same satellites, any decent GPS watch will be as accurate as any other. How close that is to reality will vary but they’re usually within a couple of yards. And if you need more accuracy than that, we’ll no doubt be seeing you on Tour.
The X5 package includes the watch and charger plus 16 of the new second-generation tags. The Shot Scope app is free and available for iOS and Android.
The Shot Scope X5 GPS golf watch retails for $299.99. It’s available in five color options: Stealth Black, Midnight Blue, Steel Gray, Prestige Black and Prestige White Additional straps in those same colors are sold separately, at $39.99 each.
The X5 is available now. For more information, visit www.shotscope.com.
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