Dear Arccos: I want a Divorce

[Junkyard]

i'm with you...i am canceling my subscription here in a week or so...it was good enough to get an idea but not good enough to pay a year's subscription up front for something that just doesn't come close to justifying that cost. granted, when it works, it is fantastic...but when it doesn't, it is fantastic....ally bad.

My season only lasts about 7 months so that makes the cost that much harder to swallow

 

[Junkyard]

I stopped using tracking technology and enjoy golf more. Not having to worry about them being picked up is great.

I played 36 today and played the best I have in weeks. For some reason I just felt "free"

I hope I'm not giving people the wrong idea about the product: it has so much potential for automatic data collection that can help golfers better understand their games. I've never been a "data guy" so for me the distraction of worrying if it's working correctly or not was affecting my enjoyment of the game. If it was something where you could hit "start" on the first tee and spend a few minutes post-round having to fix (or add) a shot or two that would be acceptable - when you have to check after every hole it really becomes a distraction.

 

[Junkyard]

I'm still considering a range-finder, eventually.

I've had a rangefinder for years, but I'm one of those golfers who only pulls it if I need to figure out a carry distance over a hazard or if the course isn't well marked with yardages. If I have a yardage +/- 10 yards I'm good.

 

[Junkyard]

I appreciate that more data is the thing these days and may help my game a bit. But…. I can’t get on board with a product that is that erratic, or requires any significant amount of interaction while I’m playing. I’m not going to want to worry about an app that isn’t functioning properly, during my round of golf. It’s a recreational and competitive time for me. It should not be my job to fiddle around and make their product work properly. It seems that too many companies out there are pushing out tech, before it’s ready, and then try to fix it on the fly. I’ll just stick to my GPS watch (when i remember to strap it on, which isn’t often).

Once it becomes a distraction it stops being beneficial in my opinion. If it was something that was new to market and I signed up understanding that I was going to be a guinea pig that would be one thing, but this product has been out for years and sells for a fair buck so forgive me if I expect just a little bit more out of it.

 

[Junkyard]

I stopped using it this entire year up until my Morgan Cup clubs arrived a week ago and started using it again. It does OK, I rarely if ever use it for club selection though. I use to seek distances to trouble and stuff like that. The sensors built into the clubs are so much better than the screw-ins, putter included but it limits my grip choice especially this year.

The strokes gained stuff is cool to look at after a round or the next day but its almost too much info. I also find a discrepancy on yardages sometimes. Either the course is marked wrong or the GPS is off. For example I hit a 3w last week from 275 out based on course markings to about 30 yds in front of the green and Arccos said it went 215

I never considered using it as an on-course GPS. I also never really used it for club selection - I did use the accumulated data to get the average distances for my clubs, which confirmed what I already had a fairly accurate idea of.

I did explore the "AI Caddie" function a couple of times. Turns out I could play 18 holes with only five clubs and still shoot the same score!

 

[Junkyard]

I'll be honest, I wouldn't have expected this thread. Arccos never quite seemed for me. I data a little more intensely, am constantly changing clubs, and don't like the feel of the sensors at all, but I never would have guessed this many people having a frustrating experience with it. They promote it as so easy compared to other things. Honestly, this is just a really sad read.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

I've had a rangefinder for years, but I'm one of those golfers who only pulls it if I need to figure out a carry distance over a hazard or if the course isn't well marked with yardages. If I have a yardage +/- 10 yards I'm good.

TBH, I only occasionally wonder "how many yards?" I kinda sorta visually know how far my clubs will get me. "Hmmm... That looks like I need my <blurfl>." What exact yardages will give me mostly will satisfy my curiosity. Maybe once I get better, knowing exact yardages will be more important.

 

[Junkyard]

TBH, I only occasionally wonder "how many yards?" I kinda sorta visually know how far my clubs will get me. "Hmmm... That looks like I need my <blurfl>." What exact yardages will give me mostly will satisfy my curiosity. Maybe once I get better, knowing exact yardages will be more important.

It's been pointed out many times here on THP that the REAL yardage you want to know is your carry distance. Unfortunately the only ways I know of to get that information are either time on a launch monitor or a hazard with known yardages and a bucket of throwaway balls

 

[YukonLiving]

I think location can definitely play a part - every time my Link has lost the satellites I've been within 50 yards of the green on the first hole of the Lakes nine.

IIRC, I had to switch to the phone on the second hole of the last round I used it, so I don't think it was just the Link that was missing the shots. While not as frequent, it wasn't only the wedges that were missing: I'd play a par four and check the app after putting out only to find I drove the green.

Overall I honestly just found it to be too cumbersome - having to check the app every hole or two and make corrections as necessary. I also never understood how even though I corrected each and every hole before teeing off on the next the final score would never match my scorecard. I'd spend the first five minutes of post-round discussion going through hole by hole checking and adjusting.

I know that it works for lots of other golfers, and while my experience wasn't as bad as some I've read I just want to focus on golf again. A scorecard and a sharpie is all I really need.

I can appreciate that, and completely understand that I may be one of the odd ones who love data and am okay being slightly inconvenienced if it means I’ll get more accurate stats.

I do wish that the screw in sensors weren’t so bulky though, and that the embedded sensors in grips didn’t extend the club length slightly.

 

[BigMac]

I played 36 today and played the best I have in weeks. For some reason I just felt "free"

I hope I'm not giving people the wrong idea about the product: it has so much potential for automatic data collection that can help golfers better understand their games. I've never been a "data guy" so for me the distraction of worrying if it's working correctly or not was affecting my enjoyment of the game. If it was something where you could hit "start" on the first tee and spend a few minutes post-round having to fix (or add) a shot or two that would be acceptable - when you have to check after every hole it really becomes a distraction.

I'm a huge data guy, love numbers and stats and all that - but anything that makes me have to take my phone out and fiddle around with it during a round is an instant nope for me. Same reason I never used a mobile app - I tried Golfshot once and all the screwing around with my phone drove me crazy, I deleted the app after the round. Way too distracting for me. I can live with the Garmin watch because all I do is start it at the beginning of the round, enter my stats as I'm walking off the green on every hole, and turn it off at the end. Other than that, it's nothing but a quick glance at it for my yardages during the round. I can live with that minimal intrusion, and I'll accept the tradeoff of the stats not being perfect all the time.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

I'm a huge data guy, love numbers and stats and all that - but anything that makes me have to take my phone out and fiddle around with it during a round is an instant nope for me.

That's my thinking. I installed the Precision Pro Golf app on my phone, but I doubt I'll use it. I can't see fishing my phone out of my pocket, unlocking it, selecting the club I'm about to use, and putting the phone back in my pocket on every stroke. I'm slow enough as it is.

 

[Mr Moke]

I’m five years, four hundred plus rounds into it, there have been some hiccups. I can usually predict what shots it’ll miss, my game is the problem, not the shot tracking app.

 

[BigMac]

That's my thinking. I installed the Precision Pro Golf app on my phone, but I doubt I'll use it. I can't see fishing my phone out of my pocket, unlocking it, selecting the club I'm about to use, and putting the phone back in my pocket on every stroke. I'm slow enough as it is.

I had the club tracking feature in my Garmin watch turned on for a few rounds - and while I was pretty amazed at how accurate it was in predicting which club I had hit, it bugged me to have to enter my club selection on the watch after every shot so I turned it off. I can go into the app any time after the round and manually add them in if I want to.

 

[DataDude]

Preach.

This spoke to me..

“I just want to go back to playing golf again without having to worry if the app is detecting all of my shots”

Probably the number one reason I got a divorce from it. Started to feel like it was ruining the game and my enjoyment of a round.

So one thing I can say to this is on Sunday I played with my son. After each hole when I pulled my phone out to check what Arccos was doing he started pulling his out to watch TikTok videos or chat with friends. It kind of turned our time into phone time. Not exactly what I'm going for when we go golfing.

 

[YukonLiving]

My season only lasts about 7 months so that makes the cost that much harder to swallow

I figure it costs me $20/month during our golf season to use the app, along with all its features. To me, the cost is worth it as I try to improve.

I never considered using it as an on-course GPS. I also never really used it for club selection - I did use the accumulated data to get the average distances for my clubs, which confirmed what I already had a fairly accurate idea of.

I did explore the "AI Caddie" function a couple of times. Turns out I could play 18 holes with only five clubs and still shoot the same score!

I’ll use it as an on-course GPS when I’m playing places that I’m unfamiliar with - like on holiday for instance, on a blind shot. I don’t use it very often at home though.

I looked at the AI Caddie a few times, but found it was with limitations - so I’ll give you that one. Sometimes it would want me to hit a shot, but it wouldn’t take into consideration how big a tree was for instance. It doesn’t read topography every well.

That said, I’ll continue to track my shots with Arccos.

 

[YukonLiving]

So one thing I can say to this is on Sunday I played with my son. After each hole when I pulled my phone out to check what Arccos was doing he started pulling his out to watch TikTok videos or chat with friends. It kind of turned our time into phone time. Not exactly what I'm going for when we go golfing.

My usual group knows how I’m using my phone when I pull it out on course. So no issues there. But when I tee off with other folks, I’ll just explain at the start of the round or on the first green what I’m doing. More often than not, they’re intrigued by the app and the stats I’m able to collect.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

It's been pointed out many times here on THP that the REAL yardage you want to know is your carry distance. Unfortunately the only ways I know of to get that information are either time on a launch monitor or a hazard with known yardages and a bucket of throwaway balls

You can gradually build up a decent idea of carry distances from occasions when greens are soft enough for approach shots to make ball marks and those wet days when your tee shots plug in the fairway.

Our greens are so firm that process takes a long, long time and my distances probably change quicker than I can accumulate enough ball-mark feedback. But if I played on a course where shots routinely left visible ball marks that would work pretty well.

But your point is well taken concerning Arccos or other GPS based shot trackers. They're only ever going to "know" about where balls end up after rolling out. And if you're not careful that can be misleading once you get up into 6-iron, 5-irons and hybrids.

 

[Nate<80]

So one thing I can say to this is on Sunday I played with my son. After each hole when I pulled my phone out to check what Arccos was doing he started pulling his out to watch TikTok videos or chat with friends. It kind of turned our time into phone time. Not exactly what I'm going for when we go golfing.

Son of a! That’s great you noticed that, though. The data is great, don’t get me wrong.. But at what expense?

 

[Bryndom]

I really just keep the laws of averages. I tend to keep score on a scorecard, so my primary use of Arccos is GPS and average distances. The GPS works fine and the distances I only look at after a round. I tend to have a few misses each round, but so long as I'm getting most of it, I'm good.

I was grandfathered in as I had the older set of sensors. After it goes subscription, then it's a real question of whether or not I need it or will continue to use it.

 

[Scratchnurse]

Surprised to read this, I almost never have an issue. I think in the two years I've used it its missed one actual shot and that was last week, just missed a driver. I mean sometimes it will add an extra putt here or there but that's a simple fix. Love using the app, but I'm really fixated on distance. I will say the biggest issue I've had with the app is when any of the 27 whole courses I will play at sends me off on a different back nine than originally selected, not easy to switch and if you forget really annoying to delete tracked shots.

 

[GolfTravelDude]

My average round is 80....My average score via Arccos just after round is 64. It's then a 15 minute session of editing to correct the data.

 

[Luchnia]

My buddy uses the Arccos now for several years and it has been a hot mess since the day he bought it. I have often wondered why he did not get rid of it, but he continues to fight through it every time he goes out. If he got mad at it like he does a bad golf shot, he would toss it in a pond. From what I can tell it is very good at getting his focus off playing golf.

 

[PatsFan]

5 rounds in a row the link hasn't worked!
Arccos has been working fine on my phone and didn't miss a single shot last night.
I have a Galaxy s21 Ultra which is not small and the reason I bought the link.

 

[Browns7213]

I never considered using it as an on-course GPS. I also never really used it for club selection - I did use the accumulated data to get the average distances for my clubs, which confirmed what I already had a fairly accurate idea of.

I did explore the "AI Caddie" function a couple of times. Turns out I could play 18 holes with only five clubs and still shoot the same score!

The GPS feature was really the most helpful to me, especially when getting yardages to a hazard. However, our club went to on-cart GPS systems this year so even that function becomes moot unless I play a new course.

 

[dAS0]

I love the stat tracking, but there is something to just going out on the course and playing. When my tech fails, I may just opt for a nice range finder and leave it at that.