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Hello Birdie: Virtual Caddie

JB

JB

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New tech coming from Hello Birdie and we have a first look here.

From the company
Amateur golfers tend to improvise shots that are too risky, and regret playing them right after. On their side, professionals carefully prepare their game plan before each competition with their caddie.

Hello Birdie brings a virtual caddie to amateur golfers so they can prepare their golf course like a pro. Our AI-based algorithm calculates the best strategy in order to provide a complete game plan specific to the player profile.

The app is ideal for most players (from HCP 0 to 28) who want to progress, and presents the best tactical options and club sequences on each hole in order to consolidate an individualized game plan in order to let the golfer play at its proper level.

Thanks to that, the amateurs can play more realistically and with full confidence. At the end, this brings a more pleasant game, with less balls lost and a final scorecard that reveals the true potential of the golfer!

Features
Automatic performance profile: self-adjusting predictions of distances, dispersions, putting accuracy and short game, works from day 1.

Gameplan builder: calculates the best tactics based on the player capabilities while providing probabilities of hitting fairways and greens and achieving score goals.

Printable gameplan, if wished, for a fully non-connected experience.

Satellite maps and GPS rangefinder: live distances on the map with elevations.

Easy Shot Tracker: the easiest way to get all your data and stats without any need of IoT.

Smart GPS tracking: without draining much battery, the app finds out by itself the actual shots played during the round.

Statistics: automatically computes and shows performances stats. at the end of each round.

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Maybe it is just the way my brain is wired, but this kind of app doesn't appeal to me - it just seems like a way to extract money from someone to give them some course management tips?

I admit, I am not one for tracking stats (FIR / GIR / putts / etc) so maybe I am not the target audience for something like this

JB said:
Easy Shot Tracker: the easiest way to get all your data and stats without any need of IoT.

Smart GPS tracking: without draining much battery, the app finds out by itself the actual shots played during the round.
Click to expand...

Would be interesting to know how this is implemented?
 
Sounds like a lot of information. Probably a little too much for my liking. I tend to function better when just playing the game without worrying about a bunch of stats, probabilities, etc.
 
JB do they have the app out yet? Very interesting concepts here, and I’ve been waiting for some of these to start showing up.
 
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dazeedmonds said:
JB do they have the app out yet? Very interesting concepts here, and I’ve been waiting for some of these to start showing up.
Click to expand...

It appears they do. For iOS.
 
Hello Birdie: Virtual Caddie

JB said:
It appears they do. For iOS.
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Yep. I figured I’d google it instead of being lazy.

For those interested:https://www.hello-birdie.com/en/

Purchase prices:
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Looks like they’ve got a special running right now. And a free trial I believe.


I’m going to give it a shot and test it out.
 
I really like the concept, I am one that has a gameplan for the first hole or two, then for some reason my mind "forgets" about it and I just swing away. Nice that they have multiple versions depending on how much info you want to have available to you too.
 
Hello Birdie: Virtual Caddie

So two week trial for the app. Figured I’d give it a shot.

Some gifs of the “game plan” function.

eb21eb77b1b8e0c5639e7766098d1aee.gif


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There doesn’t seem to be an ability to change a club from what the app suggests. IE it suggests teeing off with a 4h, but I can’t change that to a different club. I’m hoping to be able to get out to play tomorrow and test the on course functions.
 
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Really looking forward to your thoughts dazeedmonds.
 
Interesting. If it works it’ll be worthwhile however I’m wondering just how effective it will be. As much as I like data and numbers, I find that too much tech on the course is distracting and slows down play.
Curious how this turns out.
 
This has my interest. Very cool idea.
 
Rusty Casino said:
Interesting. If it works it’ll be worthwhile however I’m wondering just how effective it will be. As much as I like data and numbers, I find that too much tech on the course is distracting and slows down play.
Curious how this turns out.
Click to expand...

I’m in the same boat as you RC. Too much on the course can be problematic. I’m hoping to be able to get a good feel for how this works for me this weekend.
 
dazeedmonds said:
I’m in the same boat as you RC. Too much on the course can be problematic. I’m hoping to be able to get a good feel for how this works for me this weekend.
Click to expand...

If it’s an all in one and works great then it will be worthwhile.
I have a gps watch and laser. I was using grint and cobra connect for a while. It was too much. Now I just write down putts, gir, fir on my scorecard. Much simpler.
 
I liked the idea until I saw the price. I certainly don't think I would use it enough to justify the investment. Cool idea nevertheless.
 
Hmm. The idea, intrigues me, the price........not so much.
 
dazeedmonds said:
So two week trial for the app. Figured I’d give it a shot.

Some gifs of the “game plan” function.

eb21eb77b1b8e0c5639e7766098d1aee.gif


6e11e742b3c7e2e3f45de2e0dd116ef3.gif



There doesn’t seem to be an ability to change a club from what the app suggests. IE it suggests teeing off with a 4h, but I can’t change that to a different club. I’m hoping to be able to get out to play tomorrow and test the on course functions.
Click to expand...

Thanks for doing the leg work on this, dazeedmonds. I find the concept intriguing, actually. But, I'm a 28 handicap looking for any way to improve my scores. So, the info may be useless in the end or it may lead me to a different mindset about course management. I don't, however, like the fact that I can't edit the club selection. I don't even own a 4H so the suggestion would be worthless, to me. I'm surprised it doesn't let you edit the club option to fit what you actually have in your bag (or maybe it does?). Another thing that sucks is that I'm not an iGuy, so app form won't be an option. I'm not wild about the price structure for the app but if it provided useful, maybe a month subscription as a trial would be the worst money I've spent. To be honest "thinking my way around the course" has never really been a strategy I've ever really used. I see a distance and I go from there. My swing is certainly my handicap, at the moment, but I'm not so stubborn that I'm not willing to look at ALL aspects of the way I approach the game to improve my scores.

Either way, I'm interested to hear your thoughts after putting this through the proverbial paces.
 
Rusty Casino said:
Interesting. If it works it’ll be worthwhile however I’m wondering just how effective it will be. As much as I like data and numbers, I find that too much tech on the course is distracting and slows down play.
Curious how this turns out.
Click to expand...

Though, admittedly, I've never paid much attention to the data numbers of my score (The Grint tracks the most basic), when I do it's usually post round. I agree that if your going to use these numbers on a stroke by stroke basis that I would think it would lead to more of a paralysis by analysis syndrome.

I'd be willing to take the numbers, post round, and see where maybe I should have played a different shot selection to improve my odds and take that information to the next round. For the record, I wouldn't be pulling up the app on every hole and seeing what I should have done last time but if a piece of information is significant or interesting enough, I think a commitment to memory wouldn't be too tough.
 
Jman said:
Hmm. The idea, intrigues me, the price........not so much.
Click to expand...

That's kind of were I'm at with it, too. I might try it for a month at the subscription price if it proved t be useful to some of my golfing peers (read: THP) but I'm not willing to be the out of pocket guinea pig.

I'm interested to hear dazeedmonds thoughts after tinkering with it a bit, though.
 
skinsscalper said:
Thanks for doing the leg work on this, dazeedmonds. I find the concept intriguing, actually. But, I'm a 28 handicap looking for any way to improve my scores. So, the info may be useless in the end or it may lead me to a different mindset about course management. I don't, however, like the fact that I can't edit the club selection. I don't even own a 4H so the suggestion would be worthless, to me. I'm surprised it doesn't let you edit the club option to fit what you actually have in your bag (or maybe it does?). Another thing that sucks is that I'm not an iGuy, so app form won't be an option. I'm not wild about the price structure for the app but if it provided useful, maybe a month subscription as a trial would be the worst money I've spent. To be honest "thinking my way around the course" has never really been a strategy I've ever really used. I see a distance and I go from there. My swing is certainly my handicap, at the moment, but I'm not so stubborn that I'm not willing to look at ALL aspects of the way I approach the game to improve my scores.

Either way, I'm interested to hear your thoughts after putting this through the proverbial paces.
Click to expand...

Supposedly they’re working on an android app.

Subscription isn’t way out of line for similar apps, but it’s definitely on the high side.

It does ask you to build your bag, and everything recommended was in my bag.
 
skinsscalper said:
That's kind of were I'm at with it, too. I might try it for a month at the subscription price if it proved t be useful to some of my golfing peers (read: THP) but I'm not willing to be the out of pocket guinea pig.

I'm interested to hear dazeedmonds thoughts after tinkering with it a bit, though.
Click to expand...

I’m Interested too.

We’ll give it a shot and see how it goes. With only a two week trial, I’m not sure how much it will be able to tell me, but if it gives me hope I’ll keep it for a month or so.
 
I'd give the free version a go if they get it on Android. I can tell you straight up I won't be paying $10/month for the full service and I don't like the fact that the flex version gives you unlimited rounds on your home course but you have to buy all others. I pretty much play a different course every single time I golf.

Edit... I think this is more geared towards those who are playing 8-10+ rounds a month... not me who gets in just a few.
 
I like the idea of this seems similar to Arccos - prices on the offering here are a little pricey though.

The option to print out is solid


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
So I took this out for a spin today. I am....not super impressed thus far. It’s a bit awkward. It’s incredibly restricted and I’m not seeing a ton of value for what they’re offering.

So setting up a “game plan” is pretty easy. You have already put in your clubs and your estimated driver distance average. It will then ask you how aggressive you want to be, you select a target score. Then it pops out a recommendation for each hole. You can adjust that recommendation hole by hole, but only changing the target score for that hole. You can’t adjust what club you want to tee off with, you can’t adjust actual targets you can’t really change anything beyond your target score.

Once you build a game plan for a round you can’t edit the round, you can change the gameplan, but can’t edit the date of the round (if you make a game plan in advance) you can’t delete the round, all you can do is change your target score on each hole.

Playing a round with it is actually pretty good, you tag each shot, and add penalties as needed (but don’t expect to use the new lost ball rule, that’s not easily done) and you can use the gps on your phone and Apple Watch to get yardages quite easily.

After the round the usual stats are available to you, but....you can’t get distances of the shots you hit, which is a silly thing to not display. It appears the app is collecting them, but I’m not super sure about that because I have yardages for all of my clubs, and those don’t seem quite right.

I’ve got another week of trial so I’m going to hold onto it for a bit, but I’m not real sure this app is going to make the cut.
 
Sounds like a lot of work. Too much for me.
 
No editing game plan sounds odd.
 
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