I may not be a newbie when it comes to using a GPS-enabled watch to get accurate yardages on the golf course, but the one I have is pretty basic. With a few button pushes, it will provide distances to hazards, but the display is text only, while getting data to work correctly requires toggling through multiple screens. And even when I do get there, the info displayed can take a bit of guesswork.
Despite these shortcomings, I never considered an upgrade until I saw the Shot Scope X5, which has a slew of advanced features, including full-color displays of each hole. I like the idea that when I step on the tee I can, in a glance, get a feel for the challenge ahead. To that it adds a separate screen showing hazards and their distance in an easy-to-follow graphic layout as well as screens showing layups to common distances and to doglegs.
The most intriguing part? The watch comes with sensors that attach to your clubs, allowing you to collect data on your performance with each and to project where a shot with any of your three longest clubs would land onto the full-hole image. Here’s what you need to know about this new helpful assistant before you start swinging.
An enticing option for data lovers, the X5 is the only full-feature GPS watch that marries course-mapping technology with in-club sensors to project personalized shot data onto a full-hole color map while also providing scoring and post-round analytics features.
What we liked about it
Setup
Although the X5 is a complex piece of technology, the setup was relatively straightforward. It did take some time, but the directions were clear and easy to follow. The watch has to first go through a firmware update, then sync with the free app, which you can download to your computer, phone or both. In the app you can create an account where you’ll be able to upload and analyze data from your rounds. The watch will even count your steps if you’re into that sort of thing.
After that, you need to put one of the sensors on each club. The watch comes with 16, so there’s one per club plus a few extras, providing flexibility depending on how your bag is set up. They’re essentially small, screw-in buttons that simply twist into the ends of your grips, and they’re light enough that they don’t impact the swing dynamics of your sticks. Once those connect, you’re ready to go.
Touchscreen and personalized data
At the course, you have the option to use shot tracking and have the watch keep score. You do this via the 1.2-inch touchscreen, which scrolls like a smartphone. (Alternatively, you can use the two buttons on the side, but what fun is that?) The scrolling function generally works well, although, as with your phone, it sometimes takes more than one swipe to get it to comply. The visibility was good in both bright sun and overcast skies.
On the tee, you have to swipe left to get the full-hole display, which includes a white line across the fairway that you can drag and drop to any spot to see where a shot of that distance will leave you. If you’ve loaded your performance data into the app and synced it, the watch will also have a red line that shows where your average drive would land. Although, with a few clicks you can switch that display to either of your next two longest clubs.
This unique personalization is a differentiating touch only the X5 offers, but the white line serves almost the same function, assuming you know roughly how far you usually hit your clubs. Still, it’s fun. One note, though: The personalized distances won’t show until you’ve played at least five rounds with the watch and gone into the app afterward to confirm shot distances and club use.
Continuing to swipe left will take you through screens that show layup yardages, hazards and a close-up of the green. Again, you can drag and drop the virtual pin to replicate the real-life one for more precise readings. I don’t control my distances well enough for that to matter as much as it would to a higher-level player, but on some holes it was helpful.
Post-round analytics
Whether you keep score or not, the X5 collects data from the sensors, which you can transfer to the app. The database collects and sorts more than 100 statistics. These are broken out by individual clubs and by types of shots (drive, approach, short game, etc.), and show your averages and tendencies, which is a great way to identify where you need to improve. It even calculates strokes gained and lets you compare your stats to an average tour pro.
What we didn’t like about it
The crown (the big button) sits on the right side of the watch, which means that for a righty, it lies close to the back or your left hand. Multiple times per round, while bending my left wrist, the back of my hand inadvertently pushed the button, which causes the watch to buzz in warning. Nothing drastic, but definitely an annoyance. Not to be rightist, but considering roughly 90% of the population is right-handed, it might have made sense to put the crown on the other side.
Instead, Shot Scope incorporated a lock screen, which the company says kicks in any time the watch has been idle for five seconds. The lock opens with a single up swipe, but in my experience, having to do so every time I wanted to use another function was a nuisance, even more so because it sure seemed to relock itself faster than advertised.
One other observation: When I used the watch, I spent so much time scrolling through screens and searching out data that I became both a little overwhelmed with info and left the course feeling like I’d played both a round of golf and a video game. It’s likely that effect would decrease the more I used the watch, since I would have a better sense of which features I found most useful and how to navigate to them, but it was not so in the early going. And in truth, if you’re not going to use all the features, perhaps it’s better — and less expensive — to get a simpler watch or fitness tracker.
How it compares
There are a few other watches on the market that offer full-hole maps, but the X5 is the only one that has that plus projections of personal club data. Arccos sells a set of screw-in club sensors, which collects similar data through its proprietary Bluetooth device or a phone, but it can’t pair those sensors and the individualized information with on-course mapping. And while an Arccos set (sensors plus device) costs the same $300, and a set of sensors alone is less expensive ($200), they require a $169 annual membership.
Bottom line
At $300, the Shot Scope X5 is not cheap, but it offers something no other product on the market currently can: individualized shot data projected onto a full-hole map. That alone makes it worthy of consideration. The live information can definitely help shoot lower scores — especially on courses that are at least somewhat unfamiliar — and the after-round analytics can identify holes and weak spots in your game. For the type of person who craves data, both on the course and after the round, the X5 makes sense. It’s a good-looking watch too.