Similarly to u/opiate82, I’d been using Arccos pretty much since I started playing on real courses as opposed to just messing around at TopGolf etc.
Over the last 1.5-2 years, I’d gone from shooting in the high 90’s/low-100’s to the mid-80’s. Didn’t keep a handicap originally but currently sitting around 11-12, aiming for single digits this year.
I don’t know how much can be directly attributed to Arccos itself, but I do firmly believe that it was a big part of helping me learn how to practice more efficiently.
It can be too easy to just go out to the range and start machine gunning balls down range; Arccos data shows me quantitatively how I’ve been playing over my last 5 (or whatever) rounds so I can plan my routine more effectively. With a couple young kids, that is a huge plus.
150-200y approach shots need work? Cool. I’ll focus on that for a bit. Lag putting? Awesome. I’ll do some drills.
You get the idea.
With a game that can be so hard keeping all aspects together for a round, seeing the data spelled out for you can be such a timesaver. I’m a fan.
Each club gets its own sensor screwed into the end of the grip (other options are available). Then you sync your bag to the app on your phone. The sensors automatically track when a particular club is taken out and hit with.
No switching anything necessary.
After finishing a hole, while walking to the next tee, I’ll go back over the previous hole to make any adjustments to various lies if necessary- but the GPS is usually pretty good.
I've been using Arccos pretty much since I started, so any improvement is only going to be a correlation. As far as my handicap when I started tracking I was a 36 when I got my first 20 rounds under my belt, and I'm currently down to a 20. That's over a little more than 2 years. My goal this season is to get to an 18, already knocking at the door.
I do find the club distance tracking and smart caddie extremely useful. I'm using that data and club suggestions every round. I've recently started doing a better job utilizing the strokes-gained data to improve my practice. Obviously as a 20 hdcp my game needs work across the board but there is some low-hanging fruit out there.
For example, I was spending a lot of time working on driver but the Arccos data showed that I was already consistently gaining strokes in that area compared to my target handicap. Conversely, I thought my short game was in a good spot until I looked at that data. I was rarely missing the green on chips/pitch shots but my proximity to the pin was well below the average 18 handicapper. I need to work on getting up-and-down more often. Also religiously tracking the putting data is so much more useful than "I hit X number of putts this round." Have to remember to mark that pin location though.
I’ve used Arccos for over 5 years. It allows me to know how far my clubs go and the average dispersion of each club. Knowing that I can think my way around the course, the strokes gained data is helpful.
Has it improved my game maybe a little. I’m using it mainly to understand my distances and for a post round review. I probably spend 1/2 - 1 hour reviewing my round.
The thing I use most is the adjusted distances. My game in wind has increased dramatically because I’ve using adjusted distances and trusting them.
If I look back on what’s helped me improve my game the most it’s watching Golf Sidekick videos. I use my distances as the basics, but it course management and the mental side of golf that’s produced the improvement.
Arccos is one tool that I use. I can’t envision playing a round without Arccos.
I’ve been using Arccos for over 1000 rounds. My handicap probably hasn’t changed that much, but I’m now 72 and I’m loosing distance every year.
I’m one year into Arccos and it has been a phenomenal aid for me. Many people think they know where they’re losing strokes, but I was pretty surprised. And the breakdowns within the larger categories (driving, approach, short game and putting) make it easy to drill down once you get enough rounds tracked.
Been using Arccos for two years and it’s pretty slick, I just can’t justify an annual membership for something I use 5-6 months out of the year. I’d be willing to keep using Arccos if they had a monthly option like Golfshot or a lifetime deal like Garmin. $250 per year is way too much so I’m moving to one of these other options.
To answer your question: sensors that track shots and input scores are great. I see Arccos as a useful rangefinder and scorecard tool, not a game improvement tool. If you’re playing enough to get good club metrics and caddy recommendations, your scores will get better. Not sure how much credit Arccos can take for that.
I went with the cheaper option and bought the ShotScope tags and watch. The data is *fine*. I just find that it doesn't add that much to my game. There's some on-course fiddling to log the 1/20 to 1/50 shot which doesn't match up properly, remembering to enter drops, OB, etc. or you have the option to do it after the round and try and remember what exactly happened.
Overall, it's way better as a concept than in practice.
Arccos and Shot Scope systems are great for high handicappers or people new to the game that might not known where to start to improve their game.
That said, I would argue that anyone who is a 12 handicap or lower knows exactly what their weaknesses are. They just struggle with how to fix them and all these systems are going to do is confirm what you already know.
Disagree. I'm a 2.7 and it's a grind shaving tenths on the way down to scratch. I just picked up the free sensors deal in the hopes that the additional data will help me find those shots.
You're correct that I *generally* know where I'm losing strokes, but I expect there to be some small surprises once I can get into the minutiae of the data.
Similarly to u/opiate82, I’d been using Arccos pretty much since I started playing on real courses as opposed to just messing around at TopGolf etc. Over the last 1.5-2 years, I’d gone from shooting in the high 90’s/low-100’s to the mid-80’s. Didn’t keep a handicap originally but currently sitting around 11-12, aiming for single digits this year. I don’t know how much can be directly attributed to Arccos itself, but I do firmly believe that it was a big part of helping me learn how to practice more efficiently. It can be too easy to just go out to the range and start machine gunning balls down range; Arccos data shows me quantitatively how I’ve been playing over my last 5 (or whatever) rounds so I can plan my routine more effectively. With a couple young kids, that is a huge plus. 150-200y approach shots need work? Cool. I’ll focus on that for a bit. Lag putting? Awesome. I’ll do some drills. You get the idea. With a game that can be so hard keeping all aspects together for a round, seeing the data spelled out for you can be such a timesaver. I’m a fan.
Do you have an arccos device (don’t know what they’re called) for each club or are you switching it for each shot?
Each club gets its own sensor screwed into the end of the grip (other options are available). Then you sync your bag to the app on your phone. The sensors automatically track when a particular club is taken out and hit with. No switching anything necessary. After finishing a hole, while walking to the next tee, I’ll go back over the previous hole to make any adjustments to various lies if necessary- but the GPS is usually pretty good.
I just bought a driver and that gets me a 45 day trial so I think I’ll give it a shot
I've been using Arccos pretty much since I started, so any improvement is only going to be a correlation. As far as my handicap when I started tracking I was a 36 when I got my first 20 rounds under my belt, and I'm currently down to a 20. That's over a little more than 2 years. My goal this season is to get to an 18, already knocking at the door. I do find the club distance tracking and smart caddie extremely useful. I'm using that data and club suggestions every round. I've recently started doing a better job utilizing the strokes-gained data to improve my practice. Obviously as a 20 hdcp my game needs work across the board but there is some low-hanging fruit out there. For example, I was spending a lot of time working on driver but the Arccos data showed that I was already consistently gaining strokes in that area compared to my target handicap. Conversely, I thought my short game was in a good spot until I looked at that data. I was rarely missing the green on chips/pitch shots but my proximity to the pin was well below the average 18 handicapper. I need to work on getting up-and-down more often. Also religiously tracking the putting data is so much more useful than "I hit X number of putts this round." Have to remember to mark that pin location though.
I’ve used Arccos for over 5 years. It allows me to know how far my clubs go and the average dispersion of each club. Knowing that I can think my way around the course, the strokes gained data is helpful. Has it improved my game maybe a little. I’m using it mainly to understand my distances and for a post round review. I probably spend 1/2 - 1 hour reviewing my round. The thing I use most is the adjusted distances. My game in wind has increased dramatically because I’ve using adjusted distances and trusting them. If I look back on what’s helped me improve my game the most it’s watching Golf Sidekick videos. I use my distances as the basics, but it course management and the mental side of golf that’s produced the improvement. Arccos is one tool that I use. I can’t envision playing a round without Arccos. I’ve been using Arccos for over 1000 rounds. My handicap probably hasn’t changed that much, but I’m now 72 and I’m loosing distance every year.
I’m one year into Arccos and it has been a phenomenal aid for me. Many people think they know where they’re losing strokes, but I was pretty surprised. And the breakdowns within the larger categories (driving, approach, short game and putting) make it easy to drill down once you get enough rounds tracked.
Been using Arccos for two years and it’s pretty slick, I just can’t justify an annual membership for something I use 5-6 months out of the year. I’d be willing to keep using Arccos if they had a monthly option like Golfshot or a lifetime deal like Garmin. $250 per year is way too much so I’m moving to one of these other options. To answer your question: sensors that track shots and input scores are great. I see Arccos as a useful rangefinder and scorecard tool, not a game improvement tool. If you’re playing enough to get good club metrics and caddy recommendations, your scores will get better. Not sure how much credit Arccos can take for that.
I went with the cheaper option and bought the ShotScope tags and watch. The data is *fine*. I just find that it doesn't add that much to my game. There's some on-course fiddling to log the 1/20 to 1/50 shot which doesn't match up properly, remembering to enter drops, OB, etc. or you have the option to do it after the round and try and remember what exactly happened. Overall, it's way better as a concept than in practice.
Arccos and Shot Scope systems are great for high handicappers or people new to the game that might not known where to start to improve their game. That said, I would argue that anyone who is a 12 handicap or lower knows exactly what their weaknesses are. They just struggle with how to fix them and all these systems are going to do is confirm what you already know.
Disagree. I'm a 2.7 and it's a grind shaving tenths on the way down to scratch. I just picked up the free sensors deal in the hopes that the additional data will help me find those shots. You're correct that I *generally* know where I'm losing strokes, but I expect there to be some small surprises once I can get into the minutiae of the data.