Over the past several years, technology in the golf industry has evolved beyond just clubs and balls. As more players of all skill levels seek to hone their games, many seek out the latest in technological devices including rangefinders.
Since it was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2014, Shot Scope has been at the forefront in the creation of devices that improve the ways amateur and professional golfers collect and analyze statistics from their games.
Shot Scope has accomplished those goals with the Pro L1 Laser Rangefinder and the V3 GPS Watch. The Pro L1, according to the company, features a quick-firing laser accurate to within 0.1 of one yard. The V3 GPS Watch is preloaded with more than 36,000 courses worldwide and is highly accurate with distances to greens and hazards available in yards or meters.
According to Gavin Dear, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer, all Shot Scope technology is developed in-house.
“We are constantly developing new products, which could be hardware or software,” said Dear. “We have our own course database, which we built and now maintain, allowing us to change a course map in a day. Our golfers really benefit from that.”
The Power-Sense strap, coupled with Shot Scope’s Club ID tags allows V3 to automatically track every shot a player hits on the golf course, according to Dear. The V3 includes distances to greens and hazards, available in yards or meters. Post round, a player can upload and analyze more than 100 statistics, including Strokes Gained analytics.
Dear continued, “Our performance tracking technology is second to none – golfers rave about it.
“But I think they most appreciate that we are a team of golfers. We understand if your course has added a new bunker that you need that mapped and on your device ASAP. We understand the game and want you to enjoy it and improve. We are very open and pride ourselves on our customer service, response time and making sure our products exceed golfers’ expectations.
“We have had over than 90 million shots tracked worldwide. At $219.99 there isn’t a better watch.
“We released our PRO L1 at the end of this past January, and again, it has been a great response, golfers know our brand, understand that our $200 laser will match what other companies are selling for $400. We are really proud of each product.”
Which is more popular among consumers?
In the UK it is 75 percent watches, 12 percent rangefinders, with the remainder being apps/handheld, according to Dear. In the US, though, it was 60 percent rangefinders, 15 percent handheld, 15 percent watches and the remainder apps.
“However, watches are the fastest growing segment (in the U.S.) and eating into rangefinders because they are so easy and fast to use,” said Dear. “The main barrier is, golfers don’t want to wear something on their wrists, but the V3 weighs 42 grams and is extremely comfortable. You don’t even notice it after three holes.”
Your game, however, is likely to notice the difference after every round.
