Shot Scope have announced an update to their V Series of GPS Watches complete with shot-tracking capability, which they claim will help you to lower your scores by an average of four strokes.
Last year, I tested the X5 GPS Watch which I thought was the brand's best watch to date, and on paper this model looks to offer all of the performance benefits and features from that watch, but with buttons instead of a touchscreen.
Who Is It Aimed At?
This is a GPS watch aimed at golfers who want as much detail as possible about the hole right on their wrist, with the addition of features like hole maps and layup points providing a more comprehensive overview of each hole too.
Of course Shot Scope are known for their performance tracking, so for golfers who really like to dive into the nitty-gritty of each round of golf, the tags are used to record each shot out on the course so that you can analyse your patterns and statistics.
The use of buttons rather on this year's watch can also be useful for those golfers who find using a touchscreen fiddly or difficult, and it also has the added bonus of helping to reduce the cost too, with the V5 GPS coming in at around £40 cheaper than the X5 GPS (although you can get it for closer to £100 if you shop around online).
The Tech
The V5 GPS sees quite a big step up in terms of available features compared to the previous V3 Watch, as well as a new 'clean aesthetic' and 'sporty matte-black bezel' which gives this watch a more premium look that could be worn on and off the course.
In total there are five different colour themes which allow you to customise how you want the watch to look whilst in 'watch mode', as well as picking a colour scheme which best suits you and that you find easiest to read out on the course.
The watch features full hole maps, just like those seen on the X5 GPS, which allow golfers a full overview of the hole they are playing, as well as green view and pin placement to really dial in their yardage to the flag once they get within range.
Other features include dogleg distances, a digital scorecard and an in-built step counter, which is a nice touch for when you're playing badly, as you can remind yourself that at least you're getting some exercise as you search for another errant tee shot.
Shot Scope V5 GPS Watch Review
Setup
The process of setting up a new GPS watch can be a bit of a pain, but it has improved in recent years, and the whole process from unboxing to being ready to play only took about 10 minutes.
I would recommend downloading the Shot Scope app first, as that's what you'll use to connect your account to your new watch via Bluetooth. If you already have a Shot Scope account like I did, then this makes the process even easier.
If you've used Shot Scope tags before you'll know that you have to go through the process of screwing them into the base of each of your golf clubs, which is a little bit laborious, but the technology usually does a pretty good job of identifying which club you have hit out on the course.
One good thing is that each tag is already labelled with the correct club, meaning you don't have to name them individually on the app, which at least saves a bit of time.
Once you've set up your tags and your watch is connected to the app, simply find the course that you're going to play and add it to your list, and then sync it to your watch. If this all sounds a little confusing, don't worry, it's pretty intuitive once you get in to it.
Shot Scope watches use their own version of a USB charger, which I have to be honest and say I really dislike. The wire is very short, it is fiddly to actually fit into the back of the watch, doesn't stay in place very easily and means that if you lose it, you're stuck. It would make life a lot easier if they just went with USB-C, as most of us are going to have one of those cables lying around somewhere already!
Performance
Out on the course the watch provides a simple screen when in 'Play Golf' mode which displays front, middle and back yardages to the green in large font, making it quick and easy to get a yardage when you need one.
Shot Scope watches come packed with other features, as well as the performance tracking of course, but the most important thing you want is these yardages on demand, and that's what it provided.
At times I did find that the screen could've been a little brighter, as I was finding it hard to read particularly when in direct sunlight, but the graphics themselves looked crisp and clear.
Rather than a touchscreen, you use the buttons to cycle through the different menus, although on a couple of occasions I did find myself forgetting this and wondering why nothing was happening as I tried to tap in my score! I can imagine that using buttons is a much easier experience for some golfers, and the clear labels next to each one made it pretty simple to navigate.
One feature I did like was the tag ID in the top right corner of the screen, which shows the last club that the watch detected, giving you a bit of extra confidence that your shots are being seen by the device out on the course.
The new Hole Map feature is something that I can see being really useful when playing courses for the first time, as it provides a clear overview of how the hole looks, making it easier to plan your strategy.
Touchscreen capability would've come in useful here though, as it would've been much more simple to drag to different points of the hole in order to see yardages to doglegs or bunkers.
Having said that, Shot Scope do offer two screens which displays yardages to the front and back of bunkers and hazards, as well as a really useful layup distances screen which would be great for par 5s or on unfamiliar courses if you get out of position.
The watch comes pre-set with an auto-lock feature enabled on the watch. I assume that this is designed to save battery life and stop from any unwanted button pressing whilst walking or swinging, but I find that it gets annoying as it locks the watch after just a few seconds. If you're just going to use the watch for front, middle and back yardages then it's probably worth keeping it enabled, otherwise I would disable it in the settings.
Speaking of battery life, despite the extra features that Shot Scope have offered this time, the battery life was still impressive and I can imagine that you'd easily be able to get two rounds of golf out of just a single charge, which is great if you're playing twice in a day or weekend, or you're just a bit forgetful when it comes to this type of pre-round admin.
Performance Statistics
Once you've finished your round, you can head to the Shot Scope app or website to take a closer look at how you performed on the course. The software shows you your scorecard, statistics on your driving distance, greens in regulation and short game, and also gives you the ability to edit or add any shots just in case the watch missed them whilst you were playing.
If you're a regular watcher of golf on the TV you've probably heard the commentators talking about Strokes Gained quite a lot, and Shot Scope have incorporated this into their statistics too as a way of indicating how you perform in certain aspects of your game compared to golfers of other skill levels.
We've all heard the old "If you could putt, you'd be a scratch golfer" saying out on the golf course, and Strokes Gained tells you exactly whether that's true or not!
Shot Scope V5 GPS Watch Verdict
The new V5 GPS essentially provides everything that we loved about the X5 GPS but with the addition of buttons for added usability. The fact that you get a clear, reliable GPS watch combined with the performance tracking capability, all for less than £200 (in most retailers), makes this one of the best value bits of tech on the market.
Having buttons rather than the touchscreen is perhaps not as slick an experience, but it will probably suit the target market a little better and the overall look of the watch is a big step-up from the V3 in my opinion.
Shot Scope have only been making products for around 10 years and the improvements they have made in that time are really impressive. They may not quite have the premium feel and finish of the likes of Garmin, but you're paying about half the price and the performance more than stacks up in my opinion.
Would I Use It?
I still prefer a rangefinder over a GPS watch as I find that they can give me too much information at times, so much so that it gets a little distracting. If I was to use a watch though, this is the one I would be reaching for, especially if I wanted to learn more about my game and see which aspects I needed to improve.
Shot Scope V5 GPS Watch Pros and Cons
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