Arccos Golf released a new device this year with the introduction of Arcos Air tracking devices, as well as the official release of Arccos Smart Laser which connects to the Arccos app to give you real-time distances to put on the greens. Both devices work together to give you a seamless game tracking experience while providing insight into your game.
I’ve used both devices for three rounds of play now. Here’s what you need to know.
1. The laser is much cooler than I imagined
The smart laser shocked me. I had zero knowledge of the product going into my first round playing with it, and was prepared to just go with the flow and discover the laser’s features naturally. Now, I’m hooked.
In collaboration with the application, Smart laser it’s probably the coolest piece of golf equipment I’ve used in a long time. The way it works with the app is by taking the weather, GPS and Smart Distance information that the app has collected and then displaying it within the distances as a “Smart Distance” on the pin. When you lock on the pin, it also uses that GPS information to mark where the pin is on the green. This can be very useful when playing new courses, or if you are approaching a blind shot or complex green.
By combining smart distance with pin location in the app, it can then approximate your best odds of success using a scatterplot to show you where your normal mistakes and “correct” mistakes are for that row. All this information together helps you choose a safe target.
I haven’t played a round without the Smart Laser and the app since I got it and I’m not sure I would ever again.
Arccos Smart Laser
More than a spacer. The Smart Laser provides precise “Play Like” distances supported by live weather data, Green Maps and AI Strategy from the full Arccos app. Unlike traditional charms, Arccos improves through software updates, unlocking new features, and sharper AI after you buy it. New features are added automatically. Millions of pictures recorded every month make AI smarter.
2. Major improvements
I was an early Arccos adapter, but could never get through an entire round without having to worry about tracking. The club sensors would either get damaged, dirty, or just not connect properly, and I would spend a lot of time on my phone during the round checking the app to make sure it was tracking.
Arcos there was no shame in it and they knew things had to get better. If they were going to introduce a sensorless tracking unit, they had to make sure it would work consistently. The good news? So far so good. The only shot my Air has missed was the first one – and that’s because I accidentally left the unit in my golf cart. I will take the blame for this.
That being said, the one thing you want to save in your first couple of rounds with the new rig is club tracking. Since there are no longer dedicated club trackers, you need to let Arccos know which clubs you are hitting for the first two rounds.
Remember, stroke data is not measured by the club, it is measured by distance. Making sure you track every shot attached to a club will help the app build smart distances and allow Arccos Ai to more accurately guess which club you’re hitting. This isn’t critical for full shots—the Arccos was guessing those clubs based on my distance from the tee in the first round—but if you’re someone who likes to fly the ball, play with the window, or often use a different club for your distance, club tracking will come in handy along the way so the Arccos can learn. It doesn’t affect your stats at all, but many players like to have club information.
Arcos Air
Arccos Air is a compact AI wearable device, smaller than the Airpods case, that clips to your belt or slips into your pocket. Built-in motion sensors and GPS detect every shot automatically, powered by AI trained on 1.5 billion real golf shots. No need for sensors in your clubs. No phone required. Just play your round while Arccos captures everything in the background.
3. It’s actually helping
I’m currently struggling pretty badly off the tee, and I’ve got some equipment stuff to figure out as well, so I didn’t have high hopes of really learning anything from this, especially after only three rounds. But boy was I wrong.
I think the biggest wake up call for me is that my driver really isn’t that bad, at least not compared to the rest of my game at the moment. I really wanted to blame my current driver issues for all my problems, but with Arccos, I just can’t. Off the tee and onto the greens I’m losing about 2 strokes compared to a golfer with a scratch. On my approach and short game I am losing about 3 strokes to a golfer with a scratch. It is extremely valuable to have Arcco’s data to provide this feedback.
Arccos lists my opportunity no. 1 (a nice way of saying what you’re bad at) like getting rid of driving penalties. (OK, now I can go back to blaming the driver.) I’m losing two strokes to a scratch golfer simply because of tee penalties. Easy fix, don’t hit the ball out of bounds. My second and third chances? Losing 2 shots from rough (aka aiming accuracy) and chip shots 25-50 yards (which was surprising to me). Arccos lists my strength no. 1 as the distance off the tee, gaining half a stroke, and my strength no. 2 as a free throw.
;)
Arccos Golf
Looking forward
So far so good with the new Arccos hardware. of Smart laser it’s super impressive, and air it works really well as I haven’t missed a beat since I started using the device. You’ll want to make sure you keep tabs on the app for the first couple of rounds you play while Arccos is helping you learn your game, especially if club distance tracking is important to you, but the app is learning very quickly.
The goal now is to continue using Arccos when I play so I can really dive into my game and understand the key areas I need to improve on. I’ll probably make those improvements through hardware, but you never know—I might even get a lesson.
If you are interested in purchasing some Arccos gear for yourself, visit arccosgolf.com and use the code GOLFMAG15 at checkout for a nice discount.
;)
Arcos Golf
