If there was a major shortcoming in the Arccos short-tracking system before 2020, it was that it required golfers who turn on their smartphone and keep it in their front pocket while they played golf. The gyroscopes and microphones in both iPhones and Andriod phones helped Arccos determine when you hit your shot, but many players either don’t like playing golf with their cell phone in their pocket or play on courses where cell phone use is discouraged. And women often play golf in pants or skirts that don’t have pockets that can hold a smartphone.
However, the 2020 release of Arccos Link solved that problem, and now the company’s updated Link Gen2 ($149.99) can help players gather more-accurate data, more easily, while leaving their smartphones in their golf bags or cart.
The water-resistant device weighs less than 1 ounce and easily clips to your belt, waistband or front pocket. It’s about the size of a matchbook and you are much more likely to forget that you are wearing it than feel it while you play.
Arccos Link clips to your waistband, a belt or a pocket. (Arccos Golf)
Once it is turned on and paired with the Arccos Caddie app, you can put your phone away and just play golf. The Arccos Link will detect what clubs you are using, and its built-in electronics and microphone will detect when you hit a shot. It sends that data to your smartphone, which adds GPS data, and connects one shot to the next to build a shot-by-shot record of your round. According to Arccos, using Link while you play instead of relying on your smartphone to record all your shots will extend the battery life of your phone by about 25 percent.
In addition to not having to carry your phone as you play, Link provides a fantastic added benefit. By pressing the lone button on the Link while you stand next to the hole, Arccos can mark the exact location of the hole for improved proximity to the hole statistics and putting distance data.
Link has a battery that lasts up to 10 hours and recharges quickly using a micro-USB cable.
Arccos can reveal your peformance from different distances to help you hone your practice sessions and concentrate on strengthening your weaknesses. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The data Link and Arccos collect can teach golfers about how far they hit each club, where they tend to miss, what parts of their game are strengths and areas that they need to improve. Arccos can use strokes gained statistics to compare a golfer’s skills to a player of any handicap level, and reveal specific areas of the game, like putting from 1-25 feet or approach shots from 150-200 yards.
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