Exciting! But what does that mean? Here’s an example: Let’s
say you’re a 10 handicap. Arccos data can tell you that you’re losing
shots on approaches from 125 yards, and that you generally hit a
wedge when you should hit a 9-iron, and that you tend to miss
to the right. Then, starting on hole 15, your putting may tail off
because you get tired. You see, Arccos also knows if you walk or
ride. And once Arccos bundles all that info together, the coup de
grâce: “Once we surface where you’re losing strokes, we want to then
tie in relevant content to your issues. Maybe it’s GOLF magazine
tips, for example,” he says.
Syed is 38, which makes him a golfing tweener. He can talk
analytics right through last call, but he’s also a traditionalist with
Smartphone
readouts of
Arccos data
are intuitive
and intensely
graphic, and
the sensors
themselves
a gorgeous
design feat.
The Arccos
Caddie Smart
Sensors kit,
with software,
sells for $250.
(arccosgolf.
com)AnalyticsOne day in the not too
distant future, a PGA Tour
pro will have a left-to-
right, downhill, 18-foot putt
on a bent-grass green in
overcast conditions with
temperatures in the high
60s and relative humidity
of 75 percent. As he
stalks the putt, a graphic
will pop up on-screen
showing the player’s make
percentage for those exact
distance, slope, weather
and agronomic conditions.
And, if they’re so inclined,
viewers will even be able to
make an “in-play” wager on
whether he makes it.
Welcome to the future
of ShotLink, the vaunted
data-collection system
that, since its launch in
2001, has tracked every
shot hit on the PGA Tour—
about 1.5 million per season.
Strokes Gained stats,
which measure a player’s
performance against the
field average in drives,
approach shots, short
game and putting, are the
most predominant metrics
provided by all that data,
but there are other usesIs the Tour’s
ShotLink
data merely
for Strokes
Gained geeks?
Don’t bet on it.
TECH WE LOVE: RAPSODO
You’re looking to shave strokes off each round? There’s an app for that. With the
Rapsodo mobile launch monitor, all you need is a ball, a club and your phone. From
there, you can archive your shots, rewatch your swing, map each club length and
track six key ballflight metrics. Complete kit: $499.99. rapsodo.com78 GOLF.COM / S e p t ember 2019GOLF/Technology 2019
BY TOM CUNNEFFa passion for Golden Age courses. Some equipment companies
have embraced his work, while others steer clear. “Technology is
a train—you get on or get run over by it,” he says.
Surprisingly, Syed says his data disproves the ideas that players
today drive the ball farther than ever. DJ, Brooks, Rory and other
Tour pros, of course, aren’t in the Arccos player pool.
“Over the past four years distance among average golfers hasn’t
increased with the driver,” he says. “I think at the highest level, there
are steps that happen. Titanium increased distance. The athlete
is getting stronger. They figure out how to optimize energy even
more. I don’t know if equipment is helping the pros, but for the
average golfer, it isn’t helping in terms of distance on the driver.”
You may not be driving it farther today, but hope springs eternal.
Arccos will soon send even more data to your gloved fingertips.
It’s a numbers game, Sal Syed will tell you, and Arccos is a numbers
business.