Shot Scope V3 GPS Watch Review

Shot Scope V3 GPS Watch Review

The Shot Scope V2 launched just shy of three years ago and while it did the job of providing GPS distances and tracking shots automatically, its cumbersome size was a bit of a stumbling block. Reductions in price and improvements in the performance dashboard continued to entice golfers into the benefits of Shot Scope’s automatic shot tracking and game analysis, but truthfully it needed a makeover.

Step up the Shot Scope V3, a model which made our best golf watches guide. It is now 60 per cent smaller than the V2 and is just 10mm thick. On your wrist, therefore, it has a much lighter, more modern fit and feel, not too dissimilar to the Apple watch in fact. This streamlined, everyday design makes it instantly appealing and the tacky rubber strap is comfortable to wear and stays in position when walking and swinging a club so once it’s on, you really don’t notice you’re wearing it.

To get the full functionality, you need to screw the 14 tags into your clubs, which is time consuming and a little fiddly. There are some other set up instructions in the accompanying free app but you only need to do this once.

We have to say, it does take longer than we’d have hoped to detect the course but once detected and selected, the yardages for the first hole will appear. With the press of a button, you can see how far it is to reach and carry bunkers and penalty areas. You can even add penalty shots like provisional tee shots and lost balls, although it takes a calm head to remember to do this while cursing your previous shot!

The screen size is a little smaller than the V2, but this doesn’t impact on the readability. The functions are navigated using the four buttons in the corners, all of which are clearly labeled so it’s easy to get to where you want and because it isn’t a touch screen, you don’t need to worry about brushing the screen accidentally when folding your arms for example.

During play, the only thing you need to remember to do is hit the PinCollect button when retrieving your ball from the hole as everything else is done automatically. This marks the pin position and saves editing time afterwards. The GPS distances are quick to update and comparable with other GPS devices we tested.

After your round, you’ll see a map with all your shots plotted on it and your total score. We’ve played five rounds with the V3 now and have to admit, it hasn’t once got the score exactly correct. That said, it only takes a few minutes to make the necessary corrections in the app – perhaps adding or removing a shot here or there - and most rounds required less than a handful of shots to be corrected.

For context, this has also been the case with other automatic game analyzers we’ve used in the past and future firmware updates, which are really easy to do, should fix problems like this.

The information available on the dashboard is a real eye-opener. We were particularly interested to see our distances with each club, which side we tended to miss fairways off the tee and our up-and-down success rate with different clubs. There are 421 medals to unlock, which provides motivation to improve in certain areas, while you can also see how you compare with other Shot Scope users of the same handicap.

We should also mention the price of this watch because we think it is one of the best value golf watches out there. Considering the lower price point it comes at, and the combination of usability and features, it really is a model you should consider if you want a golf watch but don't want to break the bank.