TST Explores the ShotScope H4 (Stats Tracking Device) and Pro LX Rangefinder

[iacas]

On 6/30/2022 at 7:04 AM, iacas said:

Homepage: https://shotscope.com/?rfsn=6877023.775504e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6877023.775504e

Now that the promo is over, you can still use these links.

[Shindig]

Of course, the device came in the mail the day before a round, so I didn't set it up just yet.  I meant to take it today as a GPS, but I didn't remember. 

Anyway.  I'm not playing again for at least three days, and in the meantime, I will set up the device.

I re-read the thread and didn't see any 'huh, wish I knew that before my first round with it' things.  

I wish I had set it up before today's round.  My final hole with GG included a 254 yard drive, which is probably one of my ten longest drives of my lifetime (so far).  Would've been nice to have that in the new system 🙂  I guess I'll have to hit another long (for me) drive to get that badge. 

Oh, I meant for that to have a question.

Are there any things I should know before my first round with this?

Also, does it have a "smart tips" section to suggest where I might focus practice time?  And if so, is it better than GG telling me that improving my tee shots on holes measuring 350-400 yards could save me 0.04 strokes per round?

[RFKFREAK]

Took it out for a spin today and was perplexed that the placements were all wrong and had the clubs i used weeks (i.e. it didn't properly register that i used my 5i and instead the system thought I used my 4H).

[ChetlovesMer]

Okay, so this might be a dumb question. 
I put my tags on my clubs today and tried to charge my H4. My device would not charge. So, I called the Shot Scope service and they are sending me a whole new kit. 

When the new kit arrives will I need to pull off the old tags from my clubs or can I leave the tags I have on the clubs, and use them with the new H4? 

I guess my question is when I get the new H4 is it in some way especially paired to the tags that come with it? Or, any tags will work with any H4? 

I hope that question makes sense. 

I guess I should have asked customer service when I had them, but I didn't think of that.

 

[iacas]

51 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

When the new kit arrives will I need to pull off the old tags from my clubs or can I leave the tags I have on the clubs, and use them with the new H4?

They're just tags. One "8i" tag is the same as any other.

[ChetlovesMer]

51 minutes ago, iacas said:

They're just tags. One "8i" tag is the same as any other.

I thought so, but I didn't think to ask customer service.

[Shindig]

For those who used silicone adhesive to attach theirs to PURE grips, which type did you use and where did you apply it?  On one hand, my GG tags came out of my irons and wedges easily (I haven't done the woods yet), but I also lost I think three of the tags over the lifetime of my GG so I'd like to make sure I'm doing this right since losing three tags here would leave one of my clubs without a tag (although I would hope ShotScope would offer to sell replacements, the way GG did at some point). 

[iacas]

8 minutes ago, Shindig said:

For those who used silicone adhesive to attach theirs to PURE grips, which type did you use and where did you apply it?  On one hand, my GG tags came out of my irons and wedges easily (I haven't done the woods yet), but I also lost I think three of the tags over the lifetime of my GG so I'd like to make sure I'm doing this right since losing three tags here would leave one of my clubs without a tag (although I would hope ShotScope would offer to sell replacements, the way GG did at some point). 

Just put a dab on and put the screw in. The kind doesn't matter.

[Shindig]

57 minutes ago, iacas said:

Just put a dab on and put the screw in. The kind doesn't matter.

Thanks.  On a related note, it appears that about five years ago, @billchaoand I had more or less the same conversation we had earlier in this thread about my use of the phrase "gorilla glue" to (I now know, and should have known from the conversation in 2017) refer to the silicone adhesive.   Hopefully if we switch shot trackers again in 2027 I don't make the same mistake a third time. 

[dennyjones]

Another huge shout out to customer support.    I played a course yesterday that switched the 9s.   The front is now the back and the back is now the front.   It's an improvement to help pace of play.    I recorded the data on the H4 and sent an email when I returned home.   This morning the change was made!   I was able to edit my round 🙄 and sign off.   I'm thoroughly impressed.

[Friz]

Got my first test run using the H4.  I had not used any similar device before, so it took some getting used to trying to put it into the shot routine.  A couple instances where it kind of disrupted my flow when putting...got lined up, then thought about tagging, then lined up again.  Its probably not the reason I missed those putts, but going to take some used to getting that in the routine.

One very weird thing happened, I played 9 holes (1-9 on the course), went to my car, and synced the round.  It came back as 10 holes played, and 5 additional strokes taken.  I scrolled through and found it had given me a 5 on the 18th hole, and had actual shots tagged.  The 18th was on the other side of the clubhouse from the 9 holes I played, so I can't imagine where that came from.  I was able to remove the shots on the editor, but in the mobile app it stated I still played the hole, scored a -5 zero on the par 5 18th.  My score changed from a disappointing +11 through 9, to respectable but very incorrect +6 through 10.  When I got home I logged in on the website, and it had correctly adjusted to 9 holes played...probably will wait to do any editing until I'm at a computer for future rounds.

It seemed to be very inaccurate about where I was on the green.  I definitely tagged all my putts (or at least attempted to), but there were a few holes where it basically said I 2 putted from 1 foot and just put all the marks on top of the pin location.  I manually dragged the first putt to a rough area where my approach or chip landed, but surely not quite accurate.  I don't know if I didn't tag properly or wasn't getting a good signal, but that was kind of annoying.

Plan to play again this weekend for a full 18, good to at least have some idea how to use it and hopefully can develop a better routine to tag without interrupting myself.

[iacas]

16 minutes ago, Friz said:

I don't know if I didn't tag properly or wasn't getting a good signal, but that was kind of annoying.

Kind of the nature of GPS, particularly when attached to a large bag of water (you).

Tag your putter when you mark your ball or something.

[boogielicious]

8 hours ago, Friz said:

  I had not used any similar device before, so it took some getting used to trying to put it into the shot routine. 

You get used to it. Sometimes I think I forgot to tag, but when I look at the device, it is tagged. Thats one advantage of the H4 over GG. You can verify on the screen that you tagged.

[Shindig]

5 hours ago, boogielicious said:

You get used to it. Sometimes I think I forgot to tag, but when I look at the device, it is tagged. Thats one advantage of the H4 over GG. You can verify on the screen that you tagged.

That's actually quite a relief.  I do have this habit on putting greens (my last round was with GG, my next round is with the H4) where I tend to tag a putt when I get to the green, and sometimes after hitting I'll forget if I did so I tag it again, then if I'm marking, I tag when I mark and again when I hit, and sometimes I'll have six putter tags on the green when I only three putted! 😞 

I rarely forget or double-tag on a full shot because I tag after I hit, at which point I can't change which club I'm going to hit.   When I do forget, GG picked up that I swung and asks me during review which club I used.  I haven't checked if the H4 does this, but even if it doesn't, I'll know what I scored and can look for the missing stroke.

The funny thing is, the putting tagging is so automatic for me that when I'm practicing putting, I'll catch myself bringing the grip to my hip after I hit.  I somehow don't do that on full swings.

[Friz]

12 minutes ago, Shindig said:

That's actually quite a relief.  I do have this habit on putting greens (my last round was with GG, my next round is with the H4) where I tend to tag a putt when I get to the green, and sometimes after hitting I'll forget if I did so I tag it again, then if I'm marking, I tag when I mark and again when I hit, and sometimes I'll have six putter tags on the green when I only three putted! 😞 

I rarely forget or double-tag on a full shot because I tag after I hit, at which point I can't change which club I'm going to hit.   When I do forget, GG picked up that I swung and asks me during review which club I used.  I haven't checked if the H4 does this, but even if it doesn't, I'll know what I scored and can look for the missing stroke.

The funny thing is, the putting tagging is so automatic for me that when I'm practicing putting, I'll catch myself bringing the grip to my hip after I hit.  I somehow don't do that on full swings.

From what I can tell, you may still have this issue.  It'll let you know on the face what club you have tagged, but I don't think there is any visible indicator for number of strokes.  So if you aren't changing a club between strokes, like with the putter, there isn't an actual indication of whether you have already tagged your second/third/fourth?/fifth?! putt yet.  The visual indicator just remains on [P] to reference the last tag made was with your putter.  Certainly a good cue for everywhere else on the course where you won't often use the same club on consecutive shots, but won't help you out after your first putt on the green.

It also doesn't seem like the H4 recognizes a swing.  I missed tagging one stroke during my 9 hole round yesterday.  I knew it immediately on my review by looking at my scores per hole, so it was definitely easy to identify.  But the first hole I was given credit for a 340 yard drive because I apparently didn't tag my second shot.  Was easy to add in the editor, had to use rough estimate of location, but it definitely didn't pick up that I had made a swing

[ChetlovesMer]

Got to use it for the first time last night. The new device arrived in time for league night. I was able to charge it and get out there and use it for the first time. 

I have to say it worked pretty seamlessly. I did have lots of time to fiddle with it as we had several rain delays during the nine holes. The only issue I had was that I needed to take multiple penalties to get off the tee on one hole and didn't know how to do that. So, I added the penalties in after the round. (Yeah, I took 5 from the tee. ... ugh.) 

I AM going to have to glue in the tags. They don't seem very secure. I didn't lose any, but once or twice I had to give one a bit of a twist to make sure it was staying where I wanted it to be.

Question: How do I (and should I) remove shots from the stats that are "not normal"? Here's what I mean. If my drive hits a tree, should I count it toward my stats? If I use a hybrid to punch out from under a tree should I count that toward my stats? If not, how do you have the system ignore a shot for stats? I saw that you can have the system ignore the round, but how about just a shot or two here and there? Or should I not worry about it as it will all come out in the wash in the long run? Or maybe its good just to leave them in as that is a "truer" representation of what I actually hit. 

[iacas]

You hit them, so they count.

If it’s truly a positional shot choose that option.

[ChetlovesMer]

49 minutes ago, iacas said:

If it’s truly a positional shot choose that option.

That's a thing?

Hmmm... I have so much to learn.