TST Explores GAME Golf

[O2BNTEXAS]

I purchased the game and installed the markers on my clubs. Very easy to do. However, when you get to the course and start playing it becomes a pain in the butt! I returned it...

[saevel25]

I purchased the game and installed the markers on my clubs. Very easy to do. However, when you get to the course and start playing it becomes a pain in the butt! I returned it...

How so?

[tristanhilton85]

I purchased the game and installed the markers on my clubs. Very easy to do. However, when you get to the course and start playing it becomes a pain in the butt! I returned it...

This has not been my experience. A quick touch to the belt before your shot and you are done; and if you forget it's easy to add a shot later.

[Golfingdad]

Still don't have mine yet, but gonna try tomorrow.  Gonna be near a Golf Galaxy in SD so I'm going to stop in (with low hopes because I called today and the lady said they don't carry it - I'm not sure she even knew what I was talking about though) and HOPEFULLY pick one up.

Good thing I ignored the lady on the phone from the evening before.  Walked in Sunday morning at opening and it was sitting there under the glass front and center.  Everything is set up and ready to go for my maiden round with it on Saturday ... except my putter.

I have a weight in my putter that is at the very butt end of the shaft, preventing me from screwing the tag in.  A nice fella shared with me a quick tip on how to aleviate that problem by slicing off the screw part and attaching the tag with a thick double sided tape.

My secondary idea if the tape doesn't hold is to use the tag as my ball marker and tag it when I replace my ball.

Can't wait!!

[bste]

Fantastic GD, can't wait to see your first round, living vicariously through better golfers.

[iacas]

I purchased the game and installed the markers on my clubs. Very easy to do. However, when you get to the course and start playing it becomes a pain in the butt! I returned it...

I disagree, and don't really have any clue what you're talking about, but okay.

[O2BNTEXAS]

I found that while you have to "tap" the butt of the club with the marker installed on it to the "recorder" you wear on your belt to record the club selection and the stroke, when I finish my round, my actual score didn't match my game golf score. That means I either...1) didn't tap the club properly or...2) I didn't do it at all. After saying that, while I'm playing, I'm more focused on the process of my play (distance, my club selection, the target and my swing) than I am in making sure I tap the butt of the selected club to a device on my belt. JMHO...

[Golfingdad]

I found that while you have to "tap" the butt of the club with the marker installed on it to the "recorder" you wear on your belt to record the club selection and the stroke, when I finish my round, my actual score didn't match my game golf score. That means I either...1) didn't tap the club properly or...2) I didn't do it at all. After saying that, while I'm playing, I'm more focused on the process of my play (distance, my club selection, the target and my swing) than I am in making sure I tap the butt of the selected club to a device on my belt. JMHO...

That's fine.  It's obviously not for you.  And I know there are a myriad of other people out there that aren't interested in this gadget either.  To each his own.

[saevel25]

That's fine.  It's obviously not for you.  And I know there are a myriad of other people out there that aren't interested in this gadget either.  To each his own.

I would agree with this. I would probably need to mentally remind my self to log the shot, until it becomes more part of the routine.

As for the score, I know there is some post round editing, like adding in penalty strokes.

[Dave2512]

I don't play any courses that move fast enough where there wouldn't be time and then some to tap a club to my hip. But I see the benefit of GG as becoming part of my decision making on the course via post round analysis as patterns develop. If I have to spend a couple seconds remembering to tap a club it will be worth it. Being able to visualize stats and where I got into trouble and didn't would be a very cool thing for me. GG has been on my must have list for a while.

[iacas]

… I see the benefit of GG as becoming part of my decision making on the course via post round analysis as patterns develop. If I have to spend a couple seconds remembering to tap a club it will be worth it.

That's about how I feel.

[mvmac]

I found that while you have to "tap" the butt of the club with the marker installed on it to the "recorder" you wear on your belt to record the club selection and the stroke, when I finish my round, my actual score didn't match my game golf score. That means I either...1) didn't tap the club properly or...2) I didn't do it at all. After saying that, while I'm playing, I'm more focused on the process of my play (distance, my club selection, the target and my swing) than I am in making sure I tap the butt of the selected club to a device on my belt. JMHO...

It's not perfect but it's pretty darn good. Editing after the round is just part of the process, only takes a couple minutes and you can learn/collect some valuable data.

Yes it's one more thing to think about but I got use to it after a few holes and if you forget a shot it's not a big deal, you can always fix it later.

[Dinoma]

I was an early purchaser of Game Golf, and I love it. I now tap in as second nature (about 20 rounds in with it) and the part that some people complain about, the post round editing, I sadly enjoy, and have also got down to a 2-3 minute job.

My only frustration is what @iacas mentioned about the relative lack of stats, given that the information is clearly in the system. I was fully pumped when they added the analysis tab with the club off tee and approach shots, that is the sort of thing I brought this for, and was equally disappointed when the next update was the challenges tab. Nobody I play golf with has one of these, so the social side of Game Golf is completely irrelevant to me but that appears to be what they are pushing most. I understand to a degree since the more social it gets the more publicity and reach it gets but they need to focus on the people who do own it and really want to get on course value from it. At the moment it is only scraping the surface of its own potential.

Like I said, I love it and feel it is giving me important information about my game, but I can also understand that its not for everyone. However, it is easy to use and doesn't get in the way of your game, if you don't want it to. I've no problem with people not wanting one, not wanting to spend the money etc, but I find it baffling how many people seem determined to find it awkward. 1 second as part of your pre shot routine, I'm pretty confident if you use this tool properly you'll make that time back in shots saved.

[Ernest Jones]

I found that while you have to "tap" the butt of the club with the marker installed on it to the "recorder" you wear on your belt to record the club selection and the stroke, when I finish my round, my actual score didn't match my game golf score. That means I either...1) didn't tap the club properly or...2) I didn't do it at all. After saying that, while I'm playing, I'm more focused on the process of my play (distance, my club selection, the target and my swing) than I am in making sure I tap the butt of the selected club to a device on my belt. JMHO...

Huh? Seems to me that every time I'd setup to the ball I would notice the big orange button stuck in the end of my grip and think, "oh yeah, I need to tap that thing against this other thing" How can you forget when it's staring you in the face?

[boogielicious]

Article on Game Golf and other devices at PGATour.com

http://www.pgatour.com/changing-game/2014/09/02/wearable-technology.html

Quote:

• Graeme McDowell has been using the Game Golf platform on the course.

Technology will play a major role in the future of professional golf. This isn't one writer's opinion, mind you. Take a close look at the driving range during a PGA TOUR event and you'll see countless players using devices that measure various aspects of their game -- from swing path and tempo to emotional stress levels and shot dispersion.

Until about five years ago, the term "wearable technology" was non-existent in golf circles. Teaching aids, some of which looked like flak jackets, helped players ingrain certain swing thoughts, but for the most part, those devices were reserved for the range and rarely saw the light of day on the course.

That was the past.

[fr0sty]

I backed the original indiegogo campaign and have 'signed' 9 rounds with it so far this year (user name 'frosty' if anyone is interested) and here are my thoughts:

1. Tagging takes longer than you might think to get used to. My first round ended up being something like a 68 (instead of 81!) because I missed so many shots. My last few rounds, by comparison have only been off by 2-3 strokes and pretty much all of those were just putts.

2. Proper round review is very important. My current long drive is 398yards because I didn't notice I'd missed tagging an approach shot (but had double tagged a chip) so total score was correct but distance, not so much. Once you 'sign' a round it is set in stone, apparently, so I ended up creating a 'new' driver to get those outliers out of my averages. That being said, I can now review and sign a round in just a few minutes and the interface is reasonably snappy (unlike its original incarnation which was terrible).

3. You really have to charge the thing every round. The product literature seemed to indicate you could play more than one round on a charge but every time I've played (starting with a full battery) and downloaded later that day the battery level has been listed as 'low' on the uploader screen.

4. Once you have the raw data you can continue going back and adding stats. The shot-maps that people were posting screenshots of were not available on launch day, but were added as a new feature later.

[saturday]

It's listed at $199 in our local stores here but I'm hesitant grabbing one this year. A) Season is winding down pretty quick, starting to get quite cold. B) I'm worried as soon as I grab it there's going to be a newer version hitting the market that has 1st generation buyers going "Doh!". Hard to say, I really want one but looks like I'm going to wait.

[tristanhilton85]

I backed the original indiegogo campaign and have 'signed' 9 rounds with it so far this year (user name 'frosty' if anyone is interested) and here are my thoughts:

1. Tagging takes longer than you might think to get used to. My first round ended up being something like a 68 (instead of 81!) because I missed so many shots. My last few rounds, by comparison have only been off by 2-3 strokes and pretty much all of those were just putts.

This hasn't been my experience so far. I've only signed two rounds, but the first one I didn't need to add any strokes, and the second one, just a couple.

2. Proper round review is very important. My current long drive is 398yards because I didn't notice I'd missed tagging an approach shot (but had double tagged a chip) so total score was correct but distance, not so much. Once you 'sign' a round it is set in stone, apparently, so I ended up creating a 'new' driver to get those outliers out of my averages. That being said, I can now review and sign a round in just a few minutes and the interface is reasonably snappy (unlike its original incarnation which was terrible).

Yeah, once it is signed you can't do anything to it, kind of. In my first round, I tagged a retagged a club when I hit a shot ob so I had the original shot at 0 yards and then the retagged one plus a penalty. The better way to do it is just to tag it once and add the 2 stroke penalty, but at the time I was unsure of how that would work. I sent a quick email to the guys at GAME GOLF and they unsigned the round and made the changes for me, and then left it unsigned just incase I need to change anything else.