Shot Scope v5 GPS watch review

Shot Scope are back with an upgrade to their V3 watch. The new V5 GPS combines the best GPS information with shot-tracking capability so you can dial in your performance on and off the golf course.

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Shot Scope V5 GPS watch review: NCG Summary

NCG SUMMARY

This watch offers the best of both worlds giving up GPS yardages to the green and hazards as well as providing shot tracking data.

This is perfect for knowing your yardages and planning your game out on the golf course especially with the new edition of full golf hole maps.

PROS

Really clear GPS data
Excellent shot tracking and statistics
No annual fees
Tracks your steps

CONS

None

£199.99

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First Impressions

I love the shape and styling of this watch. I think Shot Scope have done a great blend of making something sporty but also creating a design that you can wear on and off the golf course.

On course testing

Compared to the previous Shot Scope V3 this did feel bigger on the wrist when I first put this in play but I just moved this slightly further up my arm to compensate. The bigger sizing has enabled Shot Scope to add extra features such a full hole maps which is definitely worth the change.

The set-up of the watch is very intuitive so it doesn’t take long to get this from the box out onto the golf course there are four buttons two each side to help you navigate through the different menus. On the left you can navigate up and down the screen while the buttons on the right allow you to select or go back.

As with the previous V3 model, you can choose to use this is straight GPS mode or with shot tracking enabled. Over 40,000 golf courses are pre-loaded onto the watch, so finding the course you are playing is quick and simple.

The main screen of V5 displays yardages to the front, middle and back of the green. These are dynamic yardages so the numbers are adjusted depending on which angle you end up approaching the green. This is extremely helpful if you are taking a slightly more scenic route to the green.

You can also get a green view to see the shaping and move the pin to the correct location if you wish which is handy.

You can also clearly see yardages to all hazards on the hole. I really like how you get a distance to the front and carry distances to get over hazards. The diagrams really simply demonstrate what side of the hole each hazard is on. You can easily scroll up and down the list to see the hazards at every distance.

A new feature for 2024 is the full hole maps which is extremely helpful, especially when playing away from your home course. It makes it so much easier to understand where you are going and handy driving distance rings can be moved up and down the hole so you can see what club you should hit.

I actually really like the fact this isn’t a touchscreen model, as I think it simplifies the process of moving through the settings. I also find it quite easy to accidentally knock touchscreen models and move holes or knock them off which can be annoying mid round.

Another crucial aspect of any golf watch is battery life, and the V5 does not disappoint. It lasts up to 15 hours in GPS mode, which comfortably covers even the longest rounds. I appreciated not having to worry about the watch dying mid-round—something that’s all too common with tech gadgets. I actually managed to track 82 holes of my 100 holes in a day challenge with this just subbing in my V3 watch for one round to allow for some charging!

For me, the most beneficial part of the V5 watch has to be the performance tracking. This GPS golf watch comes with 16 tags to be plugged in the end of your golf clubs. This allows for hands-free, and even better, phone-free stats collection out on the golf course. As you hit each shot, the watch and tag work together to plot your location on an overhead golf course map.

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You do have to go in at the end of your round and edit each hole in the Shot Scope app to check it is correct. But a full round takes about 10 minutes maximum to edit, which is really worth it for the amount of information you are getting back. I have collected statistics on numerous different platforms over the last ten years and this is undoubtedly the quickest and easiest to use. They also have a new coaching platform allowing you to share your data with your golf coach so they can see how you are performing on the golf course and give you better drills and tips to work on.

I have to say I noticed the second generation of tracking tags seemed much more reliable on the putting green which is definitely a big upgrade as this was the only area that didn’t quite seem perfect in the previous model.

Once you have inputted your data, you can review over a hundred different statistics, including strokes gained measurements on each part of your game. I really like that you can compare all aspects of your game to different handicap ranges to see where you can improve. I also really like the visuals showing your misses.

The 19th Hole

Aesthetically, this Shot Scope watch is definitely something you can wear on and off the golf course, especially with the new options on watch faces so you can give this an individual feel. I would say if I were to wear this off the course all the time, I would probably want some extra functionality that you tend to see in other health and fitness watches. For now I think I will just wear this on the golf course.

Overall this is an impressive piece of kit that will undoubtedly help anyone’s golf game. Shot Scope are continuously updating the watch firmware and the app software so the data you are collecting and the GPS data you see on the course is only getting better.