Golf has never been an exact science. It’s a fuzzy game that many players spend their whole lives attempting to master. Some of that fuzziness, however, may come into focus thanks to a new app for iOS called Arccos. Using something co-founders Sal Syed and Ammad Faisal call “club-to-cloud technology,” Arccos gives golfers the data they need to make better, more informed decisions while out on the links and tools to analyze their game later. On the fairway and wondering whether to go wood versus iron? Arccos knows which club has worked better in the past and can show exactly why.
By combining an iPhone app and Bluetooth-enabled sensors that screw into the grip of each club with GPS golf course data from the cloud, Arccos tracks the details of the game in the background. Once the clubs are paired with the phone, there is nothing else to do but play through while Arccos records metrics like shot distance, percentage of fairway hits, club averages, and number of putts to the pin. Over time the data Arccos collects gives golfers quick access to a deeper and deeper trove of distance averages, longest shots, Green in Regulation (GiR) percentage, and total shots taken with each club.
For golfers hoping to improve their game (and who isn’t?) Arccos has the Tour Analytics platform. Created with help from golf statistics pioneer Peter Sanders, the Tour Analytics platform breaks down a player’s handicaps into driving, approach, chipping, sand, and putting to help them better understand what part of their game is having trouble and where they can make changes that will have the greatest impact on overall play.
“Arccos connects to your game, shot by shot, so you have the power to make better choices on the golf course,” said Sal Syed, CEO and co-founder of Arccos Golf in a press release. “More than a stat-tracking tool, Arccos offers an easy way for golfers to get sophisticated analysis of their game and improve how they play.”
The Arccos app has full coverage for every golf course in the United States, but currently only runs on iPhone 4s or later. Android and Windows phone versions are reportedly in the works. Arccos club sensors aren’t shipping yet, but are available for pre-order for $299, with shipping to begin in “late-summer 2014.”
