The world of sports sensors is getting saturated. There are sensors to track swings of every kind, impacts, distances and even injuries. Introducing a new golf sensor that fits snugly on the back of your glove, PIQ has partnered with an already established app, Mobitee — huge in Europe and Japan and well-reviewed here — to stand out from the pack.
PIQ’s sensor is the lightest out right now at 9 grams, thought 9 grams still feels rather heavy hanging off the back of your glove. For all that, its 13-axis accelerometer returns info on your swing and, working with Mobitee it records all your stats, recommends clubs and more. However, you still need tags on your clubs, and you have to touch them to the sensor before you swing.
The Mobitee PIQ bundle comes with 18 NFC Club identification tags, the, and an unlimited subscription to Mobitee. If you already have NFC tags, you can grab just the sensor, glove clip, and charger-and-power bank for the sensor from PIQ, but then you’d miss out on the free Mobitee Premium. It goes for $25 on iTunes, Google play, and Windows Store.
Mobitee does everything you need a golf assistant to do. The Premium version includes info on over 35,000 courses (Mobitee One gives you one course and charges for the others; Mobitee Free, just gives you the first five holes). The customer service and developer response is supposed to be excellent; they promise to add courses at your request within three days. Using GPS and Google Maps, the app can show you information about holes from an aerial view, including a flyover. It’ll show you distance points with a tap. Find the range easily by holding your phone up, using your camera and leveling the crosshair. If you suspect you won’t have a data connection at every hole, just remember to download the course beforehand.
Of course it handles score-keeping and sharing too; pull up your scorecard with a tilt of your phone, and you can save it for proof later. Add up to four players to your game. The “virtual coach” can recommend a club for each hole as well as the force you need to put into each swing. With the PIQ sensor, you can see your club seed, club path, and 3D imaging of your swing.
The Mobitee PIQ bundle runs $240 on the PIQ website. Considering the suite of features, this should go on the comparison list for those who don’t already have one of the other golf sensors and apps on the market, or who play multiple sports and are willing to wait to see what PIQ does next. PIQ’s next sport will be revealed in late August 2015.
