Everyone is getting excited about the return of Brady and Belichick. Only this time they are on opposite sides. Tom Brady the leader of the Superbowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Bill Belichick the leader of the New England Patriots who failed to reach the playoffs.
Lets just look at my previous sentence for a second. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are defending Superbowl champions. In fact they have a chance to repeat with the exact same roster they had last season. That’s right they did the almost impossible feat of resigning everyone from their Superbowl winning team. The Patriots didn’t make the playoffs their first year without Tom Brady. In fact they didn’t even have a winning season. It’s also a problem when the individual on a football team that gets the most attention from the media is the coach. The true leader of a successful NFL team should be on the field playing.
The Buccaneers only loss was last week against the L.A. Rams. A team I picked to go to the Superbowl this season. The Patriots only win so far was against the N.Y. Jets. The Jets are arguably the worst team in the entire league. Does anyone actually believe this is going to be a competitive contest? I definitely don’t!
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the best pass rushes in football. The Patriots have rookie quarterback Mac Jones starting against them. Take the over on 2.5 sacks for the Bucs on Sunday night.
Sure it might be interesting to see how Tom and Bill greet each other before the game. They are both professionals though so don’t expect anything disrespectful. When it actually comes to the game though. This should be an absolute blow out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s possible the game could be out of reach at halftime.
Something that gets missed by many Fantasy Analysts is Positional Priority when drafting.
Understanding Fantasy Football Positional Priority is key to ensuring the success of your Fantasy team later in the season. It can also be the most important factor that determines whether a Trade is worth it when the time comes.
In traditional PPR that includes 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 or 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 Kicker, 1 Defense, and 1 or 2 Flex positions that don’t allow QBs to be flexed.
The Positional Priority is as follows 1 – Running Back 2 – Wide Receiver 3 – Tight End 4 – Quarterback 5 – Defense 6 – Kicker
Running Backs are the most important position because they fill multiple spots on your starting roster, and have the highest floors of any position other than Quarterback. They are also one of the most often injured positions so having depth at Running Back is usually necessary. The top tier Running Backs have the greatest potential to have game breaking performances each week. Most NFL teams only have 1 or 2 Fantasy relevant Running Backs on their roster. That means that there aren’t that many to choose from. So be sure to draft yours early. Whenever you are having a hard time deciding which player to draft. If one of them is a Running Back, that’s the one to go with.
Wide Receivers are the second most important position because they also fill multiple spots on your roster. Unlike Running Backs though they don’t have as high of a floor. They aren’t injured as often because the league has rules in place to protect them. They can also have game breaking performances, but they can also have terrible weeks of little to no points. Most NFL teams have 3 or 4 Fantasy relevant Wide Receivers so there are plenty to go around. That being said it’s a good idea to draft 1 or 2 top target Wide Receivers for piece of mind.
Tight Ends are third but only if you are after one of the better Tight Ends. Most NFL teams only have 1 fantasy relevant Tight End. That’s fine though because you only need to Start 1. The difference between a Top tier Tight End and a lower tier is huge. It’s a greater jump in points than any other position. So if you miss on a top tier Tight End, or aren’t interested in drafting one. Then Quarterback is actually more important to you.
Quarterbacks are next on the list because you only need to start 1, and almost every NFL team has a fantasy relevant QB. The difference between a top tier QB and a second tier QB isn’t huge so you can afford to wait. QBs are susceptible to injury but there is almost always a decent option as a replacement on waivers.
Defense and Kickers end the list because they both take up a roster slot. Determining how successful a Defense or Kicker will be is very situational. That’s why so many Fantasy Managers stream them week to week.
To sum up just draft a Running Back early, and another one asap before you even consider drafting a TE or QB. If a top tier Wide Receiver falls to you go ahead and draft them. If the top Tight Ends have been drafted then don’t draft one until you have drafted at least 3 Running Backs, 3 Wide Receivers, and a Quarterback.
Observations -Matt Stafford and the LA Rams Receivers look to have an optimum situation. The Rams have the second easiest strength of schedule at both positions. Matt Stafford is a veteran signal caller with multiple 5000 yard seasons already in the books. With the season ending injury to Cam Akers. I expect Sean McVey to lean on the pass more.
-The LA Chargers have the toughest strength of schedule for Justin Herbert and his wideouts. Justin Herbert has been a popular pick in drafts just after the Top Tier of Quarterbacks come off the board. Coming off his outstanding rookie performance. Fantasy Managers are obviously expecting his success to continue. That might not be the case for the sophomore QB.
-The Broncos look like they will begin the season with a two RB platoon of Melvin Gordon III, and Javonte Williams. This has scared off a few Fantasy Managers. With the easiest strength of schedule for Running Backs. A platoon approach could still produce two 1000 yard Running Backs with plenty of TDs to go around. Don’t be afraid to draft either back as an RB3 with huge upside.
-The 49ers and the Patriots look poised to have a lot of production from their Tight Ends no matter who they have throwing the ball.
A lot of people are predicting a breakout season for Irv Smith jr. With a difficult strength of schedule for Tight Ends that might not be the case.
If you are struggling deciding who to pick when your turn approaches. Let the Strength of Schedule guide be the tie breaker whenever possible.
some Fantasy Football Analysts suggest you use ADP as your guide to determining Draft Value. Do yourself a favour and stop taking their advice!
there are another school of Fantasy Football Analysts that believe you should use their Top 200 ranking system. Then select your players based on the highest ranked player available and fill your roster positions. If your goal is to finish in the middle of the pack? Then by all means do that.
if you actually want to win then you need to be getting more VALUE with your draft picks than your opponents are. That’s it. It’s that simple! So how do you achieve that? Which position do you draft when? Are there specific Players you need to target?
the TIER VALUE DRAFT SYSTEM is extremely effective, and even more importantly easy. The real beauty of it is that it’s totally reactive. Essentially your opponents selections are setting you up to win your draft. The only choices you make are based upon positional preference. The system begins before the draft. You need to organize the players by their position (QB, RB, WR, TE) into Tiers. Tier 1 being the most valuable, Tier 2 the second most, Tier 3 the third, and so on. Some Positions will have more Tiers than others. Generally I include the very best Players at their position in Tier 1. Tier 2 includes Players that could score as many Fantasy points as the Tier 1 players but aren’t as certain. Tier 3 players have a high ceiling as well but come with some risk. Tier 4 and below are usually safe backups, Rookies, and total Wild Cards I might draft late. How many players are in each Tier is up to you. This season I have seen Fantasy Football Analysts have as few as 4 Top Tier Running Backs, or as many as 6. It doesn’t matter what they think. It only matters what you believe. Depending on where you pick in the first Round. That Top Tier of RBs could be important. In the TIER VALUE DRAFT SYSTEM you don’t want to be the first or even second person to draft a Tier 2 player when there are Tier 1 players available at another position. Lets say you have decided that there are 5 Tier 1 RBs in the draft. If you draft 6 then your first pick shouldn’t be an RB. Your choice should be the Player you believe will provide you with the greatest advantage at another position. Tight End is an attractive choice at this point. The Tier 1 Tight Ends scored an average of 8 points per game more than Tier 2 Tight Ends in 2020. That’s a greater advantage than QBs or WRs. Plus there are only 3 or 4 Tier 1 Tight Ends. So you would have a significant advantage over most of your league. In Round 2 you could probably still draft a Tier 2 RB. The same perceived VALUE at a lower price.
your goal is to fill your positions by paying less than your opponents, and to maximize your average points per game. In traditional PPR formats with 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, and 1 FLEX. You should rank the importance of the positions in this order. RB – TE (Tier 1 only) – WR – QB – TE ( Tier 2+)
so whenever possible you should aim to draft one of the last players available from each tier to fill out your roster. For example if there are only a few Tier 2 Running Backs left in your draft when your selection arrives. Grab one then. That way you have paid less for your Tier 2 RB than everyone who picked a Tier 2 RB ahead of you. The only time you pay more is when a higher Tier position you require to fill your roster is still available.
EXAMPLE OF TIER VALUE DRAFT SYSTEM
these are my current Quarterback Tiers for 2021.
Tier 1 Patrick Mahomes 2020 #5 Kyler Murray 2020 #2 Josh Allen 2020 #1 Dak Prescott 2020 Injury Lamar Jackson 2020 #9 *Aaron Rodgers 2020 #3
Obviously if you are able to draft one of the Tier 1 QBs for a decent value you should. Just remember that perception isn’t necessarily reality. Most people would assume that Patrick Mahomes was the Top QB last season but actually finished 5th overall in Fantasy points. Utilizing my Tier Value Draft System last Season. I drafted Kyler Murray in the 4th Round and finished with a higher scoring Fantasy Football QB than Patrick Mahomes who went in the 2nd Round of my draft. Any of the QBs in Tier 1 could finish as the best Quarterback in Fantasy Football this Season. Don’t pick favourites, pick VALUE!
It still isn’t a guarantee that Aaron Rodgers will play this Season. If you aren’t sure by the time of your Draft then avoid him.
Tier 2 (-4 points per game average) Tom Brady 2020 #7 Russell Wilson 2020 #6 Ryan Tannehill 2020 #8 Justin Herbert 2020 #8 Joe Burrow 2020 Injury *Deshaun Watson 2020 #4
If I miss out on a Tier 1 QB I make it a priority to draft a Tier 2. You should expect them to perform at a slightly lower rate than the Tier 1 Quarterbacks. Any of these QBs could potentially outperform a Tier 1 QB though, so these are great Value targets in a Draft. In most Fantasy Football drafts I usually land a Tier 2 QB as my starter. The reason for this is because the obvious Top QBs tend to go too early for my liking. Usually you are still able to draft a Tier 2 Quarterback at least 3 Rounds after the last Tier 1 Quarterback gets drafted. That means you have at least 4 Rounds of picks to make up an average of 4 points per game on the Teams that drafted a Tier 1. That could have happened in the second Round if your opponent drafted a QB in the first, and you landed a Top 10 Fantasy Running Back.
DeShaun Watson could end up sitting out in Houston, or he could get traded to a contender. Of course he has criminal charges to deal with as well. Best case scenario he ends up in Denver and is a total steal as a Tier 2 QB. Worst case scenario he doesn’t play at all.
Tier 3 (QBs with upside) Matt Ryan Matthew Stafford Daniel Jones Ryan Fitzpatrick Jameis Winston
Tier 3 has a number of Quarterbacks that could breakout in 2021. If you are a gambler, and lets be honest. If you love Fantasy Football you probably are. Then Tier 3 QBs are very tempting draft targets. They can be drafted relatively late in drafts after you have stocked up on quality RBs, WRs, and a Top Tier TE. I used to have a system I called the Dallas Clark Draft. Dallas Clark was the Travis Kelce equivalent back in the day. If I didn’t have a Top 5 pick in the draft. My first Round target was always Dallas Clark. Then I would draft best player available RB or WR until all of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 QBs were gone. Then I would target whichever Tier 3 QB was in the most favourable position. My team had an advantage at TE against my league, plus it was practically injury proof at RB and WR. In this group the NFC East QBs are the most interesting to me. It’s a weak division, and both QBs have great new targets to throw to.
Tier 4 (wildcards and safe floors) Trevor Lawrence Justin Fields Zach Wilson Derek Carr Ben Roethlisberger Baker Mayfield Tua Tagovailoa
If you have drafted a Tier 4 QB as your starter you might be in trouble. That doesn’t mean you should avoid them entirely though. I am a strong believer in drafting a backup QB. A lot of Fantasy Football analysts would disagree with me but they’re wrong. First of all there’s always a serious QB injury early in the season. Having a backup QB like Roethlisberger or Carr provides piece of mind. Even if your QB goes unscathed. Limiting what’s available off the waiver wire is strategic as well. You also won’t have to scramble during your Starter’s bye week. I have also spot started my Backup against really weak defenses to good effect. If you are really lucky your backup becomes your starter. That happened on quite a few winning teams in Lamar Jackson’s MVP season.
RECENT QUARTERBACK MOCK DRAFT POSITION AVERAGE FROM FANTASY FOOTBALL CALCULATOR WEBSITE
QB1 – Patrick Mahomes 22nd pick QB2 – Josh Allen 37th pick QB3 – Kyler Murray 44th pick QB4 – Lamar Jackson 51rst pick QB5 – Dak Prescott 58th pick QB6 – Justin Herbert 63rd pick QB7 – Aaron Rodgers 66th pick QB8 – Russell Wilson 70th pick QB9 – Tom Brady 79th pick QB10 – Matthew Stafford 88th pick QB11 – Jalen Hurts 97th pick QB12 – Ryan Tannehill 100th pick QB13 – Joe Burrow 107th pick QB14 – Matt Ryan 124th pick QB15 – Trevor Lawrence 128th pick QB16 – Deshaun Watson 130th pick QB17 – Baker Mayfield 140th pick QB20 – Ben Roethlisberger 169th pick QB21 – Justin Fields 179th pick QB22 – Ryan Fitzpatrick 191rst pick QB23 – Derek Carr 192nd pick QB25 – Tua Tagovailoa 198th pick QB26 – Jameis Winston 207th pick
personally I play in 12 team leagues with 15 or 16 Round drafts. So even in a 16 Round draft a number of the QBs I listed in my Tiers wouldn’t get drafted.
now examining the Tier 1 QBs from my list. The most expensive Quarterback this season is once again Patrick Mahomes. In a 12 Team league he is going at the end of the second Round. The best buys in Tier 1 are Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson going in the fifth Round. I am ignoring Aaron Rodgers for now because of his uncertain situation. How much better would Patrick Mahomes need to be to justify picking him 3 Rounds earlier? Chances are he won’t perform significantly better enough. Using the Tier Value Draft System there’s a good chance that any Team that drafted in Round five had a chance at a Tier 1 QB. IT PAYS TO WAIT!
Always be aware of which teams picking ahead of you have filled roster positions. If the teams picking ahead of you have already drafted a QB then you should be good to land the next QB on your list.
looking at the Tier 2 Quarterbacks, Herbert went in the early 6th Round. That’s a heavy price to pay for a Tier 2 QB. The fact that 2 of my Tier 1 QBs went just one Round earlier increases how valuable those picks were. Both Ryan Tannehill and Joe Burrow fell to the 8th Round. I would say that’s a competitive price for a Tier 2 QB. You gain 3 Rounds of VALUE against the cheapest Tier 1 QBs, and an enormous 6 Rounds of VALUE against the Team that selected Patrick Mahomes in the second Round! Try to imagine how much better Patrick Mahomes would have to be than Tannehill or Burrow to justify the cost? 12 points per game maybe? Is that a realistic ask?
once again considering that Tannehill and Burrow went near the beginning and end of that Round. Any of the Teams involved in those drafts had a fair shot of waiting until the rest of the Tier got picked to select them. IT PAYS TO WAIT!
MAKE YOUR TIER LISTS SCRATCH OFF EACH PLAYER AS THEY GET SELECTED WHEN THERE ARE ONLY A FEW LEFT PICK ONE! WHEN A TIER EMPTIES – PICK YOUR FAVOURITE PLAYER FROM ANOTHER POSITION YOU REQUIRE AT A HIGHER TIER! WIN YOUR DRAFT
Corbert de Ronde Fantasy Football Expert Pro Sports Podcasters
First of all to those of you that have followed me from the beginning. Thank you!
The website has been inactive for quite awhile. The website crashed at the end of 2020, and had to be totally rebuilt. Also my focus has been on my new role as a Pro Sports Podcaster.
The Pro Sports Podcasters is a podcast available across all platforms that covers all sports.
The podcast has 2 scheduled episodes per week. The first uploads on Tuesday, and the second on Friday.
For those of you most interested in my golf content. You can still get a tonne of golf information on my Cobe Life Youtube page, cobelifegolf on Instagram, and Cobe Life Golf on Facebook.
Now that the website is back up and running, and even more importantly secure. I will once again be adding content to this website.
I appreciate your patience during this time, and promise to bring you some great content soon.
As the 2020 Golf Season in Ontario comes to an end, the Simulator Season begins. The last three off seasons I have utilized Golf Simulators to work on specific aspects of my game. Understanding the limitations of a Golf Simulator is the first thing you should be aware of when planning your Simulator practice. Some of the limitations are obvious. You can’t work on your bunker game, or recovery shots from awkward lies in a Simulator. There are a few limitations that aren’t so obvious. Having a perfectly balanced platform to hit off of is a limitation. Having to aim your shot previous to setup is a limitation. Even the technology of the Simulator can make certain shots impossible. For instance I use a Chipper out on the course but most Simulators read them improperly.
Most people would assume that hitting off perfectly flat ground is an advantage, but it isn’t. I used to wear my most comfortable shoes in a Golf Simulator. I found out the hard way that weight transfer is quite different if I am wearing something other than golf shoes. You can’t dig in or rely on your cleats to help you remain steady during an aggressive swing. In fact I used that understanding to focus on swinging with more precision to gain distance instead of faster. Aiming is quite different in a Simulator. You can’t just adjust your stance and play for a Push Draw or Pull Fade. You first need to adjust the aim point with the software to account for a Push or Pull. Then let your swing dictate how far the ball Draws or Fades. If you make the adjustment at Setup instead of with the software that can cause many Simulators to read it far too extreme, and guarantee a terrible result.
Last Off season I focused on improving my consistency with the Driver. The work I did in Golf Simulators definitely helped. Driving is actually one of the best skills you can practice in a Simulator. It takes the mat out of play, and in most cases the even ground in a Simulator is similar to what you have on a Tee box. It’s about as close to the real thing as you can get. I was able to work on my Setup, Takeaway, Club Face control, and Finish position in the Simulator. The practice worked and my consistency has improved. This Off season I will continue to work on my Driving. Only this time my focus will be on improving my Launch Angle.
Something I have really focused on lately is improving my quality of contact with my Irons. Unfortunately it is quite difficult to work on your Iron striking in a Simulator. First of all most hitting mats are quite forgiving. Bad strikes can read as good strikes depending on the surface. Secondly you can’t take a divot hitting off a mat. So there isn’t a visual indicator of where your club bottomed out. Lastly Irons are more likely to be hit off uneven surfaces in real life. A Simulator can provide you with a false sense of security in your Iron swing because every shot is perfectly level.
Now fortunately I have come up with a way to practice my Iron striking that provides me with a way to measure my quality of strike. Here are the numbers from a perfectly struck 7 Iron.
7 Iron perfection
For a full explanation of how I improved my Ball striking. CHECK OUT THE FULL VIDEO ON IGTV.
So if your Golf Off season is about to begin, and you are serious about improving. Find something that you can effectively work on in a Simulator, and stick to it.
Don’t forget to Subscribe to my blog, and while you’re at it check out my Cobe Life YouTube channel!
An idea I came up with this Season because practice time wasn’t easy to come by was to rate my golf game. In order to be as brutally honest as possible I decided to divide the aspects of an individuals golf game into 5 categories. Then assign a score from 1 to 5 for each category, but no two categories can have the same score. This will force you to rank your abilities from best to worst.
Here is how I ranked each category for myself.
Driving -4
Putting -1
Irons -5
Woods\Hybrids -3
Wedges -2
What is particularly great about this system is that it doesn’t matter how good your overall game is. A 1 in putting doesn’t mean I can putt like a tour pro. It just means that it’s the most reliable part of my game. The next thing I did was make a quick note of one thing I would most like to improve in each category.
These were the primary goals I chose for each category.
Driving -4 -increase average distance by 15 yards
Putting -1 -improve proximity to hole on downhill putts
Irons -5 -lower launch angle to increase distance
Woods\Hybrids -3 -be more consistent with the distance
Wedges -2 -improve bunker accuracy
So now what am I supposed to do with that information. This is where having an understanding of where you are able to effectively cut strokes really helps. I use a Shot Scope V2 to track my golf game. I also use the 18birdies app to take notes, and get a quick analysis of my game at the end of each Round while it’s fresh in my mind. This combination has enabled me to really understand what I need to improve in order to quickly lower my scores.
The goals that would have the least affect are adding 15 yards to my Driving distance, and improving bunker accuracy. An extra 15 yards off the Tee would allow me to take 1 less club into Greens. Unfortunately my Irons are the worst category in my game so 1 less club makes little to know difference. On average I only hit 1 or 2 bunkers per Round so having improved accuracy on those shots would improve my scores minimally.
The goals that could significantly lower my scores dramatically are a lower launch angle with my Irons to increase distance, and better distance control with my Hybrids. First of all distance, and distance control are key to scoring with the majority of your clubs. Hitting it short off the Tee with my Driver won’t punish me as much if I’m accurate, and relatively long with my Irons and Hybrids. Instead of hitting pop ups with my Irons that are difficult to control, and heavily affected by the wind. I could hit a shorter Iron delofted with more control, and lower so the wind doesn’t affect it as much. On long approaches into Greens I could take hazards out of play if my distance control with my hybrids was predictable.
Now that I have identified which improvements will have the greatest impact. It is easy to optimize my practice sessions to get the absolute most out of them. If I go out to the Range I know exactly which clubs to bring with me. I know exactly what to work on. I can bring along the correct devices in order to measure my results, and determine if the swing changes are working. For these particular goals I would only need my Swing Caddie SC200 at the Range, or I could get the exact numbers by booking time in a Simulator. I wouldn’t have to spend any time on a Putting Green, or Short Game Practice area. Not a second of my time spent practicing would be wasted.
If it wasn’t for the time constraints Covid-19 has caused I would have never developed this system. Having actually put it to use, and seeing the results first hand. I will be prioritizing my practice sessions this way for the foreseeable future. I would strongly suggest that if you are serious about improving your golf game you try it as well.
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The world is both separated and unified in the fight against a common enemy. Covid-19 has forced us to rethink our priorities. This year has completely changed everything I had planned. Some things have been put on hold. A few things I had planned may never happen. Not all is lost though. The Lock Down forced me to improvise, and I found new avenues to explore. Nobody knows how long this situation will last. When it does finally subside, and things return to something that loosely resembles normal. I will be ready to provide my faithful followers with a wealth of information.
I apologize for the lengthy hiatus. For a while discussing golf or fantasy football just felt so trivial compared to what’s going on in the world. It took me going out on the course completely alone to play 18 Holes to realize how necessary these trivial distractions are. So I won’t let a week pass without a post. During my absence I’ve studied Golf club fitting, and now offer a casual Driver Fitting for Beginners looking to improve their game off the Tee. If you haven’t seen it yet I encourage you to watch the highlight video on my welcome page. It will go into further detail about the Fitting process. I have also noticed that my reviews of products specifically aimed at Beginner Golfers have been well received. I plan on doing many more in the near future.
For awhile it was unknown if the NFL would have a 2020 season. Now that it is underway I will begin to provide short term Fantasy Football advice. Things can change so much week to week that long term advice seems foolhardy. My first piece of advice for 2020 is to stockpile Running Back depth. Players are still trying to get into game shape, and as a result injuries are far more likely. Running Backs get injured at a greater rate than the other skill positions so make sure you have a couple extras on your bench.
Hopefully I haven’t let things slide for too long, and this post finds those of you that have been loyal from the beginning. There are some great things to come, and I don’t want any of you to miss out!
Let me know if there are any things you would like me to cover in the upcoming posts. Remember this Blog isn’t for me. It is really for you. So let me know what you are most interested in right now.
Take care, and stay safe during these troubling times.
The top two Shot Tracking systems on the market are Arccos Caddie and Shot Scope. Both systems are an excellent addition to your golf equipment arsenal. They aren’t absolutely perfect, and work in slightly different ways. Which one you should buy will be decided by a number of factors. I will provide the pros and cons of each so that you may make an educated decision.
HARDWARE
Arccos Caddie uses battery powered sensors that screw into the top of your Grips that connect to an App on your Cellphone via Bluetooth.
Shot Scope uses RFID embedded sensors that screw into the top of your Grips that connect to the Shotscope GPS Watch.
The Arccos sensors are larger, but I’ve used both technologies and the sensors really aren’t noticeable during a Round. Requiring batteries to work is a disadvantage though. Eventually batteries die. RFID chips are everlasting.
Shot Scope requires you to wear their GPS watch, which until the recent release of the V3 was a little bulky and ugly. That was a nonstarter for some. The V3 is a much slimmer, and more attractive device. The new slim design does require a proprietary charge cord which I’m not a fan of. The previous generation V2 uses standard USB type B which everyone has plenty of.
Arccos Caddie requires you to have your cellphone on you during your Round. This really isn’t an issue for most people, except those that don’t like anything in their pockets while they play. The App is very easy to use, and has additional benefit of providing the Player with shot and club suggestions based upon their Arccos metrics.
For me the Shot Scope watch based system is preferable. I don’t have to keep taking my cellphone in and out of my pocket for information. I also use my cellphone for other things during a Round like taking photos or videos, and accessing the 18birdies App. The fewer applications I have to switch between the better. Depending on your cellphone the GPS positioning on the Arccos App can be slow to react so it helps to have an additional shot distance device like a Laser Rangefinder. The Shot Scope watch GPS only takes about 5 seconds to lock on to your position. I have never required an additional distance device to feel confident about my next shot. A common complaint about the Shot Scope GPS watch is it’s battery life. With the V2 there is barely enough power in a full charge to play two Rounds in a day. I would estimate a full charge to have roughly 8 hours of operation. So if you play a long Round of golf, a second time around is unlikely. Especially because the charge time is relatively long as well. You should have no issue playing at least 3 Rounds of Golf consecutively on a full charge with your cellphone. Plus the newer cellphones generally have quick charge capabilities. Just 30 minutes between Rounds is more than enough to top up.
Shot Scope V3
ACCURACY
Accurate is probably the most important quality a Shot Tracking system should be. In this case Accuracy can be measured in two ways. How accurate is it on the course, and how accurate is the data it provides afterwards.
Arccos Caddie is incredibly accurate, but has two small glitches you should be aware of. The first issue you will probably notice on the course. For whatever reason a few of the holes I’ve played on some courses are listed incorrectly. 150 yard Par 3 shows up as a Par 4 on Arccos. A 479 Par 5 shows up as a Par 4. These mistakes in the Application software don’t change your stroke count. They can have you believing that you are playing better than you are if you look at your score to Par during a Round. An issue that becomes obviously apparent after a Round is Driver distance. On some courses Arccos determines Driver distance based upon where it believes the Tees are, and not from where you actually hit it. In some cases it added an additional 30 to 40 yards. As much as I’d like to believe I occasionally have days where I hit my Driver 30+ yards more. The reality is that I don’t. Although Arccos likes to believe that I do. As long as you are aware of these issues they are easy to mitigate.
Shot Scope is incredibly accurate as well, and has the added benefit of more precise putting tracking. It isn’t without it’s faults either though. I’ll begin with a glitch that blemishes the putting benefit. In order to get precise putting stats you need to use the pin placement feature at the end of each hole. You press the button that corresponds with the number of putts you made by the Pin. On the final Hole of each Round the Shot Scope V2 advances to the Finish Round screen before I’m able to register the Pin position. I haven’t used the V3 so I can’t comment on whether this glitch has been fixed. Another issue I have come across on multiple occasions is Shot Scope registering a Shot but unaware of which club you used. Fortunately a alert icon appears by the shot when you upload the data which makes it easy identify and correct it during the Round editing process.
Of course the occasional shot is missed by both Tracking systems. Common reasons for happening are duffed shots that don’t travel far enough to register, failing to get out of a bunker, and delicate shots that fail to record as an impact. Fortunately these missed shots are easy to add during the editing process.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Arccos Caddie has one significant advantage over Shot Scope. The ability to access the Player’s data during a Round and make real time shot suggestions. It is actually like having your own Virtual Caddie with you every time you play. Unfortunately it isn’t free. The Caddie feature costs $100/year. The free version on the Application does include a basic guide though. Of course the Arccos Application counts as an additional feature as well. It provides the Player with a bird’s eye view of the Hole they are playing, and their location on it. They can see the location of Hazards, distances to doglegs, and Carry distances. Properly used Arccos Caddie can help a Player plot their way around a course quite safely.
Shot Scope has by far the best Shot Tracking system for Putting. The Pin placement technology is so simple it’s absolute genius. The GPS watch is as accurate as any Garmin GPS I’ve used, and incredibly quick. A feature that might get overlooked by some is the ability to turn off the GPS or Tracking feature before a Round. Doing so saves battery, and also allows you to use the Shot Scope to Track your Round during tournaments where distance devices aren’t allowed. For a competitive Player that’s a huge bonus.
Both technologies allow you to add penalties during a Round. Honestly though it’s not something I usually do until after during the editing process. After a particularly bad shot I just want to clear my head, and focus on the next one. Adding a penalty on my Shot Tracking device isn’t high on the priority list. For that reason the new Provisional shot feature on the V3 probably isn’t all that important to me either. For those of you that prefer to do as little editing as possible it might be a bonus.
CUSTOMER SERVICE & TECH SUPPORT
I have had the pleasure of dealing with both Arccos, and Shot Scope Customer Service and Tech Support. I say pleasure because both were excellent. In both cases it wasn’t difficult to get a hold of them. Anyone who has dealt with Customer Service over the phone or through email knows how difficult it can be in some cases. With each company Tech Support was required. The issues were handled quickly, and the results were more than satisfactory. It’s nice to know that if an issue does occur. You won’t be left to fend for yourself or be forced to buy a whole new device.
CONCLUSION
Which Shot Tracking system should you buy?
I made my decision last year before the V3 was even a rumour. I went with Shot Scope. It’s $150 less than Arccos Caddie on average. It doesn’t require my cellphone to function which frees me up to use my cellphone for other things. There’s no additional subscription fee to use it’s complete feature set. I have never had an issue with Course Accuracy. I’ve never played more than 18 holes of golf in a day so the battery capacity is sufficient. Shot Scope is very good about offering current users a special preorder price on new hardware. So I was offered a sneak preview of the V3, and a great price to upgrade. I decided against the upgrade because the size of the V2 doesn’t bother me, I prefer standard USB charging cords, a colour screen isn’t important, and the new Provisional ball feature doesn’t interest me. The V3 also comes with 35,000 preloaded golf courses instead of uploading which courses you intend to play on the App. That isn’t a hassle to me either. So sticking with the V2 just made sense for me. The V3 might be the ticket for you.
I would consider Arccos if budget wasn’t as important, and I didn’t need my cellphone for anything else. Having a Virtual Caddie available is pretty cool. Especially because it provides you with multiple strategies on the Tee, and provides you with Risky and Safe options. One of my playing partners uses Arccos Caddie, and a Laser Rangefinder to get around the course. So the relatively slow GPS location of the App doesn’t effect his play. If you already use a Laser Rangefinder then adding Arccos is a bit more appealing.
Both Shot Tracking systems should help you lower your Handicap. Shot Scope requires you to spend a little more time analyzing the data, and then adjusting your game accordingly. Arccos Caddie can help you lower your Handicap by closely following it’s suggestions, and leaving your ego at home.
Whichever you decide to purchase, you won’t be disappointed. Anyone who is serious about improving their game should use a Shot Tracking system.
The less you have to think about before, and during the Swing the better. I wish I could just select a club, get in position and swing away with no thought at all but that’s never going to happen. The best Players in the world still have one or more Swing thoughts in order to execute their golf swing. Your goal is to find the fewest number of Swing thoughts you require to execute your most consistent golf swing. Most people begin with many more than necessary, and have a very difficult time reducing it. The reason it’s so difficult to whittle down is because we don’t pay close enough attention to which thoughts actually make a considerable difference. In the beginning you will get Swing thought advice from everyone, including total strangers. I’m sure some of you have heard some or all of these.
Top 8 Swing Thought advice
1- Keep your head in the same position during the swing
2- Keep your eyes on the ball and don’t look to see where it’s going until your Follow through naturally lifts your head
3- Keep your forward arm straight
4- Swing with your body, not your arms
5- Transfer your weight into your back foot during the back swing, then shift your weight on to your front foot during the forward swing
6- Hit down on to the ball and take a divot just after ball first contact
7- Allow your hands to turn over through impact to close the face
8- Begin the forward swing by rotating your hips first to create lag
There are many more, and at some point I’ve tried them all. In the end my Swing Thoughts have been reduced to (a) maintaining a slow controlled back swing utilizing my two anchor points, and (b) completing a full swing through to a proper finish position. Some of you are probably surprised by that, and maybe even doubting it’s all I require. I’ll explain why this works for me. First of all a Slow Back swing prevents me from swaying. It keeps me balanced, and prevents my head from moving. The Anchor points keep my forward arm from bending to far, promote a proper rotation, and keep my Swing Path under control. Everything that happens through impact is determined at set up before I actually swing. As long as I’m set up correctly my strike will be decent. Something I learned to accept a while back is that a golf swing is far too fast to correct a poor set up during the swing. Better to take a little longer during set up, and then just trust you got it right. That way I’m able to just swing freely, and focus on getting to my second Swing thought, that perfect end position. Chances are if I finish the swing smoothly my shot will be what I expected. If things go wrong it can only be a problem at set up, bad Tempo, or poor balance. The icing on the cake is figuring out which thing went wrong is relatively easy. If I end up off balance it’s obvious. If my swing gets out of synch it’s a Tempo issue. If the Strike was really poor then the problem was at the set up. It usually only takes me a maximum of 3 Holes to get things fixed during a Round now. I can remember Rounds of golf where something would go wrong with my Swing, and it could take 6 Holes to figure out what. Sometimes I wouldn’t figure out what was wrong the entire Round. The reason I had no idea was because I had too many Swing Thoughts to work through. Was my head steady? Was I transferring my weight too soon, or too late? Had I gotten too armsy? Were my hands forward at impact? If just one thing was wrong I could potentially figure it out. But what if two or more things weren’t quite right? Good luck finding the right combination to fix things in time.
Just because these two Swing thoughts work for me doesn’t necessarily mean they will work for you. My Swing thoughts include a front and rear arm anchoring against my abdomen. Unless you do that as well it won’t make sense for you. I rarely take much of a divot, and don’t compress the ball all that much. As a result of that I don’t hit the ball particularly long. Right now distance isn’t all that important to me. I hit long enough to get around a shorter course, and shoot my target score provided I’m accurate. At some point in order to improve my Handicap I’ll have to learn to hit the ball a bit longer. At that time my Swing thoughts might change, or I might require one more in order to account for compressing the ball at impact.
