Shot Scope V5: One minute assessment
If cash is not any object and also you need considered one of the best golf watches at any worth, then there are technically higher choices on the market than the Shot Scope V5. Nevertheless, in case you aren’t seeking to spend upwards of $500/£500/AU$900 on a watch that you simply solely plan on carrying for golf, the V5 is a superb possibility because it gives some options that you simply wouldn’t often get within the mid-price vary it falls in.
In addition to offering the fundamental entrance, center, and again yardage numbers, the V5 gives another helpful features too, equivalent to correct distances to hazards, layups, and doglegs. It comes with 36,000 preloaded programs worldwide and also you additionally get full maps of every gap so you possibly can see what lies forward as you put together your technique on the tee.
The V5 is button-operated moderately than touchscreen, moderately like a number of the greatest working watches, which could appear a bit of outdated nevertheless it’s arguably extra sensible and environment friendly throughout actions. Many golfers discover touchscreens is usually a little erratic, particularly within the rain or whereas carrying gloves. The button system is easy to make use of when you grow to be aware of it, making it simple to scroll by way of the hazards and document your rating on every gap.
The place the V5 actually stands out although is within the post-round shot monitoring and the analytics on provide. It comes with 16 particular person membership tags which connect to the butt of a membership’s grip and document information from every shot. After the spherical, you may have entry to all method of helpful information that permits you to hone the areas you must enhance. Different manufacturers provide this too, however often, it’s important to pay for the tags and/or a yearly subscription to entry the information. Shot Scope gives all of this at a really cheap single worth level.
Shot Scope V5: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Shot Scope V5 |
| Value | £239.99/$249.99/AU$429.99 |
| Dimensions | 43mm x 43mm x 12mm |
| Weight | 50g |
| Case/bezel | ABS |
| Show | 240 x 240 pixels, 64 colors – Hardened Mineral Glass |
| GPS | GPS 1, Galileo E1, Glonass L1 |
| Battery life | Round 5 days / or (in GPS mode) two rounds of golf (approx 10 hours) |
| Connection | Bluetooth |
| Waterproof | N/A |
| Works with | Android 5.0 or later, iOS 14 or later |
Shot Scope V5: Value and availability
- £239.99/$249.99/AU$429.99
- One worth and shade
- Cheaper than many rivals
The Shot Scope V5 prices £239.99/$249.99/AU$429.99 and is broadly obtainable from quite a few on-line retailers. There is just one shade selection (black) and there aren’t any different strap shade choices both.
If you happen to do need different shade choices then the very related Shot Scope X5 would possibly match the invoice, because it does provide a barely extra premium look and has a selection of 5 straps, however by way of options and performance, there’s little or no between the V5 and the X5. In reality, virtually the entire options are the identical – however the V5 is button-operated whereas the X5 makes use of a touchscreen.
The V5 is £40 cheaper on account of that, however many individuals will really choose the buttons, which makes the value very enticing. It’s additionally value mentioning that touchscreens can typically endure in wet circumstances and buttons are actually extra dependable within the moist. The V5 has an extended battery life too, so in our view, it’s the higher possibility, particularly at this lower cost level.
Shot Scope V5: Design
- Easy, clear design
- Snug and light-weight
- Would not intrude on swing
The V5 most likely isn’t a watch that many will select to put on away from the golf course however personally, I’d haven’t any qualms about doing so. It’s a easy, black design and appears good on the wrist. It’s very snug and light-weight too (weighing simply 50g), so on the course it’s not intrusive or distracting in the course of the swing. The dust-resistant silicone strap is sweet and versatile and sits snugly on the wrist. In reality, it’s really one of many extra snug golf watches I’ve examined.
When it comes to building, the V5 has a 1.2” daylight-readable shade show comprised of hardened mineral glass. Whereas I’ve talked about already that for the watch itself, there aren’t any shade choices aside from black, by way of the show you may have 5 colours to select from. 4 buttons (two on all sides) are used to function the watch, however the buttons are fairly discreet and positively don’t stand out an excessive amount of or detract from the aesthetics.
Shot Scope V5: Options
- 36,000 preloaded programs
- Shot monitoring
- In depth stats
The V5 comes preloaded with 36,000 golf programs and also you get the usual entrance, center, and again yardages. Nevertheless in case you can see the place the pin is on the inexperienced and need a extra particular quantity, there’s a perform that permits you to transfer the pin round on the display to the suitable location. This can present extra correct yardage, however I had no real interest in utilizing this characteristic, to be trustworthy; scrolling by way of the choices to search out the pin after which regularly clicking the button to maneuver the flag round to the specified spot may be irritating. Frankly, I don’t want a quantity to be that correct, as I’m not that good of a participant to know, to the precise yard, how far I’m more likely to hit my method shot. A ballpark determine is greater than ample for me, however the possibility is there for individuals who need it.
You do have entry to wonderful shot monitoring data in case you use the tags that include this watch. They connect to the grip of your membership and can document every shot you hit which then offers you entry to very detailed data in your efficiency. If you happen to’re into that, then this is a superb characteristic. It’s similar to providers supplied by Garmin and Arccos, however the distinction is that it’s important to pay a yearly subscription price for these whereas Shot Scope supplies this freed from cost.
I might speak all day about how in-depth that is as there are statistics obtainable for all the pieces you possibly can consider, in addition to loads that you simply most likely can’t! In addition to with the ability to get ‘photographs gained’ information, there are different fascinating issues obtainable, equivalent to how properly you traditionally play explicit golf programs and even particular holes. If you happen to’re a golf nerd, that is one thing that can actually enchantment to you, and given that you simply don’t need to pay for any of it upon getting made the preliminary buy of the watch, for me that is the primary promoting level of the Shot Scope V5.
Shot Scope V5: Efficiency
- Unlock button may be annoying
- Shot monitoring not computerized
- Very simple to make use of
Upon arrival on the course, I discovered that the V5 recognized the course pretty shortly. It isn’t all the time the identical velocity although. The primary time I used it I discovered it was very fast, most likely lower than 10 seconds. Different instances it has taken a bit of longer and on one event it was round a full minute. I discover that to be regular although, and I’ve examined premium Garmin watches which have taken longer to find the course than the V5 does, so from that perspective, I used to be fairly impressed.
The trickiest factor for me, to start with, was getting used to urgent the unlock button earlier than trying to entry any of the features. With out urgent the unlock button (the underside left button), nothing else works, and initially, it was fairly irritating just because I usually use a watch the place I don’t want to try this. By the point I received to the again 9, I used to be typically okay with it, though I might often nonetheless neglect. After that first spherical, although, it grew to become second nature.
That being stated, having to press the unlock button first does make it barely extra of a ache to entry a number of the features I like to make use of, such because the hazard map and distances, however this isn’t a premium watch – so there’ll naturally be some compromises to be made.
The watch doesn’t routinely monitor particular person photographs on the course, however you possibly can activate the monitor possibility after hitting a shot. Once more, this isn’t splendid for me personally, as I typically neglect to do it, particularly if I’m chatting with enjoying companions or feeling rushed because of a gaggle behind me.
Some dearer watches, such because the Garmin Approach S62 (my present watch of selection) or the newer Garmin Approach S70, monitor photographs routinely and also you don’t need to do something. You hit your shot, begin strolling and the watch will instantly start counting the yards till you attain your ball. It is a characteristic I take advantage of on a regular basis, not particularly so I can see how far I’ve hit it, however extra as a result of it makes discovering a ball that has strayed from the golf green loads simpler. As an example, if like me you often carry your drive 200 yards, then it actually narrows your search space significantly if the watch is telling you the place precisely 200 yards is and also you’re having to simply guess. Having used the Garmin Strategy S62 for a couple of years I’ve come to fully depend on that characteristic, and since it does it routinely it’s laborious to then get into the behavior of doing it manually.
So when testing the V5 I stored forgetting to activate it and it was very irritating, however that’s extra of a me drawback than a failing of the watch. Computerized monitoring can be good, however on the worth level the V5 is available in at, it might be unreasonable to count on it.
There’s loads to love in regards to the V5 although. The app is superb and easy to make use of; it’s only a case of downloading to your smartphone, creating an account, after which including your gadget (on this case the V5, however there are different Shot Scope merchandise you possibly can add too).
It was easy sufficient to arrange the tags too. They’re pre-marked so there’s little or no to do aside from screw them into the particular membership. Then, within the app, you may make up your bag by including in your particular golf equipment. There are 16 tags so you possibly can have spare golf equipment, which is helpful if, for instance, you often swap out a hybrid for an additional wedge or vice versa.
When it comes to the charger, the cable is extraordinarily safe. Maybe too safe, as I needed to be fairly forceful to take away it and that makes me nervous. I’ve had sufficient iPhones through the years to understand how simply charging ports may be broken whenever you’re too heavy-handed with them.
Shot Scope V5: Scorecard
| Class | Remark | Rating |
| Value | Wonderful bang to your buck. | 5/5 |
| Design | Pretty fundamental however nonetheless a pleasant, modern aesthetic. | 4/5 |
| Options | Sufficient to maintain most completely happy, however actually lacks the bells and whistles the most effective fashions have. | 4/5 |
| Efficiency | Does precisely what it’s presupposed to do. Easy to make use of and dependable. | 4/5 |
| Whole | A superb golf look ahead to the value with only a few flaws. | 4.5/5 |
Shot Scope V5: Ought to I purchase?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Additionally take into account
| Element | Shot Scope V5 | Garmin Strategy S70 (42mm / 47mm) | Garmin Strategy S62 |
| Value | £239.99/$249.99/AU$429.99 | $649.99 (42mm), $699.99 (47mm) / £549.99 (42mm), £599.99 (47mm) / AU$1,099 (42mm), $AU$1,199 (47mm) | $499 / £479 / AU$799 |
| Dimensions | 43mm x 43mm x 12mm | 42 x 42 x 12.6mm / 47 x 47 x 13.4mm | 47 x 47 x 14.8 mm |
| Weight | 50g | 44g / 56g | 61g |
| Case/bezel | ABS | Ceramic | Ceramic |
| Show | 240 x 240 pixels, 64 colors – Hardened Mineral Glass | AMOLED, 390 x 390px / 454 x 454px | 260 x 260px |
| GPS | GPS 1, Galileo E1, Glonass L1 | GPS+GLONASS+Galileo | Unspecified |
| Battery life | Round 5 days / or (in GPS mode) two rounds of golf (approx 10 hours) | Smartwatch mode: 10 days / 16 days; GPS mode: 15 hours / 20 hours | Smartwatch mode: As much as 14 days; GPS mode: as much as 20 hours |
| Connection | Bluetooth | Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| Waterproof | N/A | 5ATM | 5ATM |
How I examined the Shot Scope V5
I’ve performed two full rounds and an additional 9 holes utilizing the Shot Scope V5. Climate circumstances have been assorted and on one event the rain was fairly heavy for a time. To learn how correct the GPS numbers have been I in contrast the numbers to that of my Garmin Strategy S62 and in addition used a laser for a extra actual yardage. The Shot Scope V5 was all the time inside two yards of the laser and was often mentioning the identical numbers because the Garmin.
First reviewed: February 2025