Arccos vs Shot Scope vs golfity: Golf Analytics App Comparison

Golf analytics apps have multiplied in the last five years. The category that Mark Broadie pioneered with strokes gained research is now crowded with options, each promising to show you where your game is leaking strokes. Three names come up more than any others: Arccos, Shot Scope, and golfity.

Each takes a different approach. Arccos uses sensors screwed into your grips. Shot Scope uses a GPS watch paired with club tags. golfity uses manual entry on your phone with no hardware at all. The strokes gained math is similar across all three, but the experience of using them, the cost of entry, and the depth of analysis vary more than you might expect.

This is a direct comparison of all three platforms, based on what they actually deliver to an amateur golfer trying to improve.

The Core Difference: Hardware vs No Hardware

The single biggest difference between these apps is whether you need to buy something physical before you can start tracking.

Arccos requires a set of 14 Smart Sensors ($199) that screw into the butt end of your grip. The sensors detect your swing and pair with your phone to log shots automatically. You also need to pay a subscription ($99/year after the first year) to access the data and analytics.

Shot Scope offers multiple hardware options. The V5 GPS watch with club tags runs around $250. There is also a standalone sensor kit if you already have a watch. The advantage over Arccos is no subscription — once you buy the hardware, you own the data forever.

golfity requires nothing. You download the app, create an account, and start tracking. Shot entry is manual: you tap the screen to log each shot during or after the round. The core app is free. Premium features exist but are not required for full strokes gained analysis.

This is not a small distinction. The hardware-based apps require a commitment of $200-300 before you see your first strokes gained number. golfity lets you track your next round for free in about ten minutes of cumulative tapping.

Automatic Tracking vs Manual Entry

Arccos and Shot Scope market themselves on automatic shot detection. The sensors know when you swing, what club you used, and where you are on the course. In theory, this means you do not have to touch your phone during the round.

In practice, automatic tracking is messier than the marketing suggests.

Both Arccos and Shot Scope require you to review and correct shots after the round. Penalty shots, mulligans, and certain short-game situations confuse the sensors. Arccos users report spending 5-10 minutes post-round fixing misdetected shots. Shot Scope is similar. The detection has improved over the years, but it is not hands-free in the way you might imagine.

golfity takes the opposite approach: you enter shots yourself. This sounds like more work, but it has two advantages. First, your data is exactly what happened — no algorithms guessing whether that was a practice swing or a real shot. Second, you control the level of detail. You can log every shot with club and accuracy, or you can skip club selection and accuracy tracking and enter just the essentials. A round takes 3-5 minutes of total input, spread across 18 holes.

The question is whether automatic tracking is worth $200+ in hardware and the post-round correction ritual. For some golfers, absolutely. For others, manual entry is faster and cheaper with no loss in data quality.

Strokes Gained: What Each App Actually Calculates

All three apps offer strokes gained analysis, but the depth varies.

Arccos provides strokes gained in five categories: Driving, Approach, Around the Green, Putting, and an overall Total. The app compares your performance to a database of Arccos users at similar handicap levels. It also offers an “AI Caddie” feature that recommends clubs based on your historical data.

Shot Scope provides strokes gained in similar categories, with benchmarks from their proprietary database of amateur shots. They claim over 350 million recorded shots, which gives reasonable statistical reliability. Their PRO subscription adds additional filtering and trends.

golfity calculates strokes gained in four categories: Off the Tee, Approach, Around the Green, and Putting. The key difference is benchmark flexibility. golfity lets you compare against PGA Tour benchmarks or against a specific handicap level (scratch, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25). This means a 15-handicap can see strokes gained relative to other 15-handicaps, not just relative to scratch. For many amateurs, this produces insights you can actually act on — you can see why comparing to a 10 handicap can be better than comparing to a pro.

The strokes gained math is fundamentally the same across all three. The difference is in the benchmarks used and the granularity of the breakdown.

Pricing Breakdown

Here is what each platform costs over three years, assuming you start from zero:

Arccos is the most expensive long-term because of the annual subscription. Shot Scope is a one-time purchase. golfity is free for core strokes gained features.

golfity does offer a premium tier with additional features, but strokes gained analysis, round history, and club stats are all available without paying. The free version is not a trial — it is the full product.

Data Portability and Ownership

A less obvious question: who owns your data, and can you get it out?

Arccos stores your data in their cloud. You can export to CSV, but the export is limited. If you cancel your subscription, you lose access to your historical analysis.

Shot Scope stores data locally and in their cloud. Because there is no subscription, your data remains accessible indefinitely. Export options exist but are basic.

golfity stores data in the cloud with full export capabilities. You can download rounds, holes, and individual shots as CSV files for analysis in Excel or Google Sheets. Your data is yours.

If you want to run your own analysis or keep records across years, you need to be able to get your data out. golfity is the most open of the three.

Ease of Use During a Round

Using any of these apps during a round is a tradeoff between detail and friction.

Arccos is theoretically the least intrusive — the sensors do the work. But you need to carry your phone in your pocket or use the Arccos Link wearable ($99 extra) for reliable detection. Cold weather, thick gloves, and certain swing types can reduce accuracy.

Shot Scope’s GPS watch shows yardages on your wrist and logs shots automatically. The V5 is a functional golf watch even without the tracking features. Club tags add a small amount of weight to your grips.

golfity runs on your phone with no accessories. You can enter shots as you play (a few taps between holes) or reconstruct the round afterward from your scorecard. The app is designed for quick input: you can log a full 18 holes in under five minutes if you prefer to track post-round. For golfers who do not want to carry extra hardware, this is the lightest-weight option.

Who Each App Is Best For

Arccos is best for golfers who want automatic tracking, are willing to pay for it, and play enough rounds to justify the subscription. The AI Caddie feature is useful if you struggle with club selection. The hardware investment makes sense if you play 30+ rounds per year.

Shot Scope is best for golfers who want automatic tracking without a recurring cost. The one-time purchase model is appealing if you plan to use the system for years. The GPS watch is a solid standalone golf watch even if you stop tracking shots.

golfity is best for golfers who want strokes gained analytics without buying hardware or paying subscriptions. Manual entry is not for everyone, but for golfers who do not mind tapping their phone a few times per hole, it delivers the same quality of data for free. It is also the best choice for golfers who want flexible benchmarking against their own handicap level.

The Question That Matters

The real question is not which app has the best features. It is which app you will actually use.

Arccos and Shot Scope offer automatic tracking, but both require hardware setup, battery management, and post-round review. Some golfers love the convenience. Others buy the sensors, use them for a month, and let them sit in a drawer.

golfity asks for more active input but has no friction to start. You can track your next round tomorrow without buying anything. The data quality is equivalent. The analysis is equivalent. The difference is the work is upfront (manual entry) instead of behind the scenes (sensor detection and correction).

If you have never tracked strokes gained before, try golfity first. It costs nothing, takes one round to learn, and will show you exactly where your game is losing strokes. If you decide you want automatic tracking after that, Arccos and Shot Scope are there. But start with the data — and see what it tells you about your game.

Use the strokes gained calculator to analyze a single round and see what kind of insight strokes gained provides. Then decide how much you are willing to invest in collecting that data automatically.