Joel Tadman and Sam De'Ath run through the top ten best golf gadgets you can buy.
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00:00 Now the game of golf, it seems,
00:01 is being taken over by technology and data,
00:03 but in my opinion, that is a positive thing for the game.
00:06 It enhances your enjoyment of the round
00:08 and also your understanding of your play.
00:09 So in this video, myself and staff writer, Sam Diath,
00:13 are going to run through the 10 best golf gadgets
00:15 you can buy in 2024.
00:17 If you like any of the products
00:18 that you're going to see in this video,
00:20 there are some handy links in the description
00:22 if you want to get your hands on those.
00:23 But without further ado,
00:24 let's dive in to the top 10 gadgets you can get this year.
00:27 Right, so let's kick things off, Sam.
00:29 What have you chosen for your first gadget, please?
00:32 - Now the first gadget I've chosen is the Pro Sender.
00:35 Now this is a training aid that has been created.
00:38 It's a mold with a really soft rubber insole there.
00:42 And the idea is that it maintains your wrist angles
00:44 throughout the swing,
00:45 enabling you to get more shallow, compressible,
00:48 and maintain those wrist angles.
00:49 You want to keep your wrist in this mold
00:51 as long as possible.
00:53 So this elastic strap goes around your forearm,
00:56 sits in here, and on the way back,
00:58 and the whole way through, you want to maintain that angle.
01:01 You feel like you can really compressible.
01:03 For those who kind of throw the club a lot,
01:04 this is a really good device
01:06 that will enable you to create more speed,
01:08 create more power, and increase your strike on the ball.
01:10 It's created by PGA Professionals, David Woods,
01:13 and Tiger Woods' former coach, Sean Foley.
01:16 Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose,
01:17 are all guys who have used this product
01:19 to help maintain their superior level of ball striking.
01:23 And I think this will suit and apply to many golfers.
01:26 - Yeah, it's not just better players.
01:27 Obviously, high handicap, I think,
01:29 would benefit from the feelings
01:30 that that really incorporates into the swing.
01:32 And it does come with this compression sphere,
01:34 I believe they call it,
01:35 which you put into your wrist position here.
01:37 - Absolutely, yeah.
01:38 - More connection.
01:39 - The mold itself just attaches from this elastic strap,
01:42 which could be a touch longer and a bit more elastic
01:44 if you get around your forearm.
01:46 You would then attach the ball on,
01:47 keep it between your arms,
01:48 and just maintain connection through your swing.
01:50 - It's a very strong first choice there, Sam.
01:52 I think that's going to suit a very broad range of players.
01:54 My first pick in this gadget's video,
01:56 I'm going to pass you this ball,
01:57 is the Arcos Link Pro.
01:59 Now, it's a brand new device from Arcos,
02:01 obviously famous for its shot tracking technology.
02:04 And there's a few ways that you can do it.
02:05 You can use it with your phone in your pocket.
02:07 A lot of golfers don't like to do that.
02:09 They had the Link device,
02:09 which clips onto the front of your pocket,
02:11 but that didn't look great,
02:12 and the battery life wasn't great either.
02:14 So they've developed this new device,
02:16 which slots into this charging case here,
02:18 has up to 12 rounds of battery in it.
02:21 So you're not going to run out of battery after a round.
02:23 You haven't got to recharge it
02:24 and worry about going out on the course
02:25 and running out of battery
02:26 and then not having that shot tracking capability.
02:28 So what you do with this,
02:29 rather than clipping it on your pocket,
02:30 you clip it, you put it in your pocket.
02:32 So that's a really, bit of a game changer really.
02:34 It looks a lot cleaner.
02:35 You can still access the pin collect button
02:37 via your pocket.
02:38 It's a bit of a, more of a tactile button on there,
02:40 so you can press it through your pocket.
02:42 And the other thing I like about this particular device,
02:44 I do think that the GPS has been enhanced a little bit.
02:47 I think it misses less shots than my Link did
02:50 when I was using that.
02:51 So better shot detection, better battery life,
02:53 and much more convenient, I think.
02:54 So Arcos have really stepped up their game here.
02:56 And you know, we know that probably one of the leaders
02:58 in that shot tracking space,
03:00 and this Arcos Link Pro,
03:02 is really going to help golfers that do it.
03:04 - Yeah, I really like those additions
03:06 and changes they've made onto this new device.
03:10 You know, we all like using Arcos in the Golf Monthly team.
03:12 It's a really good way of tracking our statistics
03:15 and helping us improve our golf.
03:16 So I think they're changes that every golfer
03:18 will be happy that they've made.
03:20 Right Joel, what have you got for us next
03:21 in the best golf gadgets?
03:23 - This is a good one.
03:24 I think people are going to like this one.
03:24 This is the Bluetees PlayAdvance speaker.
03:27 Now we know there's a lot of golf speakers out there
03:29 and a lot of golf GPSs out there,
03:30 but not many combine the two as well
03:33 as what Bluetees have done here.
03:34 You can see here,
03:35 you've got a beautiful touchscreen display here.
03:38 Really easy pairing system.
03:40 You know, pair it with the app on your phone,
03:42 set it up, you get those distances on the screen.
03:44 It's a touchscreen, so you can do some swiping.
03:46 You get your driving distance,
03:48 you get hazard information,
03:50 as well as your front, middle, back.
03:52 But I think the other thing I really like about it
03:53 is the fact that it's a really good speaker.
03:54 So if you do like listening to music on the golf course,
03:57 blaring out the tunes, the quality on this is excellent.
03:59 It's got this magnetic strip on the back,
04:01 so you can clip it to the buggy really easily.
04:03 And you've got this button here,
04:04 so you press this button, it'll speak the distances,
04:07 the front, middle, back distances
04:09 that you're seeing on the screen as well.
04:10 So you get that audible option if you want it.
04:13 It's really versatile.
04:14 Like I said, the quality's great.
04:15 And it's also waterproof as well.
04:17 So if you get caught in a shower,
04:18 it should still work perfectly fine.
04:20 So in terms of golf speakers,
04:22 I think this is one of the most feature-packed ones
04:24 out there, and for under $200,
04:26 there's a decent amount of value as well.
04:27 Well, I noticed you've got something in your hand there, Sam.
04:29 So what was your next gadget?
04:30 - I do.
04:32 So this is the Ballon.
04:33 Now, the name derives from balance,
04:36 and the idea behind this is it is a pressure plate system.
04:38 So the idea behind this is you've got insoles,
04:41 pressure plate insoles, that slide in under your shoes
04:43 and clip on, relay back to your phone via an app.
04:48 And you can, in live time,
04:50 see where your pressure is in both feet
04:52 while you're swinging.
04:53 The app also records every swing.
04:55 So if you hang back on one,
04:58 and you stay on your right side,
04:59 and you can see the pressures there,
05:00 you can also see the swing that went with that.
05:02 So it's a really good kind of two-in-one training aid.
05:05 And one that, like I said,
05:07 golfers who struggle to move their weight
05:08 onto their lead side, which is a really common fault,
05:10 I think will really benefit from this product.
05:12 Through the app as well,
05:13 you actually get a interactive virtual coach.
05:15 So it will register what you've done right
05:18 or what you've done wrong,
05:18 it will give you a score.
05:20 And then from that,
05:21 the virtual coach can then give you drills to work on
05:24 to improve the way you're actually placing pressure
05:27 throughout your golf swing.
05:28 - That's really cool.
05:29 I mean, they look a little bit naff on your feet,
05:30 but you have got clips to keep them in place,
05:33 which does help, otherwise they'd be rattling around.
05:35 But that aside, I think it's a really effective tool
05:37 that's going to give you really good feedback
05:38 on your play.
05:39 Right, so a quick change of scene for us here.
05:42 We've come to the putting green.
05:43 I'm going to talk you through a couple of very nifty gadgets.
05:46 But before we do that,
05:47 I'm just going to give you a reminder to like the video
05:48 if you like it,
05:49 and do subscribe to the Golf Monthly YouTube channel
05:51 so you don't miss any of our video content.
05:54 Right, that's out of the way.
05:55 Sam, I'm going to throw to you first.
05:56 What's your putting gadget that you've chosen for this video?
05:59 - Now, I've chosen the Kapto EZ model,
06:02 easy model as it is.
06:03 So this is the little brother
06:06 to the Kapto Generation 2 model.
06:08 And what it is,
06:09 is a device that essentially attaches
06:12 to the shaft of your putter,
06:14 gives you real time feedback via an app on your phone
06:18 on what your stroke is doing while you're putting.
06:20 So it measures things such as face angles,
06:24 shaft, whether you're upright or too flat
06:26 with your putter shaft,
06:28 your arc, your tempo.
06:29 Now, this model measures 10 parameters
06:31 and you can have 10 parameters on your screen.
06:33 Does become a little overwhelming, I must admit.
06:36 But the main Kapto model also offers 30 parameters.
06:40 So it's a lot of information.
06:42 I would say this one is definitely more personal use.
06:44 The other one may be more for coaches
06:46 doing proper putting lessons,
06:48 but this can be used indoors, outdoors.
06:50 It doesn't matter what surface you're on.
06:52 So carpet or grass,
06:53 it's purely measuring your shaft and your club head.
06:57 - That's really interesting.
06:58 So yeah, a very useful tool
06:59 if you want to work on your putting stroke.
07:01 I've got something similar in that
07:03 this is a device that also pairs with an app on my phone.
07:06 This is called PuttLink and it's a smart golf ball.
07:09 I always think when you practice your putting,
07:10 it can be quite boring
07:12 and often you don't get that numerical feedback
07:14 or data on what you're doing
07:16 to really know if you're improving or getting any better.
07:18 So what this does is,
07:20 like I said, it pairs with an app on your phone.
07:21 You press the little button on the top of the ball,
07:23 line it up in a certain way,
07:25 and you make some putts
07:26 and it gives you a wealth of information.
07:28 It gives you things like your make percentage,
07:30 your entry speed,
07:32 so whether you're going in kind of the back of the hole
07:33 or the front of the hole,
07:34 and a few other parameters
07:35 that I found really useful, actually,
07:37 just to give you, like I said,
07:38 that numerical element to your practice
07:40 that helps you give you some benchmarks
07:43 that you can improve on.
07:44 Like you can do some unique challenges via the app.
07:46 You can test the speed of the greens,
07:48 the stint reading on the greens.
07:50 The ball itself is pretty good.
07:51 It looks pretty solid.
07:53 When you hit it, it does feel a little bit dead versus--
07:55 - I was going to ask how it felt
07:57 compared to a premium ball.
07:58 - It doesn't feel like a premium golf ball.
07:59 Obviously, there's some technology in here
08:01 that allows it to track where it's going
08:03 and give you that feedback.
08:04 But if you're looking for
08:06 to spice up your putting practice
08:08 and just gain more insights
08:09 into how you're performing on the greens,
08:11 I think it's something definitely worth trying.
08:13 I think it comes under around $200.
08:16 You get 1,000 putts from it.
08:17 Obviously, there's a battery inside,
08:18 which isn't going to last forever,
08:20 and it's not rechargeable.
08:21 So you're getting 1,000 putts for it.
08:23 So you're going to get a few decent
08:24 practice sessions out of it, I think.
08:25 - Well, between the two,
08:26 we should be holding a few more putts in the future.
08:29 - Absolutely, we're going to be deadly on the greens.
08:30 - Absolutely.
08:31 - Right, so my next choice in this gadget video, Sam,
08:35 is the Garmin Approach S70 GPS watch,
08:38 which I've got here.
08:39 Now, this is the goat of GPS watches,
08:41 if you're familiar with that phrase.
08:43 It's head and shoulders above the rest
08:45 in terms of the functionality
08:46 and the clarity on the display.
08:48 This is an AMOLED display.
08:49 It's super detailed,
08:51 and as I said, it's feature-packed.
08:53 You've obviously got your front and rear back distances.
08:55 You've got some really crystal clear hole maps,
08:57 which you can zoom in on, scroll up and down.
08:59 There's a movable pointer.
09:00 You can plot your way around the holes.
09:02 You pair this watch with the Garmin app,
09:04 you get even more information.
09:06 It factors in things like wind and slope as well,
09:10 so you get even more information, which is great
09:11 if you're playing a lot of hilly courses.
09:13 That's going to really come in handy.
09:14 You can scroll through different hazards.
09:16 So it's great in terms of golf functionality,
09:19 loads of off-course functionality as well,
09:20 which makes it super versatile,
09:22 and it looks great as well, really premium on your wrist.
09:26 So it's pretty much a faultless watch.
09:28 Yes, it does come in at a more premium price,
09:29 but you do get an awful lot for your money, in my opinion.
09:32 So what have you got to counteract my choice in this video?
09:35 I'm going to counteract your choice
09:37 with the Rapsodo MLM2 Pro launch monitor.
09:40 Now, it's the first launch monitor
09:42 in our golf gadgets video this year,
09:44 and it comes in at a fairly reasonable price of $700.
09:48 Now, you get the premium membership for the first year,
09:50 and then after the first year, you then pay $199 per year.
09:55 Now, what you get for that
09:58 is an indoor/outdoor launch monitor.
10:00 What I will say on the range is,
10:01 as much as it's fairly decent at picking up yardage,
10:04 it doesn't measure spin
10:05 unless you're using specific RPT Callaway golf balls.
10:09 Now, it does come supplied with a sleeve
10:11 of the Callaway RPT golf balls,
10:12 so using it in a net, you will get spin access.
10:17 But aside from that, using it on the range,
10:18 you will just get carry distances.
10:20 However, when you're inside at home
10:23 and you want to use it inside,
10:24 you will not only get the spin using those balls,
10:26 but you also get access to 30,000 golf courses
10:29 through simulator function.
10:30 Now, on the new firmware update as well,
10:32 you can also use Speed 6 to measure speed progress,
10:35 so just clubhead speed.
10:37 - Yeah, I think it's a very congested area of the market,
10:40 that kind of under $1,000,
10:41 and in this sort of area,
10:43 you're going to compromise something
10:44 versus a track band or a GC quad.
10:46 So yeah, it's not going to give you
10:47 all the parameters you might want,
10:49 but for something that's going to give you
10:50 basic feedback on your shots
10:51 and the opportunity to play simulated courses
10:54 indoors or outdoors, I think it's a pretty decent option.
10:57 - So Joel, what have you got for us next?
10:58 - Right, my next choice is the Caddy Torque Cube
11:01 range finder.
11:02 Now, this is an orthodox looking range finder,
11:05 it's a bit industrial looking,
11:06 but it is one of the most feature packed range finders
11:09 you can get on the market.
11:10 I love so much about what this offers.
11:12 It's got a screen on the side,
11:14 so when you're zapping the distance,
11:15 not only, so like often I'll zap a distance,
11:18 put it down, then I'll forget what I've just zapped,
11:20 and I don't know what club I need to hit,
11:21 but the distance will display on the screen
11:23 so I can find it there.
11:24 But the big selling point of this range finder
11:26 is its triangulation feature.
11:28 So what you can do with the Caddy mode
11:29 on this range finder device,
11:30 so for example, Sam, say if your playing partner
11:34 was down on the fairway and they were asking you
11:36 for a yardage to the pin,
11:38 what I can do is I can press the mode button,
11:40 zap the person, zap the flag,
11:43 and then it will tell me what the distance is
11:45 from the person to the flag.
11:46 So there's a few different scenarios
11:48 where that might be useful.
11:49 If you're laying up on a par five,
11:50 and you can see the perfect area you want to lay up to,
11:53 but you don't know how far that is to the pin,
11:55 you can zap that distance, zap the flag,
11:57 and it will tell you.
11:57 So it's a really clever feature
11:59 that no other range finders use
12:00 that I've seen.
12:01 It's got slope, it's got magic slope as well,
12:04 which takes into factors like humidity and altitude.
12:07 So courses like here at Paliero and Madeira,
12:09 absolutely stunning golf course,
12:11 but it is incredibly high.
12:12 It's going to factor those sorts of things in,
12:14 so you get even more accuracy.
12:16 Very easy to use.
12:17 Like I said, it's not the best looking,
12:18 but it does come with the option of a silicon case.
12:20 You have to pay around about $20 for it,
12:23 but if you want something that looks a bit more premium,
12:25 you can slide that over,
12:26 and it also enhances the grip of it as well.
12:28 So in terms of a feature pack range finder
12:30 that isn't going to cost the earth,
12:31 it's round about $350,
12:33 this Kelly Talk Cube is well worth a try.
12:36 - Nice.
12:36 - That's enough from me.
12:37 I can see you've got a very interesting gadget
12:39 in your hand there.
12:40 Talk us through what your next choice is.
12:41 - Okay, so my next choice isn't quite as high tech
12:44 as your choice there, Joel,
12:45 but this product, the Sure Set,
12:48 has been out on the market for a while now.
12:50 - Yeah.
12:51 - But we think it is so valuable,
12:52 I think it is so valuable to golfers
12:55 that it just has to be in our top 10 gadgets.
12:56 Now, it's again, a cheaper training aid
12:59 than the one I mentioned previously in the video,
13:01 but what this does is allows you
13:03 to place your hands on the grip here,
13:06 which itself is a grip trainer.
13:08 Now that's really handy for me,
13:09 so I'm someone who gets very, very strong
13:12 with my right hand,
13:13 so having a grip trainer anytime I can
13:15 is really useful when I'm practicing.
13:17 So I can set my grip, I can make a full turn,
13:20 and it should lock in on my left,
13:23 inside of my left shoulder, above your armpit,
13:25 and that just puts me in a really set position there
13:28 where it sinks my arms and my chest up,
13:30 allows me to get a really full turn.
13:33 I'm again, someone who collapses my left elbow
13:36 at the top of my swing, I lose a load of power.
13:39 This keeps me there and allows me to turn through
13:42 and maintain my speed and width in my swing.
13:44 Now, where it is very functional as well
13:47 is that's keeping me on plane.
13:49 However, if I was to go really over plane
13:51 and get really steep,
13:51 you can see how the ball itself misses my shoulder.
13:54 - Yeah, if you spin around and show the camera that,
13:55 so yeah, just if you were to kind of go too far outside,
13:59 you can see-- - So if I was to go that way,
14:00 - It doesn't lock in
14:01 in the armpit and then-- - I miss it on the outside,
14:02 and I can't turn, and vice versa,
14:04 if I was to go inside straightaway,
14:06 hits my right shoulder will stop me.
14:07 - So you get that immediate feedback, don't you?
14:09 So it's a few different things.
14:11 You're getting really good width
14:12 and stretch in the backswing,
14:13 which a lot of golfers struggle with,
14:14 me, myself, and you as well,
14:16 and then you're getting that feedback on your swing plane.
14:17 So it's a very versatile training aid,
14:19 and you're reinforcing some good fundamentals
14:21 with a grip trainer as well.
14:22 - Absolutely, fully adjustable as well,
14:24 so you can adjust it to different heights,
14:25 different people have different arm lengths,
14:27 and yeah, it's really handy.
14:30 - Yeah, and it matches your shirt as well.
14:31 What more do you want? - Color coordinated.