Joel Tadman and Kit Alexander look at gadgets golfers might find useful
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00:00Hello everybody and welcome to this video where we're looking at the six
00:07gadgets every golfer needs. Now Kit, a gadget is a mechanical or electronic
00:12device or tool so what sorts of things are we going to be talking about in this
00:16video? First of all well done for doing your homework Joel, second of all that
00:20definition is going to be stretched just a tiny bit for this but what we're
00:24looking for essentially is something other than your run-of-the-mill clubs
00:28balls gloves clothing that's going to really enhance your experience of the
00:33game and help you get better and I think we found six really good ones. Without further ado
00:38let's get started, six gadgets every golfer needs.
00:45My number one favorite golfing gadget is a distance measuring device or a DMD if
00:52you do see it written down. Now I personally really like to use a range
00:56finder it's simple it's easy you pick it up bang you've got a yardage not
01:01only can you get the pin but also hazards trees at the back of a green dog
01:06legs as well if there's something sticking up so it's really useful it
01:09genuinely saves me four or five shots around. If you're looking for something a
01:14little bit more advanced though there are GPS's on the market as well. Joel
01:18you've tested all of them what are the pros and cons of a rangefinder versus
01:22a GPS? Yes so GPS I feel like gives you a bit more information and kit so one
01:27like this Skycaddy SX400 will provide you with color hole maps of what lies
01:33ahead so you've got a greater idea about where you want to be hitting your shots
01:36to you can it's got a movable pointer so you can touch points of interest it'll
01:40come up with hazard list view so you can see how far is to reach and carry
01:44hazards you've got a layout park so it just gives you a bit more information
01:47it's great if you play a lot of new courses that you're unfamiliar with
01:51really gives you a good idea about what lies ahead and also gives you more
01:55information on blind shots where lasers fall down so a really really useful bit
01:59of kit they do come in different forms as well so you've got GPS watches which
02:04are becoming increasingly popular they come with a lot of features they double
02:09as fitness watches and they can also do shot tracking which we'll come on to a
02:13bit later in this video but yeah you've got a lot of options in the DMD market
02:17but GPS is definitely really useful if you're playing lots of new courses
02:20absolutely Joel the DMD market so vibrant at the moment there's so much
02:24out there whatever price point you're looking at
02:27whatever of those features you need whether you prefer a rangefinder the
02:30detail of a GPS there will be something that suits you perfectly and it will
02:35help save you shots I urge you get yourself a DMD
02:43now for something a little bit humbler yep it's the little pitch mark repairer
02:49it's simple but it's vital we all want to play great condition courses we all
02:54get annoyed when we see depressions and dimples and pitch marks and we've got a
02:57putt for birdie and it's in our way so we should all be carrying one of these
03:02and repairing our pitch marks as we go it's easier than a tee and I got this
03:07one from Carnoustie so they're great as a bit of memorabilia as well Joel I know
03:10you've got a special one to you there also yeah le golf national my ones from
03:15so as a constant reminder of playing very badly on a very difficult golf
03:18course but yeah no I think it's a crucial bit of kit and you know while
03:21you can make sacrifices and try and use tees to repair your pitch mark it doesn't
03:25do as good a job as a pitch mark repairer and they do come in different
03:28designs and forms so you can get ones that are magnetic and you can put a ball
03:32marker on them so you kind of got both those two items in one place so yeah you
03:36know while it might be one of those things that you overlook a pitch mark
03:40repairer is a really important gadget to have 100% so every time you go to a nice
03:44new golf course buy a memorabilia pitch mark repairer stick it in your bag and
03:49then you've always got them there ready to go and keep the course pristine
03:58right so next gadget on our list is a golf trolley now whether that be a push
04:03trolley or an electric trolley which is the one I would always prefer I won't
04:08really step onto the golf course without my electric trolley to be honest I don't
04:11know if it's because I'm lazy Kit but for me absolutely crucial bit of kit and
04:14they do come in many different forms with different levels of features as
04:18well I like an electric trolley because I just like the fact that it takes the
04:21strain away from my body if you've got a lot of shoulder or back problems you
04:25know carrying a golf bag can really weigh you down and cause a lot of health
04:29issues so I think a trolley you know if you haven't used a trolley I think once
04:33you do you will be absolutely 100% converted so there for me I prefer an
04:37electric trolley Kit you prefer a push trolley why would you prefer that yeah
04:41I'm not quite as flash as you Joel so I'm happy to just have something simple
04:45but I can stick in the boot of the car whack it out when I need it it's
04:48lightweight it was a bit cheaper to buy in the first place and you still get
04:52those health benefits that you mentioned there it doesn't take a lot of effort to
04:56push really especially if you're on a relatively flat golf course and you
05:00still take the strain away from your body and I really notice at the end of
05:0318 holes the difference between carrying and pushing when I've got my
05:07trolley even a push one I'm so much fresher at the end of the round
05:10definitely and trolleys these days fold down awful lot more compacted than they
05:14did in years gone by so you're gonna be saving a lot of space in your boot for
05:17all your other bits and bobs and then the features as we've touched on there
05:20really are a cutting edge these days the trolley I use has GPS technology built
05:25into the handle so if you're looking for a gadget that's really going to change
05:29your game a golf trolley is definitely going to do that
05:35right so the next gadget on our list revolves around shot tracking so any
05:40kind of technology that will give you insights into how your clubs are
05:45performing how far they're going and where your strengths and weaknesses lie
05:48now we've got a couple of different options here on the market you've got
05:51the shotscope v3 kit I've got the Arcos caddy so these are basically sensors if
05:57I can open up and show you here so the sensors that screw into the tops of your
06:00grips and they're basically little mini GPS locators so they'll automatically
06:05detect your shots for you and then after you know they pair with a smartphone app
06:09you can get to the clubhouse after your round and have a look at how far you hit
06:13your clubs you know all sorts of insights into where you're losing shots
06:16around the course and it's really helpful in terms of understanding your
06:20strengths and weaknesses and knowing where you can save shots so Kit what are
06:23the benefits of the one that you've got here? Well the technology is
06:27absolutely incredible on these and we're seeing it get better and better every
06:30year not only in terms of how it's built into your clubs or how you can wear it
06:35yourself this is just a lovely little watch that doesn't get in the way at all
06:39the shotscope but the level and accuracy of the data that you're getting you want
06:43to know the average distance you've hit a 7 iron in your last 20 rounds it's
06:47there you want to know what your greening regulation are it's there are
06:50you missing the fairways right or left it's all there there's now no excuse not
06:54to have the same level of understanding and analysis of your game that your
06:58favorite tour pro has and once you've got that at your disposable you and your
07:02coach can use it to improve you can use it to buy better clubs that will suit
07:06you better to improve your technique and understand where you're dropping shots
07:10and where you're picking them up it's an incredible bit of kit and I'm so happy
07:14that we as amateur golfers are now able to get stuck into the stats like the
07:18pros do. Definitely and they're very passive these days as well you know
07:21before they're a bit clunky and a bit more inconvenient but now you don't
07:25really notice that the fact that they're there you're just coming after you around
07:27and all that information is there on your phone at your fingertips and it's
07:31incredibly useful so if you haven't benefited from shot tracking systems
07:37before give them a try where I think you'll be really blown away by the data
07:40especially if you're into your stats
07:45next up we have got putting mats absolutely great bits of kit you can
07:52fold them away when you're not using them and get them out when you are and
07:56I've got to say my putting mat at home has been out over the course of 2020 far
08:01more than ever we've been stuck at home and what better thing to do than to
08:05practice and improve your golf and it's one thing that you can properly
08:09replicate I always find hitting golf shots into a net trying to do your full
08:12games a bit different doesn't feel right but the putting it's absolutely
08:17spot-on I'm so confident over six footers now that I would take you on for
08:21money any day Joel even though I know you've got a couple at home how much has
08:26it helped you improve Joel yeah I'd say it's definitely helped me improve from
08:29short range you know obviously it gives you an opportunity to practice from the
08:33comfort of your own home where it's cold outside or if it's nighttime so you've
08:36got you know extra time you can put into your game and that should translate into
08:40results out on the course they come in all different kind of versions and sizes
08:44you can get ones with little slope ramps that replicate breaking putts I've got
08:48the putt out home putting studio kit which is fantastic because it comes with
08:52that really frustrating little trainer we have to get the ball into the hole
08:55also comes with a mirror and some gates so you can click on your strike as well
09:00as your posture your eye position so it's reinforcing those fundamentals and
09:04most importantly they come with kind of alignment slides so you can really get
09:07your alignment correct and grooved every time that's really important in
09:12terms of holding putts especially from short range so while we're pushing the
09:15definition of gadgets with a home putting mat it's definitely a crucial
09:19bit of kit that every golfer needs yeah well worth pushing the definition for a
09:22putting mat it will really help you get one in the living room do your practice
09:26while you're watching the golf on TV or it's raining outside and you'll never
09:30miss a six-footer again probably
09:37right so the next gadget on our list is a launch monitor and not just
09:41specifically a launch monitor but any gadget or tool that will provide you
09:45with feedback on your play so that can be really important in terms of
09:48understanding your tendencies your strengths and weaknesses what they are
09:52but also having fun kit you've spent a lot of time on a launch monitor recently
09:56it's not just about you're hitting endless shots and working on your
09:59yardages you can have a lot of fun with your launch monitors as well can you
10:02you really can you can download courses and go and play them if the weather
10:06isn't great outside or you've just got half an hour to rattle round a quick
10:09nine holes there's loads of games on them as well so we've been doing little
10:13challenges with the short game and you're not thinking about the technique
10:16you're just trying to hit a target or get a higher score beat your mate but
10:20then the next time you get out on the course you go I've been hitting these
10:23shots for fun I know this I know how this will work so I think as a game
10:27enjoyment tool especially through the winter when it's not so nice out on the
10:30course or courses are even closed as well as just to have a bit of fun I
10:35think it's a brilliant tool and even if you can't buy one yourself because they
10:38are expensive even the cheaper ones you can go and rent a studio your local pro
10:43might have one it's well worth getting an hour or two in there and seeing what
10:46you can do yeah launch monitors come in at different price points you know from
10:50250 pounds all the way up to the tens of thousands of pounds is up to you
10:54obviously whatever suits your budget but there's a few that have really impressed
10:57me recently the Garmin G80 is actually a GPS device but it doubles as a launch
11:03monitor that's given some really useful numbers you're working your way up on
11:06to the Rapsodo mobile launch monitor pairs with your mobile phone that's
11:10around 550 pounds and that's a really good option as well obviously you've got
11:14your Skytrak launch monitor which comes in to around about that 2,000 pound mark
11:17and then you're moving into the Foresight GC2 and Foresight GC Quad which
11:21are an awful lot more money but they do give you a lot more information so yeah
11:25lots of different options out there and the launch monitor as well but any kind
11:28of tool that will give you feedback on your swing maybe even the Zepp swing
11:31analyzer that attaches to the back of your glove that's a really good option
11:35as well anything that can give you feedback on your game it's really going
11:38to help your golf so there we have our six favorite types of golf gadget
11:44definitely something in there to enhance your enjoyment of the game and help you
11:48play a bit better if you use them right as well I hope that's given you some
11:52real inspiration we'll put some links in the description below if you're interested
11:56in buying any of the gadgets that we've talked about and obviously if you do
11:59like the video do click the like button and comment down below we'd love to hear
12:03your thoughts on which the gadget that appeals to you the most and Kit it's
12:07good to have you on board in our Golf Monthly videos this is your first one
12:10you might recognize Kit from various different Sky Sports television programs
12:16Challenge Tour, Euro Pro Tour maybe even the podcast as well so your first video
12:20did you enjoy it? I really enjoyed it a little bit chilly but we've got to try
12:23out some cool gadgets and hopefully pass on some great information to people
12:26fantastic so that's all from us here from Burley Park Golf Club we'll see you next time