Reviewing the Shot Scope V5 GPS Golf Watch: Is There a Golf Product in 2024 That Offers More Value Than This?

The Shot Scope V5 is a GPS golf watch with free shot tracking and no subscriptions for only $250!

Yes, that’s worth an exclamation point in the very first sentence!

Why?

Because who else is doing this?! Only Shot Scope. They’re the only ones basically giving away shot tracking all while keeping retail prices under control. And all without ever charging a subscription.

But to bring a watch like the V5 to market for just $250, Shot Scope has to make some design and feature sacrifices.

And you know what? I’m completely fine with that. And I think the right consumer will be too.

I can’t call this a luxury golf watch. And I can’t call it the most feature-rich golf watch (unless of course we’re talking just about free shot tracking!). In the end, I can’t call it the best golf watch of 2024.

But it’s not supposed to be those things. Instead, it’s designed to be an alternative to the price-prohibitive, higher-end options.

And I think that’s good news for consumers across the board. As long as a company like Shot Scope is releasing products that do so much for so little, the higher-end brands can’t raise their prices too much or the price gap will become so pronounced that they’ll see diminishing market share.

So, whether or not you decide to buy a Shot Scope V5, you may still appreciate the company’s efforts.

I also think this golf watch might make for the perfect nice golf gift. Which means, even if you already own a golf watch, you may still be able to support Shot Scope with a V5 purchase. I’ll explain why I think it’s such a great present as we go.

Let’s get into all that the Shot Scope V5 delivers for that very attractive price. And let’s investigate what things hold it back, in my opinion, from being the very best golf watch in 2024.

Shot Tracking Without Subscriptions?!

If you know the Shot Scope brand, you know that one of their biggest differentiators with their line of golf watches and GPS devices is free shot-tracking tags. They just give ‘em to ya!

It’s not just with their latest V5 watch either. Yes, the V5 stands out because of its price and for additional reasons that I’ll describe. But the included shot tracking tags are also available with the Shot Scope X5 and V3 golf watches, the PRO LX+ golf rangefinder, and the Shot Scope H4 golf GPS handheld.

What are Shot Tracking Tags and What Benefits Do They Provide?

In case you’re not familiar with shot tracking, here’s a very brief primer.

1. You screw small sensors to the end of each club’s grip. Shot Scope gives you 16 sensors, which means you’ve got two extras beyond the 14 clubs the rules of golf allow you to carry. It took me about 10 minutes to install all of the tags.
2. As you play golf, each sensor automatically detects which club you’re hitting as well as when and where you hit a shot. In the case of the Shot Scope V5, the sensors interface with the golf watch. You don’t have to do anything. It all happens automatically.
3. After your round, you sync your V5 golf watch with your Shot Scope account in the Shot Scope app on your phone or computer. This then opens up an array of analysis options for you, including Strokes Gained, which is a statistical method used to measure a player’s performance relative to a standard. 

In other words, shot tracking tags give you the opportunity to learn exactly where you’re doing well and where you’re falling short out on the golf course. It’s an incredibly powerful tool for game improvement, helping you learn where you need to focus your practice efforts.

And the beauty with Shot Scope is that there are no extra fees associated with the shot tracking tags.

With a system like Arccos, for example, you’d have to pay $424.98 for the tags and receiver/transmitter device. And then you’ve got to pay $12.99 per month after a free first year. And after all that, you still don’t have a golf watch, like you would with the Shot Scope V5.

Garmin also has CT10 shot tracking tags that are compatible with a number of their products. But they cost $299.99 for a set of 14.

Also, Shot Scope takes the value of that shot tracking data a step further with an app feature called MyStrategy. In the app, you can sync your performance stats with any golf course they have mapped. You can then apply your own dispersion tendencies with any of your clubs to shots on any hole.

That means that if you’re planning to play an unfamiliar course, you can strategize by viewing each hole and plotting your way around the course based on how you hit each club. That’s a really cool feature.

So you can see why it’s awfully exciting to get shot tracking tags with the Shot Scope V5 for nothing more than the price of the watch.

But does the Shot Scope shot-tracking system work as well as something like the Arccos system? Keep reading.

Other Shot Scope V5 Features

The thing about the Shot Scope V5 is that, for $249.99, it’s a damn fine golf watch even if you have no interest in the shot-tracking feature. As I noted, by no means do I consider it the best or most feature-packed golf watch on the market, but it certainly holds its own and provides noteworthy value.

I’d rate the build quality of the watch as good but not quite great. Navigation on this watch is button-only, which a lot of people will love while some will prefer touchscreen. The buttons on the V5 aren’t as nice as on higher-end watches. The screen likewise isn’t OLED or quite as nice of a display as you’d find on top-end contenders. There’s no slope-adjusted yardages or wind or weather calculations.

But when you’re paying only $249.99, you really can’t expect across-the-board premium-quality materials and features. Even without whatever’s missing, I think that the V5 is actually a really nice-looking watch that wears very comfortably.

And as a golf watch, it gives you plenty, including:

• Full-hole color maps
• Five different color themes, meaning you can get your numbers in blue, orange, green, red, or pink
• A built-in digital scorecard
• Green view with manual pin placement
• Front/Middle/Back GPS distances on more than 36,000 golf courses
• Multiple watch face design options
• Two-plus rounds of battery life
• Step counter

On the course, the watch has performed nearly flawlessly for me. I’ve confirmed yardages using two different rangefinders and found the V5 to be within two yards even on really long shots.

The full-hole color maps look great. And, at least on my course, all of the bunkers and water hazards are accounted for, with yardages to each one so that you can avoid the trouble.

You can click through the buttons on the hole maps to get yardages to specific layup spots, and you can likewise click the buttons to set the pin in that day’s location on the green view screen.

The accuracy of the hole layouts and green shapes and sizes has been spot on for me.

In the rounds I’ve used the V5, it always found my golf course and had me ready for my first tee shot within 30 seconds of selecting the “Play Golf” button. Never an issue.

You will want to wait until you finish any warm up before hitting that button, however. The first time I used the watch, I started the golf feature and then went to the driving range. When I arrived at the first tee box, the watch had already recorded 30-some shots.

Not a big deal. And if you are using the shot-tracking feature, it’s super easy to edit mistakes like that in the app after the round.

If the Shot Scope V5 was the only golf GPS watch you ever used, I think you’d be damned impressed. I’ve used many golf watches, and I’m still impressed.

But because I have been so spoiled with the opportunity to test pretty much all of the best golf watches, I’m maybe overly sensitive to the things I notice that I don’t like.

Things That Hold the Shot Scope V5 Back

Let me start by reminding you (and me) that this golf watch costs only $249.99.

Of course there are going to be things that the V5 doesn’t do quite as well as something like the $699.99 Garmin Approach S70.

It’s not fair to expect the same performance from the V5, and I don’t. But I do want to point out the things I’ve noted as not quite as nice about the V5. I’ve touched on a few already—the quality of the buttons, the non-OLED screen, no slope, wind, or weather.

But the biggest issue for me is that the whole Shot Scope ecosystem experience—meaning the watch, the tags, the app, the overall platform—is just a little clunky compared to other brands.

I’m not backing off my statement that the watch’s overall performance has been excellent. But it hasn’t been perfect.

For example, it once just completely dropped out of golf mode when I was on the eleventh hole. I had to re-fire-up the “Play Golf” feature and start a new round. Then, when I wanted to review my shots later, I had two separate rounds to toggle between.

Another thing that’s a bit funky with the V5 is that the watch band and buckle is configured opposite of what you’d encounter with pretty much any other watch I’ve ever worn or even seen. Normally, if you set a watch on your wrist, the clasp or buckle would be at the top. But with the V5, it’s at the bottom.

Shot Scope says that’s because the shot-tracking RFID technology is in the band itself. I still don’t understand why that requires the buckle configuration to be backwards, but whatever. It’s a minor curiosity that you pretty much get used to after wearing it a couple of times.

Also, the shot-tracking tags, for as great as they are, are likewise not perfect. For one thing, they don’t fit as snuggly into the butt-end of my grips as the Arccos sensors do. And while the Arccos system is also capable of an occasional missed shot, I’ve had several more missed or phantom shots with the Shot Scope.

Also, compared to Arccos, the statistical analysis isn’t nearly as slick in the Shot Scope app. But that’s a tough standard. Arccos is phenomenal when it comes to displaying information in really granular detail.

But again, with Shot Scope you’re basically getting the shot tracking for free, so what do you expect?

Look, I’m not calling any of this stuff bad with Shot Scope. I’m simply saying it’s not as good as the best in the market, in my opinion.

The Shot Scope V5 Is Definitely Smart, but It’s Not a Smartwatch

You’re also not going to get all of the advanced off-the-course fitness and lifestyle features with the Shot Scope V5 as you would with a true top-of-the-line golf watch like the Garmin S70.

The V5 does include a step counter, which is cool. But there’s no sleep tracking, no heart rate monitor, or hydration tracking, or blood oxygen saturation monitor, etc.

You also can’t get notifications, or texts, or emails, or incoming phone calls on your V5. The features are pretty much limited to golf. Which I’m cool with. Once again, it’s $249.99.

Here’s something smarter about the V5 than all of the other so-called “smart” golf watches? It displays the time of day on the watch face while you’re playing golf. Thank you, Shot Scope! Why this is such an elusive feature with all the other brands, I have no idea. 

Shot Scope V5 vs X5

There are a lot of similarities between the V5 and Shot Scope’s X5 model that they released in 2023. Both watches look very similar at a glance and they both have the same 1.2-inch watch face. Each also weighs the same 50 grams. They both have the same silicone strap, though the X5 offers straps in multiple colors, while with the V5, black is the only option. Both include shot-tracking tags. And both watches are compatible with either iOS or Android.

But there are some key differences.

1. The X5 is intended to be more premium while the V5 offers the most value. The quality difference is subtle, in my opinion, but it’s most notable with the bezel. The X5 features a shiny ceramic bezel compared to the black, plastic bezel on the V5.
2. Touchscreen vs. Buttons. The X5 features more expensive touchscreen technology. With the V5, all watch navigation is via four buttons. Many golfers strongly prefer one over the other, so this feature difference alone may help you decide which model is better for you.
3. Hole Maps. The V5 is Shot Scope’s first GPS watch to feature the beautiful, full-detail, full-hole maps. Every hazard and dogleg is mapped. With the X5, you can overlay your own personal shot data onto the hole map on the watch for a more personalized experience.
4. Five color themes vs. one. The V5 is the first Shot Scope watch to include multiple color options for your numbers readouts.
5. Price. The new Shot Scope V5 retails for just $249.99 while the X5 goes for $299.99.

You can see from that quick glance a few of the areas where Shot Scope decided to cut back to keep the price down with the V5. And I really think they made some smart decisions. To me, the V5 is just as attractive as the X5, but maybe I’m just not a bezel guy. And yes, the personalized maps on the X5 are cool, but I actually think the $50 savings with the V5 is even cooler.

Personally, I’m torn on whether I prefer touchscreen or buttons. I kind of like them both. There are many times on the golf course where navigating via touchscreen is a bit of a pain. Sometimes your fingers are slippery, or you don’t want to get a bunch of gunk on the watch face.

But then there are times like when you’re trying to set the pin location where I much prefer touchscreen over buttons. I could go either way, and I am not bothered by the cost-saving measure of choosing buttons over touchscreen for the V5.

Why I Think the V5 Makes a Great Golf Gift

If you’ve got a golfer in your life and you’re interested in getting them a really nice gift but not a crazy-high-end, super-expensive gift, I think the Shot Scope V5 golf watch is perfect.

Have I mentioned that it costs $249.99? At least to me, that represents a very nice gift. But it’s also maybe still in the realistic range for the right person or the right occasion.

And the real beauty is that you wouldn’t be saddling the recipient with any subscriptions. With so many golf technology gifts, the person receiving it may often think (hopefully to themselves), “Gee, thank you very much. I’ll now look forward to setting up my account and paying through the nose every month. But I sure do appreciate it.”

That’s what’s so great about the Shot Scope V5. You can give a very nice, fully functional golf watch and the gift of shot-tracking, which can be next level for a golfer, and the person you’re giving it to won’t have to do anything other than charge the watch, install the tracking tags, and start enjoying the product.

Shot Scope V5 GPS Golf Watch Review Conclusion: Who Should Buy It? 

I’m excited about this golf watch. I think it fills a nice void in the market, and I think that the right user is going to be very satisfied with its performance.

For all the reasons I’ve outlined, it’s not a perfect product. Then again, I’ve yet to try one of those. Stll, the V5, in my opinion, is not a contender for the best high-end golf watch of 2024. But I don’t think Shot Scope ever set out with that objective. Instead, I think they’ve nailed the value proposition.

Who’s it for?

I think that someone who’s on a budget and doesn’t want to drop $500-plus on a golf watch is going to realize a lot of bang for their buck with the V5.

Likewise, I think anyone who wants shot tracking without spending extra is going to appreciate this watch and several other of the Shot Scope products.

And finally, I think it makes for a great option for a very nice golf gift, one that doesn’t include passing along the burden of a subscription.

Maybe more than any of those criteria, the Shot Scope V5 is for golfers who want a solid, reliable golf watch with just the right amount of features and even a few surprises.

Is that you?

Marc's Overall Shot Scope V5 Rating