This post was updated in January 2024 to include comparisons to the new Arccos Link Pro.
The evolution of Arccos has been pretty impressive to follow along with.
I fully saw the promise of Arccos when I played my first round with it way back in 2014 – before it was even released to the public.
The first product and app worked well, but there was clearly room to improve.
Then the launched updated sensors with Arccos 360.
After that they rebranded to Arccos Caddie and gave the app a huge overhaul by introducing an AI powered Caddie (that actually works).
Note: If you’re new to Arccos, check out our Arccos Caddie review before doing anything else.
They followed that up with the system being built into grips making for the best user experience yet.
However through all of this progress, and creating what I still think is the very best (and most useful) golf gadget on the market, there was one complaint I still heard over and over and over again:
“I don’t want to have to play with my phone in my front pocket.”
It’s fair, in order for Arccos to work properly you needed your to have your phone in your pocket, and for a lot of people this was a dealbreaker.
But alas, with the introduction of Arccos Link, this is no longer the case. But does it live up to expectations after being so hotly anticipated?
Short version: 100%.
Longer version? Let’s jump into to find out.
Do you use Arccos, but love listening to music and hate having your phone in your pocket? Then Arccos Link is the answer to all your prayers!
Updated January 2024: Arccos Link Pro Now Available
The original Arccos Link reviewed here was released in June of 2021, and continues to be available for sale right now.
But if you’re considering picking up a Link, you might also look at the Link Pro. Just released, the Link Pro is better in nearly every way than the original link (except price). A few features:
- Keep it in your pocket rather than clipped to your belt.
- Built-in button for setting pin location
- Comes with a charging case and gets at least 5x better battery life
- Much more accurate digital microphones increase shot tracking accuracy significantly.
The Link is still for sale for $160 (or $136 with our discount).
But if you’re planning on investing in the system for a long time to come, spending an extra $50 or so to get the Link Pro will lead to a much better user experience.
Check out our Arccos Link Pro review.
Ok, back to our full Arccos Link review.
What is Arccos Link?
First off, you may be wondering what Arccos Link even is.
Arccos Link is a small device that you clip onto your belt that recognizes all of the shots you hit using the Arccos Caddie system, without having to have your cell phone on you.
Arccos Caddie on its own relies on the GPS that is built into your phone in order to know precisely where you are on the course and to track your shot.
But Arccos Link has it’s own built in GPS which is what then allows it to record that shot and automatically beam that information over to your phone when you’re back in range.
So essentially the Link takes things one step further and truly allows you to play golf autonomously from your phone, while still getting all of the stat tracking benefit that Arccos provides.
Get 15% off Arccos Link with our Arccos Coupon Code.
First Impressions of Arccos Link
Arccos has always done a good job with presentation and branding. The products always look good, and the packaging is the same.
So it’s no surprise that the Arccos Link box and packaging are great. The box is high quality and has a nice magnetic snap to open it up.
Inside is the link, a micro usb cord, a small carrying bag, and instructions.
The device itself 2.25 inches long, 1.25 inches wide, and .75 inches deep.
So it’s not very big.
Picking it up out of the box it feels very high quality, and the clip feels very sturdy. I wouldn’t be concerned about the clip breaking or this thing coming off your belt during your round.
Pairing it was as easy as it gets. I literally opened up the app that already had my clubs paired, hit “Pair Arccos Link” and within 15 seconds we were good to go.
I was actually surprised just how seamlessly it integrated into the current system.
Does Arccos Link Work Well?
None of this matters if Arccos Link doesn’t work well.
And I’m very happy to report that it works exactly how I hoped it would.
The pairing process was easy and when you’re using Link you can see a little icon in the app that shows it’s in play and what the battery life is. I forgot to grab screenshots while using the Link, so I’ll do that on my next round with it.
I forgot to charge my device as soon as I got it, so I plugged it into the USB port in my car on the way out to the course – so it only had about 20 minutes to charge, which I wasn’t sure would be enough to get me through the round.
Fortunately, it was. On the 17th hole I started getting a little beep every couple of minutes that I assume was it telling me that the battery was getting close to dead. But I made it through the round with no issues.
This is the best type of product to review, because as much as I’d love to go into all the details of performance and such – there isn’t really much to say! My phone stayed in my bag, I played golf, and Arccos tracked it perfectly.
I did pull out my phone every few holes to keep an eye on it, and during my first round I also had one caveat.
I was playing with a new wedge that didn’t have Arccos on it, so I picked up my phone to add those shots in manually – which is very easy to do.
If you have an Apple Watch with Arccos it makes the experience that much better, as I could easily add penalty strokes or extra putts directly from my watch.
That is truly the ultimate Arccos setup:
- Arccos Caddie Grips
- Apple Watch
- Arccos Link
If you have that, then you hardly have anything to worry about with your stats and everything is super seamless.
Don’t get me wrong, using just the grips or sensors on their own are still fantastic, but the Apple Watch and Link truly take it to the next level.
The only real uncertainty I had about the Link was what to do after the round. I wasn’t entirely sure how to turn it off, or what I needed to do in order to keep the battery from draining.
But if you have other questions I haven’t answered, I’d check out this FAQ page.
Arccos Caddie is our favorite golf tech product on the market. And when you pair it with Arccos Link, it gets even better. Use code "BE15" for 15% off.
The Best Part About Arccos Link
There is one other HUGE benefit to Arccos Link that I haven’t mentioned yet: the ability to use Arccos and a bluetooth speaker.
Really my only major frustration with Arccos was the fact that it forced me to make a choice between tracking my round or listening to music. For some reason you’re not able to use the system and listen to music via a bluetooth speaker at the same time.
NO MORE.
When you’re using Arccos Link you can not only put your phone in your bag, but you can also use a bluetooth speaker while tracking your round.
I’ve never minded having my phone in my pocket that much, but this is worth the cost of admission for me.
How Much Does Arccos Link Cost?
Arccos Link retails for $99. Which honestly on the surface feels a little high. The ability to play while listening to music, or the ability to play without your phone feels like something you should be able to do out of the box.
So I would have loved to see the price of Arccos Link be closer to $49 or even $69.
That said for something that seems so simple there was a ton of money and time poured into making the Link a reality. The technical details to make this happen are far beyond what you expect – so with over two years of development, I can’t say I’m surprised by the price.
And frankly, I’m just happy that it exists at all.
Final Thoughts on Arccos Link
Amidst a few delays, golfers have been waiting a long time for Arccos Link, and I’m very happy to report that it has been well worth the wait.
It functions perfectly, does exactly what it should, and frees you from your phone while you’re on the course.
While $99 might feel a little steep after making the investment in grips or sensors, if you golf a lot, this is well worth the investment in my mind for all of the information and stats it gives you.
And for when you get that super-exclusive invite on a course where you can’t have your phone with you? Now you can still get those statistics 🙂
Arccos Caddie is our favorite golf tech product on the market. And when you pair it with Arccos Link, it gets even better. Use code "BE15" for 15% off.
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7 Comments
FYou can use bluetooth for the phone if you use the watch in shot tracking mode. ¾ of the reason I got an Apple Watch.
Why would need the Arccos caddie link if you have a newer apple watch and don’t have issues with the battery drain?
If you don’t have issues with the battery drain, then you really don’t need the Link. Just the Watch should do the job.
Were you still able to get distances on you Apple Watch while using the Link with the phone in your bag? To me the Link would be worth $99 just so I don’t have to carry my phone all the time, but I still want to be able to get distances on the watch.
Have loved my Arccos sensors, and I like their app layout best, but personally have been underwhelmed by this product. Haven’t had much luck getting it to register shots correctly, Have better luck just using my Garmin S62. Cheers!
Sean – now a few months removed from launch and with a new, even higher, price tag and current level of Apple Watch support etc., do you still think this is a worthwhile addition?
From what I can tell, the only advantage would be to be able to mark hole locations quickly for more accurate tracking (I don’t bother editing hole locations now, but maybe that’d be a perk) and the ability to have the phone on my push cart so I can see the hole maps more easily compared to having to fish it out of my pocket (while I like using the Apple Watch, it seems using it with shot detection and GPS would be too taxing based on their battery consumption projections, and I don’t love the idea of doing it that way and not having the data syncing with my phone because it seems you have to run the watch in airplane mode to use the watch’s GPS – if you don’t use the watch’s GPS for shot detection, you have to carry your phone on you anyway, otherwise it’ll mark your shots wherever you leave your cart).
It’s now $179.99 CAD. In that context, are you still using the link? Does it improve the flow for you in any meaningful way? The phone is not having trouble detecting shots for me and I don’t mind playing with one in my pocket. It’s really, I guess, for hole placement and more frequent map usage, which could theoretically be beneficial to my shot planning.
I know it’s nuanced and every golfer will have their own value assigned to those things, but wondering where you’re standing these days on it.
Really appreciated all of your review content on the site and especially this Arccos stuff. I bought it thanks to your review when I found your Noodle balls review through a Google search and you had that embedded image of the hole and how you’d played it there, which piqued my curiosity.
Cheers.
Thanks Steven!
I’ve found the Link to work really well. I personally don’t mind having my phone in my pocket either, so I don’t always use the link. Honestly my biggest problem is I forget to charge it. Or bring it in the house to charge and forget to put it back in my bag.
But the biggest reason for me that it’s worth the $99 is to be able to use Arccos AND a bluetooth speaker simultaneously.