Of all the products to come out in 2022, one of the most hyped in the golf tech world has been the Shot Scope Pro LX+.
Why all the hype?
Because it’s the first product I’ve heard of that attempts to provide three products in one: a laser rangefinder, GPS distances, and performance tracking.
Honestly, the marketing pitch is pretty good!
For a product to do all of these things, and come in at under $400 – that’s an impressive package and a very intriguing opportunity.
The question is, how do these things perform? Not just on their own, but together as a package?
Do the 3 elements work together seamlessly and benefit from being within the same ecosystem?
Or is it the opposite scenario where the product becomes a “jack of all trades, master of none?”
The answer should become pretty clear as we go through this review.
First Impressions of the Shot Scope Pro LX+
I was super intrigued from the beginning by the Shot Scope Pro LX+, because I’ve used a ton of each of the products in this category:
- Rangefinders: I’ve reviewed dozens
- Golf GPS Units: I’ve used products like the Garmin Approach G12 and Bushnell Phantom 2
- Performance Tracking; I’ve used Arccos religiously for years and reviewed Game Golf as well
But like I said, this is the first time one product has tried to do all of these things.
When I first received the package, you notice pretty quickly that Shot Scope is more concerned about what’s inside the box, rather than how the box is presented.
The packaging isn’t anything super fancy or impressive.
But there are a lot of items in this box.
Because essentially it really is 3 products in one. You can buy the H4 Performance Tracker/GPS unit, and Rangefinder all separately.
So when you dig into the box, you’ll find there’s a lot here and honestly, a lot of packaging.
In the box you’ll find:
- Laser rangefinder
- Rangefinder case
- Carabiner
- GPS device
- Shot tracking club tags
- GPS charger
- Belt clip
- Microfiber cloth
- Instructions
Setting Up the Shot Scope LX+
It takes a little bit of work to truly understand all of the components and to understand what needs to happen in order to use the product and get it working.
I downloaded the app and got my account setup with no problems.
I did run into an issue however when I went to add the performance tracking tags to my clubs.
Right now, I have Arccos Caddie grips on there.
Why is this a problem?
Because the sensors are built into the butt of the club, so there isn’t a hole there where I can screw in these sensors.
This is important to note, because even if you don’t use Arccos, some club manufacturers are including these grips on all of their clubs.
So make sure you’re able to use the tags before buying this product.
I had to use a secondary set of clubs to test out the sensors.
Ironically I just got a set of the new Arccos Gen 3 sensors in to review, and can’t use those either due to the aforementioned grips. But I digress…
I think the best way to handle this review is to talk about each of the three products individually, and then I’ll come back at the end to talk about how they work as a whole and if it’s worth buying the LX+.
The Shot Scope LX Rangefinder
The Shot Scope LX rangefinder is a solid-looking device that’s available with orange, blue, or grey accents.
It’s a huge step up visually from their Pro L1 rangefinder.
One of the biggest visual upgrades is in the form of the slope button. They’ve now incorporated their logo into the button like most modern higher-end rangefinders these days. It felt unnecessarily cheap on the Pro L1 with just a generic black switch that looks like it came off a children’s toy.
Where there is a small visual oddity is if you’re to purchase the LX on its own. There’s a fairly large flat blank space under the viewfinder where the GPS goes when using the LX+.
Fortunately, this is a LX+ review, so we do have the GPS.
Honestly? It’s a little bit of a funky design, but I found having the GPS there to be quite useful, and a feature I enjoyed more than I expected. It also does feel very good in your hands and the notch for your thumb makes using the LX+ very comfortable.
I haven’t reviewed the Bushnell Hybrid rangefinder, but I think both companies are onto something with the combo here.
As far as the performance of the Shot Scope Pro LX rangefinder? It’s….fine.
The viewfinder is quite a bit smaller compared to competitors at a similar price point. I was using the new TecTecTec KLYR the same day, and there was a stark difference in optical quality between the two.
The KLYR was both clearer and had a noticeably larger field of view.
Oh? And it costs $50 less than the standalone LX.
I will say, you don’t generally notice things like this unless you’ve used a ton of rangefinders or are comparing them back to back. If you haven’t used many others and pick up an LX+, you likely won’t know any different and will think it’s totally fine.
The flag lock vibration works great on the LX, and distances seem to be solid and accurate.
It’s very easy to adjust focus on the eyepiece simply by turning the dial around the viewfinder. For some reason, this is always a struggle with Bushnell rangefinders.
One feature they tout is the ambient display, which will light up red or be a standard black depending on the lighting conditions.
I’ve found in lower quality displays that have this feature, that the red light can bleed around the edges, making it actually a bit more difficult to see what you’re trying to find.
I’ve noticed this with their Pro L1 device and to a lesser extent in the Blue Tees Series 3 Max.
Whereas, you get none of that in a more expensive rangefinder like the Bushnell
The LX+ also doesn’t have a built-in magnet, so if you’ve become accustomed to magnetically attaching your rangefinder to your cart, that won’t work here.
Overall, the rangefinder is perfectly serviceable but falls a little short in fit and finish when you compare it to other competing products – especially at a $349 price point.
That said, it’s understandable you’re making a few tradeoffs here, assuming the performance tracking and GPS make up for it.
Shot Scope Pro LX+ GPS Performance
Like I said, having the GPS on the back of the rangefinder, I found to be very useful and handy. I liked it more than I expected to, and I think that’s one of the main draws to purchasing the Pro LX+.
Especially considering if you were to pick up the GPS and LX rangefinder separately, you’d be paying $50 more than the price of the LX+.
As you’d expect the distances on the GPS are all very accurate.
The display is clear with nice contrast, and I haven’t had any issues seeing it clearly in bright sunlight.
It does a good job of adjusting the information it showed based on where you are on the course.
It’s nice that it includes hazard distances like bunkers and water as well, although I did find it occasionally difficult to understand exactly which hazards it was showing me information for.
Another feature that is very useful is its “layup” screen. For instance, it might show 100 and 150-yard layups, and it will tell you the distance to each of those.
So if you know 100 yards is your sweet spot on a par 5, it will help you figure out what you need to do to position yourself correctly. Cool feature.
One thing that was a bit confusing to me is that it included a belt clip for the GPS.
My whole understanding was that it was supposed to attach to the rangefinder (which it does, and it works great there), but there’s some versatility to this product – and the belt clip specifically relates to the performance tracking we’ll talk about in a second.
I will say, there isn’t an obvious place to put the belt clip when you’re not using it, which could make it easy to misplace.
Shot Scope Performance Tracking
Ok, this is where I had a little bit of confusion, and if performance tracking is one of the primary reasons you’re interested in buying the Shot Scope Pro LX+, then pay attention.
I’ve played over 300 rounds with Arccos Caddie, which at this point is the gold standard of performance tracking for casual golfers.
Shot Scope has their own competing product in the V3. This has been greatly improved since the V2 version, and comes with a GPS watch, which gives it a big selling point over Arccos.
Both of these also have automatic shot tracking.
Why am I telling you this?
Because I was under the impression that the shot tracking with the Pro LX+ was the same as with their V3 watch – specifically, automatic.
Guess what? It’s not.
Whereas the V3 and Arccos have automatic tracking the performance tracking with the LX+, is their H4 model.
Rather than a watch, it includes the H4 GPS we mentioned above, but in order for shot tracking to work you need to tap your club to the GPS before every shot.
Now I understand why it comes with a belt clip…
For anyone that has followed the history of performance shot tracking products, this is essentially what carried Arccos to domination in the space over Game Golf – despite the fact Game Golf came to market first.
Having to remember to tap before every single shot is cumbersome, and all it takes is missing a handful throughout your round to throw off the accuracy of the information you get.
Game Golf has since moved to an automatic system, but from my perspective, it was too little too late.
ShotScope has an excellent automatic shot tracking system in the V3! So to not see that incorporated here, seems like a huge missed opportunity and is probably the biggest reason I’d struggle to recommend using the performance tracking included in the LX+.
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For my first round, I thought it was automatic tracking. So I paired my clubs, played my round, and then when I went to upload it to the app there was no information there.
I was legit confused for a while, as it showed that I’d played the round, but after I hit upload? It disappeared due to their not being any shots tracked.
There’s also another problem this presents.
Like I said, my favorite part of this product was having the GPS on the rangefinder.
Well if you have the GPS unit on the rangefinder, then you’d need to tap your clubs to that rather than your belt loop in order to get tracking – which simply isn’t realistic.
Sure you could switch the GPS from the rangefinder to your belt loop and back – but again, that’s cumbersome.
Note: Still want performance tracking, but want to see some other options? Check out our favorite golf swing sensors.
Playing Devil’s Advocate for a Minute
Just because I’m sounding negative here, doesn’t mean there isn’t an opposite point of view.
Part of the reason I like Arccos so much is that it’s tracking everything in real-time. If you take a penalty or notice that a shot is missed, you can quickly edit it on your phone.
With the Shot Scope V3, you upload everything after your round.
So you’re forced to remember which holes you took penalties on, and inevitably when a shot or two gets missed, you’ll need to remember where you were and manually update.
No automatic shot tracker is perfect, you will have to manually make adjustments from time to time.
What’s the point of me telling you this?
If you hate the idea of having shots missed and want full control? That’s where the “tapping” feature of the H4/LX+ performance tracking may be a good fit for you.
When you tap your club to the H4 GPS, you’ll get a nice vibration that lets you know your shot has been recorded.
If you truly are able to build this into your routine and make the tapping second nature, it may make for more accurate results at the end of the round.
This isn’t how I personally want to do my shot tracking, but if this is you? Then by all means, you’re going to love this product.
The Shot Scope App
Overall I was pretty impressed with the Shot Scope app. It’s easy to navigate and easy to use.
I was a little confused at first, as I was expecting the performance tracking to be like Arccos, where you use it and it shows shots in real-time.
This isn’t the case.
As I alluded to above, you’ll play your round and then go back and upload and make sure it’s accurate after the round.
I love the “medals” feature, which really does gamify your rounds and is a ton of fun.
For instance, there are medals for playing a Top 100 golf course in the world. Or for playing ten rounds at your home course.
Others are performance-based, like “make a 40-foot putt” or “have less than two 3 putts”
This makes the rounds a bit more fun and adds a game within a game element that I think is great.
They recently added Strokes Gained tracking which is a huge addition. As a whole, it’s not quite on the level as Arccos when it comes to breadth of information and overall design, but is still very full-featured.
The Shot Scope Pro LX+ is the most affordable system that includes a laser rangefinder, GPS, and performance tracking all under one roof. Use code "BREAKINGEIGHTY" for 15% off sitewide at shotscope.com
Who Should Buy the Shot Scope LX+
Obviously, I have some issues with the Shot Scope LX+, but there’s certainly a market out there for a product like this.
First off, if you truly want all three (rangefinder, GPS, performance tracking) and want it to all be a part of the same system and same company?
This is by far the least expensive option out there.
The only other company that offers all of these things is Garmin.
And to pick up the Z82 rangefinder, Apporach G12 GPS, and CT10 sensors? You’re looking at upwards of $1k which is over double the price of the Shot Scope.
If you’re looking for a laser rangefinder with external GPS built-in? This is a great option.
Bushnell stopped making their Hybrid, and the Precision Pro R1 has GPS distances, but they’re within the viewfinder, so they aren’t as easy to see at a glance.
I personally think this is the best use case for the LX+. A solid rangefinder, with an accurate and versatile GPS that allows you to quickly get general distances. This is where the LX+ shines.
If you’re planning to buy this primarily due to the performance tracking features? I’d skip it and pick up the Shot Scope V3 or Arccos Caddie.
Both of these have automatic shot detection, which really makes a huge difference in how feasible performance tracking becomes for most people.
Personally, having to tap before every shot is just too intrusive for me.
That said, if you truly embrace it and build it into your pre-shot routine, then this is also one of the least expensive performance tracking solutions out there (without the rangefinder the H4 tags and GPS are $149.)
Final Thoughts on the Shot Scope LX+
I love that Shot Scope is pushing the boundaries of golf tech and creating products that are truly trying to help the average golfer enjoy themselves more on the course, shoot lower scores, and improve their game.
This is a product that feels like it’s one generation away from being exceptional.
As soon as they integrate the automatic tracking of the V3 with their GPS and rangefinder, this becomes a much more compelling package.
That said, if you love the idea of an external GPS and the idea of manually tagging your clubs for performance tracking isn’t an issue for you? Then the Shot Scope Pro LX+ is definitely a product to consider. PLUS if you use the code “BREAKINGEIGHTY” you can save 15%!
The Shot Scope Pro LX+ is the most affordable system that includes a laser rangefinder, GPS, and performance tracking all under one roof. Use code "BREAKINGEIGHTY" for 15% off sitewide at shotscope.com
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