GOLF TAGS Real-Time Golf Tracking & Game Analysis System

For the last few years I have used my phone alongside my golf game, mainly as a GPS distance aid and also to track my rounds. The app I was using (Swing by Swing) did a good job at both, but it was really inconvenient to track each shot. The app had the feature, but required many manual steps. Whenever I did track a shot, I always found the info helpful, and after 2 years of playing (at about 40 rounds a year) I was finally able to build a decent database of my actual club distances. It wasn't easy, but it worked.When Game Golf was released, I had thought about getting that product. Two factors stopped me, (1) price and (2) it's a stand-alone system and doesn't have real-time aid while on the course. While searching for other GPS apps, I came across Golf Pad (and subsequently Golf Tags). What I really liked was how the tags worked alongside their app, to provide real-time tracking, as well as on-course GPS ranges and scoring. All this for a price well below other comparable systems.I ordered the tags on a Monday, and they arrived on Wednesday, just in time for me to try them out at my weekly league.Installation of the tags on the clubs was a breeze, as was pairing each tag with the app. The tags screw into the small hole in the club's grip. They are very lightweight and do not distract at all during the swing. Use on the course is very simple, just tap the tag to the back of your phone (with the app running of course), and it starts tracking for that club. When you get to your ball, tap your next club to end your previous shot (and capture all relevant stats) and start your next shot. Continue for each club hit (including putting). When you are all done, move to the next tee, tag your next club, and the app automatically completes your score for the hole and moves to the next hole. Errors are easy to fix, as there is an undo button within the app to fix mistaken shots, and you can even edit your shots if needed.It took me a couple of holes to get used to the routine, mainly putting since those shots can be in quick succession. If you forget to tag a shot, you can simply add a +1 shot or +1 putt to your score. Penalty strokes need you to open the app to add the +1 to your score. By the end of my round it was second nature to tag the shot, and it added no extra time to my overall swing routine.My only complaint about the tags is the material used to make them. It's a very rigid plastic, which on the surface seems good. But as a mechanical engineer in the plastics field, I'm truly worried about long-term durability. The tags are multi-piece. One piece is the screw stem and thin/flat plate (think of a screw with a large flat head). The other is a shallow cup-like piece that the flat head of the screw rests in. The NFC chip is sandwiched between these 2, most likely held together with some sort of epoxy.First off, even though the material seems very tough I'm worried that the base of the screw is prone to stress and will eventually crack over time. I also found myself dropping my clubs into my bag as normal at first, until I realized that they were hitting directly onto the tag when they hit the bottom of the bag. I was also careful when removing my clubs from the bag, since if the tag snagged on something, it would torque it and put extra stress on the base of the screw. In addition, the cup seemed a bit too deep for what was actually needed to cover and protect the NFC chip, an easy 1/8' or more could have been removed from the overall height of the tag, making it even less of a profile once installed. A better material would have been a rigid elastomer, almost like the rubber cleats on the bottom off golf shoes. That material would allow for twisting and bending without being prone to cracking/crazing, and is also a proven material in the golf industry. Only time will tell how durable the tags are.I'll also touch on the Golf Pad app, since it is required to use the tags. As I mentioned I have used the Swing by Swing app for the past few years, and really like it. I've tried most every app out there, but didn't find anything I liked better until now. The Golf Pad app is easier to use and provide more functionality than other apps I've tried. A caveat is I'm using the app in the premium mode, as the tags came with 1 year of premium service for free (a $10 value). The premium features are well worth the $10 in my book, as it opens up a wealth of statistical data tracking, and I'm all about the numbers. The other thing I like is when you close your screen while the app is running, it goes into a second mode that only shows the hole you are on, as well as the distance to the front, middle, and back of the green. This is great since it's easy to pull the phone out of my pocket, check distance, then put it back in ready to tag my next shot.In all I am very happy with this purchases, as the tags and app work seamlessly together and exactly as promised. I'm looking forward to getting more rounds in and building up my stats for each club in my bag and each course I play. The $99 price point may be a bit steep at first glance, but the wealth of info you get about your golf game is priceless, as long as you take the time to analyze it and work on improving your weaknesses. And the 2 years it took to accumulate all my club stats, the manual way with the other app, I can accomplish in half a season with Golf Tags!Thanks,Don

When i put the golfpad app in shot tracking mode, it only wants to stay on the black screen. I'd like to be able to switch between map and shot tracking but it keeps automatically switching back. It often takes a long time to pick up accurate yardages. The tags only register maybe half the time. The tag on my driver broke off already and one of the tags in the box didnt work from the start, so it was nice that they gave me 15 I guess. Overall, a big disappointment. LG G6

I've been a fan of this company and their products since they first came out. They're customer service is of the best and they take feedback to heart with every update. That being said, I'm not running everything this company has to offer. I use their app in conjunction with my smart watch and acquired these tags to complete the trifecta. That being said, these products work seamlessly between one another. Once you get use to working with them it's very easy to do and the results are effective. I can see exactly how my game went, where I need to improve, and how I should probably chip out of the woods instead of trying to tiger vision a ball through trees in order to save strokes... Regardless, I think that this technology will only improve from here and I'm sure, under this companies innovation, it will happen quick.Highly recommend! Great Product!

[EDIT 3: April 18, 2017. It's been almost 2 years since I've been using these tags. While tapping the RFID tags to my smartphone is still not the most convenient thing to do, I think it's almost second nature to me now. As indicated in my review below, the reason why GolfPad Tags is my choice of among the various golf tracking systems available is because its awesome integration with numerous smartwatches, including my Samsung Gear S2. In fact, I've made this suggestion to GolfPad already, but it seems to me that the next evolution of the golf tracking system should allow the user to simply tap the RFID tags to a smartwatch instead of a smartphone. That way, you don't have the awkward additional step of tapping the butt of the golf club against your pants pocket (where your smartphone is). Well guess what? SkyCaddie has just come out with exactly that product. Their SkyCaddie Linx GT has the same RFID tags and the same concept of using an app to keep track of all your shots and mapping it out for you. The only major twist is that SkyCaddie Linx GT is a GPS golf watch that has the RFID sensor reader built in! So, all you have to do is tap your RFID tags to the SkyCaddie Linx GT watch. You don't even have to have your smartphone around when you play as the watch will sync later with your smartphone. This is not only super convenient because you don't have to carry your smartphone in your pocket anymore, but it also saves your smartphone's battery since the watch has its own GPS built-in. I was so excited that I bought it from my local golf shop to try it out. Unfortunately, SkyCaddie Linx GT has so many technical glitches and software issues that I am going to return it back to the golf shop. You can read about its problems and issues in my separate review of the watch. I still hope that GolfPad will one day make their own watch that can do all the golf tracking functions without using the smartphone. But until then, I am going to stick with my good ol' GolfPad Tags.BTW, GolfPad does have a new product that was successfully funded on Kickstarter called GolfPad Link. Similar to Game Golf, the Link is a separate RFID sensor reader that you clip on your belt. While this is still not as convenient as simply tagging your watch, it's better than having to tag your pants pocket. I am a backer of this project and can't wait for it to ship in May. I'm glad that GolfPad is still fully behind their Tags, and with the new Link, I think it will only get better.][EDIT 2: May 5, 2016. It's been over a year since I've been using these tags, and I'm happy to report that since I've written about the problem of the tags falling off here, Golf Tags took it upon themselves to send me additional tags for free. I've also replaced my grips and, thankfully, I have not had the problem of the tags falling off anymore. I am keeping the 4 star ratings because I do enjoy using these tags to keep track of my game and hope that the software keeps improving in general. I have written about this before, and I will re-write it here, the key to this product is having a smartwatch that you can pair with the app. I now use Samsung Gear S2, and in one of my recent rounds, my smartwatch's battery died mid-way through the round. Because I wasn't getting the immediate feedback regarding (1) whether I had correctly tagged my shot and (2) the distance of my last shot, I had to resort to pulling out phone on every shot, which got annoying really fast. In fact, I stopped tagging my shots because I got tired of checking my phone on every single shot. I can't say enough about how important the smartwatch makes the Golf Tag experience functional and enjoyable. If only it were possible for me to tag the smartwatch instead of the phone. I asked GolfPad about this, but apparently smartwatches (including my Gear S2) do not have the correct type of NFC sensor to allow this. Maybe GolfPad should make their own golf watch to pair with these sensors? That would be awesome!][EDIT: May 20, 2015. I've played a few more rounds with this, and I've lost one sensor (on my 8 iron) already. It fell off somehow and somewhere. Moreover, when I was practicing at the range recently, the sensor on my 7 iron flew off on several shots. Luckily, I was able to retrieve it, but now I make sure that I take the sensor off when I am practicing. Regardless, I think this goes to show that the quality of the plastic NFC sensors are rather cheap. Good thing they give you one extra sensor, because if I lose any more, I will have to test how much the manufacturer stands behind their products. For now, I will keep the ratings as 4 stars, but this could get lowered if any more sensors fly off the clubs.]Nice product with potential for getting better as the developers update the software. I have a much more detailed review below, but the short version is: as advertised, Golf Tags allows you to accurately measure and provides you with key statistics of each of your shots, as well as key course information, as you play your round of golf. As of now, Golf Tags works only with Android phones. The downside is that Golf Tags requires you to tap your phone with your club on every shot, as opposed to a competitor golf GPS unit by Arccos which automatically keeps track of all your shots without requiring you to tap your phone on each shot. (But, Golf Tags is $100 while Arccos is $400). The upside of Golf Tags is that it provides you with immediate feedback on how far you hit your shot as well as keep track of your entire round that you can review later on your phone or your computer. Moreover, if you happen to have a supported smartwatch, the entire Golf Tags experience is improved 100% as you can get the key necessary information immediately on your wrist without having to pull out your phone. The bottom line is, if you can get passed the tapping requirement, as I have, Golf Tags is quite useful in terms of helping you accurately determine the distance of your shots under real playing conditions (again, especially if you have a compatible smartwatch). Reviewing your shots after your round is similar to watching your “game tape,” which is a fun way to identify your weaknesses and strengths to help your game in the long run. And as the developers improve the software and add more features, this product should only get better!Here is the long version of my review:(1) Hardware. When I first received the Golf Tags box (super-fast delivery as usual thanks to Amazon Prime), the first thing I noticed was that it was extremely light - almost as if it was empty. Upon opening the box, I realized why. All you get are one small, square sheet of paper with minimal instructions and one small felt bag containing 15 identical blue “tags” (it appears they give you one extra tag). The Golf Tags feel like cheap plastic pieces and have almost no design on them (other than the Golf Pad logo). Golf Tags are virtually weightless and do not affect your swing.(2) Setup. Installing the Golf Tags on the clubs is easy - you screw one tag onto the end of the grip of each of your clubs. Then you launch the Game Pad app on your phone and pair each club with the phone via the app. With Golf Tags, the pairing is done by tapping the tags of each club onto the NFC sensor of your phone. This literally takes about 5 minutes.(3) Functionality on the course. Because Golf Tags utilizes NFC sensor on your Android phone, each time you are about to hit your ball (or immediately after your shot if you prefer), you must tap the Golf Tag on the end of your club's grip to your Android phone (usually to the back of the phone). Utilizing the phone's GPS sensor, the app will mark the spot of your shot. When you are about to take your next shot, you again tap the phone with the Golf Tag, which (1) marks how long you hit your previous shot and (2) marks the beginning spot for your next shot. You repeat this process until you putt out. Your phone will either vibrate or make an audible ring tone to confirm that your tap was registered. In my experience, I have found that most of the times the tap registers immediately, but sometimes you may need to tap it a few times. This tapping requirement may bother some people as it does require you to add one more routine to your swing process. Depending on the golfer, this may be a deal-breaker. But I was able to get used to it by the end of my second round of play.In theory, tapping your phone with the tags is simple and easy because all you have to do is keep your phone in your front pocket and touch the back of your phone with the handle of the club. This tapping process on every shot can be slightly annoying at first, but more importantly, can also be totally distracting in certain situations. For instance, my first round using Golf Tags was rough because my Galaxy Note 4 has the S-view flip cover on it. I found out the hard way that the S-view flip cover automatically shuts off the Note 4's screen, which also automatically shuts off the NFC sensor on the Note 4. This prevented the Golf Pad app from recognizing my taps. (Apparently, all Android phones automatically shut off the NFC sensor when the screen is turned off.) The developers of Golf Tags have somewhat anticipated this and have programmed the app to prevent your phone from turning off the screen while you are running the app. However, this does not work with the S-view flip cover. Every time the flip cover was closed, it would turn off the screen, which in turn, turned off the NFC sensor. This meant that every time I took a shot, I had to take my Note 4 out of my pocket, open the flip cover then tap the phone with the Golf Tags. Obviously, this was very distracting, especially in putting situations where I would have to tap two or (gulp) more times in a very short span of time. When I played my next round without the S-cover, this made all the difference in the world. Now, tapping is not that annoying and, in fact, it feels almost automatic to me now - although I still have to take some care to make sure that the NFC sensor did properly register the contact.There is a competing GPS system by Arccos that has built-in impact sensors in each of the tags that automatically determine that you have hit your shot. And via the Bluetooth connection, the Arccos app will automatically mark the placement of your shots using your phone’s GPS sensor. As you can see, both Golf Tags and Arccos require you to have your phone on you while you play so that the phone's GPS sensor can accurately determine the location of your shots. However, since Arccos only works with iPhones and costs $400, this may not be a good alternative for everyone.(4) Smartwatch. If you have a smartwatch, such as Moto 360, Pebble or Gear S, the Golf Tags experience is significantly improved for two reasons. First, you do not have to constantly take your phone out to verify that each of the taps was correctly registered because your watch will give you an immediate confirmation that a tap was properly registered. Second, your watch will also tell you the key statistics, including how far to the green, how many strokes you've taken, and how far you've hit your previous shot. In my opinion, the ability to use my Samsung Gear S smartwatch makes the whole Golf Tags system work. It’s fun to see how far you actually hit your last shot while getting helpful information such as the distance to the green just by looking at your watch. [Here’s a helpful hint if you have a Gear S: change the Wake-up Screen option in Settings to “Last Screen” so that the Golf Tags app will always be displayed first on your watch.] The downside is that the ability to use the smartwatch is apparently a “premium” feature for which you need to pay on an annual basis. While you do get one year of premium service for free with the purchase of Golf Tags, I think this is a big mistake on part of the developers. You are already paying $100 to buy the tags, which are cheap plastic NFC devices that cost literally a few dollars to make. The developers have every right to charge for the premium services of the Golf Pad app, but pairing the smartwatch with your phone should be a basic feature included in the purchase price of Golf Tags.(5) Cell Signal. Golf Tags requires you to have either cell or wifi signal as you play for all the features to work. In fact, if you are playing at a course that does not have any signal, you must click on "start the round" prior to getting to the course. This will allow the app to load some of the course data that you need to be able to use the app and the golf tags. According to the developers, without cell or wifi signal, the map view of the course will not work but the rest of the app should work like normal. By comparison, Arccos will work without cell or wifi signal since you can pre-download the course onto your phone. (According to the developers, downloading the course onto the Android phone is not currently allowed by Google.)(6) Battery life: Golf Tags do not need to be charged at all since they are simple plastic NFC sensors. But, running the Golf Pad app on your phone will drain your phone. My Galaxy Note 4, paired with my Gear S smart phone, was down to about 55% by the end of the round.(7) Software. Golf Tags uses the Golf Pad app on your Android phone while you are playing your round. Golf Pad app has been around for a while as a free golf GPS app, and as such, has robust features. Adding Golf Tags will not only tell you how far you hit each of your shots, you can review the holes you played and visually see where you hit the shot (i.e., whether you hit the fairway or the green). Golf Pad app also keeps your score for you. You can easily make corrections to your score or shots as needed.To summarize, there are three things you will need to consider to determine whether Golf Tags is right for you. First, do you have an Android? Golf Tags works only with Android, so if you have an iPhone, this is not going to work for you. Second, will you be OK with constantly tapping the club to your phone for each shot (and putts) you take? If tapping the club to your phone is too burdensome for you, then you may want to look at Arccos (if you have an iPhone and don’t mind spending $400). Third, do you have a compatible smartwatch? Without the smartwatch, Golf Tags works just OK. But, with the smartwatch, the experience is 100% better as you spend less time worrying about whether you have correctly tapped your phone and you get immediate information about the golf course and your shots. For me, using Golf Tags with my Galaxy Note 4 and Gear S smartwatch has made golf a little bit more fun as I can now keep track of my shots and review my round of golf anytime I want.

Used these in earnest for the first time and was very impressed. Galaxy Note 3 with flip cover, in my pocket, linked to Pebble watch. Simple tap with the top of the club as part of normal set up routine, stroke position and club choice recorded. Battery use slightly greater than without NFC on but not much. Good seeing your round mapped with each club and range of statistics are good. Works perfect with Pebble and relatively simple to correct any errors which, in my case, was forgetting to tap before a shot (twice). As stated, too expensive for what they are in terms of material cost but may be worth it if viewed as a service that provides valuable feedback on your game. You pays your money and makes your choice...no regrets!

They worked perfectly on my first round, and I find the app very useable.I used washing up liquid to screw them into grips as the thread 'felt slightly weak when screwing in. I have also wrapped some weatherising tape around the tag/handle edges to help with securing and protection in the bag.Delivery was ahead of schedule. So far very pleased, hope they survive. .

They are so easy to use and it's great for checking out your stats. I have a gear s3 watch and they work amazingly well together. Just have to remember to put the club against your phone before those putts! They are a bit fragile, did have one fall apart at the bottom of the bag, bit just glued it back together and worked fine.

Muy bueno aunque un poco incómodo tener que traer el celular

Tags are Ok, but are not very robust and come apart too easily