Four Easy Tips for Using the Arccos Caddie App for Apple Watch

Carrying our smartphones in our pockets has become second nature over the years. That includes on the golf course, where we strongly recommend to keep the phone in the front pocket for optimal connectivity with Arccos Caddie Sensors.

However, some players don’t always want to pull out their phone on every shot to check their distances to the flag. With the advent of the Apple Watch it has provided more freedom for those wishing to do this. A recent update to the Arccos Caddie App included a “Public Beta” version of the new shot tracking feature for the Arccos Caddie App for Apple Watch.

It's available to iPhone users who have second- or third-generation Arccos sensors (non-Bluetooth), Series 2-5 Apple Watches, and can be accessed (if you haven’t done so already) by simply updating the Arccos Caddie App. Once downloaded, you’ll see “Apple Watch” listed just below the “Shot Detection Mode” area on the “Start Round” screen.

With that taken care of, here are four easy tips for using – and getting the most out of – the Arccos Caddie App for Apple Watch.

1. Perform a Little Pre-Round Prep 

Similar to the iPhone app, a little pre-round preparation goes a long way with the Arccos Caddie App for Apple Watch. First, open the app on the watch and keep the screen illuminated. Its default setting is 15 seconds, so tap on the screen to extend it.

Next, open the app on the iPhone, navigate to the “Start Round” screen then toggle the Apple Watch with shot detection switch to “On.” Note: you’ll need the Apple Watch screen illuminated for the connection to occur.

And just like downloading a course to your phone pre-round will speed up performance in-round, syncing course data to your Apple Watch will expedite the start round process by up to 15 seconds. Just locate the “Sync Course Data” button under the shot detection switch and tap it.

Next, tap the “Start Round” button in the bottom right, wait for the “Continue” button to turn green and when the GPS Distance screen appears, put your phone in your pocket and you’re good to go.

Now, let’s move on to the golf course.

Pro Tip: Make sure you keep the Apple Watch screen illuminated during the start round process in order to allow the data to sync.

Pro Tip: Keep your iPhone on you at all times for best Apple Watch experience.

2. Know Your In-Play Screens and Features

Just when you thought Arccos couldn’t pack a stable of informative and graphically appealing info onto a sub-two-inch screen … we give you, not one, not two, not three, but seven screens on the Arccos Caddie App for Apple Watch.

They are available by simply swiping left and right. A couple to focus on for regular use include the “GPS Distances” and “Shot List” screens.

The main in-play screen is the GPS Distances screen with measurements to the front, middle and back of the green on the left (in white) and the distance on the right (in green) generated by the Arccos Caddie Rangefinder.

This state-of-the-art, AI-powered rangefinder provides real-time distances that factor in wind speed, direction and gusts, temperature and humidity, slope and altitude (as measured against your home course).  

RELATED: Learn how to get the most out of the Arccos Caddie Rangefinder

The Shot List screen is also one you should master on the Apple Watch. Arccos is incredibly accurate, but also very literal. A putt from the fringe will record as a putt, versus a chip, and you may want to edit this for correctly tracking stats.

Just swipe to the Shot List screen, tap the shot you’d like to edit and from there you can move the shot from hole to hole, delete shots, add penalty shots and change putts to chips. 

Pro Tip: Audio interruptions such as phone calls may stop shot detection during the round. If this happens you can swipe to the last screen and tap 'Pause round' and 'Resume round' and it should start detecting shots again

3. Be A Post-Round Aficionado

If you prefer to make notes and do your editing post-round on your phone, no problem. When the Apple Watch is within Bluetooth range and not in airplane mode, every shot will automatically transfer to the iPhone. This transfer happens every time the watch app is opened, and the iPhone is in range.

This is a super simple two-step process: end your round on the phone in the usual way, and then tap the “Sync Round” button when prompted. Check out our blog post on reviewing and editing your rounds on your phone, or using the ultra-powerful “Dashboard” via laptop or desktop. 

Pro Tip: We’ve all been there: you have a great round underway, it’s a beautiful day, and the next thing you know, your Apple Watch battery is almost dead. This situation calls for “Handoff Round to Phone.” This will transfer your round data before the dreaded shutdown so you can continue to detect shots on your iPhone for the remainder of the round. Similar to “Sync Round,” to preform this all-important procedure, end your round, then simply select “Hand off Round to Phone.”

 4. Get the most from the Apple Watch Battery

The battery on an Apple Watch is much smaller than on an iPhone so you can expect to use up to 80% of your watch battery in a 4-hour round, depending on the series. To optimize battery consumption on your Apple Watch there are a number of settings you can try.

Firstly, and most importantly, make sure your watch is fully charged before you head to the first tee.

If you are someone that isn’t obsessed with lifestyle tracking, turning off heart rate and fitness tracking will save the background battery usage. This can be done by navigating to the Watch app on the iPhone, heading to Privacy, and toggling both features to off.

Another useful tip is to put your watch into theatre mode. This will stop the screen from automatically turning on when you raise your wrist. This is great for saving battery, however, it will mean you will need to press the crown to use the Arccos Caddie Rangefinder.

Pro Tip: Change the orientation of your Apple Watch so the crown dial is the other side to your wrist. This will help stop your wrist from activating the dial during your swing which subsequently turns on your watch screen.

Pro Tip: If you want to take advantage of GPS distances on the Watch, and not use all of your watch battery. Simply keep the Watch toggle OFF, start your round on the phone, open your Watch app and GPS distances will stream directly to the Watch.

Looking for more Arccos Caddie App for Apple Watch tips and tricks? Visit our support site or reach out to our Customer Experience team who are always willing to help. You can also check out Arccos Academy's module on Apple Watch with Shot Tracking!

Still aren't an Arccos Caddie member? Join today by purchasing a set of Arccos Caddie Smart Sensors or Arccos Caddie Smart Grips and start improving faster.