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Review: Microsoft Band and TaylorMade’s myRoundPro

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Pros: All of the capabilities of a fitness-centric wearable, combined with on-course GPS functionality and full statistical analysis of your golf game, which includes comprehensive strokes-gained stats.

Cons: Practice swings often get detected as strokes, while gimmies don’t get detected, which makes for mid- and post-round editing.

Who’s it for? Health-conscious golfers who are looking to improve themselves and their golf game. Also, golfers interested in strokes-gained stats will be smitten.

The Review

  • Price: $199.99
  • Sizes: Small, Medium, Large (Find your size here)
  • Compatible with: Windows phone 8.1 or later, iOS 7.1 or later (iPhone 4s, 5, 5c, 5s, 6 and 6 plus) and many Android 4.3-5.0 phones with Bluetooth

The next time you see someone running or training, look down at their wrist. Chances are they’re wearing a smart band that’s tracking steps, speed, heart rate and calories burned, among other things. There’s no denying that advances in wearable technology can provide users with the feedback and motivation to reach certain goals.

MicrosoftBand

The question is, why isn’t there a way to use that same fitness-centric technology, but add in GPS and stat-tracking capabilities specific to golfers? TaylorMade’s myRoundPro and Microsoft’s Band — Microsoft’s version of a Fitbit — have teamed up and answered that question.

Last month, TaylorMade and Microsoft announced a partnership that allows Microsoft’s Band to optimize TaylorMade’s standalone myRoundPro, its new fully comprehensive statistical analysis program.

By wearing the band on your wrist during a round of golf, you’ll be able to count steps, calories and heart rate while also keeping score, getting GPS yardages and gathering stats.

How it works

Before each round:

  1. Download the course from the 18,000+ course-database currently available on the Microsoft Band app, including courses in the U.S. and Canada.
  2. Choose your tee box.
  3. Take a full-speed practice swing on the first tee to calibrate.
  4. Play golf and let the rest happen.

 

Microsoft-Band-630x472

These three “tiles” give you access to fitness stats (left), golf (middle) and emails

Inside Microsoft’s golf tile, which is a setting that’s available on all Microsoft Bands, GPS-tracking provides yardages to the front, back and middle of each green. Also, the Band uses its GPS trackers along with sensors and an algorithm to tell the difference between a practice swing and a golf shot. That means all you have to do is play golf and it keeps your score.

 

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It won’t provide exact yardage to the pin, but it does give front, middle and back

The Band also knows where you take each stroke, which is how it helps gather stats for TaylorMade’s myRoundPro program. The sensors obviously can’t detect gimmies that your playing partners give you, and sometimes fail to detect tap-ins, but you can edit those strokes in during or after the round.

A look at my fitness stats from the Micosoft Band app after one round

My fitness stats from Micosoft’s Band app (1 round).

When you open TaylorMade’s myRoundPro program on your computer, tablet or web browser (there’s no app, yet), your entire round is there: every shot from every hole. While you may have to make edits, like changing a chip from the rough to a bunker shot, or adding in an extra stroke where you left a ball leaning on the edge, it’s all there in a Shotlink-esque display.

TaylorMadeMyroundpro

While you make your post-round edits, you’ll have the option to select what club you hit for each shot during the round. It may take an extra 10-15 minutes, but the additional club data will be worth it for those looking to take a magnifying glass to their game through the bag.

Then, when you finalize the round (make sure it’s all correct first, because once you finalize you CAN’T go back and make edits), you enter a page where a full statistical analysis is displayed: shot dispersion from certain distances, proximity to the hole, Strokes Gained: Driving, Irons, Short and Putting, and the standard fairways, greens and putts per round.

TMroundProStrokes Gained stats — developed by Mark Broadie, professor of business at Columbia Business School — have gained attention in the golf world because they calculate how good or bad a golfer’s performance is on each shot compared to an average. Hit an above average shot from a fairway bunker and make birdie? You will gain ground on the average. Make a long putt? That’s close to a full stroke gained. Left a ball in the bunker and made double bogey? You’ll lose ground on the average.

Related: Learn more about Strokes Gained here.

TaylorMade enlisted the expert services of Broadie when developing the myRoundPro analytics program, which compares your shots to averages pulled from millions of shots hit by amateurs and professional golfers.

In order to determine what “average” you want to compare your game against, myRoundPro asks you to select your handicap. Therefore, if you select 10-handicap, the analytics platform will compare your driving, approach, short and putting games against other 10-handicappers.

Screen Shot 2015-09-15 at 10.49.18 AM

TaylorMade’s myRoundPro also provides comprehensive graphics showing distance and dispersion throughout your previous rounds.

myRoundProStats

The analytics system allowed me to see what areas of my game needed improvement, and what patterns I have from different distances and areas on the course.

HeartRateBand

My favorite part of this entire system, however, is the heart rate monitor that monitors hole-by-hole heart rate. During my round, I had two emotional peaks on Nos. 8 and 18. On No. 8, I hit my shot of the day — a 3 wood to 15 feet for eagle from 270 yards — and had a side bet with my playing partner on 18 (which I lost).

It’s valuable for competitive golfers to see how their heart rate fluctuates throughout the round. Do you get first-tee jitters? Do you play better when your emotions are high, low or average? It’s eye-opening stuff.

Looking forward

As myRoundPro progresses, you’ll be able to pair the analysis with a coaching feature, which TaylorMade says is in the works. Look out for future improvements and expansions, but even for right now, it’s worth the small price of admission.

[wrx_buy_now oemlink=”http://www.myroundpro.com/” oemtext=”Learn more from TaylorMade” amazonlink=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P2S2M88/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00P2S2M88&linkCode=as2&tag=golfwrxcom-20&linkId=TNU4TDU46N2VXL2D”]

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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

16 Comments

16 Comments

  1. Tom

    Feb 6, 2016 at 5:01 pm

    e product on the hole could be very good, yes you have to keep an eye on it that its registered next hole and check it has recorded your putts, but I can live with this.

    The thing I can’t live with is the awfulness of the Taylormade site, I have tried to enter 4 full rounds, and only succeeded with the first. The issues being –

    *After hole 11 it stops remembering the clubs I enter for each shot, you do a hole move on, but when looking back its lost the information. Holes 1-11 remains though. This has happened on 3 rounds out of 5

    *The issue that I have just come up against, says that the site is too busy to process the hole, yet it is only on holes 7 and 14, all other hoes are editable and working, and allowing me to save all clubs.

    *Taylormade have not responded to 3 separate support tickets, placed over the last 3 weeks.

    I cannot recommend this as it has serious flaws. The band I like, the Taylormade site, I could do better my self

  2. Jeff

    Nov 13, 2015 at 4:27 pm

    Well I’ve had the Microsoft Band 2 for a couple of weeks and here is my review on the Golf app.
    Downloading the courses is a pain because you can only have 1 course on the band at any one time. Once you download the course and use the band to compile statistics of your round, I found the experience to be not ready for prime time. First off the course info is not accurate, 2nd between 50/75% of shots are either missed or recorded wrong (example par 4 drive, pitching wedge and 2 putts would typically record as a birdie, or instead of 2 putts your first putt would be from the green and then your next shot would somehow be from the rough). When you go to myround.com to record your round, you have to manually fix shots on every hole in order to get accurate stats. Even then you are basically guessing at the yardages.

    I called Microsoft today and sent back my Band for a refund. My advise don’t buy the band if you are looking for it to compile your golf stats. If you want to record your steps, sleep, heart rate then its great. However I can do all of that with my iPhone.

  3. Jeff

    Oct 15, 2015 at 11:24 am

    I just pre-ordered the Microsoft Band 2 and created a MyRoundPro account. It ships on October 30.

  4. Jayme Johnson

    Oct 7, 2015 at 6:20 pm

    Hi Andrew,

    I am currently working with a company that is building a new product that helps golfers improve and analyze their golf swing, taking a multi-sensor approach to the swing analyzers products on the market. The product will launch in 3 months. Would you like us to get in touch with you to test the product? If so, please send me your email to [email protected].

    Many Thanks,

    Jayme Koo

  5. adam

    Sep 29, 2015 at 2:12 pm

    When keeping a true handicap, there’s no such thing as a “gimme” so personally I think it should not be included in the cons of the device. I’ve missed 1ft putts before and I play to a single digit handicap. Only cheating yourself with not finishing your putts.

  6. TR1PTIK

    Sep 25, 2015 at 10:09 am

    Andrew, is it necessary to have the Microsoft Band in order to use myRoundPro? I’m very interested in the strokes gained statistics, but I can’t get that through Game Golf right now. Is there a way to input data manually?

    • Andrew Tursky

      Sep 28, 2015 at 1:21 pm

      Yes, you can manually input your round at myRoundPro.com, but it’s recommended to use in conjunction with the Microsoft Band in order to optimize your data. Thanks!

  7. Nathan

    Sep 25, 2015 at 3:31 am

    Hurry Up and bring it to Australia Already

  8. Philip

    Sep 24, 2015 at 3:41 pm

    Cool – technology is almost here, and at a reasonable price. Wonder if TaylorMade will end up charging for the app down the road.

  9. Roddy

    Sep 24, 2015 at 3:36 pm

    No round should ever take 5 hours and 7 mins. Ever.

    • Philip

      Sep 24, 2015 at 3:42 pm

      But sometimes they do … beyond your control. Myself, I just enjoy the company and being outdoors.

      • Roddy

        Sep 26, 2015 at 3:49 am

        You’re right they do. But I think by putting it on there it can give the impression that it’s acceptable for a round of golf to take 5 hrs. Bottom line – it’s not. Golf is dying and slow play is a major factor. I’m not surprised his heart rate stopped on 15 Tre. I think mine would if I had been out there that long.

  10. Robeli

    Sep 24, 2015 at 1:55 pm

    I have done some research on fitness trackers combined with golf, and this is the most promising and probably the best. However, Microsoft is launching Band 2 in Oct, so will wait until then before pulling the plug.

    • Chris Nickel

      Sep 27, 2015 at 11:39 pm

      Had this same question…Is there any reason not to wait for the 2nd generation of the band?

  11. Tre

    Sep 24, 2015 at 1:36 pm

    Should we worry that your heart stopped beating on 15? I am no doctor, but you should have that checked out.

    Pretty cool technology. I am sure if I wore that my heart rate would spike on 9 and 18 (uphill holes).

  12. Don

    Sep 24, 2015 at 10:34 am

    There was someone who, while discussing the Garmin S6, said that he wasn’t going to be buying a golf specific watch at the moment; that technological advancements will, very soon, result in a watch app for any of the smart watches that will be all that and a bag of chips. This looks like another step in that evolution.

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Accessory Reviews

Insider photos from Tiger Woods’ launch event for his new “Sun Day Red” apparel line

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On Monday evening, inside the swanky, second-story “Coach House” event center in the Palisades Village, just minutes down the road from the 2024 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, Tiger Woods and TaylorMade officially announced their new apparel/footwear/accessory line, called “Sun Day Red.”

The Sun Day Red website officially launched on Monday night during the event, and the products are set to go on sale starting May 1.

The “Sun Day Red,” or “SDR” name will be self-explanatory for most golf fans, since he’s been wearing a victory-red shirt on Sunday’s for his entire professional career, but Woods explained the meaning of Sun Day Red at the launch event:

“It started with mom. Mom thought – being a Capricorn – that my power color was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and I won some tournaments. Lo and behold, I go to a university that is red; Stanford is red. We wore red on the final day of every single tournament, and then every single tournament I’ve played as a professional I’ve worn red. It’s just become synonymous with me.”

The Sunday Red outfit has worked to perfection for his 82 PGA Tour victories, including 15 majors, so why not make an entire apparel line based on the career-long superstition?

As I learned at Monday’s launch event, the new Sun Day Red line includes much more than just clothing. To go along with a slew of different golf shirt designs and colorways, there were also windbreakers, hoodies, shoes, hats, headcovers, ball markers and gloves on display.

The upscale event was hosted by sports media personality Erin Andrews, with special guests David Abeles (CEO of TaylorMade) and Tiger Woods himself.

As explained by Abeles, the Sun Day Red brand is an independently-run business under the TaylorMade umbrella, and is based in San Clemente, California (rather than Carlsbad, where TaylorMade headquarters is located), and it’s run by a newly-formed, independent group. Brad Blackinship, formerly of Quiksilver and RVCA, is the appointed president of the new brand.

As for the logo itself, obviously, it’s made to look like a Tiger (the animal), and is comprised of 15 tiger stripes, which correspond with Woods’ 15 major championships. While the logo may need a 16th stripe if Woods adds a major trophy to his collection, it makes perfect sense for the time being.

The golf/lifestyle line is meant to combine premium precision and athletic comfort, while still having plenty of wearability and style off the course. Like Woods said on stage at the event, he wants to be able to go right from the course to dinner wearing Sun Day Red, and that was exactly the aesthetic on display at the event on Monday.

Following the official announcement from Woods and Abeles, they revealed multiple pieces of clothing, accessories and footwear for the event-goers to ogle (and photograph). Check out a selection of product/event photos below, or head over to our @GolfWRX Instagram page for video coverage…OR, head into our GolfWRX Forums for even more photos and member discussion.

Enjoy this exclusive look at Tiger Woods’ new Sun Day Red apparel lineup below.

See more photos from the Sun Day Red launch event here

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Accessory Reviews

GolfWRX Spotlight: Motocaddy M7 Remote and M5 GPS DHC electric cart review

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I have been thinking about electric golf push carts, or trollies, ever since I started playing in my league seven years ago.

Motocaddy has been making high-quality electric, and non-electric, carts since 2004 and has a couple of great options for the golfer who loves to walk. Motocaddy was nice enough to get their M7 Remote and M5 GPS DHC in my hands to try out on the course for a few weeks.

I have had a lot of people stop me to ask about the carts, and the one thing I keep telling them is that these carts are just flat out fun to use on the course.

Motocaddy M7 Remote

The M7 Remote was very easy to get set up right out of the box. All you have to do is charge the battery, install the wheels, and you are pretty much ready to go. The M7 folds up pretty small, just a little larger than the 3-wheel pushcart that I had been using for years. Getting it to the course should be no problem with just about any trunk space. Now, the one downside to an electric cart is the weight when moving it around, and both carts come in at around 35 pounds each. Even with that extra weight, I didn’t have much trouble lifting them in and out of the back of a pickup.

The M7 unfolds quickly with the flick of two levers and extends the front wheels automatically. Once unfolded, you drop in the battery, plug it in, and secure your bag. If you own a Motocaddy bag, they have developed a really nice system called EasiLock that involves two metal studs that fit into the bottom of the cart. This system also includes a molded base that prevents the bag from rotating at all, even on the roughest terrain. You can still use the M7 with almost any other golf bag as it includes elastic straps that wrap around the top and bottom of the bag.

As soon as you plug in the battery the LCD screen comes to life and you are ready to go. You can use the M7 without the remote by using the dial on the handle to control the starting, stopping, and speed. But the M7 has a remote that is activated by a simple press of the power button to get going. The remote is very simple with just five buttons to control where the M7 goes.

Getting a feel for the M7 takes no time at all and by the time you drive it from your car to the 1st tee you will be in complete, and confident, control of the cart. You simply press the “+” button to start moving forward and the cart takes off gently without any rattling of your clubs, and you can press that same button again to increase the speed. The cart will go from a slow crawl, for bumpy or tight areas, too, as fast as I could run with just a few presses of the button. The big red “stop” button in the center stops the cart immediately, and when stopped it is locked in place, even on steep hills. You don’t have to worry about remembering to set the brakes or anything because it is done automatically.

Steering is just as easy: simply press the right or left button to turn the cart. Small, quick presses will just slightly adjust the cart as it moves down the fairway while a long hold of the button can make it turn on a dime to the right or left.

Almost everyone asked me how stable the cart was and if it would tip over. I can proudly say that it has stayed upright even on some unseen bumps at maximum speed. Side hills, ruts, and even curbs are handled with ease with the help of the small rear wheel.

I really enjoy strolling down the fairway with nothing but the M7’s remote in my hand — it just makes golfing more fun!

Motocaddy M5 GPS DHC

After using the M7 and its fancy remote, I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t like not having it. But to be honest the M5 was just as fun to use, but for a different reason.

As the name suggests, the M5 has a built-in GPS with 40,000 courses preloaded into it. The screen is a good size, pretty responsive to the touch, and easy to read in direct sunlight. Having the GPS directly on the cart is great, you drive up to your ball and immediately have yardage to the front, back, and center of the green as well as bunkers and hazards. You can easily toggle between screens on the GPS and it offers a couple of different views to help navigate the hole. The M5 can also keep score and let you know shot distances right on the screen. Motocaddy even includes nice little touches like a screen protecter kit to ensure durability.

Driving the M5 is just as easy as the M7 with using the dial on the handle. And speaking of the handle, the grips have a great tacky rubber that grips well even in hot and humid conditions. To start the M5 you just press the dial down and the cart will gently start down the fairway. You can turn the dial to increase or decrease the speed — I found between 5-6 to be the most comfortable for me. But the speed can go up to a very fast pace if you are looking to set a record for fastest round of the day.

As you walk down the fairway, or rough, stopping the cart is as simple as pressing he dial again. When stopped the M5 engages a parking brake automatically so you don’t have to worry about it running down a hill without your approval. The M5 has tons of power to go up just about any hill and the Down Hill Control (DHC) keeps the speed consistent even when going down a steep decent.

Since the M5 has so much power, and it is a little heavy, I thought steering would be a little bit of a challenge. It wasn’t, at all. Guiding the M5 took very little effort and slight adjustments going down the fairway were very easy. Really tight turns took a slight bit more effort as the torque can want to go forward a little more than turn. Again, once you get the M5 from the car to the first tee, you will be a master at driving it.

Overall, Motocaddy has created two great carts that provide additional enjoyment to walking your favorite 9 or 18. Having the ability to walk without carrying or pushing your bag, clubs, and whatever else goes with you. I like them so much that it is going to be hard to get the M7’s remote out of my hands when I go play!

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Accessory Reviews

GolfWRX Spotlight: Crossrope weighted jump rope & app

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An 18-hole round of golf averages out to just under five miles of walking, which on its own is a good workout. Once you throw in some potential uphill trekking you get some serious cardio too, but if you all looking for a quick workout between rounds of golf look no further than Crossrope.

Crossrope – The details

Crossrope is a system of the weighted jump rope that allows you to quickly switch the weight of the ropes you are using to boost your workout—they range from 1/4 lbs all the way up to 2 lbs depending on the kit you start out with. There is an accompanying app that helps you go through multiple workout routines and is available free, or you can upgrade to the entire library of workout routines along with more workout tracking options.

This is NOT your middle school jump rope

The handles are heavy duty and feature precision bearings to allow the rope to move smoothly around as you go through a routine. They are also ergonomic and fit into your hand naturally, which making gripping easy, something that is really nice when you’re swinging a 2 lbs coated steel cable around. The handles also come with a fast clip system to make changing cables depending on your selected workout easier too.

The ropes themselves are made from braided steel and are almost impossible to tangle, allowing them to be easily transported and stored when not in use. All in you are getting a premium piece of workout equipment that is effective and easy to store—hard to same the same thing about a treadmill.

When it comes to a workout, skipping rope is one of the most effective cardio workouts you can do, and with Crossrope, you can get both cardio and low impact weight training when using the heaviest ropes, and follow along with the guided workouts.

As someone that hadn’t used a jump rope in over a decade, starting out lighter was a nice way to ease in before moving up, and I was pleasantly surprised how easy and fun some of the workouts in the app were. If you are looking for a fun way to add something to your workouts, or you just want to try something new to get you into golf course walking shape, this could be right up your alley. To learn more check out crossrope.com

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