Joel Tadman and Kit Alexander look at gadgets golfers might find useful
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00:00Hello everybody and welcome to this video where we're looking at the six gadgets every golfer
00:09needs. Now Kit, a gadget is a mechanical or electronic device or tool so what sorts of
00:15things are we going to be talking about in this video? First of all well done for doing your
00:18homework Joel. Second of all that definition is going to be stretched just a tiny bit for this
00:23but what we're looking for essentially is something other than your run-of-the-mill clubs,
00:28balls, gloves, clothing that's going to really enhance your experience of the game and help you
00:34get better and I think we've found six really good ones. Without further ado let's get started
00:39six gadgets every golfer needs. My number one favourite golfing gadget is a distance measuring
00:51device or a DMD if you do see it written down. Now I personally really like to use a rangefinder
00:57it's simple it's easy you pick it up bang you've got a yardage not only can you get the pin but also
01:03hazards trees at the back of a green dog legs as well if there's something sticking up so it's really
01:09useful it genuinely saves me four or five shots around. If you're looking for something a little
01:14bit more advanced though there are GPS's on the market as well. Joel you've tested all of them
01:19what are the pros and cons of a rangefinder versus a GPS? Yeah so GPS I feel like gives you a bit more
01:25information kit so one like this Sky Caddy SX400 will provide you with colour hole maps of what lies
01:33ahead so you've got a greater idea about where you want to be hitting your shots to you can it's got
01:37a movable pointer so you can touch points of interest they'll come up with hazard list views so you can
01:42see how far it is to reach and carry hazards you've got layout park so it just gives you a bit more
01:46information it's great if you play a lot of new courses that you're unfamiliar with really gives you
01:52a good idea about what lies ahead and also gives you more information on blind shots where lasers
01:57fall down so a really really useful bit of kit they do come in different forms as well so you've
02:03got GPS watches which are becoming increasingly popular they come with a lot of features they
02:09double as fitness watches and they can also do shot tracking which we'll come on to a bit later in
02:14this video but yeah you've got a lot of options in the DMD market but GPS is definitely really useful
02:19if you're playing lots of new courses absolutely Joel the DMD market's so vibrant at the moment
02:23there's so much out there whatever price point you're looking at whatever of those features you
02:29need whether you prefer a rangefinder the detail of a GPS there will be something that suits you
02:34perfectly and it will help save you shots I urge you get yourself a DMD
02:39now for something a little bit humbler yep it's the little pitch mark repairer it's simple but it's
02:51vital we all want to play great condition courses we all get annoyed when we see depressions and dimples
02:56and pitch marks and we've got a putt for birdie and it's in our way so we should all be carrying one
03:01of these and repairing our pitch marks as we go it's easier than a tee and I got this one from
03:07Carnoustie so they're great as a bit of memorabilia as well Joel I know you've got a special one to
03:12you there also yeah Le Golf National my one's from so it's a constant reminder of playing very badly on
03:17a very difficult golf course but yeah no I think it's a crucial bit of kit and you know while you
03:21can make sacrifices and try and use tees to repair your pitch mark it doesn't do as good a job as a
03:26pitch mark repairer and they do come in different designs and forms so you can get ones that are magnetic
03:31and you can put a ball marker on them so you kind of got both of those two items in one place so
03:36yeah you know while it might be one of those things that you overlook a pitch mark repairer
03:40is a really important gadget to have 100% so every time you go to a nice new golf course
03:45buy a memorabilia pitch mark repairer stick it in your bag and then you've always got them there
03:51ready to go and keep the course pristine
03:53right so the next gadget on our list is a golf trolley now whether that be a push trolley
04:03or an electric trolley which is the one I would always prefer I won't really step onto the golf
04:09course without my electric trolley to be honest I don't know if it's because I'm lazy kit but for
04:12me absolutely crucial bit of kit and they do come in many different forms with different levels of
04:17features as well I like an electric trolley because I just like the fact that it takes the strain away
04:22from my body if you've got a lot of shoulder or back problems you know carrying your golf bag can
04:26really weigh you down and cause a lot of health issues so I think a trolley you know if you haven't used
04:31a trolley I think once you do you'll be absolutely 100% converted so there for me I prefer an electric
04:37trolley kit you prefer a push trolley why would you prefer that yeah I'm not quite as flash as you
04:42Joel so I'm happy to just have something simple but I can stick in the boot of the car whack it out
04:47when I need it it's lightweight it was a bit cheaper to buy in the first place and you still get those
04:53health benefits that you mentioned there it doesn't take a lot of effort to push really especially
04:57if you're on a relatively flat golf course and you still take the strain away from your body and I
05:02really notice at the end of 18 holes the difference between carrying and pushing when I've got my
05:07trolley even a push one I'm so much fresher at the end of the round definitely and trolleys these they
05:12fold down an awful lot more compactly than they did in years gone by so you're going to be saving a lot
05:16of space in your boot for all your other bits and bobs and then the features whereas we've touched on
05:20there really are cutting edge these days the trolley I use has GPS technology built into the
05:26handle so if you're looking for a gadget that's really going to change your game a golf trolley is
05:30definitely going to do that right so the next gadget on our list revolves around shot tracking so any
05:40kind of technology that will give you insights into how your clubs are performing how far they're going
05:46and where your strengths and weaknesses lie now we've got a couple of different options here
05:50on the market you've got the shotscope v3 kit I've got the arcos caddy so these are basically
05:56sensors if I can open up let's show you here so the sensors that screw into the tops of your grips
06:01and they're basically little mini gps locators so they'll automatically detect your shots for you
06:06and then after you know they pair with a smartphone app you can get to the clubhouse after you're around
06:11and have a look at how far you hit your clubs you know all sorts of insights into where you're losing
06:16shots around the course and it's really helpful in terms of understanding your strengths and weaknesses
06:20and knowing where you can save shots so Kit what are the benefits of the one that you've got here
06:25well the technology is absolutely incredible on these and we're seeing it get better and better
06:30every year not only in terms of how it's built into your clubs or how you can wear it yourself this is
06:36just a lovely little watch that doesn't get in the way at all the shotscope but the level and accuracy
06:41of the data that you're getting you want to know the average distance you've hit a seven iron in
06:45your last 20 rounds it's there you want to know what your greening regulation are it's there are
06:50you missing the fairways right or left it's all there there's now no excuse not to have the same
06:55level of understanding and analysis of your game that your favorite tour pro has and once you've got
07:00that at your disposal you and your coach can use it to improve you can use it to buy better clubs that
07:05will suit you better to improve your technique and understand where you're dropping shots and where
07:10you're picking them up it's an incredible bit of kit and i'm so happy that we as amateur golfers
07:15are now able to get stuck into the stats like the pros do definitely and they're very passive these
07:20days as well yeah before they're a bit clunky and a bit more inconvenient but now you don't really
07:25notice the fact that they're there you're just coming after you around and all that information is
07:29there on your phone at your fingertips and it's incredibly useful so if you haven't benefited from shot
07:35tracking systems before give them a try we i think you'll be really blown away by the data especially
07:41if you're into your stats
07:42next up we have got putting mats absolutely great bits of kit you can fold them away when you're not
07:54using them and get them out when you are and i've got to say my putting mat at home has been out over
07:59the course of 2020 far more than ever we've been stuck at home and what better thing to do than to
08:05practice and improve your golf and it's one thing that you can properly replicate i always find hitting
08:10golf shots into a net trying to do your full games a bit different doesn't feel right but the putting
08:15it's absolutely spot on i'm so confident over six footers now that i would take you on for money
08:21any day joel even though i know you've got a couple at home how much has it helped you improve joel yeah i'd say
08:27it's definitely helped me improve from short range you know obviously it gives you an opportunity to
08:31practice uh from the comfort of your own home when it's cold outside or if it's night time so you've
08:36got you know extra time you can put into your game and that should translate into results out on the
08:41course they come in all different kind of versions and sizes you can get ones with little slope ramps
08:46that replicate breaking putts i've got the putt out home putting studio kit which is fantastic because
08:51it comes with that really frustrating little trainer where you have to get the ball into the hole
08:55also comes with a mirror and some gates so you can work on your strike as well as your posture your
09:01eye position so it's reinforcing those fundamentals and most importantly they come with kind of alignment
09:06light so you can really get your alignment uh correct and grooved every time and that's really
09:11important in terms of holding putts especially from short range so while we're pushing the definition
09:16of gadgets with a home putting mat it's definitely a crucial bit of kit that every golfer needs
09:20yeah well worth pushing the definition for a putting mat it will really help you get one in the living room
09:25do your practice while you're watching the golf on tv or it's raining outside and you'll never miss a
09:30six footer again probably
09:32right so the next gadget on our list is a launch monitor and not just specifically a launch monitor
09:42but any gadget or tool that will provide you with feedback on your play so that can be really important
09:48in terms of understanding your tendencies your strengths and weaknesses what they are but also having
09:53fun kit you've spent a lot of time on a launch monitor recently it's not just about you're hitting
09:58endless shots and working on your yardages you can have a lot of fun with your launch monitors as
10:02well can't you really can you can download courses and go and play them if the weather isn't great
10:06outside or you've just got half an hour to rattle around a quick nine holes there's loads of games on
10:11them as well so we've been doing little challenges with the short game and you're not thinking about
10:16the technique you're just trying to hit a target or get a higher score beat your mate but then the next time you get out on the course
10:21you go oh i've been hitting these shots for fun i know this i know how this will work so i think as a
10:26game enjoyment tool especially through the winter when it's not so nice out on the course or
10:31courses are even closed as well as just to have a bit of fun i think it's a brilliant tool and even
10:37if you can't buy one yourself because they are expensive even the cheaper ones you can go and rent
10:41a studio your local pro might have one it's well worth getting an hour or two in there and seeing what
10:46you can do yeah launch monitors come in at different price points you know from 250 pounds all the way
10:52up to the tens of thousands of houses up to you obviously whatever suits your budget but there's
10:56a few that have really impressed me recently the garmin g80 is actually a gps device but it doubles as a
11:02launch monitor that's given some really useful numbers you're working your way up onto the rapsodo
11:07mobile launch monitor pairs with your mobile phone that's around 550 pounds and that's a really good
11:12option as well obviously you've got your sky track launch monitor which comes into around that 2 000
11:17pound mark and then you're moving into the foresight gc2 and foresight gc quad which are an awful lot
11:22more money but they do give you a lot more information so yeah lots of different options out
11:26there in the launch monitor well but any kind of tool that will give you feedback on your swing
11:30maybe even the zep swing analyzer that attaches to the back of your glove that's a really good option
11:35as well but anything that can give you feedback on your game it's really going to help your goal
11:38so there we have our six favorite types of golf gadget definitely something in there to enhance
11:46your enjoyment of the game and help you play a bit better if you use them right as well
11:50i hope that's giving you some real inspiration we'll put some links in the description below if
11:56you're interested in buying any of the gadgets that we've talked about and obviously if you do like
12:00the video do click the like button and comment down below we'd love to hear your thoughts on which
12:04the gadget that appeals to you the most and kit it's good to have you on board in our golf monthly
12:09videos this is your first one you might recognize kit from various different sky sports television
12:15programs challenge tour euro pro tour maybe even the podcast as well so your first video did you
12:20enjoy it i really enjoyed it a little bit chilly but we got to try out some cool gadgets and
12:24hopefully pass on some great information to people fantastic so that's all from us here from
12:28burley park golf club we'll see you next time