Any good tips for scanning Golf Tags on the course?

Posted almost 10 years ago by Bobby R.

Post a topic

Un Answered

Bobby R.

I absolutely love the golf tags with Golf Pad, but hate how I look on the Tee box, sticking my club out perpindicular from my body, rubbing the butt of my club on my pocket, trying to find the NFC sweet spot.

I understand the difficulties with NFC as a technology in general, but I was wondering if anyone found a good way to get the tags to scan without looking so silly, or them being so fussy?

The worst is on the tee box when everyone is standing around watching. I've considered taking my driver golf tag off, and keeping it in the pocket opposite my phone so I can pull it out and tap it, instead of doing the club rub, golf tag dance.

1 Votes

36 Comments

Phil Michel posted about 5 years ago

My Tags are supposed to arrive soon so I have no experience with tagging and my iPhone. The Game Golf "Classic" device that I have used for years was easy to work with. I've seen mention of people keeping the phone "nearby", or taking it out to tag. Has anyone tried putting their phone in a holster or belt clip and tagging their shots?

0 Votes

Armand posted almost 8 years ago

I thought the bunker shots would be automatically selected, similar to the fairway results of a drive. This doesn't seem to happen, so I'm always going in after the round and editting the shots to "fix" those things. It does help tremendously that I can recall all of my shots in a round even up to a week later (I only play once a week or so), so I know which shots were from the sand or from the fringe or first cut.

I only have the tags and not the Link, so I have no idea how the Link works. I'll have to speak to a friend who uses a Pebble watch with his tags and see if that is simple to do "on the fly".

0 Votes

Nick Dabrowski posted almost 8 years ago

Was not happy with the durability of the first tags out, but now very happy with the second generation black tags. I golf 3 to 5 times a week and have not had a tag failure since I got them 3 months ago. As far as using Link, I turn the phone volume way down and rely on the vibration of the Link. It's working great and I'm not holding anyone up. Most don't even realize what I'm doing. I do wish there were an easy way to record a sand shot without pulling my phone out. I have a Sony, Pebble, and Magellan smartwatch, but none have a provision for adding a sand shot. Maybe in the works?

0 Votes

Les Blancs posted over 8 years ago

I found the noise the app makes when the club is put to the phone in my pocket was a bit of an embarrassment when with others... until I found the option to turn it off or down. I bought myself a cheap pebble watch and can now leave my phone in my pocket and use my watch to work out distances and see numbers of shots taken. I can also add shots if needed. I love this app and am now building up an accurate record of my improvement over time.

0 Votes

Bruce DeLucenay posted almost 10 years ago

I agree with Cody. Taking out your phone, and tapping it on your club is the quickest and least stupid looking way to get it done quickly.

0 Votes

Jrtonyday posted over 8 years ago

A simple solution is for GolfpadGPS, or perhaps one of their competitors in case anyone else is listening, to make tags that are slanted. Instead of making the TAGS slanted, GolfpadGPS makes the additional reader slanted to entice users to buy the reader. A benefit of GolfpadGPS is that it's able to use a phone's built in NFC. Making it awkward to the point of annoyance to scan a club with a phone removes that benefit.

With the recent redesign of the TAGS not including a slant option for those who don't want to buy or carry extra equipment on their person during a round is a disappointment. Given that the TAGS sell for a hundred dollars with manufacturing costs probably less than 10% of that, and the fact that the app itself is not free, there is no excuse to not make the TAGS user friendly for us Android users.

0 Votes

Walter Nerling posted over 8 years ago

Some people must be golfing with a tough crowd. I've even golfed as a single with a group, and others weren't even aware of what I was doing with the app and phone most of the time.

On the tee, I usually tag while everyone is still clamoring up to the tee box (and I or another player is not yet ready to tee off), and in the fairway, I'm tagging while others are making a practice swing, etc., so that's not an issue. For most first putts, I tag just as I reach my ball before I even mark it, so again it's no issue/no delay with playing partners. The only part I don't like is when I'm about to make my second putt that's less than a foot to the hole, and I have to tag before putting it away. Until that point, most people aren't aware of what I'm doing with my phone and clubs. I may try to get in the habit of marking from my watch (Mark Shot/As putt) instead, but still that's not perfect.

0 Votes

Thomas posted over 8 years ago

I have had them for over a year. They never worked well for me. As the person who started this thread stated, you look ridiculous trying to scan the club and the rest of your group gets irritated waiting on you. That means that after a few holes, I have to stop using them.

0 Votes

Adam Fowler posted over 8 years ago

Interesting. How old are they and about how many rounds have you played? I've recently gotten the tags and am still inside my return window. They are supposedly more durable now but if they aren't going to live long enough to really benefit from them there may not be a point.

0 Votes

jeff hunter posted over 9 years ago

Despite the work arounds in this post, I am disappointed with the gap in the actual user experience versus what is depicted in the marketing material... kind of like what a Big Mac looks like on TV versus what it actually looks like at a MacDonald's. Even with my cell phone out of pocket, it can take a few attempts to log a shot. Consequently, I've disabled my tags and will continue to use the app without them. I guess that is the risk you take with Kick Starter projects.

0 Votes

Adam Fowler posted over 8 years ago

Anyone seen an update on the status of the Link recently?

0 Votes

Ralf Taus posted almost 9 years ago

I played some rounds on charted courses now and I´m happy to have the tags.
After I did the shot I put my phone out of my pocket, hold it over the tag (club vertical) and put the phone back. That need no time and I get a good feedback from the vibration, that my shot was tagged.
This routine became so natural that I sometime had to watch at my phone to check if I did the tagging. Every time all right. I don´t have to think about it.
The pitty is, that 2 of the tags seem to be broken. I can´t tag them, even with other NFC-apps the can´t be read. They are not damaged, as I can see. Let´s see hao long the other last.

0 Votes

Bill Ogden posted about 9 years ago

I don't care what I look like (to an extent) touching my club to my pocket, but after the first couple rounds playing with the Golf Tags and only having an occasional problem of finding the sweet spot, now, on my last round (on a new course) I had A LOT of problems getting the tag to register, even with the phone out of my pocket. I'd kept getting these high pitched beeps before finally getting the confirmation sound. Anyone know what's up with that? Are there settings or environmental factors in play? I'll definitely stop using the tracking feature if I have to try moving the club over the phone again and again to get it to register... THAT looks ridiculous.

0 Votes

Douglas Smith posted about 9 years ago

I like the look and feel of the new design of tag. Not sure if tagging from a smartwatch is a doable option, My plans are to get the Link device when available and use that, making tagging much smoother. If it is anything like Game Golf's unit tagging clubs should be easy as pie and first touch always a good tag. Also using the Golfpad Link will save my phone battery and allow for the possibility of playing multiple rounds without a recharge.

0 Votes

Spencer Braun posted about 9 years ago

I've had the tags for some time. I was an early adopter and the original tags were 'taller' (the height of the tag from where it screws into the grip to the 'tagging surface' was thicker). These original tags allowed me to tag my cased, pocketed phone at much more of an angle than the newer, slimline tags (I've received some replacements for lost tags). While the new slim ones are nicer from an aesthetic standpoint, and likely less prone to wear from faulty grip, bag wear, etc, they do require that you hold the club handle much more 'perpendicular' to the body in order to get a flush tag.

Does anyone know if they have plans to be able to scan the tags from a smartwatch?

0 Votes