The new Shot Tracker is available for Premium and Intelligence members and offers a faster, more reliable, and more intuitive way to record your shots during a round. It is gradually replacing the older Shot by Shot mode and is currently available at different stages on iOS, Android, and smartwatches.
Important Note Before You Start
At this stage, Shot Tracker on watches and phones does not sync together.
This means you must choose one device for the entire round:
- Track all shots on your phone, or
- Track all shots on your watch
Using both at the same time may result in missing or incomplete shot data.
Shot Tracker on Apple Watch and Wear OS
The Shot Tracker on smartwatches is currently in its first version.
How it works
- Tap Start Tracking when you hit your shot.
- Walk to your ball.
- Tap again to save the shot once you reach it.
Important limitations
- Shots do not sync live with the phone app.
- Advanced features like auto lie detection and putt tracking are still in development.
We are actively improving the watch experience, with Apple Watch updates expected first, followed by Wear OS.
Shot Tracker on Android
The new Shot Tracker is being gradually introduced on Android, laying the groundwork for a more complete experience coming just in time for Spring.
How it works
- Hit your shot.
- Start walking. The distance updates automatically.
- When you reach the ball, tap the button to save the shot.
- Repeat for each shot.
What you can do
- The first shot starts from the tee. You can adjust its position manually.
- Each following shot starts from the previous shot’s location.
- Move a shot by dragging its marker or tapping it to edit the club and lie.
- Add putts. The scoring screen updates automatically based on recorded shots.
Shot Tracker on iOS
The iOS version already includes the full Shot Tracker experience and has fully replaced Shot by Shot.
How it works
- Hit your shot and start walking. Distance tracking starts automatically.
- When you reach the ball, tap Save Shot.
- Near the tee, Set Tee appears automatically. You can adjust it anytime by dragging the marker.
- Each new shot continues from the previous shot’s position.
Editing shots
- Tap a shot to edit or delete it.
- Drag the shot marker on the map to adjust its location.
- Tap the shot card (club and lie) to pause tracking and make changes.
Additional features on iOS
- Auto lie detection on courses with polygon mapping.
- Auto-Zoom and Auto-Target (enable in round settings).
- Move the flag at any time. Existing putts automatically adjust.
- Penalties:
- Drag the marker to where the ball landed (for example, water) and save it as a Penalty.
- Then drag the marker to the drop location to continue play.
- Two-stroke penalties are not yet supported.
If lies seem inaccurate, the course may not yet support hazard mapping. Contact us at mapping@hole19golf.com and we’ll review it.
Auto Shot Tracker (Smart Trail) – iOS only
Auto Shot Tracker, also known as Smart Trail, is currently available on iOS and coming soon to Android.
It helps you record shots by automatically drawing the path you walk during the hole and suggesting possible shot locations.
How Auto Shot Tracker works
- The app tracks your movement during the hole.
- When you stop moving, it may suggest that a shot was played.
- Suggested shots appear as grey circles with a “+” on the map.
- These are not saved shots, only suggestions.
At the end of the hole or round, you can tap each “+” to confirm the shot and add missing details like club and lie.
The app will:
- Prefill the club based on your bag setup, and
- Prefill the lie using automatic lie detection when available.
How to enable Auto Shot Tracker
- Start a round.
- On the aerial View of any hole, tap the cogwheel on the right side of the screen.
- Enable Smart Trail.
If you see a “+” where you didn’t play a shot
That’s expected sometimes.
Smart Trail does not automatically save shots. It only suggests locations. If a “+” appears where you were standing still or waiting, simply ignore it and do not add a shot there.
If a shot is not suggested
Suggestions may be missed or slightly offset if you stop to place your bag, wait, or take extra time before hitting.
At the moment, grey “+” suggestions cannot be moved. If needed, add the shot manually using Shot Tracker and drag it to the right location.
Best way to use Smart Trail with Shot Tracker
For best results, we recommend:
- Start the hole using Shot Tracker.
- Keep Smart Trail enabled at the same time.
If Smart Trail misses a shot, you can:
- Add the shot manually using Shot Tracker, or
- Tap a nearby “+”, confirm it, then manually add any missing shots in order.
Shots must always be saved in sequence. Distances are calculated from the tee or from the last saved shot.
Play by Play – iOS only
Play by Play is currently available on iOS and coming soon to Android.
After completing a round with Shot Tracker, you can access Play by Play from the Round Summary.
It allows you to:
- Replay each hole visually.
- See all recorded shots exactly as they were saved during the round.
This is ideal for reviewing strategy and understanding mistakes.
Strokes Gained
Saving shots with Shot Tracker also unlocks Strokes Gained insights. It is available with the Intelligence subscription.
Strokes Gained uses every shot you record with Shot Tracker to measure how each part of your game performs compared to golfers at a similar handicap level. By analysing where shots start and end, the distance to the hole, the club and lie used, and the result of each shot, Hole19 calculates your performance across four areas: Off the Tee, Approach, Around the Green, and Putting, helping you quickly understand where you are gaining strokes and where you are losing them. Strokes Gained is available with the Intelligence subscription, and putting analysis is currently in beta as we continue to improve putt distance accuracy.
Comments