Arccos Expands Golf’s First Artificial Intelligence Platform,
Premieres Real-Time “Plays Like” Distance Calculations, Other Features
Arccos Caddie, Powered by Microsoft Azure, Now Available as Premium Subscription with Free Trial Period
STAMFORD, Conn., August 14, 2017 – Arccos Golf today announced the launch of several new features for Arccos Caddie, golf’s first artificial intelligence (AI) platform, highlighted by real-time “Plays Like” distance calculations that precisely account for the impact wind speed, wind direction and elevation have on how far each shot travels.
Powered by the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, Arccos Caddie has been further enhanced with refined machine learning and AI algorithms, as well as persistent displays of wind and elevation data throughout the round. These combine to ensure Arccos Caddie users can shoot lower scores by harnessing advanced analytics to make smarter, data-driven decisions on the course.
“On the PGA Tour, a player and his caddie discuss the impact of wind and elevation before nearly every shot. What they’re factoring is the human equivalent of a ‘Plays Like’ distance,” said Sal Syed, CEO and Co-Founder of Arccos Golf. “Because only about 3% of amateur golfers have access to a caddie, we’re working with Microsoft to democratize that experience. Arccos Caddie leverages the power of AI to help any golfer Go Beyond Guesswork and have even more confidence in their club selection.”
Previously offered as a free Beta version, Arccos Caddie is now accessible as a premium purchase within the Arccos 360 app after a trial period of five rounds. The tiered pricing – $7.99/month, $39.99/six months, $49.99/12 months (plus an additional 30-day trial) – allows users to choose the subscription option which bests suits their needs.
“The PGA TOUR has done a great job of using advanced analytics to help its players practice and perform their best. At other levels of the game, capturing the necessary on-course data has been a real challenge,” said Mike Downey, Director, Principal Evangelist – Sports at Microsoft. “Arccos has cracked that code and built a robust data set which they’re deploying via the Microsoft Azure cloud to the benefit of golfers worldwide.”
Arccos Caddie combines live weather conditions with a data set of more than 75 million shots hit by the Arccos community and 368 million geotagged data points on more than 40,000 courses. The platform can be used by anyone, on nearly any hole in the world, regardless of whether a golfer has previously played the course.
“Arccos users improved their handicap by an average of 2.77 strokes in 2016. The majority of them did that without the advice of an expert caddie,” added Syed. “Arccos Caddie will help every player save even more strokes each round by providing the type of insights and advice previously available only to PGA TOUR pros.”
For more information, please visit: www.arccosgolf.com.
