The Arccos 360 mobile app with Arccos Caddie can be used in competitions when distance-measuring devices such as rangefinders are allowed — so long as the app is toggled to “Tournament Mode,” which turns off the live display of elevation and Plays Like distances in order to conform to the rules of golf.
“Based on the information provided and our understanding that the Arccos 360 is incapable of gauging or measuring any parameter other than distance, use of the Arccos Caddie application in conjunction with the Arccos 360 application, as submitted, has been evaluated and it has been determined that the use of the Arccos Caddie application is permitted under the Rules of Golf when a Committee establishes a Local Rule permitting the use of distance measuring devices (see Decision 14-3/0.5),” the USGA wrote last month to Arccos. “However, please note that in the absence of such a Local Rule, use of the Arccos System during a stipulated round is contrary to Rule 14-3.
“Please note that if a player could access certain information through the Arccos mobile application during the stipulated round that might assist him in his play, such as current round shot information (e.g., shot distance, individually or included in the club averages, or club selection during the round) or certain statistics, the player could be in breach of Rule 14-3a of the Rules of Golf. This is because the player could be deemed to have used an artificial device to access information that might assist him in his play. This ruling applies only to the sample submitted and any models manufactured identical to it.”
Arccos Caddie is golf’s first AI platform and performs similar duties to a human caddie. It helps with club selection by using millions of mapped data points and real-time weather conditions. All of this creates optimized attack plans for each hole.
The system can provide strategy advice on any course without a prior recorded round. Playing a course for a second time? Arccos Caddie will consider every shot you’ve taken to produce strategy advice. All you’ve got to do from there is hit it straight.
It is a premium upgrade on top of the app itself which can be purchased for $7.99/month, $39.99/six months or $49.99/year.
“Golf is an incredibly data-centric sport, and Arccos Caddie is harnessing the power of Microsoft Azure and the world’s richest golf data set to help players make smarter decisions and shoot lower scores,” Sal Syed, Arccos CEO and co-founder, said in a statement. “This ruling shows how the USGA is embracing innovation in a manner that helps the approximately 97% of golfers who don’t have access to a human caddie.”
“It is fascinating to think about competitors in the U.S. Amateur or other elite USGA events consulting their conforming Arccos Caddie app, just as they would their green-reading books or caddie advice,” read a Golf Digest story on the ruling. “It’s a new world, but in 2017 and our reliance on smartphones, it’s a step toward progressiveness.”
