MEMBER REVIEWS: NEW StrackaLine High-Res Yardage & Greens Guide + Digital All-Access | See What Members Are Saying!

[GolfWRX_Official]

We have five (5) members testing StrackaLine's brand new, high-resolution yardage books and greens guides! Members have also received digital all-access to StrackaLine's GPS and Putt app. The members below will report back to the community about what they noticed while using these products. Please feel free to ask any questions that you might have, as the testers will be happy to answer them.

The testers are:

 

•  @DE-ILLINI
• @chinaski
• @tj7644
• @tnrts345
• @505

 

About StrackaLine's Green Reading and Yardage Books
StrackaLine's world renowned laser scanned greens guides have been helping golfers make more putts since 2007. Search 10,000+ courses available for greens guides and 36,000+ courses available for yardage books from across the world. Their USGA-compliant greens guides offer a level of detail and accuracy not available anywhere else for the most precise green reading. Yardage books include complete tee-to-green measurements for every hole. 

About StrackaLine's Digital GPS and Make Putt Feature
The ultimate tool for competitive players, StrackaLine’s interactive GPS and Make Putt feature will give you full knowledge of the course from tee-to-green before and during play. Testers will receive all-access for one year.

Learn more about StrackaLine here and use code "GOLFWRX" for 20% off your order!

Special thanks to @StrackaLinefor putting on this testing event our members!

[DE-ILLINI]

Thanks @StrackaLine and GOLFWRX for this opportunity.  I selected a yardage book for my home course Rock Manor Golf Course in Wilmington Delaware.  My initial impressions of the both the booklet and the application are positive.  I will be playing tomorrow evening in my golf league, so I will have a chance to put them to good use.  One thing I was pleasantly surprised to find, is the practice green is also mapped in the yardage book.  I did not initially see it on the app.  I think this will be helpful to relate the contours seen in the book with the actual green.

 

I will upload some photos tomorrow and give everyone my first impressions after my league night.

[ChrisATL]

Congrats to these testers - looking forward to seeing the reviews on this product (especially pictures of the physical books)!

[tj7644]

I've received my book. Thanks @StrackaLine  I will upload some pics and provide some info on my first experience with it tomorrow.

[tnrts345]

First of all thank you @StrackaLine and @GolfWRX_Official for the opportunity to review “The Book” and the app! I had a good first few rounds but follow ups to come! I’ll update as I use the app and book more over the next few weeks (once the heat wave breaks up here). 

 

A bit about me:

Handicap: 8 (trending down)

Home course: Merrimack Valley Golf Club

Golf experience: 10 years seriously, 20 plus overall 

 

Course Overview:

Merrimack is a very quintessential New England course with plenty of elevation changes, drivable par 4s, tree lined fairways and undulating greens. The course on paper looks easy but trouble always lurks when you get a bit too comfortable. The front 9 brings in position play with hazards just yards from the ideal landing zones. The back 9 while a bit more straightforward but brings in elevation changes tee to green with 18 playing as one of the hardest holes in the area (565 all uphill from the tee). 

 

First impressions “The Book: Hi-Res):

The new Hi-Res Ariel Imagery books came in to my surprise which provides even more visual cues to landmarks on the course. The books are extremely well made and has a nice coating that feels water (sweat – it was a humid testing day) resistant. I played the back 9 on Friday the 14^th and was able to play two balls for maximum research. I played one ball based on the book and one ball based on my range finder. The first ball by “The Book” as well as course knowledge was a 3 over 37 with bogeys on two par threes (bad swings/left misses) and 18 (long 5 with massive tiers on green). I tried to use the visual cues offered by the new Hi-Res book which gave me the general yardage but within 4-5 yards. On the greens are where this book shines, the elevation, slope and putt break chart provided an extremely detailed view of the putt. I found my lines to be much less than the book states and it showed. Missed a few sliders without the book but once I broke it out I was well within 1-2 ft of the hole on 10+ ft putts. There are tons of tricky greens out there and getting caught on the low side of the hole sometimes make for a quick 3 putt. The book has every bit of detail that helped me maximize the round but also gave me better insight to the green complexes and contours that I have missed in the past. One hole stands out amongst the rest for the green reading, 17 is a downhill par 3 than plays about 20 yards less due to elevation. I hit the ball 5 yards past and had what looked to be a right to left off the hill coming back down the green. The book showed a relatively straight putt with a slight turn right around the hole which resulted in a 2 inch miss for the birdie. 

 

The App:

The app will be an essential part of my prep for any tournaments or new course. It provides the same level of detail for hazards, landing zones and green details. I used the app for a tournament earlier last week as we had early access. I played a course unknown to me and found myself referencing it throughout the round even though it’s a static map view. Not knowing a course and relying solely upon what I can see in a range finder leads me to missed landing zones or false fronts that I cannot see from the fairway.

 

Overall:

The book and app provide tremendous levels of detail that can help golfers of all levels prep or understand a course at a much deeper level. While I know it may not be for all golfers, this will be an essential addition to the bag for years to come. I have full confidence that players looking for the added leg up on their friends or competitors will love the app and book for their game. I plan on getting a few books for my brother and I for a member guest later this year (I can’t always trust his reads even though it’s his home course). Please reach out with any questions on my review or the StrackaLine offerings! 

[505]

Thank you @GolfWRX and @StrackaLine, y'all are awesome for doing this one. Here's my initial thoughts after 6 rounds and a couple of weeks with The Book and app.

 

Me:

 

Currently a -1.8. I tend to lose 2-3 strokes on the greens per round due to either playing breaks that weren't really there, seeing no break when there obviously was, or thinking it will break the opposite way from what it ends up doing. Every once in a while I just brain fart and completely misread a putt.

 

I've used GolfLogix for the previous 2 seasons, but had just let my script expire a couple months ago. With a laser and gps watch on my bag I was really only using it for the greens, and I didn't feel like it really helped a whole lot in that department for the price I was paying. Biggest gripes were that the resolution of the arrows weren't high enough to be totally effective, and I found it difficult to pinpoint exactly where the pin and I were on the map (non-max sized iphone).

 

 

The Book:

 

 

Before even taking this out on the course I was excited. Good packaging, books arrived not damaged or folded. The cover is a nice soft touch paper that feels great in your hand. Mine will be going in a Craftsman cover for extra protection, durability is a bit of a concern for me with how stuff gets tossed around and abused in my bag. A laminated version for an upcharge might be a great addition to the lineup.

 

 

The amount of info in this thing is impressive, and the new hi res takes it to another level. I couldn't decide which of my two regular courses I wanted to get, so I ordered the other one in non hi res so I could compare/contrast. Both are great, but the hi res is absolutely worth it IMO. Easier to get your bearings with the sat view vs the drawings.

 

(Please note that these books are for two different courses)

 

 

In 6 rounds with The Book I have yet to find a single case where it was wrong, and I would have been wrong many many times without it. A perfect example is on 16 at Arroyo Del Oso on my first day out with it. I'm middle front edge just in from the collar. Pin is center front, 6 paces on. The optical illusion created by a slight false front and the prominent hill to the right of the green had me 100% thinking that it has to go left, but The Book says it goes right. So I trust it, play a foot outside left, lipped out right edge. If I had trusted my own read I would've easily missed it two+ feet low.

 

Results over my first 6 rounds with it: 73 - 75 - 71 - 74 - 76 - 70. Roughly 2 shots a round better on average than my norms. I do think the potential is there for more improvement as I get better at reading the slope numbers and using that additional info to start actually holing out more putts in the mid range. Lags were undeniably better and just made the rounds feel easier overall on and around the greens.

 

In short, The Book is fantastic. 

 

 

 

The App:

 

The Strackaline App improves on both of my main gripes with GolfLogix. The actual outline of the greens seems to be more accurate, making it a bit easier to pinpoint the location of my ball and the hole. The break arrows are higher resolution than GL, although not as high as The Book. Multiple viewing options is a great feature. Fall lines are also super helpful. I didn't use the "putt read" feature all that much yet, but will give that more of a full test next time I play a course that I don't have The Book for. 

 

 

GPS yardages were accurate, usually within 1-2 yards of my Yardage Pro watch. It's a pretty simple GPS viewer that is easy to use.

 

 

All of the courses in my area are mapped, even a couple that had recent major renovations are updated and correct.

 

Battery drain isn't as bad as I've seen with some of the other GPS apps. 

 

I did have a couple of occasions where the app gave me a spinning wheel of thinking death, followed by an error. This might just be my older phone causing it though.

 

Conclusion:

 

Overall the app is a great substitute for courses that I don't have The Book for, although over time I think I will eventually get one for most of the courses I play. The Book just feels quicker to use, has slightly higher resolution, and keeps me off my damn phone. I've never been a huge fan of keeping my phone in my pocket on the course, so The Book is just a better fit for me overall. If you're already using your phone for something like Arccos, the app would be a great fit.

 

Will continue to update this thread as I get more time with it, but I am loving this stuff so far. 

Edited July 3 by 505

[Fairways_and_Greens]

I kinda like my old strakaline better. 

[chinaski]

4 hours ago, Fairways_and_Greens said:

I kinda like my old strakaline better. 

I do like the map aesthetic a little better myself, but the HD imaging definitely makes it easier to identify specific trees, targets etc. It is a much more usable upgrade.

[chinaski]

I have received my books and have been playing with the app. I'll be posting a review after my round at Brown Deer in MKE this weekend. Big thanks to @StrackaLine for putting this together!

[ColdOkieGolf]

These look awesome for tournament prep.   Since I've moved, basically every course I play is new to me.   I use my phone as best I can - but having booklets like this would be super nice!

[mbbrewer]

How do you get them to make a course that isn't in their database?

[DE-ILLINI]

I had a chance to try the yardage book last night.

 

I selected Rock Manor Golf Course in Wilmington Delaware.  This course has a fair amount of elevation change around the course and the green range from relatively flat to very a few with significant slopes.  I have played the course in its current format since its complete renovation in 2008, so I have a lot of experience playing the course.

 

The Yardage Books

 

I was impressed with the books when they arrived.  I will echo @tnrts345 comments regarding the quality of the book itself.  The pages feel like they will hold up well and should be fine is they get a little wet.  The quality of the high-resolution are nice and easy to read.  I looked over the entire book after receiving it.  I did a little mental math, and all the yardages were what I expected.  I really like circles emanating from the tee box and greens.  The colors are blue, white, red, and yellow.  These give distance from the tee and distances to the green.  I found this very helpful for avoiding danger and planning second shots into the green.  I did not this much for when playing Rock Manor, but this would be beneficial for a new course.  The book also has circles showing the width of the fairway and another circle showing elevation change from that show to the green.  I was disappointed to find on a couple of occasions the graphics overlayed one another so both were not visible.

 

There are separate pages with images of the green.  The first one shows the elevation change in colors.  The second shows the severity of the slopes in colors. The third provides values of the severity of the slope.  All the images have arrows showing the direction of the slope on the greens as well as area surround the green.  There is a nice little table in the back which will allow you to look cross reference the length of the putt and the severity of the slope to determine how much the putt will break.

 

I used the booklet throughout my league match.  I did not use the regular yardage part of the book much just because I was very familiar with course.  I did find the green portion of the book very helpful.  Most of the time the book confirmed what I was seeing.  To be honest I did not use the table much during the round as it felt like too much information.  Where the book really shined in my opinion was on complicated reads.  There were two occasions where my read was not confirmed by the book.  In both instances the book was correct.  The first time I did not trust, the second time I used the information.  The book really does work.

 

What I really like is the fact the practice green is also mapped out.  I think it will be very helpful to go out and spend 45 minutes on the green read the putts, use the book, and then putt.   Try all different lengths and breaking putts to just build up a feel for this.  Then I think using the greens books will be so much more helpful and also probably help improve your green reading ability.

 

The App

 

I played with the application, and it has a very standard GPS which is helpful when you play new course.  Personally, I never use GPS app when I play Rock Manor, I just use my range finder.  The application also has a feature which shows has the contour plot of the green where you can drop a pin for the location of the hole and one for the ball.  Then it will provide you with break and weight of the putt.  This looked like it would be fun to play around with and something I will try next time out.  I was disappointed that I could not find the practice green on the application.  This feature something I would love to play around with on the practice green.

 

Overall

 

I like the product and am looking forward to using it more, especially on the practice green.  For me personally, I am a little old school and enjoy flipping thru the book and doing the math in my head more that I like messing with the application.  I think these books would be very helpful preparing for a tournament round (do not play too many of these!).  Annually I play in a two-man tournament with one of friends.  I think we will purchase one of these books for that course.  The quality of the book is solid and feels like it will hold up well under regular usage.  The table which helps convert slope and distance to break is very helpful.  I think this combined with the mapped out putting green could really help me improve my green reading ability, which ultimately translate to any course you play.

 

 

 

Edited June 21 by DE-ILLINI

[golfinbrad]

So each hole has a satellite pic (2 pages) of the hole and then 2 pics of each green?  Think there would be an issue adding notes on the pages with the satellite pic of the hole?  Does the application allow for notes?

[DE-ILLINI]

4 hours ago, golfinbrad said:

So each hole has a satellite pic (2 pages) of the hole and then 2 pics of each green?  Think there would be an issue adding notes on the pages with the satellite pic of the hole?  Does the application allow for notes?

Yes.  Two pages showing the entire layout of the hole.  Two pages with the three images of the green.  There is empty space under on the second page of the green images for notes. 

Edited June 21 by DE-ILLINI

[tj7644]

Ok, I've had my first round with the books and here's what I've found out after using the book for 1 round.

 

First of all, I'm a golfer, with a handicap of just over 8 right now.   I have never used a yardage book of any kind let alone a Strackaline.   I've used GPS watches and Rangefinders, but never a course book of any kind, electronic or hard copy.   I've never had a green reading instrument, electronic or otherwise.   I play competitive senior events, best ball, scramble, etc... multiple times a season/year.   And I'm a weekly player in our local mens association events.   I've always wanted a yardage book, but the ones I've seen in the past haven't been worth anything or detailed in any way to beat a GPS unit or a rangefinder.

 

Anyway.... I go out for a round and first person I run into is my local pro.   He'd never seen nor heard of Strackaline.   I showed him the book, and he was genuinely interested, especially in the green reading features.  (To be honest, that is the feature I'm most interested in as well).  He wanted to make sure I keep him updated on my findings.  So.... I start the round, and the first thing I notice is the yardages are very accurate.   The slope of the fairways was also accurate, and something I hadn't even thought of before using the book.  It simply made me notice.   Then I get to the green, and I read the green by memory just fine, but I pull out the book and it confirmed my read perfectly.   I was thoroughly impressed that my relatively unknown public course was available at all, but then then accurate to boot.   Count me intrigued and impressed.   Anyway as the  round goes on, I literally don't find any issues with yardages or green reading.   Can you tell if it's a 8 inch break vs a 4 inch break from 32 ft.   Probably not that well, BUT you get close.   Now with the percentages shown in a previous could that be learned, probably.  Did I take the time to do it my first time with the book.  No.

 

After 1 round with the book, I think I've come away with one big impression for me personally.   That is..... I should have gotten the book for another course I frequent but is not my home course.   I would love the green reading capability for courses that I'm not as familiar with the yardages or breaks on the green.   Toward the end of the round on my home course, I found myself using the book less and less because I was too familiar with the course and green, and the book wasn't showing me much of anything I didn't know. Did it confirm yardages, and reads on the green?   Absolutely!   But did it correct anything I thought I knew?  No.     BUT if I would have asked or gotten one for another course I'm not so familiar with, I think it would be worth a lot more to me.  I now have confidence in the books and would consider purchases for other courses that I frequent for tournament play because of the accuracy from my home course.

 

[tj7644]

Ok....Second round in and this time I tried to focus more with the app than the hard copy book.   Basically it worked just as well as the hard copy book.   The yardages, the green reading, the slopes of the greens all worked great.   After using both, I might be old school, but I preferred the hard copy.   I found it awkward for me personally to take my cell phone to the green.   I felt almost a little embarrassed looking at my phone on the green.   I felt like it was a disservice to those around me.   Luckily they knew what I was doing, but all partners may not until you explain it to them.   Because of that feeling, I simply like the hard copy book.   That is my preference.   Other than that, at this time, there is nothing new to report.   I ended up doing about the same thing as I did with the hard copy book.   That is, I used it less and less as the round went on.   I didn't find it to be a great help because I already knew how a putt broke, or what the yardage was from this tree, etc...   I'm really believing that this is a GREAT tool.   But the greatness of the tool depends on the familiarity of the course you're on.  Would I love to have this for some tournaments on other courses I play?  Absolutely!!!   Would I love to have a book for courses I'm slightly familiar with but only play 3-4 times a year?   YES.   But does it help me on a course that I'm intimately familiar with?  No, I don't think it does very much.  

Edited June 26 by tj7644

[DE-ILLINI]

1 hour ago, tj7644 said:

Ok....Second round in and this time I tried to focus more with the app than the hard copy book.   Basically it worked just as well as the hard copy book.   The yardages, the green reading, the slopes of the greens all worked great.   After using both, I might be old school, but I preferred the hard copy.   I found it awkward for me personally to take my cell phone to the green.   I felt almost a little embarrassed looking at my phone on the green.   I felt like it was a disservice to those around me.   Luckily they knew what I was doing, but all partners may not until you explain it to them.   Because of that feeling, I simply like the hard copy book.   That is my preference.   Other than that, at this time, there is nothing new to report.   I ended up doing about the same thing as I did with the hard copy book.   That is, I used it less and less as the round went on.   I didn't find it to be a great help because I already knew how a putt broke, or what the yardage was from this tree, etc...   I'm really believing that this is a GREAT tool.   But the greatness of the tool depends on the familiarity of the course you're on.  Would I love to have this for some tournaments on other courses I play?  Absolutely!!!   Would I love to have a book for courses I'm slightly familiar with but only play 3-4 times a year?   YES.   But does it help me on a course that I'm intimately familiar with?  No, I don't think it does very much.  

Did you drop a pins where the ball and flag were to get the apps read?  That looked useful, but I did not try it during my first outing.

 

I am out of town for a little while, but look forward to giving it a try after the July 4th weekend.

[tj7644]

On 6/26/2024 at 5:30 PM, DE-ILLINI said:

Did you drop a pins where the ball and flag were to get the apps read?  That looked useful, but I did not try it during my first outing.

 

I am out of town for a little while, but look forward to giving it a try after the July 4th weekend.

I did.   But again, to me, I'm so familiar with my local course that it simply didn't give me any information I didn't already know.   That's why, in my opinion, this is great, but not as great as it could be for a course you're unfamiliar with.

[ronster]

I picked up a book a while ago (and one for a friend) for one of the courses I frequent and it’s fantastic for the accuracy and the green contours. Now that they have a Hi-Res version will look to get a book for the other course I play frequently at. 
 

question if you get the app, do you get access to all the courses they mapped? Not sure if I should get the app as well..

[DE-ILLINI]

10 hours ago, ronster said:

I picked up a book a while ago (and one for a friend) for one of the courses I frequent and it’s fantastic for the accuracy and the green contours. Now that they have a Hi-Res version will look to get a book for the other course I play frequently at. 
 

question if you get the app, do you get access to all the courses they mapped? Not sure if I should get the app as well..

The app appears to give you access to all the courses mapped.  I tried it out at home, both the GPS and green features are available.  I will be playing a couple of courses this weekend which are not my home course.  I will report back how it works.

[tj7644]

1 hour ago, DE-ILLINI said:

The app appears to give you access to all the courses mapped.  I tried it out at home, both the GPS and green features are available.  I will be playing a couple of courses this weekend which are not my home course.  I will report back how it works.

Can't wait to hear how it works for you on other courses.   I wanted to try last weekend, but didn't dare have a phone on the greens during a tournament....

[505]

Updated my post above with initial review. I can't imagine not having the info this stuff gives me now that I've used it. It's that good. Really wish I had gotten into these sooner.

[tnrts345]

I've used the app for my last two rounds at my non home course. I did some pre round review of the greens and landing points before I went out but on course it was tremendous. I used the app at a course I haven't played in over a decade and its changed a ton so the details on new bunkers and carries was extremely helpful. The greens had a ton more break that met the eye and I found myself falling on the top side as I utilized the target and breaks on the app. Ended up shooting quite well on the back side when using the app, will be continually using the greens features as I can pinpoint the ideal line and sink putts. 

 

If the app eventually adds a GPS/dynamic view plus the hi res this would take over as the only golf app I would utilize. Outside of bunkers, having the trees or on course reference points would make this app a powerhouse! 

[DE-ILLINI]

I tried the app on a couple of courses that were not my home course.  All information is there and it is very accurate.  Several times the app indicated break I either did not see or underestimated, and it was accurate each time.  Personally I find messing with my phone on the green less than ideal.  I prefer the physical yardage book.  I am going to pick one up for a course we play every September.
 

One Monday I have a tournament.  I will use the app again.  Maybe to do some scouting and try it out again.

[DE-ILLINI]

I used the app on Monday for the tournament I played in.  The information provided by the Stracka Line is app is great.  It was accurate and did help me get a better understanding of the break and weight of the putt.  A couple of drawbacks I found.  First, the screen size on my phone is a little small, so I did not like it as much as the physical yardage book I used.  Second, reception on the course was not great. As a result, it took time for the green details to load up.  It was better on some holes than others. 

 

@ronster  It looks like if you pay for the app you have access to all the mapped courses.  There is also an option to print out the green maps ahead of time to avoid the issues I had with reception and old eyes trying to read on the phone.  The access we were given is not a full membership, so we have access to all the courses but can only print a few holes in advance.  I believe there is an additional level of membership which gives the print all 18 holes.  I have not looked too closely into that.

 

Overall, the information provided by the Stracka Line books and app is accurate and very useful.  I feel this is really only for a subset of very serious golfers.  For myself, I like the physical book and will likely use it regularly on my home course when I am questioning a putt.  I will buy one for the course where I play in an annual event.  I will not buy maps for courses where I am just playing casual rounds with my friends.  I think this would be great for college teams or seriously competing in tournaments.  If you are playing a competition round the information in these books is fantastic.  I can see where it would be helpful for a competition round, but the best use in the practice round.  You could find tricky spots of the green and use the book to really understand how a putt will break.

[505]

Played yesterday at a course I don't have a Book for, and utilized the putt read feature on just about every green. It is very accurate, as long as you get the location of the ball and hole close to correct. I found that if I paced off the putt and then matched that with the distance on the app, the ball did pretty much exactly what it said it would. Really cool on a big swinger to see it say 7ft of break and then see the ball actually break 7ft. 

 

If the app had a live GPS location update option and auto rotation for the green, along with an auto transition from range mode to green mode, it would be the undisputed best app in golf IMO.

Edited July 10 by 505

[tj7644]

This whole system remains amazing for me.   I love it.   It is less useful on your home course than it would be on others?  Yes.  BUT the fact remains that the information is good AND accurate.   I love using the book, even in tournament play.   It confirms what I think, and my yardages to hazards.   It confirms the break I assume is correct on the greens.  That just gives me more confidence that the read is correct.  Would I love more books for other courses I play fairly frequently, YES!!    The app is awesome as well.   I love it when messing around with it while playing friendly rounds.   But...that being said, I simply find it uncomfortable to use on the greens especially in a competitive setting.   Books seem acceptable to fellow competitive players, but when you pull out your phone to look at green breaks, slopes, and lines it just doesn't feel right or comfortable.   I suppose if everyone was using it, I wouldn't feel that way, but I do right now when I'm the only one pulling out a phone on the green.  

[Justin962]

How does one accurately set the pin and ball locations in the app? Does it require you to ask the course for the pin placements before the round or do you just use your best guess based on what you're seeing when you walk up to the green?

 

Thanks!

[DE-ILLINI]

20 hours ago, Justin962 said:

How does one accurately set the pin and ball locations in the app? Does it require you to ask the course for the pin placements before the round or do you just use your best guess based on what you're seeing when you walk up to the green?

 

Thanks!

I have been dragging and dropping the ball and hole location markers.  You either have to step off the location of your ball and the hole or just eyeball it.  If the app showed your location on the green it would be much more straight forward.  I hope this helps.

 

 

 

  

Edited July 17 by DE-ILLINI
Added image

[DE-ILLINI]

On 7/10/2024 at 4:09 PM, 505 said:

Played yesterday at a course I don't have a Book for, and utilized the putt read feature on just about every green. It is very accurate, as long as you get the location of the ball and hole close to correct. I found that if I paced off the putt and then matched that with the distance on the app, the ball did pretty much exactly what it said it would. Really cool on a big swinger to see it say 7ft of break and then see the ball actually break 7ft. 

 

If the app had a live GPS location update option and auto rotation for the green, along with an auto transition from range mode to green mode, it would be the undisputed best app in golf IMO.

I agree with your final statement.