Shot Pattern App Review: My Honest Thoughts
One of the fastest ways to lower your scores isn’t changing your swing—it’s picking better targets. Every golfer has a shot pattern, and learning to play within that pattern is what separates wicked smart players from frustrated ones.
The problem is, most golfers don’t know their pattern. We guess and we aim at flags we shouldn’t. And we wonder why our misses always seem to find trouble.
That’s where the Shot Pattern app comes in and why it made my list on the best golf apps for competitive players. This app is designed to show you your real dispersion—your personal “shot cone”—so you can make smarter aiming decisions, improve your course management, and play more consistent golf.
I’ve spent time testing the Shot Pattern app and seeing how it can help everyday golfers. Here’s what I learned about what it does, how it works, and who it’s best for.
Shot Pattern App Review
As an avid tournament golfer, I’m always looking for ways to improve. This is what intrigued me most with the Shot Pattern app, as it gave me a way to preview the hole for course preparation and during the round. And why it made my list of the best golf apps to help your game.
Why Knowing Your Shot Pattern Matters
Most golfers think they aim at the target and just need to “hit it straight.” But no one—not even tour pros—hits it straight every time. Everyone has a pattern, commonly known as shot dispersion.
Your shot pattern is the area where your shots tend to finish, taking into account your typical misses. It’s not just about knowing your best shots—it’s about knowing your worst shots and planning for them.
✅ Why this is important:
- You’ll pick better targets.
- You’ll stop short-siding yourself.
- You’ll lower your risk of big numbers.
- You’ll feel more confident over every shot because you know what to expect.
Even elite players use shot patterns to aim away from trouble and set realistic expectations. You can, too—if you have the right data.
What the Shot Pattern App Does
The Shot Pattern app takes the guesswork out of understanding your tendencies. It lets you input your shot data and instantly see your dispersion pattern on a virtual fairway or green.
Here’s what you can do with it:
- Enter your shot data by club, distance, and miss tendencies.
- See your “shot cone” visualized so you can see left/right and short/long misses.
- Compare your dispersion to PGA Tour benchmarks for perspective.
- Use your pattern to pick smarter aiming targets in real rounds.
The app is simple by design—it focuses on helping you make better decisions, not tracking a hundred random stats or swing metrics.
If you’ve ever wondered: Where do I actually miss? How wide is my pattern? Am I aiming in the right spot?—the Shot Pattern app gives you clear answers.
Using the App: My Experience
Getting started with the Shot Pattern app is refreshingly simple with the free and paid version. The free app lets you map courses, get GPS distance, and is permitted to use in tournament play. Just choose Course Preview or Play Golf to get started.
Personally, I love the “Course Preview” mode, as it helps me map out a course in advance and pairs nicely with my PuttView yardage book. Then, you can use on the course as you go through the round by selecting the course and tees played (more than 40,000 courses available).
Additionally, with the paid app, you can also track your round to get valuable strokes gained data. You’ll input details like:
- The club used (e.g., 7-iron, driver).
- Approximate distance.
- Directional miss (left, right, short, long).
- Shot quality (optional, for more detail).
Once you log a few shots, the app generates a visual representation of your “shot cone”—a pattern that shows your tendencies in both lateral dispersion and distance control. The more data you input, the more accurate and helpful the pattern becomes.
I found the interface intuitive and easy to navigate. It doesn’t overwhelm you with analytics, but it gives you just enough information to say: “Ah, I tend to miss short right with my 8-iron” or “My driver dispersion is tighter than I thought—maybe I should hit it more often.”
It’s also satisfying to visually compare your own pattern to PGA Tour benchmarks. That perspective alone helps reset expectations and encourages smarter decision-making.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Tournament legal.
- Available on Apple Watch.
- Pricing is $14.99/month or $99/year.
- Visual feedback you see tendencies clearly.
- Simple and focused, no clutter, just actionable data.
- Improves strategy, not swing – It encourages better decisions without swing tinkering.
- Affordable – No hardware required, just the app, which is super affordable and helps your game travel to any course.
Cons:
- Only on the App store.
- Manual data entry – You need to input shot results yourself.
- Not a full stat tracker – It won’t replace apps like Arccos or Shot Scope for strokes-gained or round summaries.
Who Is This App For?
The Shot Pattern app is perfect for golfers who want to play smarter without overcomplicating things.
If you:
✅ Struggle with course management and want to aim more effectively.
✅ Feel like you “guess” at targets and second-guess yourself after bad shots.
✅ Don’t have the time or desire to dive into a full strokes-gained stat system.
✅ Want a quick, visual way to understand your tendencies and adjust your strategy…
…then this app is a great fit for you.
It’s especially helpful for mid- to low-handicap players who are already consistent enough to have a repeatable pattern, but need help tightening dispersion and improving decision-making.
How It Compares to Other Stat Tracking Systems
It’s important to understand where the Shot Pattern app fits compared to bigger, more comprehensive systems like Arccos vs. DECADE (which I’m a huge fan of both).
📊 Arccos Golf
- Tracks everything: full round data, strokes gained, club distances, tendencies, and more.
- Requires sensors installed on all your clubs.
- Best for golfers who love data and want detailed performance reports.
Read my full Arccos sensors review to see if it’s a better fit for your game.
🧠 DECADE Golf
- Focuses on course strategy & mental game principles, based on Scott Fawcett’s system.
- Includes shot pattern concepts, but also much more theory and training material.
- Best for highly competitive players who want to learn an entire strategy framework.
Read my full DECADE review and watch the video below to learn more about this revolutionary system.
In short: if you want a lightweight, affordable way to see your tendencies and improve your aim, Shot Pattern delivers. If you want deeper performance analytics or a complete strategic overhaul, Arccos or DECADE might make sense—possibly even in addition to this app.
If you're ready to get started with DECADE instead, make sure to use code "WICKEDSMART" at checkout to save 20% on your subscription.
Conclusion: Should You Try the Shot Pattern App?
If you want to stop guessing, aim smarter, and play more consistent golf, understanding your shot pattern is one of the simplest—and most effective—changes you can make. You’ll pick better targets, develop more confidence, and have more fun.
The Shot Pattern app gives you the clarity you need to make better decisions without overcomplicating things or requiring expensive equipment. It pairs well with a rangefinder as it lets you preview the hole and track stats.
For most golfers, it’s an easy recommendation:
✅ Affordable.
✅ Simple to use.
✅ Immediate insight into how to aim smarter and avoid big misses.
If you’re serious about playing better golf and lowering your scores without overhauling your swing, give the Shot Pattern app a try—you’ll be surprised at how much smarter your game can feel when you know your pattern. But if you want a full course management + stat tracking software that also teaches you how to think like a pro, DECADE is another incredible option.
