I am a golfer, at one time I could be called an avid golfer playing two, three or even four times a week. Although golf is a great way to free your mind, with all the tranquility I often find my mind wandering on the course. This leads me to forget how many shots I have taken on a hole. Now I can’t say the folks at ScoreBand had me in mind when they came up with the ScoreBand Play and Pro series watches, but I am happy they produced them.
Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.
The ScoreBand Play and Pro Series watches are a couple of devices to help you not only keep up with your golf strokes and scores, but also has a tennis scoring mode and a generic scoring mode. Although, the basic functionality of the Pro and the Play ScoreBands are the same, I would consider the Play as the entry-level device over the Pro both in style and functionality.
The first device I will look at is the ScoreBand Play. The Play looks a lot like some of the current fitness bands with its long narrow design. The rubber used in the band is soft and pliable making for a comfortable fit.
The top of the Play has the display face, the ScoreBand logo and two buttons located above and below the display face.
The right side of the Play has two green function buttons. The left side and bottom of the Play do not have significant features.
The buckle and the band on the Play are common, but the band has a lot of adjustment notches to allow for a variety of sizing options.
The Play has four modes; time mode, golf mode, tennis mode and all score mode. In the photo above you will see pictures of the Play in the various modes from left to right they are, golf mode, tennis mode and all score mode.
Time mode is basic and simple with the hours are listed on top of the screen and the minutes below. Time can be set in 12 or 24 hour time modes.
Golf mode shows a G out to the left side showing that you are in golf mode. The top number represents the hole number and the bottom the number of strokes. The button above the display face advances the hole number when pressed and the button below the display face advances the stroke number.
In tennis mode, shown by a T, you use the button above the display for your score and the one below for your opponents. At the end of the game the watch will display the game score.
The all score mode, shown by a A, allows you to keep scores up to 99. the scoring is similar to that of tennis where the top is your score the bottoms is your opponents. Advancing the score is also similar to tennis mode top button is your bottom is your opponents.
In all modes you are able to correct or changes the scores, view the time and use the light feature to view your scores or the time in low light. The display looks to be a simple LCD type that is easy and clear to read.
If the ScoreBand Play is the introductory model of a score keeping watch, the Pro is its older, more grown up sibling. Besides, having all of the same features as the ScoreBand Play the ScoreBand Pro also has some enhanced functionality and additional features. The main feature on the Pro version is the addition of a stop watch. The form factor has changed a bit as well on the ScoreBand Pro, the Pro is larger with a bigger LCD screen and has two additional function buttons on the left side of it.
As you can see from the main picture, the Pro being larger and more closely resembles a regular watch. The top of the Pro has two buttons, one above the LCD face and one below. These buttons are used similarly to the ones on the Play.
The right side of the Pro has two function button, the top is for the back light function the bottom is used to reset the scores.
On the left side of the ScoreBand Pro are two additional function buttons, the top is a mode button and the bottom is a data button. On the bottom of the Pro is the ScoreBand logo and the basic watch information.
The watchband on the Pro model is a little stiffer than the Play model, but it is not unpleasant to wear.
As with the ScoreBand Play, the Pro has golf, tennis and all score features. The main difference is the addition of a stop watch feature to the Pro. In the picture above the functions that are shown on the LCD screen are from left to right: stopwatch, golf, time, tennis, and all score modes.
The time mode allows you to set it in a 12 or 24 hour mode. The hour is on top the minutes are on the bottom. The middle section allows for the date, seconds or nothing depending on what you want to see.
Golf mode includes all of the functions from the Play, but now has an elapsed time setting letting you know how long your round took. The Pro also keeps a running total of your rounds score on the display.
The tennis mode, as with the Play gives you your score, but additionally will allow you to view your set standing as well.
The all score mode has similar features to the Play model with the addition of a total number of games played feature.
The new feature on the ScoreBand Pro not found on the Play is the stop watch feature. The stopwatch can log up to 10 laps and displays hours on the top, minutes on the bottom and seconds in the middle.
As with the Play, the Pro model has the options to correct your scores and information on the fly as well as a light feature allowing you to view it in low or no light.
So, two similar products, how do I decide which one to use? For me the answer was simple, the ScoreBand Play is the one. As a rule of thumb when I am playing sports I do not wear a watch or any jewelry. With that in mind the Play works great for me. Since I will not be using either device as my main watch and I am not as concerned with some of the upgraded features of the Pro (the total time of my round of golf or stopwatch feature) the Play just seemed a little less intrusive. That being said and my personal preference aside, the Pro also is a perfectly fine.
What is my bottom line here? Both the ScoreBand Play and Pro are good and well-functioning devices. Both offer functionality and versatility in their use. While the Pro has more functionality, I personally find that I like the Play for my score keeping needs. Form and fit on both model are good and the construction is solid. Both models have an easily read LCD display with a backlight feature for use at night. If I had any issues with either device it would be these two. First, I wish they were waterproof and not just water-resistant. I cannot see any reason why they are not and for those who may like to use the ScoreBand Play or Pro as an everyday watch it would take some of the worry out of wearing them. The second issue, and mind you these are more on the personal preference side of things, is that editing or correcting scores can be a little confusing with the different combination of button pushes. I understand why the system is set up to keep you from accidentally changing something, but I don’t know if I could remember the sequence of button pushes while I was out golfing or playing tennis, especially if I was in the middle of a game or round. At $34.95 for the ScoreBand Play, available in blue, grey and pink or $49.95 for the Pro version, available in black or white you won’t go wrong with either of these if you are looking for a convenient, simple, wearable and functional score keeping device.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by ScoreBand. Please visit their site for more info.
Product Information
| Price: | $34.95 for the Play $49.95 for the Pro |
| Manufacturer: | ScoreBand |
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I bought the Pro but the service indicator in tennis mode does not work correctly and this is something that cannot be fixed, what a bummer. After a set, the service indicator doesn’t always work as advertised. Try winning the first set with 6-0 and you see what I mean, the wrong player gets to serve according to the ScoreBand Pro.