TESTED BY: Brendan James, Golf Australia Editor (GA handicap 8) COST: $379 each.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I have worn several different fitness trackers and golf GPS watches, and the Microsoft Band 2 is perhaps the heaviest of them, which I thought would be a hindrance when swinging a golf club. But I was pleasantly surprised as it was no more cumbersome than wearing a metal watch and weighed just 60 grams.

What I really liked about the look and feel of the band was the fit. The band comes in three sizes (small, medium and large) and it features a sliding clasp so you can adjust for the perfect fit. Other similar devices I have tried don’t have quite the same personal fit, and have a fiddly clasp.

THE SET-UP: Once you have your Band out of the box you need to register it with your online Microsoft account. Download the Microsoft Health app to your Windows, Android or iOS smartphone to activate the Band.

If, like me, you are challenged when it comes to any form of technology … DO NOT FEAR … it is an easy and straight-forward process, as is pairing up the Band with your smartphone using Bluetooth. It took me less than ten minutes to work through the entire process and I was ready to go.

HOW IT PERFORMED: Standing in the car park of the course I was set to play, I searched for the course (from the data bank of 20,000 worldwide courses) I was about to tackle and had it downloaded to the Band in just a few minutes.

A few minutes later I was standing on the 1st tee and the Band had already locked into my location via the GPS. The Band acts as a GPS device giving you distances to the front, middle and back of each green when you push the Action button on the right. This does differ from other devices, which offer distances in real time. That said, once you have depressed the Action button, your distances are available within a few seconds.

Over the two rounds I played with the Microsoft Band, I found that the approach shots I hit well carried the correct distance so the accuracy of the GPS was spot-on.

As previously mentioned, I’m no tech whiz but I found the Microsoft Band 2 added a new dimension to a round of golf.

But what impressed me most about the Microsoft Band was that it senses when you hit the ball without you doing anything. Therefore, it counts your shots and automatically adds up your score. One of the 11 sensors on board detects when you hit the ball and if you are one to take practice swings, they won’t register unless you hit the ground really hard.

The band only missed one shot in two rounds – a bladed wedge from 50 metres – and I was able to add the stroke by swiping the touch screen to the left to adjust the score.

The ‘hit’ sensor really comes into its own post-round. Not only can you analyse game stats in the Microsoft Health phone app, I ventured into the dashboard where there was heart rate (there was a significant rise around that bladed wedge) and calorie burn stats. But the best was yet to come.

I launched TaylorMade’s myRoundPro (which you need to set up an account for), where I was able to then look at a full analysis of my rounds. There were the usual stats like fairways and greens hit, as well as putts. You can even track where your shots were played during the round on graphics of each hole. You can even click on the green to get a close up and adjust the flag location and position of your putts. myRoundPro also uses the ‘Strokes Gained’ system devised by American Professor Mark Broadie and is so widely used and quoted on the PGA Tour. Here you can evaluate how well (or bad in my case) your round was, relative to other golfers of a similar handicap, and is based on the average number of shots you take to get your ball in the hole a certain position and distance.

As previously mentioned, I’m no tech whiz but I found the Microsoft Band 2 added a new dimension to a round of golf. It helped me on course and then, after the round, I had all the data there I could use to help me work out the areas of my game that need work or common shot shapes that might need attention.

THE SPECS

WHAT MICROSOFT SAYS: “As you play your round, get all the information you need on your Microsoft Band 2.

“The built-in GPS detects which hole you’re playing and finds your range, while advanced sensors tracks your strokes, steps, heart rate and calorie burn. After your round, the Microsoft Health app helps you analyse your fitness and game stats.

“And because you’re playing with Microsoft Band 2, you can stay connected while you play. Your band notifies you about important texts, e-mails and calls.”

KEY FEATURES:

•          Track your heart rate and daily activities, like exercise, steps, calories burned and sleep quality, while the notifications you care about most are available at a glance.

•          Understand more about your overall fitness when you can track your heart rate 24 hours a day. Know the boundaries of your heart rate zones, from your maximum heart rate during exercise to your resting heart rate during last night’s sleep.

•          If you like to jog, Track your heart rate, calorie burn, distance, splits, elevation gained, and instantaneous and average pace. In the mobile app and web dashboard, see a map of your run and get insights of your performance to find ways to improve.

•          It’s fitted with 11 sensors including GPS, UV monitor, and barometer.

•          Microsoft Band and TaylorMade provide an unprecedented coaching and tracking experience for golfers with TaylorMade’s MyRoundPro software (pictured).

•          Automatically tracks your score. You can pause your game during the round to see your current score and relevant information about each hole. Review your entire scorecard in the Microsoft Health app when you’ve finished your game.

For more details visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/