February 18, 2026
Yippie vs Arccos: Swing Analysis vs Shot Tracking in 2026
Golfers often ask whether they should use Yippie or Arccos. The honest answer: they solve completely different problems. Arccos tells you what happened to the ball. Yippie tells you why your swing caused it. Here's the full breakdown.
What Arccos Does
Arccos is a sensor-based shot tracking system. You install small sensors into the butt end of each club grip (or buy Arccos-compatible grips), pair them with the app, and play your round. The system automatically detects each shot and records its GPS location on the course.
After your round, you get detailed data:
- Club distances — Average, max, and distribution for every club in your bag. You'll know your 7-iron actually carries 155 yards, not the 165 you thought.
- Shot dispersion — Where your shots end up relative to your target. Arccos shows you patterns you can't see from memory alone — like that you miss 70% of greens to the right.
- Strokes Gained analysis — Breaks your game into putting, approach, short game, and driving, then shows where you're gaining or losing strokes compared to your handicap.
- Course management — GPS rangefinder with AI-powered club recommendations based on your actual distances, wind, elevation, and hole layout.
What Arccos Does Not Do
Arccos does not analyze your swing. It has no camera, no pose estimation, no biomechanical measurement. It cannot tell you:
- Why you're slicing your driver (open face? out-to-in path? early extension?)
- What your hip rotation looks like at the top of your backswing
- Whether your spine angle changes through impact
- How your X-Factor compares to tour players
- What drills would fix your specific swing faults
Arccos can show you that your approach shots consistently miss right. But it cannot tell you why they miss right or what to change in your body mechanics to fix it. That's the gap Yippie fills.
What Yippie Does
Yippie is an AI-powered swing analyzer. It uses your phone's camera and on-device machine learning to track your body's key points and calculate biomechanical angles at every phase of your swing.
- 20+ angles measured automatically — Spine tilt, hip rotation, shoulder turn, X-Factor, lead arm angle, knee flex, wrist angles, and club path. Calculated at all 8 swing phases from Address through Finish.
- Real-time coaching — In Coach Watching Mode, you get personalized feedback 3-5 seconds after every swing. The app tells you what to fix and how — while you're still at the range with a club in your hand.
- Root cause analysis — Instead of showing you that shots miss right, Yippie shows you that your hip clearance at impact is 12 degrees below tour average and your downswing sequence starts with your arms instead of your hips. That specific diagnosis leads to specific fixes.
- Personalized drills — Based on your measured angle gaps, not generic advice. If your X-Factor is low because your hips over-rotate in the backswing, you get drills that target hip restriction — not drills for shoulder turn.
- No hardware needed — Just your phone propped against your golf bag. Audio-based swing detection means you don't touch the screen between swings.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Yippie | Arccos |
|---|---|---|
| Primary function | Swing mechanics analysis | Shot tracking & course management |
| Analyzes your body | Yes — 20+ biomechanical angles | No |
| Tracks shot locations | No | Yes — GPS per shot |
| Club distances | No | Yes — per club averages |
| Real-time coaching | Yes — 3-5 sec feedback | Club recommendation only |
| Hardware required | None (phone only) | 14 grip sensors ($150+) |
| Best used at | Driving range | On the course |
| Tells you WHY shots miss | Yes — root cause in your mechanics | No — only WHERE they miss |
| Personalized drills | Yes | No |
They Actually Complement Each Other
This isn't really an either/or decision. Arccos and Yippie answer different questions, and many golfers benefit from using both:
- Arccos on the course — Track your shots during a round. See your Strokes Gained data. Identify that your approach game is costing you 3 strokes per round and that you miss greens right consistently.
- Yippie at the range — Take that insight to your next practice session. Yippie shows you that your hip clearance at impact is restricted and your downswing sequence is arm-dominant — the mechanical reasons for the rightward miss pattern Arccos revealed. Then it gives you drills to fix it.
Arccos gives you the "what" — shot patterns, distances, scoring data. Yippie gives you the "why" — the biomechanical faults causing those patterns. Together, they create a complete feedback loop from course to range and back.
The Cost Difference
Arccos requires a hardware investment. The sensor set runs $150+ for 14 sensors, plus a subscription for the full Caddie features. If you're regripping, Arccos-compatible grips cost more than standard grips.
Yippie requires no hardware at all. The free tier includes swing capture, skeleton overlay, and basic angle analysis. Pro is $9.99/month or $59.99/year — less than a single golf lesson — and unlocks all 20+ angles, 8-phase breakdown, pro comparison, and personalized drills.
The Bottom Line
If you want to know where your shots go and how to manage the course better, Arccos is excellent at that. If you want to know why your body produces those shot patterns and how to fix the root cause, that's what Yippie does. Most serious golfers will eventually want both data sets. But if you're choosing one to start with and your goal is to actually improve your swing, start with the tool that analyzes your swing.