Microsoft announced today that golfers will soon be able to track swings and scores with the Microsoft Band. The fitness tracker and companion health app will use course data from golf club maker TaylorMade to track each stroke.
The update brings benefits before, during, and after each round of golf. Before the game, you can find the nearest course in the health app and do a guided 5-minute golf warm up.
During play, the Band will automatically register each swing, track your score and even let you know how far away the green is. You’ll also get the heart-rate, step and calorie tracking you normally get with the Band.
When you’re done, you can review all of your stats in the health app. You can view your shots on a map if you sign up with TaylorMade’s MyShotPro. You can also train for future matches with golf-specific guided workouts.
The new functionality will be added to the band in the coming weeks. Microsoft added cycling to the Band’s capabilities back in February.
Not many other general fitness trackers have added golf tracking, but Apple demoed a golf app that a developer could make by tapping into the Apple Watch’s accelerometer at this month’s developer’s conference.
The launch couldn’t come at a better time, with Microsoft and other high-tech companies descending on Chambers Bay today for the start of the U.S. Open.
