Video Tutorials – YouTube
Hacks & Hazards β App Tutorials
π― Getting Started
How to Trace Your First Shot
Tracing your golf swing is the core feature of Hacks & Hazards. Here’s how to do it in under a minute.
Step 1 β Import your video
From the home screen tap Import Video and select your swing video from your gallery.
Step 2 β Set your impact point
Scrub through the video to the exact moment of impact. Tap the ball on screen to set your impact point.
Step 3 β Set your landing point
Scrub forward to where the ball lands. Tap the ball again to set your landing point.
Step 4 β Adjust your arc
Use the Height and Curve sliders to match the shape of your shot. A draw curves right to left, a fade curves left to right.
Step 5 β Choose your trace style
Pick from multiple trace styles β comet tail, solid line, highlight ball and more.
Step 6 β Export
Tap Quick Share to export a short clip instantly, or YouTube Export for the full video with trace overlay.
π Record & Trace β GPS Shot Distance
Record your swing AND automatically calculate your carry distance in one flow.
Step 1 β Tap Record & Trace
From the home screen tap Record & Trace.
Step 2 β Record your swing
Set your phone up to capture your swing and tap the record button. Hit your shot.
Step 3 β Walk to your ball
Put your phone in your pocket and walk to your ball. The app tracks your movement via GPS.
Step 4 β Tap I’M AT MY BALL
When you reach your ball tap I’M AT MY BALL. Your carry distance calculates automatically.
Step 5 β Trace and share
Your video opens in the editor with your carry distance already logged. Trace and share as normal.
β³ Round Tracker
Track every shot, every hole, every round.
Starting a Round
Step 1 β Tap Track Round
From the home screen tap Track Round.
Step 2 β Enter your course
Type your course name or load a saved course from your library.
Step 3 β Set your pars
Set the par for each hole or load a saved course that already has them.
Step 4 β Choose GPS mode
Choose Smart GPS (recommended, saves battery) or Always On for continuous tracking.
Step 5 β Start your round
Tap Start Round and you’re off!
Logging Shots
There are two ways to log shots β Quick Score for speed or full shot logging for detail.
Quick Score Bar
The quick score bar at the bottom lets you log your entire hole in seconds:
- Score +/- β tap to add or remove strokes
- Fairway β β¦ miss left, FW hit, miss right β¨
- GIR β did you hit the green in regulation?
- PUTT β tap once per putt
- HOLED! β logs your final putt and advances to the next hole automatically
Full Shot Logging
Tap Manual Shot or GPS Shot to open the full shot logger. Select your club, where the ball landed, and shot shape.
Visual Hole Diagram
Switch to Visual mode and tap where your ball landed directly on the hole diagram.
How to Use Voice Commands
Tap the mic and just talk β no digging through club chips or menus mid-round. This covers everything the voice system understands: tracking shots, asking for distances and club suggestions, logging a shot by describing it, and the hands-free flow after “I’M HERE.”
Where’s the mic? The VIEW tab. On Premium’s satellite map, it’s the floating mic button over the map. On the free-tier hole diagram, it’s the “ASK VOICE” bar above it. Tap it, wait for the buzz/listening state, then say your command β it stops listening on its own once you pause, no second tap needed.
1. Track a shot by saying your club
Say a club name and it pre-selects that club and starts GPS tracking the shot β exactly like tapping GPS SHOT and picking the club yourself. Once tracking actually starts, it reads the club back to confirm it heard you right.
“Seven iron” Β· “Driver” Β· “Three wood” Β· “Putter”
Say “putter” specifically and it skips GPS tracking and opens shot entry with putter pre-selected, since putts don’t track distance the same way full swings do. Full-swing tracking is Premium β putter works on any tier.
2. Ask for your distance
Ask how far it is to the green and it speaks the yardage back to you.
“What’s my distance?” Β· “How far to the green?” Β· “How far to the front?” Β· “What’s my distance to the back?”
Say “front” or “back” to get that specific number instead of the default center-of-green distance.
3. Ask what club to hit (Premium)
Get the same club suggestion the VIEW tab shows, spoken out loud instead of read off the screen.
“What club should I hit?” Β· “Suggested club?”
If the shot’s beyond your longest club, it tells you that and suggests a layup club instead of just going quiet.
4. Ask for your layup club (Premium)
Get your layup club and comfort distance read back for the hole you’re on β same numbers as the layup option on the VIEW page.
“What’s my layup club?” Β· “Layup distance?”
Needs a layup comfort distance set on your club averages screen first, and it’ll tell you if that’s missing. Answers regardless of whether the hole’s actually in reach β a deliberate layup is a real club choice even when going for it is an option.
5. Describe your shot to log it
This is the big one. After you get to your ball, tap the mic and just say what happened β no modal-tapping required.
“I hooked my ball into the left rough” Β· “Chunked it in the water” Β· “Topped it” Β· “Pushed it into the fairway bunker”
If a GPS shot was still tracking when you spoke, it stops tracking first so the distance still gets captured before logging.
Two independent parts to a description β you only need the outcome, the shape is a bonus if you mention it:
- Outcome (what happened): fairway, green, rough (plus left/right/back), bunker (plus fairway/greenside, left/right), water, out of bounds, topped, chunked, or holed it
- Shape (how you hit it): hook, slice, pull, push, draw, fade, or straight
6. Hands-free after “I’M HERE”
On the PLAY tab, tap I’M HERE to stop GPS tracking like normal β except now it also asks how the shot went and opens the mic the instant it’s done talking, no second tap needed. A quick buzz marks the moment it’s actually listening. Just answer like step 5 above (“hooked it into the rough”) and it logs the shot automatically.
7. Undo a misheard shot
Voice recognition isn’t perfect β if it logs the wrong thing, just say “undo” any time afterward.
“Undo”
It deletes that shot and rolls back the club-average entry it created, no menu digging required. Stays available until either your next voice-logged shot or the next hole replaces it β so undo right away if you’re going to.
Tips for better recognition
- Speak naturally, don’t over-enunciate. “I hooked it in the left rough” works better than robotically stating keywords β the app is parsing full sentences, not listening for a magic word.
- Wind and cart noise hurt recognition. Cup a hand near the mic or step slightly away from a running cart if it’s not catching you.
- Didn’t catch that? Just tap the mic and try again β nothing gets logged unless it actually understood you.
- Distance and layup questions rely on your club averages. You’ll need a few logged rounds before club suggestions have anything to work with.
GPS Shot Tracking
Tap GPS Shot at your ball position before you swing. Walk to your ball and tap I’M HERE to automatically calculate your shot distance. Your carry distance logs with the shot.
πΊοΈ GPS Course Mapper & Virtual Caddie
Map your home courses once and get live distances and club suggestions every round.
Mapping Your Course
Step 1 β Switch to MAP tab
During your round tap the π MAP tab at the top of the hole screen.
Step 2 β Mark the green
Walk to the front of the green and tap β³ Front. Walk to the center and tap π― Center. Walk to the back and tap π Back. You can add multiple readings per point β the app averages them for accuracy.
Step 3 β Mark hazards
Walk to any bunker, water hazard or OB marker and tap the corresponding button. Left and right bunkers are tracked separately.
Step 4 β Add caddie notes
Add notes about the hole β wind tendencies, trouble spots, preferred landing zones. They show every time you play the hole.
Step 5 β Share your data
Tap π€ Share Data to contribute your GPS points to the Hacks & Hazards community database. See inaccurate data? Tap π© Flag Issue.
Using the Virtual Caddie
Step 1 β Switch to VIEW tab
Tap the πΊοΈ VIEW tab to see your hole diagram with live distances updating as you walk.
Step 2 β Read your distances
Pill labels on the green show your live distance to Back, Center and Front of the green. Water and bunker distances show on their respective shapes.
π€ AI Caddie Reports
Get a personalized breakdown of your round from your AI Caddie β what worked, what leaked strokes, and what to work on next.
Step 1 β Finish your round
Your AI Caddie report generates automatically after you tap Finish Round.
Step 2 β Open your report (Premium)
Tap AI Caddie Report on your round summary to read your personalized breakdown β strengths, weaknesses, and specific things to work on based on what you actually did that round.
Step 3 β Track your reports
Premium includes 10 AI Caddie reports per month, and your report history is saved so you can look back at past rounds’ feedback anytime.
πΈ Hole View β Satellite Shot Traces
See exactly where every GPS-tracked shot went, laid over a real satellite image of the hole.
Step 1 β Play a round with GPS Shot tracking
Any hole where you used GPS Shot to log at least one shot is eligible for a Hole View.
Step 2 β Finish your round
Your shot trace images generate automatically in the background right after you tap Finish Round β no extra steps needed.
Step 3 β Tap View Shot Traces (Premium)
From your round summary tap View Shot Traces to open Hole View.
Step 4 β Scroll through your holes
Each hole shows your shot lines and clubs used on top of a satellite image of the hole, so you can see your actual shot shape and miss pattern β not just the number.
Step 3 β Get your club suggestion (Premium)
Below the diagram your Virtual Caddie recommends a club based on your distance to the center green and your personal club averages. When you’re between clubs it suggests a Soft version of the longer club.
Step 4 β Layup suggestion (Premium)
When the green is out of reach the caddie shows your longest club for Go For It and a Layup club to your comfort zone distance.
Step 5 β Hole history (Premium)
See your last 5 scores on the hole with color coding β green for birdie or better, white for par, orange for bogey, red for double or worse.
Step 6 β Scoring leaks (Premium)
Real-time alerts during your round flag patterns like three-putts, missed short GIRs and fairway misses with actionable tips.
ποΈ Club Averages Setup
Set up your club distances to unlock the Virtual Caddie from day one.
Step 1 β Open Club Averages
From the home screen tap Club Averages.
Step 2 β Enter your distances
Tap + Add next to each club and enter your typical carry distance. You don’t need to fill in every club β just the ones you use.
Step 3 β Set your comfort zone
Enter your Free Throw Distance β the yardage you can hit consistently under any conditions. This is used for layup suggestions.
Step 4 β Watch it blend
As you track rounds the app blends your manual entries with your real tracked averages. After 3+ GPS shots with a club the blend kicks in automatically.
Step 5 β Delete errant shots
Tap a club with tracked shots to expand the list. Tap β Remove to delete any shot that shouldn’t count toward your average.
π Round Summary & Scorecard
Viewing Your Stats
After finishing a round tap Finish Round to see your full summary including score vs par, fairways hit, GIR, putts, up and down conversion and a score breakdown chart.
Sharing Your Scorecard
Tap Share Scorecard to generate a branded scorecard image with your logo, stats and hole grid. Share it to Instagram, Messages or anywhere else.
How to Use the Practice Tools
Eight free tools live on the home screen under π― PRACTICE TOOLS β tap the accordion header to expand it. None of these need Premium.
1. Tempo Trainer
An adjustable metronome for swing and putting tempo. Set a BPM (30β160, or tap a preset) and hit start β you get a visual pulse, a haptic buzz, and an audio click every beat.
Two modes: EVEN CLICK is a plain, identical beat every time, good for grooving a putting stroke. SWING RHYTHM 3:1 splits each cycle into a longer “BACK” phase and a shorter, accented “THROUGH” phase β the classic backswing-to-downswing tempo ratio.
2. Rule of 12 Chipping Calculator
Tells you which club to chip with, or where to land it, using the real short-game “Rule of 12” formula.
WHICH CLUB? β enter the distance to the pin and where you want the ball to land, and it tells you the club. WHERE TO LAND? β pick a club and it tells you where to land it and how much roll to expect.
There’s also a Slow / Normal / Fast green-speed toggle, since faster greens need less roll and slower greens need more. It assumes a flat lie β you’re still the one reading the slope, the app just does the math.
3. Chip Distance
No map needed. Stand at the pin, tap MARK PIN, then walk to your ball β the distance in feet updates live the whole way using your phone’s GPS. Tap USE IN RULE OF 12 to send that number straight into the chipping calculator.
Heads up: phone GPS is typically accurate to somewhere around 10β30 feet, so treat anything under 20 feet as a rough estimate, not a laser reading β it’s most useful for the 40+ foot pitches and chips.
4. Wedge % Ladder
Sharpens your feel for partial swings. It throws a random target distance below your shortest logged club’s average, you guess the swing percentage needed, then tap REVEAL to see the real number and how close you were. Tracks your average error across the session.
Needs at least one club average logged first (Club Averages screen) β it’ll point you there if you haven’t yet.
5. Putting Streak
Pick a distance (3, 5, 8, 10, or 15 ft), then tap MADE IT or MISSED after every putt. Your current streak, make percentage, and best streak at that distance are all tracked live β best streak is saved so there’s always a number to beat.
6. 9-Shot Shape Challenge
The classic trajectory-by-curve grid: high, mid, and low, crossed with draw, straight, and fade. Tap off each combination as you hit it on the range. Clear all 9 for a “Full House.”
7. Pre-Shot Timer
A stopwatch for building a repeatable pre-shot routine. Set a target time, hit start as you step in, stop it at contact. It turns orange once you’re over your target, and keeps your last 5 times so you can see if your routine’s actually consistent.
8. Club Challenge
Tap DONE to get handed a random club and shot shape (with a real target distance if you’ve logged that club’s average). Built for range days that were turning into “hit driver 40 times.”
Tip: Wedge % Ladder and Club Challenge get more useful the more clubs you’ve logged on the Club Averages screen β they use your real numbers, not generic averages.
π Premium Features
Upgrade to Premium to unlock the full Virtual Caddie experience.
Free includes:
- Shot tracer with multiple styles
- Record & Trace with GPS distance
- Round tracker with visual hole diagram
- GPS Course Mapper
- Live pin distances on VIEW tab
- Club Averages manual entry
- Multiplayer scoring
- Scorecard sharing
Premium unlocks:
- AI Caddie post-round reports (10/month)
- Hole View satellite shot trace images
- YouTube full video export
- Watermark-free exports
- GPS Shot distance auto-tracking
- Club suggestions on VIEW tab
- Soft club recommendations
- Layup and Go For It suggestions
- Hole history per hole
- Real-time scoring leaks
- Pre-round warmup report
Monthly Β· Yearly Β· Lifetime options available
hacksandhazards.com Β· Available on Android