Bought a SkyTrak

[Eack]

OK final verdict is I returned the skytrak.  It wasn't able to read shots outside very well on a cloudy day.  Also when it did pick up shots it wouldn't resemble anything that actually happened.  Ball would fade but draw on the simulation. Still couldn't read fast ball speeds with any regularity.  Overall was disappointed by the unit. Was really hoping for a diamond in the rough with this but it let me down

[SavvySwede]

4 hours ago, Eack said:

OK final verdict is I returned the skytrak.  It wasn't able to read shots outside very well on a cloudy day.  Also when it did pick up shots it wouldn't resemble anything that actually happened.  Ball would fade but draw on the simulation. Still couldn't read fast ball speeds with any regularity.  Overall was disappointed by the unit. Was really hoping for a diamond in the rough with this but it let me down

Shame. Did you contact the skytrack people and get any troubleshooting help from them? Did they offer to inspect the unit to see if it was a lemon?

[Eack]

10 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

Shame. Did you contact the skytrack people and get any troubleshooting help from them? Did they offer to inspect the unit to see if it was a lemon?

Yes, I did contact them had an extensive conversation.  The only thing they asked was to see where the laser pointed relative to a piece of paper set by the unit.  That test turned out OK.  But what they couldn't answer was why it wouldn't read anything from 5  iron up accurately.

[newtogolf]

19 minutes ago, Eack said:

Yes, I did contact them had an extensive conversation.  The only thing they asked was to see where the laser pointed relative to a piece of paper set by the unit.  That test turned out OK.  But what they couldn't answer was why it wouldn't read anything from 5  iron up accurately.

Thanks for the review and updates.  I had read mixed reviews and was hoping that it would work well for you.  The price point was perfect for me if it worked, guess we'll just have to wait until something better comes out.  

[Eack]

45 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

Thanks for the review and updates.  I had read mixed reviews and was hoping that it would work well for you.  The price point was perfect for me if it worked, guess we'll just have to wait until something better comes out.  

I was very much in the same position.  The price point worked, it simulated what I wanted, and gave me numbers I wanted.  I guess I'll just have to start saving for a gc2 system.

[jkelley9]

This is what worries me. The Skytrak is basically in a price range for me that would be a "reach," but it would be worth it to me so long as it was reasonably accurate, mainly because I'm really not happy with my Optishot 2. I hate the calibration thing for each club, I don't like having to select the club for each shot even on the driving range. I don't like having to hit off of that mat. 

I want something that's a ball tracker, not a club tracker. The Skytrak seems like just the thing for me. I set it down, I hit off my good quality mat. I don't even care about the red dot thing (I don't think). I won't even be taking it outside; I'll just be using it in my garage on a level surface. I don't even mind making up a little adjustable platform to get the level just right. But seeing reviews about people going out of their way on getting the level right and it still not tracking that ball properly? Something seems not right about that.

Edited March 31, 2016 by jkelley9

[grubby98]

This was disappointing.  I have an optishot 2  I got for Christmas.  Still have to put it together in the garage, but was hoping to save and buy a way better device to practice golf at my house during shitty weather.  I guess I need to go buy some scratch offs so I can buy a trackman.

[Mike Boatright]

The only product that's 100% accurate is track man type product or about golf with a camera based system that reads the spin and velocity of the ball then translates that into real time data. These will cost a minimum of 5,000 then you would have to build you sim with pvc pipe and blackout cloth. I bought the luanch pad golf simulator for tiger woods pc for 100 bucks a while back and it's sucked big time because of it's software interface!! The opti shot 2 uses the same infrared technology with a better software interface. Overall I think it could be great if you build a great sim and have room in your garage. Can't say for sure I haven't used it but if you know your yardages to a T then you can calibrate it around perfect. The optishot is very accurate for clubhead speed,and face angle at impact that's about it. The rest is for display and entertainment purposes. I think it can groove your swing allow you to hit balls and see the direction of your shots and not so much actual yardages,spin rate or launch angle.

[jkelley9]

Can I ask what your exact setup was indoors? Like what mat you hit off? was the unit on the ground or the mat? I'm assuming you used real balls? How high do you tee up on driver? What is the lighting of your indoor area? 

This would be really helpful to me. I'm about to put my Optishot 2 on ebay because I can't stand it and Trackman is really the only ball tracker-type sim that is even remotely close to my price range... but it's pretty high... as silly as it sounds if it were $1,500 I would just buy it but for some reason that extra $500 in my mind, with the reviews as they stand, just isn't there for me yet.

[newtogolf]

29 minutes ago, jkelley9 said:

Can I ask what your exact setup was indoors? Like what mat you hit off? was the unit on the ground or the mat? I'm assuming you used real balls? How high do you tee up on driver? What is the lighting of your indoor area? 

This would be really helpful to me. I'm about to put my Optishot 2 on ebay because I can't stand it and Trackman is really the only ball tracker-type sim that is even remotely close to my price range... but it's pretty high... as silly as it sounds if it were $1,500 I would just buy it but for some reason that extra $500 in my mind, with the reviews as they stand, just isn't there for me yet.

What Trackman are you looking at because the Trackman 3E sells for $15,995 and the Trackman 4 sells for $18,995?  

[Eack]

1 minute ago, jkelley9 said:

Can I ask what your exact setup was indoors? Like what mat you hit off? was the unit on the ground or the mat? I'm assuming you used real balls? How high do you tee up on driver? What is the lighting of your indoor area? 

This would be really helpful to me. I'm about to put my Optishot 2 on ebay because I can't stand it and Trackman is really the only ball tracker-type sim that is even remotely close to my price range... but it's pretty high... as silly as it sounds if it were $1,500 I would just buy it but for some reason that extra $500 in my mind, with the reviews as they stand, just isn't there for me yet.

In my garage where I had my indoor setup at I had the unit on the mat I was hitting off of. And off to the side in the protective case that is sold for the skytrak.  I've used two mats, one was homemade with foam flooring underneath green outdoor type carpet.  The other was a small hitting pad that I bought at the store with rough and fairway strips on it.  That one wasnt big enough to have the skytrak on it so it was always off to the side.  When I use these mats and driver the ball is either ½ to ¾ above the crown(ping g25).  Lighting is 3 lightbulbs in my garage.  Plenty enough for perfect lighting it always read shots indoors ( outdoors was a different story).  Yes I used real balls that's the only way to use a skytrak, it takes pictures of the ball right after you hit it and it predicts flight from what it sees.  

Honestly I can't gripe about the shorter shots (anything under 175 yards). I found that to only be in error of about 10 yards less than what I expect to see on the course.  My problem and personal belief was this unit had issues reading high ball speed.  The reasoning I use is I carry my 7 somewhere in the 175-180 range.  The unit would sometimes depict what I felt as nice clean shots as worm burners barely getting a foot off the ground.  This was the problem I had with my six iron and up to driver.  I did find I could actually hit up far more than normal to get what would read as a high launch angle 15-20(for me) with driver and get carry distances of 230 ish.  I'm not trying to boast about distances but I can regularly hit driver 290-310 on course without wind or elevation changes. But anytime I would hit driver it was always low and would only carry around 175-200.  When I was testing the unit outside at my range I was hitting into a tree at the end of the range that is 275 yards with wind into me and the shots I got to land into the tee only read Mac distance of 265.

I wanted the skytrak to practice mid to long game at home,  the unit wasn't able to read anything I wanted so I sent it back.  Full discloser the unit was a previously owned one and had 250 shots on it when I got it.  I'm thinking it was a demo unit.  If you were only using it for shots no further than 175 and these results are typical for a skytrak I would find it acceptable. 

 

PS I wrote this while my daughter was rambling on to me, so if I'm not clear just ask me on something.  

[jkelley9]

I'm not really sure how I typed out Trackman since I've never even considered one... I meant Skytrak. Sorry.

[luke22zm]

I am really contemplating getting a skytrak simulator for the long MN winter.  I tried the r-motion thinking it would be half way decent to get me through this winter but man was I wrong.  I bought a fairway pro already, but now I am worried that it won't work with the skytrak being that it moves when hit.  Any incite into this would be much appreciated, if it won't work I still have a few weeks to return it.  Thanks in adance.

Edited October 25, 2018 by luke22zm

[Aflighter]

On 10/24/2018 at 10:18 PM, luke22zm said:

I am really contemplating getting a skytrak simulator for the long MN winter.  I tried the r-motion thinking it would be half way decent to get me through this winter but man was I wrong.  I bought a fairway pro already, but now I am worried that it won't work with the skytrak being that it moves when hit.  Any incite into this would be much appreciated, if it won't work I still have a few weeks to return it.  Thanks in adance.

There's nothing wrong with the skytrak.With an inside setup with a mat on a level floor it is as accurate as you can get.I put mine in an outside building that I can swing freely.I made a frame our of pc tubing with an impact screen along with a projector.I've had success outside on shaded range off mats and what ball did was identical to what skytrak showed.

[luke22zm]

 

On ‎10‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 5:23 PM, Aflighter said:

There's nothing wrong with the skytrak.With an inside setup with a mat on a level floor it is as accurate as you can get.I put mine in an outside building that I can swing freely.I made a frame our of pc tubing with an impact screen along with a projector.I've had success outside on shaded range off mats and what ball did was identical to what skytrak showed.

Thanks for the feedback.  I haven't seen a lot of reviews on the newest updated version, it seems like a lot of reviews are from a few years ago back to when it first came out.  The few I have found on it lately have been pretty good, they must have really improved the software and it's accuracy through feedback over the years.  I guess if it doesn't work with the fairway pro divot simulator I'm only out another $100, not to bad when your spend a couple thousand ha.  I'm really concerned about accuracy, I usually try to film my swing and watch it back, then I can tweak things as I see it.  I'm starting to get better at using feedback data, but at this point that is just a bonus, I want accurate ball flight and distance mainly.  Thanks again.

[Bud Tugglie]

Find an old smartphone, delete or disable all the apps on it,  install a golf GPS app, and you have a very low cost distance finder.    I use SkyDroid and it works well, meets my needs, and cost a couple of bucks.  Smartphone was an old throw-away (Free!).  I keep in on a charger in my car.

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, Bud Tugglie said:

Find an old smartphone, delete or disable all the apps on it,  install a golf GPS app, and you have a very low cost distance finder.    I use SkyDroid and it works well, meets my needs, and cost a couple of bucks.  Smartphone was an old throw-away (Free!).  I keep in on a charger in my car.

This topic is about the SkyTrak, @Bud Tugglie, not a GPS or something.

[dennyjones]

My instructor bought a SkyTrak last year.   I haven't tried it but he seems to like it.   The set up is on mats which are the same height, indoors with plenty of light, hitting into a net.