Foresight Sports

[natureboy]

On 1/28/2017 at 0:42 AM, iacas said:

We tested them side by side a few years ago with the Phantom camera. The FlightScope was much more accurate.

So in terms of clubhead data, then? How about the ball flight tracking and bounce / roll modeling for total distance? Or do all of the radars actually use doppler to measure when the ball stops moving?

[iacas]

37 minutes ago, natureboy said:

So in terms of clubhead data, then? How about the ball flight tracking and bounce / roll modeling for total distance? Or do all of the radars actually use doppler to measure when the ball stops moving?

Nobody really cares about bounce/roll modeling? You can choose soft, medium, or firm conditions, and they model it after that. Doppler (tracking the ball) is always going to be better than taking a few photos and estimating the ball flight. Doppler tracks the ball to where the horizon would be (if you have an uphill or downhill range).

[saevel25]

I agree, Doppler Radar is superior. Bounce and Roll doesn't matter. When I am looking at launch figures I am just looking at Launch Angle and Spin Rates. If the device can track the club then club path and angle of attack. 

 

[natureboy]

On 2/3/2017 at 10:28 PM, saevel25 said:

When I am looking at launch figures I am just looking at Launch Angle and Spin Rates.

If you're not hitting marked balls, do the doppler units directly measure spin rate or calculate it based on the measured parameters?

[saevel25]

3 minutes ago, natureboy said:

If you're not hitting marked balls, do the doppler units directly measure spin rate or calculate it based on the measured parameters?

I have no clue. I know flightscope uses a small metallic dot. I believe Trackman measures spin rate as well. 

[natureboy]

28 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

I have no clue. I know flightscope uses a small metallic dot. I believe Trackman measures spin rate as well. 

I've read that TM also uses (or used) the 'silver dot' method too, but that may only have been indoors because the limited space typically didn't give enough revs with a driver to get a good reading.

This interview with Fred Tuxen indicates that they can measure just from a ball (outdoors at least).

GC2 (and I assume quad) also directly measure the ball spin.

• Measured Data (Flight): Ball Speed; horizontal & vertical launch angles; spin & spin axis

Edited February 21, 2017 by natureboy

[saevel25]

4 minutes ago, natureboy said:

I've read that TM also uses (or used) the 'silver dot' method too, but that may only have been indoors because the limited space typically didn't give enough revs with a driver to get a good reading.

I don't care really. I know my swing. I know the clubs that fit towards my game. I know my expectations for certain club and club shaft combinations. I can tell if a launch monitor is finicky. It doesn't bother me if the spin rate is not measured, but calculated, on the typical launch monitors at a store. If I am getting fit, I will seek out someone with flightscope or trackman. 

[natureboy]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

I don't care really. I know my swing. I know the clubs that fit towards my game. I know my expectations for certain club and club shaft combinations. I can tell if a launch monitor is finicky. It doesn't bother me if the spin rate is not measured, but calculated, on the typical launch monitors at a store. If I am getting fit, I will seek out someone with flightscope or trackman. 

Yeah, knowing your swing and how it affects ball flight relative to ball flight laws is great for making the most of any ball flight monitor, I'd think. I'd agree that a few calculated parameters (if the science/numbers are good) isn't a killer either...depending on what information is crucial to you and your particular faults. Certain systems may be more insightful for readily available bits of info than others.

Here's an interesting thing I just noticed on TM re spin axis. Their new patent may give them a direct measurement of spin rate, but it seems that the spin axis is imputed based on the ball flight (where the ball starts and ends up).

 

I don't think in the Titleist video that the spin axis actually tilted much off horizontal. The ball curved primarily due to differential lift/drag on opposite sides of the ball, which I expect is what's happening with mud balls (dimples covered on one side).

 

Edited February 21, 2017 by natureboy

[iacas]

The doppler systems both use a dot inside, but can measure everything outside without a dot.

[natureboy]

On 2/21/2017 at 11:10 AM, iacas said:

The doppler systems both use a dot inside, but can measure everything outside without a dot.

Based on the mud ball example above it would appear that while the spin rate is clearly measured with their patented tech, the spin axis is calculated/imputed based on the lateral movement of the ball even if the axis isn't tilted. For practical purposes, though, mud balls and uneven dimple wear shouldn't be much of an issue.

Edited February 26, 2017 by natureboy