Swing speed radar accuracy

[tree10]

I have the blue swing speed radar and it is fairly consistent. The only problem is on dry swings I can get speeds up to 117 mph but when I am hitting a ball the meter registers 100-105 mph. I have read on other forums that the meter usually reads 10 percent higher when hitting a ball in comparison to a dry swing. Its seem to be the other way round on my meter. I am just wondering if anyone has any input on this topic and what numbers are they getting if they have the meter for ball vs no ball swings.

[Hacker James]

what difference would it make if it were consistent?  If you know the difference in readings are sans ball, then you would know what your SS speed is with ball. The only readings that are germane are with ball. As for the reason "why" perhaps knowing there is a ball there would cause a miniscule measure of hesitation.

[tree10]

I was wondering if it is accurate to get these readings as they are meant to be 10 percent higher with a ball. My meter seem to be the opposite of this. I don't know if I am hitting the ball at 105 or 115 because of this. Even when I go all out with a ball it is still only 100-105 so hesitation is not the problem.

[Hacker James]

3 minutes ago, tree10 said:

I was wondering if it is accurate to get these readings as they are meant to be 10 percent higher with a ball. My meter seem to be the opposite of this. I don't know if I am hitting the ball at 105 or 115 because of this. Even when I go all out with a ball it is still only 100-105 so hesitation is not the problem.

I see. Does the product literature address this?  Maybe if you shot off an email to their tech dept, they could lend insight. Other than that, there are several on-line type instructors that use them and perhaps even a thread on them in this forum.

[tree10]

The product instructions state they are 10 percent higher with a ball. I have read a lot of forums on the product and they are generally deemed to be faster speeds with a ball from most. I am just hoping someone who has a similar problem who tested their meter against a trackman can give some insight as I do not have access to one.

 

 

[David in FL]

This is nothing but a guess, and others can likely confirm that I'm way off base, but...

It seems possible that the reason that the unit senses a higher SS with a ball is because it picks up the far faster ball after impact and interpolates that into a higher swing speed.  If that's the case, it's virtually impossible to get a lower swing speed with a ball, unless there's something different about your swing itself.

When I've played with similar units in the past, I found that I could dramatically (artificially) increase my SS by rolling my forearms through the impact zone in an exaggerated "release".  In actuality it wasn't really representative of my real swing though.  I wonder if you might be seeing something similar to that...

Again, nothing but my own personal observation and potentially not even close to what's happening in your case.

[No Mulligans]

I have this one (pictured) and it does record a little higher when I hit a ball (I've only used it my backyard with foam balls).  I'm at about 85 to 90 with this, and I'm about 95 to 100 with a trackman or foresight launch monitors using real balls.  Not sure if it's the foam balls or my cheapo radar that's causing the difference.  I should take my radar to my next lesson and make a side by side comparison with the Foresight with the same swing.

Edited March 31, 2017 by No Mulligans

[Hacker James]

I seem to recall an in depth comparison between monitors such as swing speed radar and a couple of others as measured against trackman. I don't know if it were on this forum or I simply googled it, but it was a definite side-by-side comparison of accuracy. Now whether or not it was with and without a golf ball, I really cannot say. The swing speed radar seemed to edge the other by a small margin and was a little lower priced. I nearly ordered one quite some time back (The Red one), when I was following Ignition Golf (for a very short time).

Back to my original response, it would seem to me that you already have a benchmark and you could simply mathematically calibrate by adding or subtracting depending if your benchmark is with or without a ball. I totally understand your wanting to know why your unit is acting differently than it should or as advertised. And of course, the only relevant thing is what is important to you.  It will be interesting to learn what you find out.

[tree10]

Thanks for the replies. I can get it tested next to a trugolf simulator but their accuracy is questionable at best. I suppose I will just have to wait it out until i can use a trackman.

[tree10]

Tested the unit against a trugolf simulator. The blue meter was generally lower by 6 to 8 miles than the trugolf system when hitting a ball. There were instances when they were both the same but that was generally with slower swings (sub 95 mph). A 102 mph swing on the blue meter was measuring 109-110 on trugolf. I will have to test it against a trackman.

[Lihu]

On 3/30/2017 at 5:39 PM, No Mulligans said:

I should take my radar to my next lesson and make a side by side comparison with the Foresight with the same swing.

The SS radar measures the fastest part of the club which is the tip of the club head. On a driver it can be about 8 to 10% higher than the region that hits the ball. You can also kind of fool the radar by twisting or snapping the club head to get a bit more as well as @David in FL mentioned.

Foresight is the most accurate if you make decent contact with the ball. If you show 100mph on SS radar, then you'd likely see numbers in the low 90s for your swing speed interpreted from the ball speed and divided by a typical smash factor. Foresight is very accurate for measuring carry distance, and is the most accurate for measuring your performance.