Optishot vs. P3Proswing

[SFR]

I will add that on those two original P3Pro courses, those are where the LA cam will work but yes is a bit slow. (does not work on the Prem Courses). Also wind works and the terrain effect on the ball LA also works, where in the past it had not.

However in the Prem Courses the wind has no effect as is, and the terrain effect does not come into play. They also have a few more glitches that need to be fixed as one is the fringe and how the ball reacts off of it. The downfall is the time it takes to get these new updates done and possibly the ability to do so. I have had the prem courses for going on 3 years I think, and they still are not working as they should and some things like back spin on the greens are now not working where they had been in earlier versions.

Can it help with your game...... yes, can it be better....yes, for the cost it is now, is it worth it....yes

The on line play is fun and free now but not sure I would pay for it when it gets to that point. Still waiting for updates to correct issues that were there from the start but that is more in the interface for the Prem Courses.

The pad has a slow putt mode or a slow swing mode where a red light comes on to tell you it is in that mode. When in that mode the reflective sensing is triggering miss reads if you use a mallet style putter and not as bad with a thin face putter. However the odd time you might have to chip with a PW while that mode is triggered and with a wedge you will get miss reads sending you shot off line. You can force the red light mode to go off and then quickly hit your shot before it comes back on and get a proper read.

[-Andrew-]

Thanks for the note. I was about to buy and your concerns over what is clearly unfinished development over such a long period gives me some serious pause.

[edit] Hi again-

I've searched around a little and am not quite sure of the limits of the "fringe issue" - seems to be discussed in terms of online play, but I assume it affects offline as well?

Also... is the "terrain issue" the one in which (in "premium" courses) the surface on which the ball is resting is read as being level even if on an incline? (If so, seems pretty serious..)

Wind... serious.

It seems as if P3 are address some of these, at least, but as an owner, are you confident they are working to fix these issues diligently?

thanks
Andrew

[SFR]

Fringe issues seem to be on all courses and what I have found is that if you drop a ball on the fringe and take a full PW swing the ball goes about 50 yards so about 50% penalty is added to the shot. When you try to chip its hard to judge a swing that is twice what you need but that is one way to do it if you notice in time. To putt the ball seems the best option as you can judge better the speed. However the odd time the ball will just take off and go 100 yds. If you are playing on your own you can always have mulligan's turned on and just replay the shot but in on line or tournaments, you don't get mulligan's. I thought it would be an easy fix to have who ever did the programming to see how they had the fringe terrain listed and if there was a penalty associated with it. In the one area of the program where you can get into and adjust things to a degree, they don't list fringe as one of the terrains.

Also inside that same area of the program I have found why wind was not working and can make it work but they don't seem too interested in that finding. I use my file setup when I want to play with wind on my own.

The terrain issues are not a major thing however if you are on the base area of a hill trying to hit up over it, without the added ground angle added to your clubs LA face, shots tend to be driven into the hill and stop as opposed to going even higher like they should due to the added angle of your terrain. You can kind of get around this by selecting a PW and then swing a driver for more club speed and thus your PW will launch the ball high enough to clear the hill and the added swing speed of the driver lets it go further like 7I might. Not great but is a fix if that comes into play.

They say they are working on an update but my confidence is fading.

[-Andrew-]

"However the odd time the ball will just take off and go 100 yds."

Well, that happens to me sometimes anyway...

Thanks for the notes. The fringe issue is serious as my son (11) and I are both essentially beginners, so we'll likely spend a lot of time there.

It really is a tough decision, esp. based on the fact that software issues should be very high on the list, not only of things they're fixing but of things they're discussing with their user base; if they are not giving specifics... well, I understand your sentiment. From what I read, if the accuracy of the Optishot was the same as P3 it would be an easier decision.

[-Andrew-]

Another note, I wanted to read through the P3 forum but it's either down or just not showing up properly through our firewall..

[ZMax]

Both are stepping stones to better simulators IMO. Once you get serious and have the funds, you'll want to upgrade. The P3 is more consistent with swing speed readings because it actually has sensors designed to read club speed. The Optishot estimates club speed.

I would recommend the Optishot. Although, charging $75 for the latest new course is a dumb idea. At $400, you won't lose much when you decide to upgrade. P3's online play looks cool but without LA, it's just for fun.

[-Andrew-]

Thanks ZMax-

Why would you recommend Optishot over P3? (Still weighing my options here...)

cheers
Andrew

[ZMax]

Optihsot is $200 cheaper. Don't need to tape your clubs. Need to tape your driver with P3pro if I recall. Optishot is always coming out with new courses(Majors). They listen to their customers. P3pro might be doing a better job of this now, but note SFR's comments and also, where's the LA?

[bubba22]

I echo ZMax advice!

[-Andrew-]

Thanks again guys-

A few points -

1) I don't really mind paying $200 more, if there are advantages (still up in the air obviously)

2) I don't mind taping clubs (as noted earlier, you can actually use spray paint instead if you want)

3) Listening to customers. Now, that's pretty important. I wouldn't know how that's going, but Optishot is in transition so perhaps they'll have a "customer service-off" soon

4) Courses: Well, seems like P3 has a TON. Earlier in this thread someone noted P3's are "arguably" better. The few I've seen from the World Dunes download look pretty nice. Also, there are good settings in the interface (time of day, wind, graphics options, etc.) but I can't really tell what range of courses they apply to.

5) Launch Angle... yeah, not sure what's up with that. IMO should not have been released if not fully compatible with all courses. I assume DD would be working on this.

Both could really benefit from sharing with their audience, but would probably get roped into making promises on which they couldn't deliver...

[scanner_66]

i am very interested in this thread as we are making the same decision..we are both low teen HC and with 7 -8 months of non golf in MB we want a sim that is fun but reasonably accurate for the current $1000.00 budget, we are leaning toward the P3...

[pingB]

The p3 will be more accurate, but as has been stated earlier it's not a very accurate system overall. Not something that you'd want to use to change your swing in my opinion.

Of course that doesn't mean you can't use it to practice, but don't take everything it reads to heart.


I like the idea of starting with the optishot as well because it is cheaper. I believe it's more than 200$ cheaper though. I was thinking more like 4-500$ cheaper than the p3pro.

It's comparable in accuracy, and as Zmax said they are both stepping stones to better systems.


I've already done this research myself. I started with the optishot and when I finally decided I needed something that actually read my driver properly I looked heavily into the p3pro. After tons of forum posts and lots of research I found that the p3pro just wasn't that much better that it warranted the extra money or could even be considered an upgrade.


Home simulator technology is still in it's infancy. I believe the tech will get way better and eventually get cheaper as time goes on. You can't go wrong with either of the 2 system so if you feel like paying more for a little more accuracy go for it. Eventually you'll want to upgrade, but at that point there should be more options.

[-Andrew-]

Optishot DATA OVAL...

Looking to find out if the data oval in the middle of the screen that appears after a shot is taken can be turned off... seems like it would be annoying.

thanks,
Andrew

[gotenks94]

Hi Andrew,

I'm using optishot at the moment and i don't think that oval can be removed after each shot is hit i don't think. Never paid attention to it as much i guess, best way to find out is email Johnathan at optishot. When you go to the optishot site click on (request assistance) and he will get back with you real quick. Maybe with the new updates thats coming out soon as they say at the next quarter this might not be there only time will tell as they keep all info in house.

[-Andrew-]

Hey all,

I have gone with the Optishot for a few primary reasons:

1) This is a unit my son (11) will be using as well as (hopefully) my daughter (13) and wife (age undisclosed...). Primarily, There is a feature that lets the user create separate players and custom sets of clubs, and assign the club sets to players. So, for my kids, I bought a varsity set that came with 6 clubs: 3 irons, a hybrid, a fairway wood, and a driver. I can create a set based not only on that limited number of clubs* but also, if needed, create a set based on my son's club distances and another based on mine, my daughter's, etc. This way, we can just step up and choose our own player and clubs. As far as I can tell, the P3 software doesn't allow this level of customization.

2) While I am quite the tinkerer and don't shy away from tweaking/modifying settings and things, currently, P3 seems to be in some prolonged state of development. While the benefits of added accuracy and more course availability was my primary draw (get it? "draw"? because, it's a... oh, nevermind) the fact remains that there is a little too much left open and up to guess. There is currently an issue with hitting from the fringe that has been going on for some time from what I'm reading.

Also - and this is a big one - there doesn't seem to be consistency in "what works with what" - included courses, premium courses, etc. I perceive it as a mess. In my opinion, every course should work the same way, include the same functional features, and, generally, have the "same bugs" - meaning, what's driving (get it? "driving"? since a golf... forget it) the underlying physics/function of the courses should be the same set of rules. I get the impression there is some turmoil here.

3) Presentation. I happen to like both, but think DD gets the edge. This includes website and the general presentation of their materials. This includes their setup/user guide. Personally I feel like it's a "better kept house".

One of the benefits as I see it of what we're going to get out of the unit is general swing improvement and, for me, relaxation. I do not want to have to deal with something that makes my life -more- complicated. Got enough of that already... I am sure we'll see great improvements from both companies, but for now, beginning "the easy way" is for me.

Thanks for all your help -
Andrew

[pingB]

Good choice. You'll probably want a stance mat of some sort. Optishot sells some pretty good ones that go along with it. I also never had much luck with my driver. Check the various sites on how to get that working before you pull your hair out.

[-Andrew-]

Thanks ping, I do plan on looking for a mat. Or, making one... and a screen...

I've done a bunch of reading on the driver. I have a Taylormade Burner so I'll likely have some trouble. I'll figure it out.

cheers
Andrew

[Golfmaxxx]

Just use black electrical (or spray paint) your woods black and apply a one inch piece of white electric tape on the leading edge of the bottom of your clubs.

Welcome to the DDclub

[Par2Pro]

Just a quick note that the P3Pro Swing will give you more accurate club data over the Optishot only with the proper lighting and club taping. Also using anything other than the 3M reflective tape may cause reflections of light away from the sensors and not back into the sensors resulting in inaccurate readings.

Hope that helps