NEW SkyTrak Launch Monitor

[maneshd5]

Just an fyi but Skytrak has a holiday promotion on their Facebook page for $300 off until Jan. 1, 2015.

[dt2511]

So, for those of you who have had experience in using Skytrak, what's the verdict? Is it worth the $2k? They seemed to have a bumpy start.

I continue to be on the fence with GC2 at ~4x the price (I know, its a full sim not just a launch monitor) but am warming up to $1,700.

Thoughts?

[ROH]

So, for those of you who have had experience in using Skytrak, what's the verdict? Is it worth the $2k? They seemed to have a bumpy start.

I continue to be on the fence with GC2 at ~4x the price (I know, its a full sim not just a launch monitor) but am warming up to $1,700.

Thoughts?

dt, what are you looking for in a unit? For me, I was looking for something which would give me realistic feedback on hitting into a net. My goal was to feed my golfing jones during the winter without developing bad swing habits. I think the Skytrak is going to fit the bill.

First, I ordered the unit in October with the net return and mat. The Skytrak came in early December and the other stuff didn't arrive until almost Christmas. Very frustrating to say the least. If not for the warm weather, I wouldn't have been able to try the unit at all.

I have used it once indoors with Flightscope running. The numbers were okay, but the FS wasn't very reliable due to space constraints.

I have used the unit 2 or 3 times outside with range balls. I think it is very accurate. It seemed to pick up every shot and the image reflected the true ball flight. I have no concerns about using it this winter to let me know how I'm doing.

It does take a few seconds for the shot to register. I'm actually totally okay with that as it slows me (and my kids) down in between balls. I call my son the juggler at the range sometimes - 2 balls in the air at once.

It sets up easily enough and worked right out of the box. I'm not totally sold on the app. I couldn't tell if I had registered it correctly. The app is kind of slow in responding to prompts. I have tried to do separate sessions for different clubs, but it just lines them all up for a given days work. So, you wind up getting all your shots averaged together instead of being able to hit 20 drivers and seeing the averages. I hope the app becomes more advanced as time goes on.

Happy to answer any questions anyone has. Hope this helps.

Cheers.

[skyeoh]

Agree with ROH comments.
App still needs much improvements as the user interface and flight dynamic continues to be tweaked.
ST is a launch monitor at the current state as the sim software hasn't been released. If you are looking for a golf simulator be prepared to fork out more $ in the future and that might bring your spend closer to a GC2. Maybe this will help you with your decision....

I am surprised though you can get a GC2 with sim software sub -5K.

[dt2511]

Agree with ROH comments.
App still needs much improvements as the user interface and flight dynamic continues to be tweaked.
ST is a launch monitor at the current state as the sim software hasn't been released. If you are looking for a golf simulator be prepared to fork out more $ in the future and that might bring your spend closer to a GC2. Maybe this will help you with your decision....

I am surprised though you can get a GC2 with sim software sub -5K.

Sub 5K? Please point me to where... I assume you mean new with a warranty? If so, I'm ready to pull the trigger on that immediately.

[skyeoh]

I meant after factoring the ST price and sim software you will be spending sub 5K but I don't think there is any GC2 out there at that price.... for now but maybe used in the near future.

[DougieMN]

"For the money" I'm enjoying the SkyTrak. I really wanted the GC2 but my budget didn't allow it.

Is the SkyTrak the ultimate launch monitor? By no means, but it does what it advertises and I'm able to actually see what the ball is doing instead of guessing by feel as I hit into my net all winter.

There is work to be done with the software and I'm sure improvements once the Sim side is released but I'd purchase this unit again even with the lousy and clumsy launch.

Looking forward to future improvements!

[11bravo]

I'm hoping to see your videos with showing how to hook into a projector. When the price point drops to 999/1200 I may pull the trigger since having to factor in a iPad purchase as well to run it...

[Goinleft]

I agree with all the comments posted relating to ST. I have had the unit for about 3 weeks. Minimal differences in data driver through 4 iron and these are only slight comparing numbers from a trackman outdoors and a GC2 indoors. So from a data per strike perspective I am happy. I will say they pulled the trigger a little early on the software as it is basically useless for historical analysis. It doesn't capture complete data and what it does capture is stored incorrectly from a club selection and session timing element. This is disappointing given that the software should have been the easiest part of the product launch, given that the device is putting out a static data set. My guess is they will have to release some major revisions to be at all viable long term. Lastly, support and communication is non existent, which is surprising giving sky golfs history.

[ChicagoJoe]

I'm hoping to see your videos with showing how to hook into a projector. When the price point drops to 999/1200 I may pull the trigger since having to factor in a iPad purchase as well to run it...

Hooking it up to a projector is pretty easy. I picked up an Apple TV at Costco for $99, connected that to my projector and mirror my iPad to the Apple TV wirelessly over my home network. Now I can hit shots into a golf screen w the projected image of the SkyTrak driving range. The setup works well, but as many others stated, the app is buggy and feels more like a beta version than a full release. That said, the functions that do work seem accurate and the skill games are entertaining enough to keep my interest while practicing. I'm hoping the folks at SkyTrak add course simulator functionality on the iPad platform at a reasonable price. In my opinion that's the missing piece of their product launch strategy.

[ChicagoJoe]

Hooking it up to a projector is pretty easy. I picked up an Apple TV at Costco for $99, connected that to my projector and mirror my iPad to the Apple TV wirelessly over my home network. Now I can hit shots into a golf screen w the projected image of the SkyTrak driving range. The setup works well, but as many others stated, the app is buggy and feels more like a beta version than a full release. That said, the functions that do work seem accurate and the skill games are entertaining enough to keep my interest while practicing. I'm hoping the folks at SkyTrak add course simulator functionality on the iPad platform at a reasonable price. In my opinion that's the missing piece of their product launch strategy.

Update: I installed a demo version of the E6 software I previously downloaded in October (which had an option for the SkyTrak) onto my PC and it connected right up to my SkyTrak over the network. (This option is missing from the latest demo version.) After playing around with it, the E6 integration seems good and shots seem to be accurate. Also the time it takes from hitting a shot until it is rendered on the screen was noticeably shorter vs my iPad. Unfortunately chips and putts don't seem to register - I presume that's because of the way the SkyTrak device recognizes when a ball is hit to capture the data. Fortunately it should be easy to fix with a firmware update once they work the kinks out.
Does anyone know when future releases of the ST software for iPad are coming? I've heard rumors of a pending update but not a firm date. Also can anyone comment on how expensive the E6 software is? I like the idea of using this as a sim but dropping another $2K plus on the software is ludicrous to me. I'd rather wait for someone to create a plug in to the ST and use different software.
I hope ST can get this figured out. I think they have a "game changer" on their hands if they can tie all of the pieces together (software apps, functionality, etc) at a decent price.

[Dax]

The full version of e6 with all courses is above $4k.

[wilson]

$2400 CAD + tax? - That's starting to get up there. Wish i had that $500 preorder info in October....

[ChicagoJoe]

Good lord! That's a lot to drop on software - especially considering the software is somewhat of a commodity. Personally speaking, what's important to me is the accuracy of the data pulled from my shot (ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, etc.) via the SkyTrak hardware, not the specific software platform upon which it runs. It's conceivable that any golf simulation software could plug these values into an algorithm and calculate a realistic ball flight simulation as well as how the ball was struck, club head speed, etc. It's just physics. All you'd need is a program that pulled it out of the SkyTrak and fed it into the proper format for a simulator.
Wondering if there are any software engineers out there who have the time to tinker around with the concept... Would be awesome to connect this up to Tiger Woods PGA Tour on a PC or an XBox for $29.99 with better graphics and more courses than dropping $4K on E6.
No offense to the fine folks at TruGolf, but I'd rather place my bets on simulation software with a company that did $3.6B* in sales last year (Electronic Arts) than one which did $2.9M* (TruGolf) (*according to hoovers.com).

[wilson]

Looking forward to trying one out, but to cross post:

I think the distinction has to be made between a 'Fitting' tool and a 'Analyzer'. For the casual golfer, a GC2 and HMT is far and away beyond the realms of bang for your buck. But a Skytrak in concert with a $150 Swingbyte or Skypro as the correlation for plane and face would be close to ideal.

Insert iPad Golf Course software and it becomes very simple to use in comparison to the arcane high end simulators that exist today.
Just as $600 crappy Skycaddie GPS devices got their lunch eaten by iPhones with data plans, and miniaturized GPS chips that fit in watches.
There is also the ability to use the cameras in iPads to capture the swing with telemetry, married with the data for coaching at a distance. In app purchase of 5 lessons with Hank Haney anyone?

I've read that it's coming out of Singapore with R & D from Asia. And that Skycaddie is licensing the system to sell commercially. Without knowing the terms, you can bet that it could be reverse engineered if it succeeds commercially and with commodity hardware at even lower prices (like the aforementioned GPS units, and now the 'Swing Analyzers' you strap to your clubs.)

The things they are doing with iPad and the 'Metal' graphics language are now out of this world. We are talking close to XBOX360/PS3 type quality. TGC quality graphics from an iPad and ST? - Definitely doable.

[ChicagoJoe]

Well put, wilson! Agreed on the SkyPro + SkyTrak potential. If SkyGolf could tie the two together they have the potential to create a very compelling value proposition AND they'd become relevant to most golfers again. I give them credit for trying to breathe new life into their SkyCaddie line, but their value prop becomes less and less impactful as smartphone technology evolves.
Love the "coaching-at-a-distance" idea!
Regarding your last point, I just downloaded the WGT Golf Mobile sim app for my iPad and played around with it. The graphics are just as good if not better than E6. Tweak the interface, tie in the SkyTrak and boom - full blown sim for an iPad.

[bubba22]

I will say I again, don't put much weight into the club attached swing analyzers such as the Skypro/Swingbyte etc. There is tonnes of reviews by very good clubfitters on the net and they lack in accuracy.

[bionicbooger]

I also posted this in the E6 thread.

Does anyone know about the E6 cloud? I am a Trugolf dealer and we haven't spoke directly to Trugolf about this yet as I have just seen it. Apparently Trugolf is going to offer a monthly subscription for E6 with the 1.6 update. This will entice many to use the E6. You pay a small monthly subscription instead of $3000 for the software. Some other things apparently is that they are turning E6 into a video game that will be offered on the PC, consoles and phones.

What interested me the most is that they are stating on their website that "E6 Cloud powered by TruGolf is designed to unify all existing golf technology devices" Does this mean that they are making E6 available to all simulators and launch monitors even if they don't have an "agreement" with them? Or does this just mean that the E6 cloud is available to the devices that they have an "agreement" with?

Also, Im getting the impression that the E6 will be available for the Skytrak at some point. Wow!! That will be a game changer. Can you imaging paying $2,000 for a launch monitor with E6 and then just pay a monthly subscription instead of paying an additional $3000 for the software.

Here is a link to there E6 cloud page: https://trugolf.com/news/cloud-technology/

I think we will have a lot of answers once the PGA show comes in a couple of weeks. But if anyone knows ahead of time, I would love to hear about it.

[chughes82]

I also posted this in the E6 thread.

Does anyone know about the E6 cloud? I am a Trugolf dealer and we haven't spoke directly to Trugolf about this yet as I have just seen it. Apparently Trugolf is going to offer a monthly subscription for E6 with the 1.6 update. This will entice many to use the E6. You pay a small monthly subscription instead of $3000 for the software. Some other things apparently is that they are turning E6 into a video game that will be offered on the PC, consoles and phones.

What interested me the most is that they are stating on their website that "E6 Cloud powered by TruGolf is designed to unify all existing golf technology devices" Does this mean that they are making E6 available to all simulators and launch monitors even if they don't have an "agreement" with them? Or does this just mean that the E6 cloud is available to the devices that they have an "agreement" with?

Also, Im getting the impression that the E6 will be available for the Skytrak at some point. Wow!! That will be a game changer. Can you imaging paying $2,000 for a launch monitor with E6 and then just pay a monthly subscription instead of paying an additional $3000 for the software.

Here is a link to there E6 cloud page: https://trugolf.com/news/cloud-technology/

I think we will have a lot of answers once the PGA show comes in a couple of weeks. But if anyone knows ahead of time, I would love to hear about it.

It would be great if that happened! First SkyTrak would have to be PC compatible. I think E6 is a windows only product at this point.

[Goinleft]

Hoping to get some help from Bubba or anyone else that has experience using the new Skytrak. Have had the unit now for about 3-4 weeks and has been working fine. Fine defined as, occasionally missing a read of a swing maybe 1 out of 25-30 shots. The typical pattern is 3 green bars with a laser, make the swing, top green goes red, few seconds shots goes to screen on iPad. I am now having an issue and am only picking up about 1 out of 10 swings and the pattern on miss reads is, 3 green bars, make the swing, top bar goes red for several seconds, middle indicator turns yellow for several seconds, all go green with laser as if looking for a new shot, shot never reaches screen. This has happened suddenly and I have not done anything different with the unit. Have tried to make sure it is fully charged and have uninstalled and reinstalled the app. Any help from the forum is greatly appreciated as there doesn't seem to be an avenue to get support from Skytrak. Thanks

[Morini]

I will say I again, don't put much weight into the club attached swing analyzers such as the Skypro/Swingbyte etc. There is tonnes of reviews by very good clubfitters on the net and they lack in accuracy.

Bubba, what are you referring to when you say "lack of accuracy"? When it comes to plane, path, length of backswing etc, I think the Skypro is fairly close. Club head speed much less so versus say Trackman because of different ways of determining exact moment of impact. If hitting from a tee, I'd say that the Skypro's internal consistency in terms of reported CHS is reasonable.

Where these devices are very inaccurate is in extrapolating ball flight parameters, such as distance. The Skypro developers chose to not even implement these for that reason. It doesn't even report the face angle at impact. It does report shaft lean at impact, but I don't trust it.

[Dax]

Based on the wording on the website, I believe they are saying that e6 cloud version will be compatible with different devices and thus they are moving beyond just the pc. This should be good for ST owners as this could mean that you do not hopefully have to wait for PC compatibility to play simulation.

[ChicagoJoe]

Based on the wording on the website, I believe they are saying that e6 cloud version will be compatible with different devices and thus they are moving beyond just the pc. This should be good for ST owners as this could mean that you do not hopefully have to wait for PC compatibility to play simulation.

I tested my Skytrak with the previous demo e6 software download from their website on a PC and it worked. The os/platform of the simulation software shouldn't matter so long as it can read data from the SkyTrak across the network.
According to the trugolf website, the e6 cloud service will be available next month (Feb 2015). I'm very interested to see how they price this service...

[Dax]

I'm just really looking forward to version 1.6, the pis look fantastic of each course they do a review on each Friday. Can't wait to play some of my favourites once the update is released during the PGA show.

[bionicbooger]

Im also interested in how pricing works for the E6cloud. As far as the 1.6, it is nice. We are beta testers and we have had no problems with it all. Looks great. Hopefully it will be available for the Skytrak. If this happens, it will greatly change the sim market. You get a ball tracking sim and E6 for $2000 with a small monthly fee. This will give all sims in the market competition from the opti to full commercial grade sims. Great for the end consumer.

[skyeoh]

lost.......can I download E6 beta version to play with my Skytrak??

[Turtlehead]

anyone see the news - SkyTrak officially announces partnership with WGT for Sim play:

http://www.thegolfwire.com/story/320552

[skyeoh]

Enlighten me......is the sim play free? Understand WGT derives their revenue from sponsors etc etc

[golfun]

How can that even work realistically? Because it's photo based, the ball half the time is not centered or higher or lower up on the screen. From playing WGT many times it always hurt the experience a little and would be really weird when it's trying to mimic a simulation.

[bionicbooger]

Yea golfun

Your point about the ball not being centered is valid. I have never played HD golf. They use the same "real photo" system. Do they have this issue also? Also, from playing WGT myself I noticed that you can't control the flight of the ball in terms of tragectory or drawing and fading. They said that this should be available by the second quarter of this year so they have about 6 months to get the bugs worked out.

From a marketing point of view, this is brilliant. Skytrak will be marketing to WGTs 10 million users. Also, WGT is now on affiliated with the Golf Channel.

If they can remove all major glitches and therefore preventing bad reviews, they can put a huge dent in the simulator market.