SkyTrak to GC2 owners opinion wanted

[SlipperyPete]

For those that had owned a SkyTrak and upgraded to the GC2, wanting to hear your opinion as to why and after doing so, has it been worth it? Was there one or more specific things that you were looking to get an improvement by the upgrade and were you satisfied that the GC2 delivered on those? And when you sold your SktTrak (assuming you did) how much were you able to recoup of the original price?

Also looking on Foresights web site, looks like $5400 is currently the best price for a refurbished unit, is that about the best I can expect or do they ever drop the price like say in the spring?

[ste1010]

I am in the process of making this move. I lost about £250 on my skytrak in a year. I sold it on ebay when ebay were runnign a promotion of £1 maximum fees. Main reason for me selling it was I wanted to move it on whilst it was under warranty (12 months in UK) which gave me and the buyer some time so he could be happy with the unit. The research I did on here and other forums was that the difference between the two was that the move was worth it. I have purchased an 8 month GC2 from this forum and am currently awaiting delivery. If you think the $5400 that Forsight are looking for in the US try buying certified preowned in the UK. They only had one unit when I spoke to them and wanted £5200 plus VAT which would make it around £6300. I cannot believe they have the cheek to ask that when I bet they gave half of that for the trade in when someone upgraded to GC Quad.

I enjoyed my Skytrak and for the pricepoint I think its a good bit of kit, but with limitations. I think the wifi connectivity is flaky and this is software not hardware. Once I managed to figure it all the connectivity worked, but it was a pain. I also got fed up with having periods where SkyTrak would not read any shots. Cannot wait for the GC2 to arrive.

[BWJones]

I recently upgraded to GC2. Initially, the main reasons were better consistency and increased speed after hitting the ball. While those did improve, one of the things I enjoy most is the larger hitting area. I am no longer worried about placing the ball in a specific point based on the laser. The device is also further away from the ball, so there is less worry that someone will hit it. I also like the confidence that there will be no missed reads. No worrying about where the logo is pointed, or what type of shot you are taking in relation to the laser dot (driver vs. wedge) I am extremely happy with my upgrade. I also like the ability of upgrading to the HMT for club data some day. It is expensive, but this is a case of getting what you pay for.

[Sramp17]

I upgraded because I couldn't stand the delay waiting for my shots. I knew what I was getting when I got a skytrak and thought I wouldn't mind the delay but it turned out to be too much for me. I also experienced a lot of "no reads" probably 1 in every 10-15 shots which was very frustrating

I sold my skytrak on this forum and got $1400 for it if I remember correctly and got my GC2 and couldn't be happier

I bought a new GC2, not a refurbished one, because the difference in price to me was negligible (~$600) when you look at the overall price you pay for hardware and software (FSX)

[ste1010]

I feared I would find shot delay a problem, but running on a new Ipad Pro I found it no more than 2 seconds. I played a shot, checked my finishing position and by the time I turned around the ball was on its way. the thing that did annoy me was turning around to see the laser still lit and and three green LED's or for the laser to reappear and no shot recorded. Some days it would record 99 out of a hundred which was great. Others it would record 50 out of a hundred which is not acceptable IMHO. Sky trak were not, and still do not seem to be interested in improving misreads, no reads, and the overall poor wifi connectivty of the device. I say this because whenever I called support they said that it sounds like the device was operating within normal operating parameters.

[gibbiesmalls]

I got my GC2 for the prospects of getting HMT in the future. If I were doing it all over again, and I didn't have plans to get HMT, I would have stuck with Skytrak. The delays now-a-days with modern IPADs and PCs is really not a problem at all.

I think Skytrak's biggest advantage is their support of their device. For starters Seth on the Skytrak board does an excellent job of staying engaged and is constantly providing the community updates, and constantly fixing bugs that are brought to his attention by the community. Foresight doesn't have that (here). Additonally, Skytrak is constantly working on improving their game improvement tools. It's come such a long way (bag mapping, CTP games, etc.) and there is no sign of them discontinuing that support. Foresight on the other hand has had a sketchy past of supporting it's software (they failed FSX early adopters) and their business practices are IMO unethical.

The GC2 differentiates it'self with the HMT. I've since gotten one and it's an amazing tool for understanding everything about your swing and a great tool for improving your swing. Skytrak doesn't have that (yet).

If you don't plan on getting an HMT, I'd save the the ~3k and get stay with Skytrak and it's outstanding community in which customers and developers are working constantly together to improve it. The Skytrak is every bit as accurate in measuring the ball as is the GC2.

[StanMI]

I got used to the delay on Skytrak. Hit the shot, reach out and retrive the ball, watch the shot. No more then a few seconds.

I agree with the others here, if you have no plan to add HMT (I do) save the money !

I never had much of an issue with "no reads" but I know this has frustrated others.

[SlipperyPete]

Thank you all for taking the time to provide your opinions, this is very insightful and helps a lot. I really want the GC2 for the extended range of ball placement and the lack of the delay would be nice but just not sure almost triple the cost nice. I doubt I would get the HMT anytime soon so that really isn't a factor. I'm leaning more towards the SkyTrak knowing that I can always sell it and upgrade as you all did. Maybe if they have a crazy sale coming up I'll be able to justify it. Thanks again and I will be looking in on this section of the forum from time to time seeing what I'm missing out on.

[gnomike]

SlipperyPete I'm going to chime in, not because I had a ST first, but because I've been agonizing over the same decision as you for the past couple of months as I've been planning my sim build. IDK how many times I "definitely" decided to go with SkyTrak. Then GC2. Then SkyTrak. Then GC2... then.... you get the idea. In the end, I decided (for real!) on going the 2nd hand GC2 route. The reason it's such a tough decision is because the ST is such a great compromise and value. In the end, though, I am going GC2. Here are a few of the reasons... perhaps they might help your decision (some have been mentioned already of course BWJones )

I know you are leaning toward ST, so if you're happy with that, then DON'T read on lol

Why GC2 (used) was right for me:

- GC2 has little to no delay - Everyone says they get used to the delay, and I'm sure that I would as well... but I'd sure prefer instant feedback! Also, I'd recommend you look at some youtube golf played on a ST.... It's not the delay on long shots that bothered me, but on PUTTS. For some reason i found it ten times more annoying to wait the 3 seconds to see a five foot putt. Just sayin'

- GC2 has much bigger hitting area - yeah, the laser dot works, but how nice to have a bigger hitting area and the freedom for different clubs/positions?

- GC2 has fewer misreads

- GC2 reads putting better (if I'm not mistaken)

- NO ONE, to the best of my knowledge, has ever gone from GC2 to SkyTrak!

- GC2 is an extremely reliable and robust piece of kit. The guys at ForeSight said there has been essentially no change in the design in the 7 years it's been around. This is also a reason I feel good about getting one 2nd hand

- resale value & market is good for both, but I'd still give the nod to the GC2.

- I figuratively asked myself if I was serious about building a proper sim. The answer was yes, so I went with GC2. If I had been unsure about how much I'd like sim golf, then perhaps I would have gone with ST as a less expensive trial, but good enough quality that it wasn't just a toy or a video game.

- If my used GC2 costs $3K more than a ST, and If I hit just 5000 shots per year on my sim (roughly 14/day), then after five years it works out to paying just 12 cents per shot for a much better experience!

- GC2 is easier to spell

Seriously, though, I really did agonize a lot on this, but now that I've pulled the trigger on the GC2, I feel 100% comfortable that I have made the right choice.

Hope this helped a bit & good luck

[SlipperyPete]

Thanks for responding, I actually pulled the trigger on a CPO ST the other day and should be here this weekend. I still haven't ruled out the GC2 if I can find a good deal this summer I might jump on it and sell this ST. Figured it would get me started and I can determine how big of a SIMoholic problem I have . And pretty much everything you listed are my thoughts exactly though I did see someone had gone from the GC2 to ST but was for budget reasons not to improve anything.

But I also seen a youtube video on the TruGolf Flight, which I can't seem to find any other info on, but depending on price that looks very interesting to me. It was from the 2018 PGA show from Par2Pro, it showed it was a dual camera setup and mounted on the ceiling rather than having a box right next to you. While not good for taking to the range, would allow for right and left handed players without any change in setup.

[gnomike]

I've seen the 2 cam setup as well and agree it would be a great option. When I was first narrowing down options on what to buy, I think that particular one got eliminated because of space requirements. So many options.... so little cash and space lol!!

[mthunt]

There’s an old saying that said, “spend the money once and regret it once, but, don’t spend the money and regret it every day”

i went through the same thought process and what sold me was just looking at and holding each device. The GC2 is far more substantial and higher quality. If you can’t afford one, buy the skylark and never look back. If you can.....

[gnomike]

100% agree.

[Jwheels9876]

I went from skytrak to GC2 . Didn't have any issues with the skytrak really except the delay in watching the shots knowing there was other equipment out there that had zero delay and some wonky chipping HA readings here and there. I'd also get alot of no reads on short putts.

since I've had my GC2 I think I've had 1 miss read where I hit a ball and it read 25 degrees right which at most I hit about 4-6 degrees right. No delay is fantastic. Knowing you've hit a shit shot then seeing it immedialty shitty on screen makes me feel just like I'm out at the course.
short game is on point on Gc2 along with putting.

if I didnt have the money for the GC2 I would have been perfectly happy with skytrak. They have an awesome team that constantly upgrades the software experience. Foresight on the other hand would take your first born child and charge you $500 to change a name on a ownership registration form. I wouldn't buy one thing from that company directly.

if something comes out in the near future with ball and club measurement in the 5k range, I would probably sell my GC2 and go another route if the new unit got rave reviews from trusted sources of course. I can't afford another 4500 for an HMT add on and I'm more of a player than a practise guy. Probably explains why I never get better!! Anyhow. If you wanna save some money and get skytrak you won't be disappointed. If you have the money to buy the GC2 you definitlu won't be disappointed either.

skytrak also has alot of software subscription options to choose from like TGC,JNPG, E6,CG3d and fitness golf now. Gc2 can play those but you have to buy most of them upfront $$$$

[HappyGilmore102]

HI Guys

Proud Skytrak owner who was thinking about upgrading (or used to think i'd be upgrading) to a used Gc2 etc......... but after reading most of the threads on this forum about different products available and users experiences etc, this is my 2 cents.

Everyday that goes by, i love my skytak more. This is due to Skytrak Seth loading beta's to test, and users sharing info on how to sort out little problems etc...

I've owned my skytrak for 1 year and so much stuff has been added in this past year (bag mapping, skills assessment, additional info and settings added to the Range data, CG3D, FitnessGolf, i hardly get to use it all. Also read someone from Protee say that upgrade to TGC2 will be free ( we'll see, but I think these Protee people do what they say they'll do).

I don't have problems with delay, about 1.5 sec with 9.7 inch ipad pro, delay is constantly reduced with more processing power, which comes with time. Had 3 sec delay with Air 2.

Skytrak has lots of sim and graphics options to choose from which accommodates all budgets.

FMJ provides very good protection

Not worried if i break, damage my skytrak, i'll just replace it with a Certified preowned model, shipping, repair charges etc...... not worth doing, since preowned models are becoming so inexpensive.

Skytrak just about to release Skypro and r-motion integration, tried the beta and loved what i saw.

If this really turns out to work well I just can't see why any HOME user would want to buy a GC2 and have to deal with FS and all the bull*hit i've been reading about how badly they treat people who have spent THOUSANDS on FS software, stickers, dongles, transfer fees, course fees etc...etc... etc.....

GC2 /Quad the best hardware, yes by a mile, but as a 4 handicap amateur golfer, i can't see why i'd be going to Foresight in the future anymore.

ES16 a disaster i believe, but what if the ES20/20 turns out to be the real deal? ............what then Foresight?...................come on, treat your customers better.

[wbond]

Well the GC2 is a better unit hands down. It all depends how much the nuances of skytrak bother you and if you're willing to pay for the upgrade. The ST is at a great price point with the most software options and I would say they easily have had the most upgrades of any company over the past three years.

[Jard]

I've just started playing the TGC tour with my Skytrak and TGC setup.

I would like to know from people who have upgraded to the GC2 if you feel the putting is more accurate?

There are so many putts I hit right now and think "I pulled that" only to watch it start a few degrees off to the right as read by the Skytrak. It's been a bit frustrating but I don't know if it's $4,000 worth of frustrating yet.

[Jard]

Thanks, I had heard of the patch but wasn't sure it was allowed to be used in the TGC Tour events.

[mthunt]

Andy, you can go to 5 on putting. It’s % not degree. It goes to 100% which makes putts all go straight like the putting corection.

[Jard]

Thanks again, I turned on the putting correction last night and it makes a huge difference to just be able to focus on distance control. I wish there were a better solution other than just patching it out, but this will definitely up my enjoyment in TGC.

I think then, for me, there's not a huge reason to upgrade to GC2 unless I want to go the whole way to GCQuad and get integrated club data.