why GC2 over Skytrak

[GolfHacker]

Trying to make a final decision and dissect all the info on these two simulators. I’m only going to be using it indoors at home. So through your that Skytrak does t worm outside argument. Are the only additional benefits to having a GC2 are:

1) Maybe the short game shots and putting is incrementally more accurate than skytrak

2) bigger hitting area vs red light on skytrak

3 and no shot delay

Is that everything? Did I miss anything? Any feedback from those that switched from skytrak to GC2 would be also really helpful. Is the additional $6k really worth it for a GC2?

I know that some of this has been covered elsewhere. I did see read a a lot of older posts so maybe there are new things that are important to discuss here.

Thanks

[Bubba22]

GC2 is more accurate especially with horizontal azimuth. Being both side mounted units the obvious challenges will be determining horizontal launch from the pictures that are taken. Less non/mis reads, quicker launch times, bigger hitting area like everyone is stating. Like Mthunt stated, go with the GC2 if it’s in your price range. Otherwise the Skytrak is a good option if money is tight.

[dg_1983]

It is a matter of budget. If you can only afford ST - it is awesome. If you can afford GC2, its better and the ST is a little disappointing in-comparison (as you would expect 2k versus 8k?). Professional versus consumer was a good summary. I''m not sure I would sight a 2 sec processing delay as a significant different between a 2k and 8k machine....though I agree without the shot delay it makes it feel more sim like

Other that high ball speed capture I'm not sure there is anything significantly different, everything is just a little better;

Processing delay is shorter
All readings arguably a touch more accurate
All readings more consistent
Almost no misreads
Slighter bigger hitting window
Unit can run stand alone
Quicker to setup
Less of a fiddle with environment
Upgrade path to club data
More accurate for putting
More accurate for short chips

I had ST for 3 years and GC2 now for a couple months....it just works. I don't regret ST and the resale was good. I would go preowned GC2 over ST, but not sure I would go new GC2 over ST, its alot more cash for not alot more function. Money means different things to different people though.

[trumb1mj]

Has there ever been any rumors about a second gen GC2? I would love to see them try and level SkyTrak by making a direct competitor that interfaces with mobile.

[Wizard of Coz]

My first gc2 was 3500 and my skytrak sold for 1500. 2k difference was worth every penny. Had I started with gc2 it would have saved me even more.

[mthunt]

That was my logic when I decided to start with the GC2. Glad I did

[arrowhead]

How much does it cost to transfer TGC 2019, I have the lifetime subscription for SkyTrak and I’m thinking about switching to GC2? What are the range options, I love the practice range on the SkyTrak software? How big is the hitting area? Like I said I’m leaning towards switching to GC2 over uneekor or the new mevo+. Any other input or information would be great. Thanks

[Marg]

I've recently switched from SkyTrak to GC2, the main reason was I'd not long purchased TGC 2019 and whereas I only had around 1 second delay on the SkyTrak range which never bothered me, there was at least a 3 second delay when playing TGC which I just didn't like. The transfer fee for TGC was around £90.

Also, I recently went through a driver fitting and in the driver fitting, my ball speed was consistently above 160mph but on my SkyTrak, I normally get low 150's and high 150's if I really go after it, so this also made me wonder whether I was getting accurate ball speed from my SkyTrak and since getting my GC2 it's confirmed that my SkyTrak was definitely under reporting ball speed. My first hit with driver on GC2 registered a mid 160mph ball speed and I've now seen 168mph on the GC2, it's not just limited to driver either, for instance I've seen 124mph 8 iron on GC2 and I know for a fact that I never registered above 120 with an 8 iron on SkyTrak.

Perhaps the background wasn't dark enough for the SkyTrak to correctly determine the ball speed, I just never had reason to question the numbers before, as iron distances were fairly close to my on course distances, it's just been a bit of an eye opener since getting my GC2 and couldn't be happier, no mis-reads, no shot delay and readings you can trust (I hope anyway).

[arrowhead]

Thanks for the information Marg. How big is the hitting area compared to SkyTrak? Also, what kind of range options are there with the GC2 ?

[Marg]

I'm not sure exactly on the size of the hitting area but I'd say you've got at least a square foot and the good thing is, it will show a green light when the ball is in the hitting zone so you know it's ok, with my SkyTrak I always placed it on the red dot and because I had a fixed rubber tee in my mat, it meant I had to move the SkyTrak when I switched from driver to iron but this has gone away with the GC2 :-)

I also purchased FR1 software off eBay to get the Foresight driving range, club fit etc. but that's an additional cost, there's the foresight ipad/iphone app but that doesn't show the ball flight as it's flying (as per skytrak range) it just gives you the GC2 readings and a 2D picture of the ball flight.

Basically, you'd need to purchase FR1, FSX or use the range in TGC if you wanted a simulator driving range.

[Godfather]

Thanks for the information Marg. How big is the hitting area compared to SkyTrak? Also, what kind of range options are there with the GC2 ?

The nice thing for me about the hitting area is there is enough room to hit shots from the middle of my hitting strip and then tee it up using the tee hole closer to the GC2 without any adjustments. I use to use DIY black duct tape cylinders with the SkyTrak.

Range options with GC2 - TGC19 has a range and a practice green area where you can drop the ball anywhere. There are some “courses” that are ranges as well. I have CreativeGolf3D so I use that range sometimes. Lastly, the Foresight fitting app is great, but can’t be projected.

[Jay28]

Well I just went with a GC2. I opted for new as I had a recent bad experience with Ebay.
When I first decided to build my simulator I had budgeted for Skytrak, but after researching a lot I decided that I would bump the budget to get a better unit - finally settling on the GC2
I don;t have money to throw around but it just so happens that right now I have the budget - probably never will again! So thought - just do it.
Also the GC2 resale values are pretty decent if I ever want to go another route, plus I can add an HMT for club data later.
My unit should be with me this week, though my sim build is still a couple of weeks (at least) away from being finished, so I think I'll take the GC2 down to the range.

[mthunt]

Well I just went with a GC2. I opted for new as I had a recent bad experience with Ebay.
When I first decided to build my simulator I had budgeted for Skytrak, but after researching a lot I decided that I would bump the budget to get a better unit - finally settling on the GC2
I don;t have money to throw around but it just so happens that right now I have the budget - probably never will again! So thought - just do it.
Also the GC2 resale values are pretty decent if I ever want to go another route, plus I can add an HMT for club data later.
My unit should be with me this week, though my sim build is still a couple of weeks (at least) away from being finished, so I think I'll take the GC2 down to the range.

No one has ever regretted buying a GC2. Enjoy.

[triplebogeysrbetter]

There is no comparison. You won’t regret upgrading

[DialDawg]

Hello - first time poster here so thanks in advance to any advice given. Some backstory - I was pretty dead-set on the GC2 but started reading more on the SkyTrak particularly on this forum and started looking into that more seriously. Then I found this thread which has reinforced every reason why I thought I wanted to spend the extra money on the GC2 to begin with. I had originally typed the below and planned to post in a more general forum, so I recognize this might not be technically in the right forum but for people that appreciate the GC2 and have been down this road before....these are some questions I had starting out.

I've been itching to buy a launch monitor/sim for a few years now. I am a golf nut as is my 16 year old son...and the current world situtation has only reinforced my desire to have one of these to enjoy/use at home. I have zeroed in the GC2 (and maybe add the HMT later to help with sticker shock). The biggest obstacle I have is getting my wife to sign off on it which I think I'm close on (or I'm just going to do and beg for forgiveness later).

I've been on Foresight's mailing list for a while and see some of their deals/promos come through. Like a few weeks ago there were running a "sim in a box" special that got you the gc2, net return, fsx software, and laptop for about 10,500. Currently they're running a match madness promo on the gc2 and fsx software for about 8k.

My questions are:
-are the deals mentioned above good ones (buying direct from foresight) or are there better deals to be had? I don't necessary need the net return package and not sure if I need a laptop (but probably do...but feel I'd be better off buying that on my own anyway).
-is there any wiggle room in these prices when dealing directly with the sales reps? I have passed emails with one a couple of times who indicated not really, but we also never got on the phone and had any serious discussions either.
-on the promos above do you have to purchase these while they're running? It seems like if I'm willing to give you 8K for something I saw a couple months back they'd be silly not to take that whether the promo is running or not.
-a matter of opinion...but assuming the world continues to move in the direction of some sort of recession due to covid-19, do you see these prices coming down at all?

Lastly - for those of you that were weighing the cost of SkyTrak vs GC2 before and went with the GC2, any regrets?

Thanks!
JB

[Jay28]

No one has ever regretted buying a GC2. Enjoy.

I am sure i will not regret it.
I do regret this damn lock down though!
My GC2 arrived and I can't finish my build because all the workmen are on lockdown - still need my garage roof completed... AND all the driving ranges are closed near me! The golf club I am a member of went into liquidation this weekend too.

Still I did take the GC2 out of the box and hit putts and chips indoors. Pretty amazed at how accurate it is on short putts and chips.
I hadn't actually realised how useful the GC2 data was for putting... the degrees right and left of the target line seem pretty accurate. I was testing it with a few lines of string on the floor at set angles which i measured with a protractor. Seems like a bit of extreme test, but hey, that's what cabin fever does to a person . I've been using it to groove the putting stroke and short chips to my target line - playing a little game of giving myself a point if the ball starts off at less than a set value left or right. Hit thousands of putts and chips. Here's to a good short game in the summer!

[mthunt]

Put a net and mat outside and swing away. It’s getting nice out. Nothing is open here either.

[LeftyLeff52]

What range would u use if u bought gc2 and tgc2019. And what is there to work on wedges specifically

[SimGolf84]

Owned Skytrak since 2015 and have had GC2 for nearly 2 weeks and I am really kicking myself for not spending the additional money and getting GC2 first. Everything about it is better, no missed shots, no delay, the range is better in FSX, leaderboards for the compete section.

[Wizard of Coz]

It does miss shots just not as many. It's not in the shank zone like skytrak is. You do have to replace flash though but no laser curtain to fail.