GC2 - Low Spin/Carry Distance

[Mahoooner]

Hey guys,

I just got my GC2 Refurbished from Foresight from their Canadian distributor this week. This is my first full season of golf but I have taken up the sport quite actively and have been practicing daily in my garage/screen setup and have been on the course 25+ times this year.

I had originally purchased a Mevo+ from Flightscope and had some success in my garage but ultimately returned it and upgraded to the GC2. With the Mevo+ (when it was working correctly), I was getting my expected distances on the software but when I used my GC2 for the first time this week, spin and carry distance seem low. I did some reading and I read that "indoor swing" is a real thing but it boggles my mind because I was able to get my actual distances when I was using the mevo+. I carry my 7 iron 155-160 yards on a pure strike and was on the course yesterday hitting it on a par 3 to land pin high at 157.

Does something seem off or am I victim to indoor swing?

[Mahoooner]

After doing some more research, it seems that tilt calibration could be the issue. Can anyone email me the software or do I have to request this from Foresight?

[Dax]

If I recall the screen from the GC2 is at sea level or just above (say 700 feet). I cannot recall, but wonder if this might be causing part of your issue.

[JackedUpSwing]

GC2 is very accurate, especially for ball speed. And 100MPH ball speed isn't gonna get 150 yards of carry.

[Wizard of Coz]

I agree with jacked up. Gonna need over 110mph

[intrinsic]

It may or may not be the GC2. A few observations:

Your launch angle is pretty close (in the 2nd screenshot) with the PGA tour players which launch at 16.3 degrees vs your 16.8. Unfortunately, it's tough to say after this
Your spin is very very low. <4000 seems ridiculously low. I prefer 5500 but anything below this is going to run out a lot.
Your ball speed is at 100mph compared to PGA tour pro at 120mph. This results in carry distance for you at ~140yards vs PGA tour pro at 169 yards

You said you landed pin high at 157 yards. Was this carry or total distance? A pitch mark would confirm unless you saw it bouncing up. I believe the total distance could be 157 yards given your low spin, low spin, low ball speed and the probable rollout and some environmental factors (potentially).

If you have FSX, jump into the application and capture the ball data along with the launch data. This would give more of an understanding of what's going on. However, reading that this is your first season, your #'s seem about right for your likely skill level.

The reason Mevo+ may have seemed right is because the distance requirements behind and in front of you. You're hitting it inside a garage and the accuracy of the Mevo+ is subpar compared to GC2 indoors. Mevo+ is calculating what it perceives would have been your actual distances, not measuring it. It can't measure because it needs flight (plus the silly dots on the ball).

Radar is less accurate than photometric for indoors for ball/launch data
Radar is superior than photometric for outdoors for ball/launch data

[Dax]

I think you should look at the QUAD to radar testing by @Leomode (especially with irons). I make this comment in respect of both your indoor and outdoor comment.

[intrinsic]

I'm happy to be corrected. Do you have a link to the article you can share? NVM. Found it online.

[intrinsic]

Dax I read the article but haven't yet been convinced. Given ample room, yes, both GCQuad and Trackman are likely very much the same. The same goes for Mevo+. But, in a garage setting where it's lower chance of having enough distance between unit to player and a struck ball to net/screen, it's a good probability the radar won't be as good. Is there something I'm missing that you picked up on in the article?

[Dax]

A garage should allow for 19 feet total length after taking 1 foot for screen and the distance that From back Wall to front of radar. Assuming 7 feet from front of unit to tee gives 12 feet of room. @Leomode has 13 feet approx. Suggested distance for good readings on radar is 10 feet. The extra 2 or 3 feet help in capturing spin for high swing speed players. Thus, for most garage settings distance should be fine to get similar results. Outdoor, @Leomode also found radar and QUAD to be pretty close (ie one not really superior over the other). Thus, I think it just boils down to software and preference for which hardware one prefers (keeping in mind that @Leomode testing was with TM4 and Mevo+ is yet to be tested) but your comment was radar in general and thus why I chose to comment. As always, neither is perfect and each has their own short comings (something that I have seen and experienced with both TM and QUAD first hand).

[Dubville]

Flightscope optimizer has your carry within 1 yard when using those numbers. Agree that 100 mph ball speed wont net that kind of carry. If those backspin numbers are correct you are getting alot of roll on the course.
Plenty of guys here swing much quicker than me. My PW ball speeds are 99-102 on well struck shots. It carries 135-140 when hit well, granted spin is 9000 and launch around 24 degrees.

[onehandicap]

Assuming your on course numbers are in the 160 range, that would mean ball speed on 115+/-2mph depending on LA and spin.

If I were to guess, based on the numbers from pictures, you may be hitting it fat...low spin for 7 iron, lower ball speed than your normal (per how far you fly it outside) and relatively low launch...(most amateurs launch higher than pga tour avg).

[Scottygolf]

Guys, another factor to consider is he says his garage and in Canada. For me in MN after 6 inches of snow yesterday our temps dropped to 30 and my garage is 58. I also have the GC2. The balls are cold so they won't compress or spin as normal. I will keep the balls in the house to attempt to minimize that effect. Heater will pump up to low 60's so its comfortable. Another thing is to consider is loft on 7 iron. since they are very with today's chase for distance. But the biggest factor I see is ball speed. During shaft testing with a 7 iron at 33 degrees of loft, my ball speed is avg 116mph, carry 168, launch 20, spin 5600.

But, I would lean towards what the group says, 100 mph ball speed does equate to 155 or 160 carry.

[Dax]

Add elevation into the equation and that ball would also go further. In Calgary I would say the carry would be approx 148 yards to 150.

[Mahoooner]

Just to answer a few, I landed on the green for the example I provided and had the pitch mark a few ft. from the ball. I have been playing all season and always pull my 7 iron for 160 yards of carry required and usually have success (if I don't fat the shot). I am still learning and not fully consistent but I can say that I play with the JPX 919 HMP irons and can feel when I hit that sweet spot. Those images are shots where I know I hit it pure.

The mevo+ worked out for me for about a month and after that, it caused me issues with inconsistent reads, erroneous ball flights and just overall, incorrect data. I had a friend of mine try who is a scratch golfer and he also said that distances were off. This was the reason for returning it as Flightscope couldn't figure out what was wrong since environmental conditions had stayed the exact same. It had about 8' of ball flight and 8' from ball to unit.

The GC2 that I purchased was a "refurbished" unit that the Canadian distributor pulled from a Golf Town store and didn't want to send it back to get the CPO status - so they sold it for slightly cheaper than a CPO. They gave me an option of a CPO but it was slightly out of my price range and I thought this unit would be OK. When it was received, it was dirty and shipped in a used box (not a Foresight box). Because of the issues I expressed above and the fact that it was dirty (and hard to believe that it was checked by a tech), I have returned it to them today. Hoping they make things right as I don't believe when you spend this kind of money, you should receive this in the mail.

Thanks to all who replied!

[intrinsic]

Thanks for the update. It would have been enlightening if you were able to take the GC2 to the range and compare numbers. For some, indoor syndrome is a thing and could have impacted it. but like you said, it's best not to rule out a defective unit. Good luck with the return!

[Taco]

This looks to me to be a series of compounding issues and I think most, if not all of them have been said.

indoor swing, cold golf balls, cold muscles, some level of miss hit even if not perceived, no ball flight to judge against, and a beginning player all are magnifying each other and the result is something that looks wildly off.

[pchyen]

Just to answer a few, I landed on the green for the example I provided and had the pitch mark a few ft. from the ball. I have been playing all season and always pull my 7 iron for 160 yards of carry required and usually have success (if I don't fat the shot). I am still learning and not fully consistent but I can say that I play with the JPX 919 HMP irons and can feel when I hit that sweet spot. Those images are shots where I know I hit it pure.

The mevo+ worked out for me for about a month and after that, it caused me issues with inconsistent reads, erroneous ball flights and just overall, incorrect data. I had a friend of mine try who is a scratch golfer and he also said that distances were off. This was the reason for returning it as Flightscope couldn't figure out what was wrong since environmental conditions had stayed the exact same. It had about 8' of ball flight and 8' from ball to unit.

The GC2 that I purchased was a "refurbished" unit that the Canadian distributor pulled from a Golf Town store and didn't want to send it back to get the CPO status - so they sold it for slightly cheaper than a CPO. They gave me an option of a CPO but it was slightly out of my price range and I thought this unit would be OK. When it was received, it was dirty and shipped in a used box (not a Foresight box). Because of the issues I expressed above and the fact that it was dirty (and hard to believe that it was checked by a tech), I have returned it to them today. Hoping they make things right as I don't believe when you spend this kind of money, you should receive this in the mail.

Thanks to all who replied!

Sent you a PM. Can you let me know the serial # of your GC2 so i can make sure I don’t end up receiving your unit? (I ordered a CPO unit from Foresight Canada on Friday)