Golf Simulator Forum wants your opinions about GC2 to be heard!

[GSF_Admin]

Dear GC2 owner,

We would like to hear your honest opinion about the Foresight GC2 (positive or negative) so new simulator owners can get the information they need to make smart buying choices.

You can use the following link to write your review: http://golfsimulatorforum.com/review/gc2

Thank you!!

GSF

PS: You do not have to be a member of the forum to write a review.

[EricOtown]

I just ordered a certified refurbished GC2 & HMT directly from Foresight, but I haven’t received it yet. As soon as I receive it and have a chance to set it up and test it out, I will post a full review here.

In the meantime I do want to share my thoughts on my experience with Foresight Sports. This is the first time I’ve purchased anything from them and so far my sales rep has been great as far as level of service and trying to help me out with some discounts where he was able to, which unfortunately wasn’t much.

With that said, I have been very turned off by how Foresight nickel and dimes you for everything on top of the launch monitor. I really would expect that when buying a very high-end premium launch monitor for $10 to $20K that Foresight would include some essential accessories such as a carrying case/backpack, protective cover, and club markers dispenser (for HMT club data). They do include the markers themselves with the HMT, but they rape you for a simple plastic dispenser for the markers. They also rape you for a carrying case/backpack and a simple plastic protective cover for the GC2. I’m fairly certain that their cost to manufacture these items pales in comparison to their heathy profit margins on the GC2, HMT, and GCQuad.

When a someone spends almost as much as it costs buy a new car on a high-end launch monitor, the expectation is that these essential accessories would be included, but instead Foresight sells them for outrageous prices at enormous mark ups.

For example they sell the GCQuad backpack for $200, the GC2 plastic protective cover for $200, and the club marker dispenser for $130. Their cost on these items couldn’t be more than maybe $40 each for backpack and protective cover and maybe $15 for the club marker dispenser.

Surely Foresight has healthy enough profit margins on their launch monitors to include these essentional items and still make a very healthy profit. At a minimum they should sell them for far more modest mark-ups, but instead they attempt to price gouge their customers for essential items that really should be included with such high-end premium launch monitors. Especially the carrying case and protective case which are vital to protect such a huge investment.

On top of this, Foresight ships their launch monitors regular ground shipping and they charge $125 for it. You have got to be kidding me? Foresight can’t foot the bill for overnight or at a minimum 2 day shipping for a customer spending $10 to $20K on one of their launch monitors? Not only don’t they pay for overnight or 2 day shipping, they over charge for 5 day ground shipping, surely make even more profit on the shipping.

Personally I do not want my $13K GC2 & HMT with tons of fragile electronics bouncing around in semi-trucks, driving across the country for 5 days and Foresight shouldn’t want that either, because it’s a huge hassle for them if a customer receives a launch monitor that was damaged during shipping. It may be rare, but the I’m sure that 5 days bouncing around in semis trucks is a lot more likely to cause damage to a launch monitor than 24 to 48 hours on an airplane.

These launch monitors are essential computers with very expensive cameras. Every computer that I’ve purchased online and for that matter every high end product has come with free overnight or 2 day shipping. Again, surely Foresight has healthy enough profit margins to include free overnight or 2 day shipping. Hell, at least include free ground shipping and allow customers to pay to upgrade to overnight or 2 day.

I will say that my sales rep has tried to help me out where he could. He upgraded me from 5 day ground to 3 day ground at no extra cost. Whoopy! $125 is still way overpriced for 3 day ground shipping for something the size and weight of the GC2 & HMT.

He also discounted the FSX software by $500 (17% off the regular $3,000), but he told me that he couldn’t give me any discount on the refurbished GC2 & HMT.

He also offered to reduce the price of the plastic protective cover from $200 to $100 and the club marker dispenser from $130 to $100. I got the cover for $100 which is still way overpriced for a piece of molded plastic, but I refuse to spend $100 for what is essentially a $15 plastic label dispenser

What’s crazy is that when I asked what the cost would be to upgrade to overnight shipping, they told me it was only another $30. So $155 for overnight shipping. I spent $12,900 for the GC2, HMT, FSX, and protective cover. I’m sure their profit is at least $4,000 (31%) on the conservative side. Surely they could throw in $155 overnight shipping for free.

At the end of the day, they run the company and they are free to charge whatever they want if the market will bear it. If not, their products won’t sell and clearly they do. Maybe I’m nit picking too much, but that’s my right as the customer. All of this has definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. It hurts enough shelling out $13K, but I know that I got a great high launch monitor. I’m OK with that, but really didn’t like having to shell out hundreds of dollars more for essential accessories and shipping, that in my humble opinion should have been included for what I paid for such a premium launch monitor.

I purchased from Foresight because I felt they had the best product for my needs, but in the future if I’m in the market for a new launch monitor and another company comes along with a comparable launch monitor with accurate ball and club data for a similar price, I wouldn’t purchase again from Foresight simply because of how I felt about being nickel and dimed to death for outrageously overpriced accessories and shipping.

[sorensen]

There is dots in the dispencer, for your info :-) Ca. 500

[Trip]

That is pretty much Foresight all over I'm afraid. Terrific hardware products, silly, counter-productive polices. One of those policies is to restrict their flagship launch monitor (the GC Quad) to their own proprietary FSX software which is ridiculously over-priced. It's the only reason I don't have one.

The GC2 is not restricted to FSX though so you might want to reconsider that purchase. You'll be charged the $500 you 'saved' next time they move to a newer version and there are better simulations available for a tiny fraction of the $2500.

[Stingreye]

LCD screen is sufficient if you just want the last shot. Ipad app works well too.

[vrpunk]

Not got it but I thought JNPG OST interface shows club data from HMT?

[Trip]

If you mean the *** interface, you're right, it does. There's also a free Foresight Ipad app.

Edit: Oh Gee Tee gets asterisked out? Is that a naughty word I'm not aware of?

[Golfshopjim]

Fr1 and Range + 5 courses for sale

[EricOtown]

That is pretty much Foresight all over I'm afraid. Terrific hardware products, silly, counter-productive polices. One of those policies is to restrict their flagship launch monitor (the GC Quad) to their own proprietary FSX software which is ridiculously over-priced. It's the only reason I don't have one.

The GC2 is not restricted to FSX though so you might want to reconsider that purchase. You'll be charged the $500 you 'saved' next time they move to a newer version and there are better simulations available for a tiny fraction of the $2500.

Thanks. I had read all the comments that compared to other leading golf simulation software, the FSX software is way overpriced, has a very limited course library included, and rhe add-on courses are way overpriced ($500 per), but I was under the impression that the FSX software is required to get all of the HMT club data. I could be wrong on that, but that was my understanding.

I main reason that I purchased the GC2 with the HMT is for game improvement. I definitely plan to take advantage of the golf simulation, but that’s definitely secondary to the game improvement aspect. If I just wanted golf simulation, I would have saved $10k and bought a SkyTrak instead.

I really felt that the HMT club data is vital for game improvement. In my opinion, the ball data that you get with SkyTrak is a “nice to have”, but it’s not really valuable to me for game improvement without the club data. To use a medical analogy, ball data is the symptom, but the club data is the diagnosis and without a proper diagnosis, you can’t fix what’s ailing your golf swing.

Anyway, I was under the impression that I needed the FSX software to get the HMT club data, where the FSX software shows you the club path, face to path, face to target, angle of attack, lie angle at impact, loft angle at impact, ball/face impact location, face closure rate, and measured club head speed, ball speed, and efficiency (smash factor).

I could be wrong about this, but I was under the impression that only the FSX software will provide this club data. If I was just looking for good golf simulation software, I probably would have gone with E6 or TGC over FSX.

[goatbarn]

You could view that in the app, or on the LCD screen.

There is also a "beta" program that allows you to view HMT data in TGC. Either way, that much money to just view the club data in game, vs looking down at the LCD screen seems a bit much...

[goatbarn]

Nevermind... confusing two things. No HMT data in TGC. But I just look at the LCD readout on the GC2.

[Impressa]

goatbarn, Hmt data on TGC,? How?

[WISCOGOLFNUT]

I recently purchased the Quad and like others I like the game improvement aspect of it. The fact that I spent $20K and can't use other 3rd party game softwares like (TGC or JNPG) is extremely disappointing. They can require the FSX software that is fine but they should allow the purchase of other 3rd party softwares as well. Is it too much to ask to allow us to play competition golf with our sims? What a joke!! The Foresight community isn't big enough and is years away from being big enough where there are people always online looking for a match. Also like others, if another company came out with a comparable product I would switch in a heart beat.

[mthunt]

Nail hit on the head

[Amurn44]

Ideally, what software would you be looking to add? I am finally going to be purchasing a gc2 and I am having a hard time getting over the sticker shock of fsx2018. If you had a choice (pick one), would you go with fsx2018, or would you look outside of foresight for software? Thanks!

[WISCOGOLFNUT]

Sorry for the noncommittal answer but it depends what you are looking to get out of it. For game improvement FSX2018 is the way to go from what I hear but if you are looking for sim play with tournaments and competitions then JNPG or TGC seem to be the best though I haven’t tried either but I’m always jealous of the tournaments they are able to play and the graphics I hear are better.

[Amurn44]

Thanks for the response. Seems like that is the consensus.

[BigLittleBirdie]

Purchased a GC2 and upgraded to the Quad within six months for a home simulator. GC2 is great, but the hitting area is quite small. Even indoors off a mat, it was a bit of pain trying to place a ball on a tee in the correct hitting zone. The hitting zone on the Quad is far bigger and haven't had the same problem. Also realized afterwards that actually wanted club head data and didn't want to deal with having another separate component (which you need w/ the GC2). Lastly, the build quality on the Quad is a lot better. You don't need a protective shield around the Quad as is recommended w/ the GC2 (even if you are a strong player w/ a low risk of shanks, sometimes the ball can take a funny bounce off the screen and land on the unit). Haven't opted for the putting analysis on the Quad, but heard very positive things about that and that feature doesn't work w/ the GC2.

To be honest - don't think there is a much difference in the accuracy of the unit between the two. They are both great, but definitely think worth opting for the Quad and thankfully got a decent trade in price so initial mistake wasn't as costly as could have been otherwise !