Tracking club path and club face angle : homemade or buying one ?

[lou_adam]

Hi,
I'm looking for a simulator that gives the trajectory of the ball (club path angle & club face angle )
and works with foam ball (or almoast golf ball)

After looking for some time for a simulator that meets these criteria, I retained two that matches my need :

• R-motion
• P3ProSwing

Both are no longer sold.

Would you have any recommendation for a simulator that provides the metrics cited above and works with foam ball ?
Othewise, do you think that it would be feasible to implement it myself ? (I have a computer science background)

[andygg1986]

P3Proswing was basically a better version of an Optishot which is still sold. I had a P3Proswing for a little while and it wasn't terrible but it wasn't really accurate enough to feel like it would help my outdoor game either. It could be good for a beginner who just needs to get comfortable swinging and trying to more or less square up the clubface, but it's not like you are going to be able to dial in distances with your wedges or anything like that. There's a system called Phigolf that I have never tried, but is similar to R-motion in that it uses an accelerometer to measure the club, except you don't need to hit a ball.

[peterflong]

I am responding to an old post of yours from 10/28/21, in which you mentioned having a P3Proswing previously. Do you still have it, and if so, are you still using it? If you do have it, I will pay you to either send me the software, or copy it and send it to me by whichever means works for you. Please contact me at peterflong@aol.com when you see this message. Thanks.

[andygg1986]

Sorry peterflong but I deleted the software off of my computer after I sold it

[GungHoGolf]

Every launch monitor on the market, both camera-based and radar-based, will track a foam ball. Carry distance will be reduced from 10-20% depending on type of ball, because you won't get the same ball speed off the face as a real ball, and spin rate also won't match exactly. But shot shape and spin axis will be similar. But we've tested foam balls with TrackMan, FlightScope Mevo+, Uneekor, SkyTrak, and even the Garmin R10. With radar units, you'll need a metallic sticker on the ball.

[RAH5]

Someone turned me on to Point Five balls. They are harder than foam balls but not nearly as dense as a real ball. Pretty loud given their composition though.

At any rate I found that they worked well with Skytrak. Shape, distance, etc. seemed reasonably similar when tested against real balls, with the caveat that I don’t have a consistent enough swing to have totally reliable results.

Depending on your setup they may work for you, and would unlock use of a LM with club, path, etc. data. I have since moved on to real balls full time but still have the Point Fives for guests until they feel comfortable hitting indoors.

[Stonebattle]

I had a P3proswing for several years and I thought it worked well. The club data was accurate, club path, face angle, strike location, swing speed, but one had to know ones distances and the ball trajectory was not the best. Still, it worked well for game improvement.

It seems to me a Protee setup would not be bad at all. Some club data is not bad at all, These would be club path and I think angle of attack. Unfortunately, club head speed is subject to strike quality, strike location is off by 3 cm at times and face angle can be off by more than 10 degrees. I know that does not sound good, but ball horizontal and vertical launch angles are spot on with a good setup. So, if the ball path is shown to be 1 degree right and the club face data shows 10 degrees open, its easy to determine the club face was actually only around 1 degree open. There are a few misreads that have to be taken into consideration, but those are easy to deal with.

With the updated interface, the distance the ball travels is quite good for all clubs, so you do not have to know your distances. The ball flights are also reasonable.
I've seen some fairly good prices for Protee setups over the last several months. Perhaps you can get one used. They ware like iron and Protee's support is second to none.

In the interface, one can easily adjust for foam or other types of balls.

I have friends over, covid has impacted that over the last year or so, and we have a great time.

[lou_adam]

Thanks everyone for your answer !

My current thinking is that for a relative low budget the garmin R10 would be great. However the data seems not yet accurate.
So before buying the R10 (or maybe Flighscope mevo + / skytrack), I was thinking about the tittle X Home Golf Simulator 2021.

This tools seems to provide exactly what I need (trajectory) but what is the accuracy ? Anyone have any feedback ?

[Rlefig]

Every launch monitor on the market, both camera-based and radar-based, will track a foam ball. Carry distance will be reduced from 10-20% depending on type of ball, because you won't get the same ball speed off the face as a real ball, and spin rate also won't match exactly. But shot shape and spin axis will be similar. But we've tested foam balls with TrackMan, FlightScope Mevo+, Uneekor, SkyTrak, and even the Garmin R10. With radar units, you'll need a metallic sticker on the ball.

Hi Ron,

Since I am in the cold north east I am thinking of practicing chipping and such in my basement (since I can't take a full swing) with the Callaway Foam balls and the R10. It sounds like I would need a metallic sticker on the foam balls. Also do you know if the E6 basic subscription has fun and useful short game practice

[GungHoGolf]

Hi Ron,

Since I am in the cold north east I am thinking of practicing chipping and such in my basement (since I can't take a full swing) with the Callaway Foam balls and the R10. It sounds like I would need a metallic sticker on the foam balls. Also do you know if the E6 basic subscription has fun and useful short game practice

We like these foam balls the best - the firmer than most and rarely crack: https://amzn.to/3JzxdNM. A blanket will stop them easily. You will need a sticker on them - try buying from FlightScope or eBay.

E6 Basic does have several short game practice areas for chipping/pitching. Again, distances with foam balls won't match exactly, but should still be very useful for launch angles and direction.

[iacas]

We like these foam balls the best - the firmer than most and rarely crack: https://amzn.to/3JzxdNM. A blanket will stop them easily. You will need a sticker on them - try buying from FlightScope or eBay.

Are those basically Almost Golf Balls or are they different (softer foam or something)?

[Rlefig]

We like these foam balls the best - the firmer than most and rarely crack: https://amzn.to/3JzxdNM. A blanket will stop them easily. You will need a sticker on them - try buying from FlightScope or eBay.

E6 Basic does have several short game practice areas for chipping/pitching. Again, distances with foam balls won't match exactly, but should still be very useful for launch angles and direction.

Thanks Ron, I will take a look at them

[GungHoGolf]

Are those basically Almost Golf Balls or are they different (softer foam or something)?

I haven't compared them directly to Almost Golf Balls. They're significantly firmer and more durable than, say, the Callaway foam balls.

[iacas]

I haven't compared them directly to Almost Golf Balls. They're significantly firmer and more durable than, say, the Callaway foam balls.

Thanks, yeah, so are Almost Golf balls. Probably almost the same - the Callaway foam balls kinda stink.