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  • Is it that bad?

    Is optishot really that bad? Is it somewhat accurate? Will it help know what your club is doing? inside out? open closed face?

    I just want something I can have fun with when I cannot hit the course.

  • #2
    It meets the intention for your last sentence.

    I felt if you averaged out a lot of swings, it can give you somewhat accurate readings for path and face. If you take it on individual swings you will be disappointed.

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    • #3
      I agree with wbond.... it's a good toy to have fun with a few buddies . But it does read path and face just fine. I had one last year this year it's Skytrak and TGC for me 😜
      My Courses:

      DGWCBETA1 (L)
      Shack's Window Co. Beta1 (L)
      Quarry Golf Club V2 (L)
      Metamora Fields V1 (L)
      Metamora Fields Par 3 (L)
      University Ridge V1 (L)
      Stonewall_North_gCool/B33 (L)
      Stonewall_Old_gCool/B33 (L)
      Green Hill G.C. V2(L)
      The Bear Forest CC V2 (L)
      Perkins & Friends V1 (L)
      Bellewood CC V1(L)
      Stonewall North Par 3 (L)
      Stonewall Old Par 3 (L)
      The Ranch V1 (L)
      Shenandoah BlueRed V1 (L)

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      • #4
        It's not that Optishot is that bad it's just that there are other products that are much better. By far Optishots price point is tough to match but personally I have one and would say to you to save for a better setup. My move to Skytrak and TGC has proven to be down right awesome.

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        • #5
          I have had mine for almost two years and here are my pros and cons:

          Pros
          1. It does offer realistic swing path statistics.
          2. Helped me learn to shape shots
          3. It works well when you do not have the ability to use real balls.
          4. Shaved 15 strokes off my game playing and I am now around an 85 average


          Cons
          1. It does lack in many areas
          2. The course offerings are limited with the default package.
          3. No ball flight data
          4. Topped shots do not register correctly
          5. If you hit down on the ball the length of the shots can be off from real life


          Overall I am happy with the purchase but I do plan on getting a Skytrak if they offer another $300 off sale next year. I feel as though I have outgrown it but playing around 500 games has already saved me money I would have spent at the range

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          • #6
            I would 2nd just about everything that jwk says. Although I believe the default courses are pretty good. I believe you get 15 freebies and then many more to choose from to buy for $30 each. The only one I have bought is Pebble Beach and I think it's very good. My opinion is it's a great way to hit balls and get some minimal feedback. As mentioned it doesn't tell you much about bladed shots but you're going to pretty much know that anyway. It also doesn't read shanks either. I've hit a few straight right and they end up being decent shots. Again, you know when you do this. It takes a little tinkering with but you can get it set up where it reads your distances per club quite accurately. It does read fat shots pretty good because your clubhead speed slows down quite a bit and it will show a shorter shot. Some recommend taping clubs. I've had good luck with one set of irons without taping but another set I had to tape. For me I have found taping woods and hybrids is a must. Lighting is critical and to be honest I still mess with my lighting to find the perfect setup. Right now I think I have it set the best I will get it. One other thing I think is a must is to upgrade the hitting mat with an aftermarket mat. I've had many, many enjoyable hrs with my Optishot and would recommend it. It doesn't in any way shape of form compare with the likes of Skytrak but I believe it is a very good option for the relatively low initial cost.

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            • #7
              Just bought Skytrak and have had Optishot for a year. Last night, I had both running at the same time. When I hit it well, Optishot and Skytrak match up very closely. Distances within 1-5 yards of each other. I only tried my 5 and 8 iron so don't know how the driver and woods match. When I mishit, skytrak will reigster my ugly shots much more realistically than optishot. Distance will still match up but I'm 40 yards more left or right with skytrak. Given how I'm a 90 golfer, the skytrak has it right. I still find it quite helpful on my club face data and feel Optishot still will offer me a lot. Having the right lighting and taping clubs are a must for optishot so it takes me longer to get it setup compared to skytrak.
              My courses:
              Aldeen
              Butler National
              Cantigny
              Canyata
              Cog Hill #4
              Harbor Shores
              Harborside
              Naperville Country Club
              Prairie Landing
              Rich Harvest Farms
              Ruffled Feathers
              Shoreacres

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              • #8
                I'm a newbie to Optishot but, I thought I throw in my impressions thus far.

                Quite honestly, I wasn't expecting much at this price point. When I purchased the Optishot 2, I was really looking for something to keep me hitting through the winter for the most part. And, I wanted to learn to "feel" my swing and the clubhead (i.e. inside-out, outside-in, face angle) rather than swinging the club and looking at the results. IMHO, it's easier to arrive at a decent swing if you can actually feel what's going on. But, that's the subject of entirely different thread in and of itself.

                Thus far, I have been presently surprised. The results that I'm seeing with the Optishot relative to the flight of the ball and the distances for each club in my bag have mirrored what I've been seeing on the range and on the course in recent weeks. In fact, the other day, I realized on the course that I'd been sliding to the left during my downswing instead of staying behind the ball. When I became aware of it on the course and made a better effort of staying behind the ball, my drives went from hitting weak fades with an average of 220 yards to a slight draw at 250+ yards (and yes I had to have a moment alone). Interestingly, since that time working with the Optishot, I've seen exactly the same thing including the shot shape and yardages.

                Now, after my daughter's wedding next year, I'll definitely drop some coin on a sim that's more powerful and more accurate. However, for now, the Optishot 2 has more than exceeded my expectations and is already helping me improve my game. And, my son, future son-in-law, and I will be playing St. Andrews on Christmas day this year.

                For me, a win-win and two thumbs up.
                Fletch

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                • #9
                  I wish I could say something more positive, but I have been very disappointed with my optishot thus far. My wife bought me the opti last Christmas but due to work and a home move, I just got my setup going in the past week/week and a half. I wanted the opti based on its price point and desire to have a sim that would get me "in the ballpark" with distance and direction. A colleague at work has one and has been super happy. My problem is that my irons are increasingly inaccurate with distance (PW is about 10yd short progressing to my 4i being at least 20 yd short), and my driver shots are directionally way off (I normally play a draw and the opti tells me I'm hitting near boomerang slices). My irons are chromed mizunos and my driver is smooth and silver on the bottom.

                  I work 60-80+ hours/week and do not really have the time or energy to personally engineer my club sets. Even if I did, it makes me wonder how accurate a result I would be getting given that I have to change the settings on how it calculates swing speed and club face. My colleague is actually going to bring me his board to connect to my computer to help see if it is possibly something wrong with my optishot.

                  Though I haven't completely given up hope, I am actively looking for a different option for the winter.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by teamacacia View Post
                    I wish I could say something more positive, but I have been very disappointed with my optishot thus far. My wife bought me the opti last Christmas but due to work and a home move, I just got my setup going in the past week/week and a half. I wanted the opti based on its price point and desire to have a sim that would get me "in the ballpark" with distance and direction. A colleague at work has one and has been super happy. My problem is that my irons are increasingly inaccurate with distance (PW is about 10yd short progressing to my 4i being at least 20 yd short), and my driver shots are directionally way off (I normally play a draw and the opti tells me I'm hitting near boomerang slices). My irons are chromed mizunos and my driver is smooth and silver on the bottom.

                    I work 60-80+ hours/week and do not really have the time or energy to personally engineer my club sets. Even if I did, it makes me wonder how accurate a result I would be getting given that I have to change the settings on how it calculates swing speed and club face. My colleague is actually going to bring me his board to connect to my computer to help see if it is possibly something wrong with my optishot.

                    Though I haven't completely given up hope, I am actively looking for a different option for the winter.
                    So you put no effort into setting up your clubs, taping, ect. and are disappointed in the results and something must be wrong with your unit. Sounds fair.

                    Optishot works if you put the time into setting up the clubs/lighting the proper way. You have to tape ALL of your clubs in order to get the best, most accurate readings. Putting in your club specs (shaft length, face angle, and off set), calibrating, and hitting the range to adjust goes a long way. Lighting is also a big thing for accurate readings.

                    If these things put you off, it is best to not get one. It does a fine job though if these things are done.

                    Also, you can get all of the premium courses (the re-mastered versions) for $49 a year plus access to Opti shot tourneys.

                    Comment


                    • teamacacia
                      teamacacia commented
                      Editing a comment
                      I put in time. My lighting is great with no obstruction or extraneous shadows. My irons are all chromed mizunos, not sure they can get any brighter. Driver is silver bottom. Is there a different preferable color for the bottom?
                      I also entered in each club's specs. Do you have to calibrate (talking about the face angle part) each individual club? It only has prompted to calibrate one club (driver).

                      Trust me, I want it to work. I don't want to spend $2000+ to upgrade to ST. A co-worker is going to lend me his optishot to try in effort to compare outcomes to decide if it's a problem with my setup in general or possibly a bad board.

                  • #11
                    Driver should have black matte bottom, which usually means covering it in tape and then putting on a 1/2" piece of white duct tape parallel to the face. I've found this combination to work well. If you have chrome irons, it should not be an issue. You must calibrate each club individually. Use a putting motion for each club when doing this so you can control it better.

                    However, it is still night and day to a skytrak.

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                    • teamacacia
                      teamacacia commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Thank you, wbond

                  • #12
                    While my skytrak is being repaired I decided to try out the optishot I bought for the kids to use and had this happen. Yeahhhh While it's fun to just hit some balls I've seen it's far from accurate if that's what you're looking for ...

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                    • #13
                      I got my full enclosure set up over the Christmas holiday with Optishot 2. Because of the warm weather this week I got to play golf and this is what I discovered. (FYI, I am a 22 handicap currently)

                      I went through all of the setup for the clubs and spent the time making my custom club set so I could get my known distances. I also had to tape the bottom of all of my woods.

                      Below are my impressions:

                      My driving improved.
                      I have always hit a strong fade or slice. After practicing with the Optishot it turned out it was slicing more than I normally do so I had over compensated by moving to a stronger grip. I also changed my alignment and my swing path which had the effect of causing me to hook the ball in real life (even though it is showing as a mild fade on the Optishot.) After a few minutes warming up, I was able to weaken my grip to ensure a more open club face and I am now striping the ball down the fairway. Now that I have my setup correct in real life, I am going to go back to the Optishot and play with the offset to get a consistent shot with my new swing.

                      Fairway woods.
                      Since sweeping the ball off the Optishot mat is fine for the fairway woods and hybrids I also improved on these shots it the real world. I had to make adjustments similar to the driver with my grip but otherwise I was hitting pretty good shots.

                      Issues with Iron play.
                      Since hitting down on the ball generally causes a loud thunk on the sensor, and slows down the club so you cannot get the correct distance, it became necessary to try and pick the ball on the Optishot. So I noticed while practicing I would hit a lot of thin shots which of course showed up fine on the simulator. This caused me to hit more thin shots in the real world. I spent an hour today correcting that at the range and I have my old iron swing back. However, I seem to be more accurate with location than I was before the Optishot.

                      So my opinion is that the Optishot can help you with Woods and also help you as far as getting the Irons face and path correct but be aware that having to pick the shot instead of creating a divot can have an effect on your real world play.

                      It is still a blast to play on the Optishot. Especially when it is snowing or raining outside. Just be aware of it's limitations (and that you may need to make a few adjustments prior to playing real golf.).

                      In the fall I will be purchasing a Skytrak which I hope will allow me to continue my improvement and give me more accurate distances.

                      Last edited by Mandragora; 02-23-2017, 10:06 PM.

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