Putting not working most of the time (ProTee on TGC)

[chrisb]

Hi everyone -- this is my first post so my apologies if its in the wrong forum or been asked and answered many times and my searches just didn't find it. I got a ProTee system installed about 2 weeks ago and use TGC to play courses. The problem I have is that well over 90% of the time the game cannot tell that I have stroked a putt. I can go into the debug screen on ProTee and verify there's no sensor issue, in fact when I have debug open and stoke a put the correct sensors pick up the putt rolling over them, everything seems fine, but on the actual green my putts are almost never read. So far I am pretty incredibly frustrated. I've checked the lighting, etc, many times over. I know how to use the debug to make sure there aren't sensor problems. I know to press P to select putter. It's like in the game it is not switching from the hitting sensor to the putting sensor (which is on, I have the green light, etc) Any help would be appreciated. I'm so frustrated with the system that if I could return it and get my money back I would in a heartbeat (there' other issues too, this is just the top one)

[FaultyClubs]

I can't help on your issue but wondering if you have contacted Protee? They usually are very good at sorting out problems.

[chrisb]

I did, then an hour later putting worked after I adjusted a light so I emailed them telling them it was fixed. Then it stopped working 10 minutes later. They didn't seem to have any ideas besides checking the sensors (which I always do) so I thought reaching to so many users that some people might have experienced the same thing and have some advice.

[gene438]

I know it's frustrating, but relax...I'm sure we can get this fixed. In the settings, there is a place to adjust the sound level for putts. Make sure you have this checked and on the lowest setting.

Now, I can tell you that I had this same problem with a twist. I never had problems putting however, I had a buddy come over to play and we could never get his putts to register. We switched putters, balls, etc. Finally, we noticed that is head was casting a shadow on the reset sensor. He slouches way more than I do when putting. He paid more attention to his head position and putting in a more upright position and the problem went way. Please putt making sure there are now shadows on the main sensor pad when striking the putt.

Try the 2 things above and let me know......I promise we can get this fixed.

[gene438]

I want to add to the above.....in order for the system to register that a putt has been made, a sound must be detected and the sensor must be clear when that sound is detected.

[chrisb]

Thanks for the comments so far. No head issues in terms of shadow for sure. In terms of sound the putting threshold was set on 2db, so I changed it to 1db, giving it a try

[chrisb]

Nothing still. Even too three hits for my tee shot to register this time, which happens to us sometimes too. With the putting it's not that it works sporadically, it will work for a number of holes and then not work at all. But the percentage of times putting registers is around 10-15% of the time

[ProTee United]

Bit unclear, are you putting of the sensor mat or do you have the putting sensor system installed?

[chrisb]

It's the putting sensor system. So the two separate putting sensors that are maybe 5 feet from the screen. I know the sensors are active, as the green light is on and I can pull up the debug and they're all clear, and when I roll a putt over the sensors they read properly, its just that most all of the times when I am playing on a course it doesn't know a putt has been struck.

[SMO]

Seems likely the audio is not working to let the system know the putt is in play.

[chrisb]

Interesting, thanks SMO. So last night when I booted it up the main ProTee screen game me the error of cant detect sensormat (which had not happened before). So I noticed where they plugged into the PC they were being pulled down slightly by the weight of the wrapped up excess cord hanging down. So I unplugged them from the PC, set the excess cord on the table next to it, and plugged them back in. I then proceeded to play 18 holes over 3 different courses and putting worked virtually every time. Two puutts didn't read, so I blew on the sensors and then they worked. Maybe it's possible that where it was plugged in was good enough to show the sensors, but not quite good enough to work in the game most of the time? I'm not going to declare victory yet, as I have thought 3 other times I had it solved only for it to not work again 10 minutes later. We'll see.

I have learned a ton about the system just from playing around. I was never shown much of anything about it due to time constraints (it was finished at 1am and the person who built it had to leave for the airport at 3am). For example all my shots seemed to go much higher than they should, so I figured out how to see how the Vcam was set up and realized it had gotten bumped and re-alligned it myself. So I'm actually enjoying learning how it all works so I can fix little things that pop up myself.

[chrisb]

Well I was right not to declare victory, putting hasn't worked since that day. I did get the message it couldn't communicate with the sensor mat, but I fixed that. I'll share three pictures if the protee screen, note in the top left "ready for swing" is shown first in black, and then the second one in white, and then the third one in Green. These were all from putting mode, the earlier ones don't realize I'm pitting but the later ones do. I'm attaching a screenshot of what I'm seeing when on the putting green too. ANY help would be appreciated, I'm just off the charts frustrated with it. Thanks : ) Chris

[SMO]

Not sure where you are located, if in Canada I would suggest you send your putting sensor to me and I could check it on my system to see if there is something wrong with it.........however we are heading for Palm Springs area Feb 4 for a month. If you can find someone close to you to check it on their system at least you could confirm/eliminate that.

Every once in a while my putting sensor does not recognize a putt, however invariably it is related to the mat slots getting out of alignment. Doesn't sound like this is your issue however.

[chrisb]

Hello everyone, I've gotten it to work for a week now so I'm going to declare victory. Just to share, what it turned out to be was a loose connection between the putting sensor mat and the main sensor mat. I had to take out about 20 screws that were generally all stripped and at obtuse angles so that was "fun" but I got it now. With the cable between the two being one of those kinds with like 10 little wires connected to pins, it looks like the one or ones that detect sound were not quite connected most of the time, which is why the sensor (in the debug) would always show the ball rolling over the sensors properly, but most of the time the game did not recognize that I had stroked a putt.

[gene438]

Thanks for providing final feedback as to what resolved the problem....I hate it when guys get their problem fixed and then just disappear and never leave feedback for the next guy......

Again, glad you got it resolved.

[chrisb]

Of course, posting I had succeeded was the kiss of death, it hasn't worked since. At least with putting now I know the problem. It was just a poor construction job that was never tested. I've already re-done a lot of it over the last month or more, now I pretty much need to just take the whole flooring system apart and re-do it right myself. If it was flammable I would set the whole damn thing on fire including my house just to get the insurance money.

[Joshua1745]

Is the microphone used when putting sensor is used? I don’t think it is. I have trouble sometimes with putts not registering. Sometimes I have to close and restart the interface.

[aja]

99% sure that there is no sound trigger for the putting sensor. Mine sometimes triggers a putt when my shadow passes over the sensors, no club or ball involved.