Skytrak or Brand X,Y Z, WIth Renewal Increase....

[Lukej88]

I have been looking at the Skytrak for a long time. I have an Optishot now and it is fine for what it is but it isn't what I want to continue to use. So I could use your help, I have read here for a long time gaining knowledge and I love what the ST is for the cost. I cant afford a GC2 and am reluctant to go the Pro Tee route as I dont like the LED sensor mat.

With the increase in cost for the yearly renewal is it still worth the cost of the ST?

Is the ST still a very good launch monitor as a unit?

Is the ST lacking due to the yearly subscription?

If not the ST then what? Pro Tee, ES or other?

Any advice would be appreciated, I still feel there is value in the ST, but have never played on one or even seen one in action. Thanks in advance

[tlhammond5]

Just my opinion, but I'd go with the ES16 over the SkyTrak. I hear there are a quite a few bugs to work out on ES16, but the folks at Earnest Sports are all about service. They'll have those bugs worked out soon.

[Lukej88]

I have not done any reading on the ES due to the fact that I was set on the ST. Will the ES16 do everything the ST does?

[Frank Castle]

I too am considering those three
I am learning towards st
i like the skills assessment most of all
but no information on es16
any help and advice will be appreciated
thanks

[tlhammond5]

Yes. Many will disagree with me, but many will agree as well. I had a poor experience with the SkyTrak. Many others have shared my same opinion, but we get hushed quickly on here by the SkyTrak guys. I'm happy they like their units... I just simply didn't.

Anyway, the ES16 is quite new, and they are constantly working on upgrades to firmware and software to make it better. It will eventually be more capable than St and maybe even GC2 due to being both a camera system and a radar system. I own and use a GC2, but I have hit a few shots on ES16. I only got around 15 shots on it, but they all seemed spot on.

If you want to ensure accuracy and want a trusted and reliable unit, buy a good used GC2. Sure you'll spend a little more, but you'll be thankful in the long-run.

[GmanJeff]

ES16 is nearly three times the price of the ST and is not yet a mature product. It offers additional data compared to the ST but, for many, that additional data is of only passing interest and is not worth the additional nearly $4K that it takes to obtain it. For simulation, the extra data probably matters very little.

ST's yearly subscription model reflects their market power at the moment. There is no competition near their price point, and they are exploiting that to maximize their profit. The annual fee will only go away when a competitor offers a product with equivalent or superior function at the same or lower price without such a fee. The good news is that by tacking on an onerous additional annual fee, and rolling it out abruptly, the demand is undoubtedly there for alternative products, which may well induce competitors to step up to offer alternatives where they otherwise might not have seen a business case for doing so. ST's exploitation of their market power may be damaging how their brand is perceived and, to that extent, may hurt them in the long-term, but the prospect of more short-term profits obviously counts more to them than more speculative lost future sales when a competitor with a different approach enters their market.

[Jasonstanley]

Spot on. Why are they doing this, because they can, there's no alternative. 10 years subscription still is cheaper than buying a gc2. Skytrak is all that's needed for near golf simulation , I mean, I don't care how accurate your monitor is, it's never gonna make it more realistic when you play TGC, which is just a video game, if I was good as simulator play in real life then boy I'd be very happy . The one thing that might be good about this increase is that there is something on the horizon that will blow shake up the market, so perhaps they're getting in some cash for this year. Take for example the vice, they've bought out a tracking device that will fit on a golf club, its heading that way, plus a ball that has tracking built inside.

[Lukej88]

The shot delay on the ST does concern me as I do not have that with the Optishot. Does the ES16 have a shot delay? Does the Pro Tee have a shot delay? I have a dedicated sim area and everything stays where it is. I have heard that if you have a dedicated sim room the Pro Tee is a good option.

I just dont want to spend a bunch of money on another sim to find out that it is not the right option. I will say that the ES16 is way out of my price range at this point and being in its infancy I dont want to have to go through their growing pains. Living in Minnesota I want to golf in the winter and not have to deal with software issues when I play during the winter. I want to turn the thing on and play.

I have read the good and bad on the ST. There isnt much to read on the ES16 yet. I need to do more reading on the Pro Tee to understand more of what it will and will not do well.

I just want to make a wise purchase with my hard earned dollars. Thanks for all the help so far.

[jrz]

The shot delay was a major concern for me as well. After about ten minutes with the SkyTrak, however, I began to not even notice it. If I ever do notice it I just remind myself that the delay is worth the several thousands of dollars that I didn't spend on a GC2, and to me that tradeoff is more than worth it. I have also come to find that the 2-3 seconds gives me a moment to reflect on how my swing was (i.e if I was off-plane and pulled the shot a bit I can feel it and then have my feelings confirmed by the ball flight). I think this has been a benefit to my swing.

If you have a budget for your PC build out I'd recommend spending just a few bucks more to max out the speed of TGC - you'll be happy.

[Jasonstanley]

E16 still has a shot delay. Like really the other poster says, u won't notice it after a while. If money is no object than get gc2, it's industry standard

[Deuce]

I had a ST and it just wasn't for me. My unit was very unreliable (tested multiple times at the range) and I wanted something more accurate. Plus, I would spend several minutes getting it connected every time and would sometimes give up before getting it going. Every so often, it would register a decent strike as a dead shank. The delay also drove me nuts. Their customer service was the nail in the coffin... just not very helpful for me. I sent it in for repairs and then sold it and haven't looked back. That said, from users here it appears that ST accuracy has either gotten better or the accuracy of individual units is hit and miss. It's clear there are several folks that have them and love them.

As for the ES16, I didn't want to have to set the club, but haven't actually used it.

Personally, I don't regret the extra cost for my GC2 at all. In my mind, it's worth every penny. I can hit away with minimal prep and still get valuable data from the screen, or I can use the fitting app to get the translated ball flight results, or I can open up TGC and practice or play a round. The unit is rock solid dependable and extremely accurate.

My advice would be to set your price point first, and buy whatever makes it in just below or just above that number. This is one of those areas where you actually do get about what you pay for.

[tlhammond5]

I had a ST and it just wasn't for me. My unit was very unreliable (tested multiple times at the range) and I wanted something more accurate. Plus, I would spend several minutes getting it connected every time and would sometimes give up before getting it going. Every so often, it would register a decent strike as a dead shank. The delay also drove me nuts. Their customer service was the nail in the coffin... just not very helpful for me. I sent it in for repairs and then sold it and haven't looked back. That said, from users here it appears that ST accuracy has either gotten better or the accuracy of individual units is hit and miss. It's clear there are several folks that have them and love them.

As for the ES16, I didn't want to have to set the club, but haven't actually used it.

Personally, I don't regret the extra cost for my GC2 at all. In my mind, it's worth every penny. I can hit away with minimal prep and still get valuable data from the screen, or I can use the fitting app to get the translated ball flight results, or I can open up TGC and practice or play a round. The unit is rock solid dependable and extremely accurate.

My advice would be to set your price point first, and buy whatever makes it in just below or just above that number. This is one of those areas where you actually do get about what you pay for.

Totally agree! However, you don't have to set the club on ES16. You're thinking of ProTee.

I think the guys who so adamantly defend SkyTrak simply don't know any different. I had the GC2 before the SkyTrak so maybe I was spoiled. I would honestly prefer to not have a launch monitor over having to use a SkyTrak. I honestly think it would have hurt my game IRL if I had continued to use it. It gave me false positives. It's funny... I have read posts on here about guys wishing they could shoot the same scores IRL as they do on their sim. I'm just the opposite with GC2... I usually score much better IRL than I do on my sim. I think the sim is difficult!

[Jasonstanley]

There's no doubt the gc2 is a superior machine but to say the skytrak is not that accurate is a bit strong, I took mine to my lesson and was getting similiar readings to a trackman. I can hit 230 three woods out of bunkers or thick rough on the sim not irl , I think the sim is just a bit of fun.

[Deuce]

Thanks for the correction. I tried to find where i read that, but only came up with this from another forum's posting on the ES16... "Club selection is not needed but suggested in the range software for club grouping and gapping and also to allow for better camera timing. Club selection has nothing to do with spin measurement." I thought it was needed for camera timing, but apparently it's optional. Now I'm curious how much accuracy is affected if you don't select the club.

Honestly, didn't really consider the ES16 because it's too new for me to experiment with when the GC2 has proven itself for years.

[TorchRedRob]

Totally agree! However, you don't have to set the club on ES16. You're thinking of ProTee.

I think the guys who so adamantly defend SkyTrak simply don't know any different. I had the GC2 before the SkyTrak so maybe I was spoiled. I would honestly prefer to not have a launch monitor over having to use a SkyTrak. I honestly think it would have hurt my game IRL if I had continued to use it. It gave me false positives. It's funny... I have read posts on here about guys wishing they could shoot the same scores IRL as they do on their sim. I'm just the opposite with GC2... I usually score much better IRL than I do on my sim. I think the sim is difficult!

I think your experience is based on a bad SkyTrak unit. I never noticed anything like you describe in my time with the SkyTrak, but I guess I simply don't know any different.

[tlhammond5]

I think your experience is based on a bad SkyTrak unit. I never noticed anything like you describe in my time with the SkyTrak, but I guess I simply don't know any different.

According to SkyTrak... There was nothing wrong with my unit. My neighbor also had the exact same issues with his SkyTrak. If you like your SkyTrak then I say, good for you. Enjoy it!

[wbond]

We get it. You hate skytrak. But i guess we don't know any different so it doesn't matter.

OP, set your price point, see what's available in that range and then pick the one that best fits your needs.

[Lukej88]

I would like to thank all that replied. I purchased a used ST from a member on this site. I know that it will be much more accurate and realistic than the Optishot I am currently running. If I don't like it in a year I will go with something else.

I love this site for all of the content and willingness to help!

[Miura Mario]

Hey OP,

The majority of the population in north america have access to a gc2 you can literally walk into any golf retailer and test out some irons - I suggest you bring a few of your own irons and "compare" them to the irons your looking to "purchase". Track the ball speed spin and get a baseline for these perameters and then report back. So tlhammond5 can stop littering the forum with his 2 year old experiences on a daily basis - we get it you have been heard...

OP most issues that I have seen with skytrak are not related to bad reads but to no reads - it is very sensitive to positioning - I had an epiphany yesterday and im hoping it lasts... I raised the skytrak about 3/8" above the surface and started playing all shots about an inch closer to me and away from the laser and I didnt have a no read in 2 rounds - it even read me hitting a white rubber tee off of my matt which it never has...

Let us know how it goes!

[Lukej88]

That is a good way to compare, but without screen shots of both that may not hold water.....

[Miura Mario]

Youl be able to get a baseline with a particular club in 10 shots if your swing is relatively repeatable - it doesnt need to hold water just let us know - theres plenty of positive experiences here - my findings are that skytraks ball speed is 2-4 mph slower than gc2 on pured shots and it shows more sidespin than gc2

[YonexMan]

Living in Australia, launch monitors are horrendously expensive. Try 50K for a GC2 with HMT. A second hand Flightscope that is several years old will still cost over 7K.

I used an Optishot for a while, but like many, just found that it was more a "toy" than offering any real help with improving my golf swing and scores etc.

Skytrak isn't officially sold in Australia, but thought that it would be a better and more affordable option. I wound up buying one second hand through ebay, from someone in Australia, who went to the trouble of importing it himself.

I don't use the Skytrak for game simulation - subscriptions are just too expensive and the missed shots issues would only serve to make me "not happy" about trying to play a game of golf on skytrak anyway. So decided against it - but the big thing was the expense of the subscriptions once converted to Aussie dollars.

I have to say that yes, owning a Skytrak has saved me quite a few dollars in driving range fees for practice and has proved to help me in regards to practising certain areas of my game. That said nothing beats getting out to the course and practising on the putting and chipping greens at my club.

But it has also been frustrating at times as well with the usual problems that have been reported here on the forum.

I have experienced my share of problems and peculiar issues associated with owning a skytrak and not having a USA address which is needed to purchase the GIP etc.

Have to say thanks to Seth - if it wasn't for him, then a lot of the problems I have experienced would not have been fixed as I have found the online chat people are nearly useless as they have never been able to fix my problems. It was only with Seth helping out that these problems were fixed.

Right now - I would say that if I had the same issues and Seth wasn't around to help fix them, then I would have sold the Skytrak off as a bad experience.

If I was in the market now, I would wait a while and see what the new Flightscope Mevo turns out like. At $500 it is very cheap. Plus, I'll bet that Flightscope will bring out other models that will bridge the price gape between their new $500 Mevo and their high end expensive X-Series models.