Skytrak and short chips going left?

[BWJones]

Are other people experiencing an issue when hitting short chips with high launch angles going left even if the ball seems to be hit straigt? I see it all the time with these types of shots.

[doublebogey]

Thanks for everyone's feedbacks. Also just a note, I started noticing more extreme left HA on short flops because I recently bought a 62 degree wedge as addition to my 58 degree and have been trying to "flop it like Phil" hence the sudden renewed interest in the issue in this thread again.

[SkyTrak_Seth]

I'll try to replicate this using the FMJ - I've never seen it before, even when testing super-high launch angles - definitely using a wide-open 60. But I wasn't using the case at that point.

[wbond]

I just had one in the last round of last weeks tournament. I think i had 7yds to pin and hit a shot into the middle of the screen. When it launched, it looked like it went off at a 45 degree angle. Here was the shot data. BS 22.2, HLA -14.4, VLA 45.7 SS 0 SA 0.0, BS 1847
I use short game correction.

[doublebogey]

SkyTrak_Seth, like wbond, I only see these types of extreme left flop shots on sim programs but rarely on the SkyTrak app itself BTW.

[SkyTrak_Seth]

Ah! Wonder if that would happen with short game correction off...

[gratefulRed]

i'm still very new to SkyTrak and am only using the app and WGT so far. I have massive issues with chipping/putting. Rollout is freaking beyond crazy long. What is this "HA" that everyone is referencing? What does that mean? Thanks.

[teamacacia]

I think it means the side angle, or the angle off the straight line.

I am using WGT only at the moment and didn't notice any issues with chipping in regards to angle. I do agree that the roll out from chips is a bit ridiculous.

[wbond]

Horizontal Angle

i'm still very new to SkyTrak and am only using the app and WGT so far. I have massive issues with chipping/putting. Rollout is freaking beyond crazy long. What is this "HA" that everyone is referencing? What does that mean? Thanks.

[gratefulRed]

does the SkyTrak still have the option to fire both lasers as a way to help set up alignment?? If so, I haven't been able to figure that out.

[doublebogey]

Yes. It's in the levelling screen now.

[MainStGolf]

I had been having wonky shots in JNPG, however, I was not bother to place the "logo" of the golf ball toward the camera. I haven't done thing in quite a long time. However, it was suggested that you still need to face the logo toward the SkyTrak unit. I started using a ball with my company logo on it and facing it toward the camera and instantly fixed my wonky shots. I haven't tried any severe "flop" shots yet, so not sure what that will do, but really exited about my SkyTrak again. I was becoming VERY frustrated.

[wbond]

You know, I haven't done this either. The only time i do the logo is when i hit driver since I'm picking up the ball anyway. I'll have to pay attention to that on short shots and see if it improves.

[doublebogey]

I point the logo towards the unit on my high flop shots and still occasionally get the extreme left HA reading once in a while...

[MainStGolf]

I've played 3-4 rounds since placing the logo at the unity for each and every shot including driver and putter. Every single short game shot has gone exactly where it was supposed to go, including some higher launching pitch/chip shots except one. I did have a wonky right shot on a short chip out of the fairway in a round yesterday. It hit just left of centerline, but went 8 degrees right. So at this point I'm just going to write that off to it being a machine and not going to be right 100% of the time. Still very pleased with the results I'm getting.

[gratefulRed]

can someone please tell me the correct way to set up the skytrak laser for hitting driver off a tee? want to make sure i'm getting as accurate a reading as possible. thanks!

[doublebogey]

laser dot at bottom of tee (not top of tee).

[MainStGolf]

I generally tee my ball up about a half inch behind the laser as it relates to the target line not further away from the unit. Some people have had better luck slightly in front of the laser.

[JJ62]

After using skytrak for nearly a year - I'd say the skytrak driving range for me with all shots is very accurate. Yes, there is the 'weird' one once in a blue moon for me. I DO notice that in JNPG chips can go just about anywhere - and putting seems to be random. I am betting (after seeing this for so long now) - that JNPG (and possibly some other sims) use ALL the data that is given to them. So I'm guessing on putts it reads spin and shoots the ball left or right. I'm thinking this is the same thing with chips, which in JNPG can be crazy. My suggestion would be for the sim makers to have a 'chip' button or something for shorter shots that would tell the sim to not look at side spin. I hope they aren't looking at side spin on putts either. I can't see myself ever playing someone online with JNPG with the crazy chips/putting. I can shoot pretty low in the app - but only w/the max of 8 foot gimmes. In summary - I see no solution for these issues I'm having unless JNPG addresses them - I don't think it's an issue with skytrak.

[doublebogey]

Are most people having the extreme HA angle issue on high launch angle flop shots using the original FMJ case (i.e., not the latest SkyTrak one)?

Today I took my ST out of the FMJ case and put back into my old Japan SkyTrak case and was no longer getting extreme HA on high flop shots (and less no-reads). After I put my ST back into the FMJ case I started getting some extreme HA on high flop shots again w lots of no-reads.

I could be wrong but I think the problem might be that the window over the cameras on the original FMJ case might not be big or tall enough so that the second picture of a high flop shot where the ball at the top of the picture might be blocked or partially blocked by shadow from the case or the case itself thus causing more no-reads or making the ball look smaller and hence further away from the camera thus creating the extreme HA's.

Attached are pictures of the original FMJ and the SkyTrak FMJ - as you can see the windows on the SkyTrak FMJ are much taller (well above the laser area) than the windows on the original FMJ (which ends below the laser area).

I'm no expert so would appreciate some expert opinions from the forum on this matter - i.e., if I got this all wrong. Thanks.

[bbjr]

I have been seeing the extreme HA during higher angle shots (both 54˚ and 60˚ wedges). I haven't tried the shot on the Skytrak range, but I see it on about 80% of my shots near the green on JNPG; although, it happened for the first time on a full 54˚ wedge a few days ago. For reference, I am using the Skytrak Armour case.

[doublebogey]

Yes I usually only see the extreme HA on high flop shots near green as well (in partic w my 62 degree wedge). The Armour case has similarly low camera window like the original FMJ case (and unlike the newer SkyTrak FMJ case) - I'm just guessing that because there is a gap between the case and the front of the SkyTrak unit, a low window might obstruct the wide angle of the camera lens as well as potentially cast some shadow over it?

[doublebogey]

Ok did a quick testing and this is what I got. This was done w ST in FMJ case hitting 4 shots of ~20 or so yards all straight into middle of screen and results for last 3 shots attached.

Shot #1: Probably close to 60˚ LA using my 62˚ wedge (ST did not pick up shot)
Shot #2: 54˚ LA using my 58˚ wedge (ST picked up shot's LA, BS, SS and side angle but show 0 ball speed - I get this quite a lot when using sim during a round)
Shot #3: 51˚ LA using my 54˚ wedge (everything looks fine except the extreme 15˚ side angle)
Shot #4: 48˚ LA using my gap wedge (everything looks fine here)

So it seems like:
- ST will not pick up very high LA shots around 60˚
- High ~55˚ LA shots will often show up w 0 ball speed
- low 50˚ LA shots will often show extreme left side angle (for right-hand golfers)
- and below 50˚ LA shots are accurate using ST

Any thoughts especially from SkyTrak_Seth or SkyTrak_James? Thanks.

[BadEddieKit]

You may want to consider raising your ST if its having issue with reading flop shots. Skytrak on short chips/flops just isnt 100% accurate, and your going to have those type of shots. Hopefully the integration with RMotion is currently underway, and we can finally have accurate HA on putts and chips in the near future..

[doublebogey]

BadEddieKit, thanks for the advice. However I already have my ST maybe about 0.5-1 inch above my hitting mat. Any higher and it'll have a tough time reading low LA 3-wood shots.

[SkyTrak_Seth]

I think 54 or 55 degrees was around the max I could capture consistently. But I never had any of the left pull bias. However, I could certainly see a non-officially-approved case causing issues when dealing with extremes. (can you reproduce outside of the case?) But regarding the zero ball speed, it must have read something else besides the golf ball. In fact, I don't even know how that is possible because we have it in the code that if the ball speed is zero, then the shot is automatically treated as invalid.

[doublebogey]

Actually recently I've been getting a lot of zero ball speed reads from ST on high short chip/flop shots and the ball just moves like an inch.

SkyTrak_Seth, you sure ST would automatically invalidate shot if ball speed came out as zero? Maybe system read ball speed at something below 0.5 MPH and system thinks it's a real shot and just rounds down to zero on the display?

[SkyTrak_Seth]

That is very possible...but only if it grabbed something else besides the ball. Let me dig into this.