NEWB here: Best golf ball for indoor SkyTrak sim use?

[JPXG]

Newb here...though I have been creeping this forum for a month now.

I am the proud new owner of a SkyTrak unit, which I have been using at my local driving range while I finish my garage golf studio build. So far I am beyond impressed!!

Quick question about golf balls:

My game balls are the Srixon Z-Star XV and Taylormade TP5x. I know that when using the SkyTrak, you get the best results if you orient the logo towards the unit. So, I am curious if I could use the new Taylormade TP5pix ball with my sim, so that I do not have to reach down and orient the ball every shot. Has anyone tried this with other similar styles (like the Callaway Chrome Soft with soccer-style markings, etc.)?

Could the large number of markings on the TP5pix ball actually cause a misread on SkyTrak? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[Wizard of Coz]

I just use my gamer but try that ball out and let us know if toy think it works better. Test and share

[JPXG]

I definitely will! I always like to see if anyone else has experience first, but I will do some side-by-side with an unmarked TP5x and post the results once my swing studio is done.

[Wizard of Coz]

I may have hit the truvis ball but I didn't have issues with my gamer so I didn't see a need to use anything else.

[Dan King]

I'm using reconditioned Pro V1s I bought from Walmart, no issues and no additional markings.

[colinjm18]

I agree with Coz. Just play the ball you use outdoors. You learn yardages for each club you use with multiple swings ( 1/4,1/2 full etc.)

[jlconner81]

Sort of a follow up question for the group. Do you see significant fall off on ball speed and spin over time when you use the same balls for tons of impact? Probably using the same 50 balls and have hit +3,000 shots with them on the SkyTrak. I just hate to use $3-$4 balls to practice with.

[Wizard of Coz]

I see a tremendous fall off in ball speed all the time. I hit a shot and it just doesn't go how I would expect it to so I grab it and inspect it and guess what it's cracked. They just don't last forever. Im always wondering now how long the internal ball is cracked before I can see it cracked through the cover@#@!!!!

[Lgnir]

I don't know where it came from, but I have this really powerful magnifying glass. Every couple of weeks I examine a few (I use 3 dozen at a time, my tray holds 36) and look for any tiny cracks. Once I start to see some cracking I replace them all. I get a couple months of use on the balls I use.

[Trickle007]

I play 2 to 3 rounds in the sim with my gamer. Then that ball goes in my bag and is used in real golf. After a few rounds I can feel the ball is not as smooth so I use a new in an effort to prolong the life of my impact screen.

[ChadGolf]

I really recommend these Bridgestone Tour B balls. Either RS or XS depending on your speed. The soft feel helps with indoor jitters and makes them feel really great. I get practice versions that have some extra text printed on them:

https://www.golfballs.com/Golf-/Balls/Bridgestone-Tour-B-RXS-Practice-Golf-Balls.htm

This adds just enough for good spin and the Bridgestone logo picks up well on SkyTrak.

Extra markings, especially Red ones like TruVis or the Pix don't really add anything. SkyTrak is color blind to Red.

[JPXG]

Great point on the color blindness...thank you!

[Virtualadam]

I really recommend these Bridgestone Tour B balls. Either RS or XS depending on your speed. The soft feel helps with indoor jitters and makes them feel really great. I get practice versions that have some extra text printed on them:

https://www.golfballs.com/Golf-/Balls/Bridgestone-Tour-B-RXS-Practice-Golf-Balls.htm

This adds just enough for good spin and the Bridgestone logo picks up well on SkyTrak.

Extra markings, especially Red ones like TruVis or the Pix don't really add anything. SkyTrak is color blind to Red.

Agree I found the red truvis did not work as well as a standard ball. I wonder how the new Callaway ERC balls with the lines work?

[pcascio]

I use Almost Golf balls about 90% of the time. I do this to protect my Skytrak and also reduce stress to my wrists and elbows.

[SkyTrak_Jordan]

We did a test with the Calloway Truvis, Volvik matte finish golf balls (red, blue, green, pink), and a normal Pro V1 and TP5. We found the normal golf balls and the Volvix gave accurate data. But, the Calloway Truvis golf balls caused misreads and skewed data. I would say there will be misreads for the new TP5pix. For the best results it's best to stick with a normal white golf ball. I hope this helps!

[JPXG]

Thank you Jordan, this is exactly the kind of insight I was hoping for...and getting it right from the source is even better!!

[StanMI]

I vehemently beg to differ that information i s incorrect! Callaway Truvis does NOT cause misread !! And that is per Seth in his posting to me on this site. Please don't post misinformation.

[StanMI]

Per Seth, the Callaway Red and White soccer ball does NOTHING to the ability for the machine to see it or not see it better . You can look at a photo Seth posted to show what that machine "sees" the ball as.

[Dan King]

We did a test with the Calloway Truvis, Volvik matte finish golf balls (red, blue, green, pink), and a normal Pro V1 and TP5. We found the normal golf balls and the Volvix gave accurate data. But, the Calloway Truvis golf balls caused misreads and skewed data. I would say there will be misreads for the new TP5pix. For the best results it's best to stick with a normal white golf ball. I hope this helps!

Good to know Jordan, thanks for your insight on the ball topic. I'm using Pro V1s (reconditioned) and I rarely get a misread. I do think my carry and total distance is suffering a little (roughly 5-7 yards shorter) from real play results but that probably requires some tweaking on my part to get things dialed in a bit better.

[StanMI]

That post is incorrect. See my post above for What Seth said and posted.

[trhuke]

Stan, you realize the person that you're calling out, SkyTrak Jordan, is another member of the SkyTrak team, right?

[StanMI]

Yes Sir I do! Did you know that Seth Is if not the/then one of the creators of Skytrak. And it still uses all the same hardware it had to image the ball. If the infra red cameras had no effect posotive or minus on day one, they have the same effect today. You cant change Physics. You can make claims, but you can't change it....

[ez300yarders]

I use my normal gamers which consist of a mix of TM tp5x's and Ksigs. Both give very similar readings and seem to work fine. I would stick to solids if possible though. either a full color or full white. Things like Truvi's or those above may cause misreads.

[trhuke]

You know that the SkyTrak is an EXCELLENT device for testing different balls to see what works best for you. Select "driver" Hit a dozen shots with one kind of ball. Reset the SkyTrak to "Driver2" Switch to another for 12, switch back etc then compare the averaged results between the different balls. It is very enlightening. Also interesting to note what the temp is when you're hitting and then compare against a warmer/colder day. (My ST is in my garage so the temps vary.) A ball that's great when it's 85 can be awful when it's 45. And I found a fairly inexpensive Srixon SoftFeel ball is giving me 8-10% more distance and less dispersion than ProVs. (And my wallet rejoiced)

[Dan King]

YSelect "driver" Hit a dozen shots with one kind of ball.

Does selecting "driver" make a difference when practicing on the range? I never paid much attention to that and just hit whatever club I want as part of my warm up routine. Otherwise you're implying that ST has some sort of algorithm that makes changes based on the club selection. If that's true, I'll pay more attention to that but I haven't noticed any appreciable difference in my distances whether it's my 9 iron or my driver without selecting what club I'm hitting.

[wbond]

No it only allows you to review data afterward to see the differences. If you don't change the clubs, then all the data will get combined for whatever club was selected.

[trhuke]

Wbond- thanks, beat me to it. Selecting club, (and “club2”) using the SkyTrak app allows you to directly compare data using different balls, or brands of clubs etc.