Update

[golfinaddicts]

Q1? ..........
Q2?..........
Q3?..........
It will be Q4 soon and the Q1 update is still not out should we be worried?

[trumb1mj]

I don't have a ton of confidence in ST. Seth has been on here and swears the delays are due to GDPR security updates and there should be absolutely no reason for concern. When I express my concern on here I'm met with "be happy with what you have for the price you paid!" or "leave Seth alone, he's great and so is SkyTrak!".

I think our concerns are 100% warranted. We've put thousands into this system and ST doesn't seem willing to make incremental updates while they tackle their tech debt.

[Paul Logue]

My guess is the unit can't read higher ball speeds. They should just rip the band aid off and come clean with it and move on with the other updates that are planned.

I'd be ok with a disclaimer that ball speed is measured until X mph then a factor is applied to ball speeds higher than that.

Similar to boost in TGC 2019.

[968Cab]

What’s the ball speed limit now?

[Wizard of Coz]

I think it lags after 150 but on discord ive played a couple fellas live that hit 170 ball speed on it.

[GungHoGolf]

Yep, plenty of long hitters out there in the 160s and 170s having no distance problems on SkyTrak.

[Wizard of Coz]

With that said I believe that if they hit 170 on skytrak they are actually faster than that on gc2.

[golfinaddicts]

The ball speeds in question affect about 1% of users anyways. It’s the mass amount of people that pay 100$ a year for software updates they aren’t getting that’s a serious issue. I’ve made the decision to just save for something better. It’s likely going to take a year and a half but that seems to be the best route.
The lack of shortgame usability is what does it for me. I can’t even use the wedge matrix because it takes 20 shots to get 5 to register and frankly I don’t have what it takes to push off my frustration. The gc2 reads the same shots just fine, my instructor has one.

[GungHoGolf]

20 shots to get 5 to register?? I see, at most, 1 out of 20 not register.

What vertical angle are you launching these wedge shots? There's a good chance, if you're launching at 35-40+ deg or higher, that when the second picture of the ball is taken it is out of frame (too high). This can be caused by the SkyTrak unit being lower than the surface of the mat, or tilted towards the ball. Make sure the laser dot is at least 11.5-12" away from the unit. First fix those things, perhaps even raising the unit above the surface of the mat a little, then if you still have no-reads, move your ball 1-2" away from the unit (towards your feet) when playing high-trajectory shots, which gives the cameras a wider/taller field of view.

[wbond]

Why do people believe the $100 per year is for updates/upgrades? Is this posted somewhere on Skytrak that you will get this every year and if so where? It clearly tells you what the $100 is for and I don't see anywhere on their page stating that you are going to get updates every year.

You are not paying for software updates, you are paying for additional features and simulation support for 3rd party software.

[Wizard of Coz]

I didn't like paying 100 to play tgc which I owned. Skytrak has a great practice facility though and made great improvements in it while I owned it.

[trumb1mj]

All I'm saying is that if I'm paying an annual software license fee, I expect that the vendor is making continual usability improvements (bugfixes, ui modernizations, features, etc.). This is not unique to SkyTrak--this is a broad expectation for anyone selling software for a profit and especially true for the subscription model.

It's totally up to you if you want to defend SkyTrak at every turn. I get why people are so heavily invested in ST--they've put down thousands of dollars and it's easiest to defend them as the gold standard. I choose to have higher expectations and I don't think I'm being unfair.

[Wizard of Coz]

Gold standard? I disagree.

[jrz]

trumb1mj It is totally fair to treat SkyTrak like the commercial & for-profit entity that they are, and as such they are subject to criticism. I also think it's fair to say that with any modern software product, and more specifically those that require a subscription fee, there is an expectation of gradual improvement in the product. And now we're at a point were it's starting to become noticeable that SkyTrak has been been kind of quiet for a quite a while...

[Morini]

Well, coincidentally, my subscription is up. I do like the features of the range, but I think I am going to go on a "game improvement strike." I won't renew until the next update is out. Not as worthy a cause as a climate strike, but my little way of voting with my wallet for additional resources to deal with whatever is holding things up.

[trumb1mj]

I'm doing the same thing. I wish more people would and let SkyTrak know that this is not cool.

[chengka]

Sounds like a very reasonable response. I've had my device almost 2 years. The first year, there were frequent updates and improvements. Over a year since anything now?! Come November, I will be on Skytrak subscription strike.

[EG$]

Or lack thereof?

This has definitely reached the point of wtf is going on, and its 100% worthy of criticism and complaint. There was some vague expectation of 2nd quarter, but we're now approaching the 4th quarter. The oddest part about this is that we've all seen the updates. The ball speed fix is one thing (it does affect my unit, I'm seeing a 3 to 5mph discrepancy with Trackman), but the bag mapping (3.4?) and "enhanced" range graphics (4.x?) updates were both showcased at the PGA show in January! What exactly is holding up updates that have already been developed?

I understand the (you were not promised anything) side of this, and even though that is true, over the years they consistently provided updates and maintained a level of communication with the consumer base that benefited BOTH sides. It was obvious that they were trying to close the gap with the more expensive options, and that's honestly what steered me (and I'm sure a lot more others) in the direction of SkyTrak from the beginning. A level of expectation (intentional or not) was implied from the onset with this product. This forum is a gold mine for a company that is producing a launch monitor and is willing to accept constructive feedback, but it seems like that has also stopped. Has the GUI and hardware peaked? Has the flight algorithm been tuned as well as they can tune it? I hope the answer to these questions is no, but going extremely dimly lit (completely dark isn't factual) leads to speculation that they're satisfied with the current state.

I just get this feeling that the known limitations of the existing platform and competition (albeit at higher price points) have accelerated the development of and shifted labor resources to a 2nd generation SkyTrak.

[trumb1mj]

All we can do is speculate. I'm with you on shifting resources to V2. If they are are honestly still working on GDPR and that has distracted all resources from features that seemed soooo close, that's a terrible sign.

[trumb1mj]

I noticed that Rapsodo released a cell phone LM thingy recently. Does that influence the dev roadmap for SkyTrak?

[dborden0]

That device doesn't look to compete in the Skytrak range of devices, but stuff like this should help drive competition and lower prices across the board.

[jrz]

I noticed that Rapsodo released a cell phone LM thingy recently. Does that influence the dev roadmap for SkyTrak?

It's a bummer for me trumb1mj since info about Rapsodo's patent on that new LM thingy was circulated a couple of years ago, and I convinced myself that it was for a Skytrak Version 2 (i.e. GC2 competitor). I'm thankful that Uneekor has arrived onto the scene since it appears that I was completely wrong and there's no sign of any new hardware innovation coming out of Skytrak or Rapsodo;

[Wizard of Coz]

Have you crossed over into marked ball territory?

[jrz]

Dreaming about it, but haven’t jumped yet Guest

[trumb1mj]

SkyTrak_Seth What’s up?

[lamorak24]

I have been wanting to buy a Skytrak for over a year, but now that I can finally afford it, they have gone dark. I reached out to them on Facebook today to express my concern in it being a year since the last update and this was their response: "Unfortunately, we do not have a set date for the software update. We will release more information when it becomes available."

[dborden0]

If you have waited this long, I would wait until the pga show. Lots of new players that will drive cost down or provide a better experience.

[Gazpacho]

The PGA show didn’t do anything with regards to the E6/Skytrak issue so I wouldn’t wait till then to buy it. If you want a Skytrak now and can afford it, the. Buy it. It is phenomenally accurate and a treat to own in your own home

[dborden0]

My suggestion was along there lines of don't buy a Skytrak. I like mine, but would be hesitant to buy one again with what I have observed over the last few years.