Should I get the Skytrak or wait?

[golfun2]

Looking to buy a golf simulator under $1800 that can read the ball or at least it knows what club your hitting without having to input anything. To be used indoors.

Is Skytrak the only foreseeable option right now or is other sims coming or available right now in that price point?

[cmckelvmi]

Information on new products are often released during the PGA merchandise show in January. There is speculation that SkyTrak will have an announcement regarding an update or maybe an upgrade in hardware. If you have the room for a SkyTrak and it's within your budget I'd say go for it.

[kirkemg]

Do you think a major ST announcement would include current systems ability to utilize it? I want to buy now also but dont want to be the fool that drops 2k right before then next "model" comes out and makes the current one obsolete.

[cmckelvmi]

I have no idea, just passing along what some members on here and Discord have mentioned. I am not a good source for any news on SkyTrak or any LM for that matter.

[blitz12]

Skytrak seems to be in a holding pattern at this time. There have been no software updates for some time but everything still works well. Many discussions on the forum which detail the lack of software updates and reasons. I really enjoy my Skytrak. I have no idea if anything new will be announced but the PGA show would likely detail the future plans for Skytrak if you are able to wait until Jan.

[GmanJeff]

ST does not know what club you're hitting. You have to input that information if it matters to you.

If ST provides what you're looking for now, at a price which represents a good value to you, waiting for alternatives comes at the cost of not currently enjoy a functional launch monitor. As with all product types, something new and improved will eventually go on the market, but in the interim you have nothing if you keep waiting to see what new options eventually materialize.

If something better comes along in the future, you could sell your ST then to buy the shiny new option, with the depreciation being the cost to own the ST in the interim period.

[sheptunes]

Other than attaching a wireless device to each of your clubs, I don't know that any monitor can distinguish what you're hitting with...but you don't need to tell ST, it will render the same readings whether you choose your club or not.

I would recommend ST to any golfer who has the itch to improve their game and doesn't have the convenience of good weather and a nearby driving range. IMO it's the budget sweet spot btwn optishot and trackman. Personally, I consider GC2/trackman unattainable...so ST at home is the next best thing to hitting balls on the range.

You might be deterred by the grumblings on this forum about a lack of software updates, but I would argue the product is&has been ready for prime time. It's a launch monitor being sold by a company known for their gps yardage tool.. unreasonable to think it comes with the type of tech support you get from a large electronics vendor.

[jut111]

ST does not know what club you're hitting. You have to input that information if it matters to you.

If ST provides what you're looking for now, at a price which represents a good value to you, waiting for alternatives comes at the cost of not currently enjoy a functional launch monitor. As with all product types, something new and improved will eventually go on the market, but in the interim you have nothing if you keep waiting to see what new options eventually materialize.

If something better comes along in the future, you could sell your ST then to buy the shiny new option, with the depreciation being the cost to own the ST in the interim period.

Name me a launch monitor that knows what club you're hitting....

[mb123]

The caddy that handed you the club, that's about it

[rmepilot]

ST does not know what club you're hitting. You have to input that information if it matters to you.

If ST provides what you're looking for now, at a price which represents a good value to you, waiting for alternatives comes at the cost of not currently enjoy a functional launch monitor. As with all product types, something new and improved will eventually go on the market, but in the interim you have nothing if you keep waiting to see what new options eventually materialize.

If something better comes along in the future, you could sell your ST then to buy the shiny new option, with the depreciation being the cost to own the ST in the interim period.

Even TrackMan requires club input.

[trumb1mj]

I think there may be some confusion between requiring a club and loft vs. adding one for tagging purposes. If you want to do bag mapping or track the performance of a club, you'll need to enter it into the ST interface. If you just want to hit balls, ST does not require input data for their calculations.

[golfun2]

Can the Skytrak be used for a League? Let's say 40 people with the Golf Club?

[shwag33]

It could, but I wouldn't. Not reliable enough, too many missed shots and poor short game. Everyone would have to have a clear understanding of it's limitations and it could bring frustration if you have paying customers. If it's just your buddies then sure.

[chicub15]

There are many leagues for folks who play TGC19 online using a Skytrak. The device is certainly capable of providing accurate enough data. I have used my device for online league play as well as small (4 man) tournaments at my place, and even larger group closest to the pin contests while watching a playoff game or something...

I have zero complaints with the Skytrak I bought earlier this year. Keep in mind that as with most online reviews/forums the guys who have had bad experiences are more likely to share that as opposed to the guys who spend their time using the product that they enjoy. :-)

Good luck if you decide to purchase!

[Brettster]

From what I can tell, Skytrak is capable, what I would not like is the 3-5 second delay when hitting the ball, and it is that reason that has me looking at other options: Uneekor probably, or E6.

[calebm1001]

E6 isn’t hardware. That’s the software.

[Morini]

For a computer than can run TGC2019 adequately, delay will be 2 seconds, bothers some people a lot, some none at all. I think most can deal with it.

Here is a test: Hypothetically speaking, how much would ST users be willing to pay to make delay go to zero. Personally I would pay $100. If I had a sim set up, maybe $300. Everyone would have a different number based on financial means, and level of frustration. As you can see, in my case the delay by itself would not push me towards Uneekor.

[golfun2]

I think the delay is a lot quicker now especially on faster computers.

[calebm1001]

Right. It’s really that bad. I couldn’t go from GC2 or something else to Skytrak. But going directly to Skytrak, it’s truly not a big deal at all.

[Morini]

On a related note, the television commercials for Skytrak show a much shorter delay, maybe half second. They should be careful about this as it is misleading.

[golfun2]

What is the shortest time delay between strike and simulation that you’ve seen?

[Morini]

We can do survey, but fairly sure it will be 2 seconds. That is minimum. If anyone has faster, I'd love to hear about it.

[frankiepap39]

ive just finished my pc build and i would say i am only slightly faster than my very old pc.... i would say at absolute best 1.5 - 2 second delay is about as good as you could hope for, probably more on the 2 second onwards side of things......

[Brettster]

That's worth way more than $100-$300 to make that go away! It takes away from the whole experience... I can see that from the videos, maybe I would change my mind if I played in a sim, but I've played many other sims with no delays, and I just can't imagine standing there even for 2 seconds to wait for the ball flight path to show up.

[Morini]

That is what I would pay. I don't play sim. Swing, hold my finish. Look over at computer screen, the ball is flying, numbers are up. If I got hard core into sim and played in online tournaments, maybe $500, but doubt it. It is way less of a deal to me than I thought it would be.

Clearly you are willing to pay much more. Just curious, how much?

[Brettster]

Morini - Enough to make me want to purchase a Uneekor, or any other system that is instant ball-flight on the screen. I've been a golfer (and computer programmer) for too long, to stand around looking at a computer screen when I'm playing Sim Golf.