No reads on putts getting worse on TGC 2019 with SkyTrak

[sirish19]

I have had my ST for about 2 years now and it has been working great for the most part. I bought TGC 2019 in Feb and have been playing it frequently since then (have logged around 200 rounds). I would occasionally have misreads where the red dot just stays on after the swing or the light will go off temporarily and then come back on shortly when it didn't register a shot.

This generally happens most frequently with putts, but occasionally will happen with a 3-wood off the deck for example. For some reason, this issue seems to be getting worse lately where I might have to hit 5 putts for it to register one. By that time I am smacking it so hard that the putt goes sailing past the hole. On a couple of occasions, I just had to abandon the round altogether as I just got too frustrated.

If I switch back to ST, I generally don't have any issues with misreads (although I don't putt in that). I tried taking the ST out of the FMJ, cleaning the case and the camera lens, etc. and then tried just putting practice indoors (in TGC 2019) and it seemed to read everything. When I took it out for a round the next, day, it was a little better but still was having frequent misreads, especially with putts.

Does anyone know if this is a wi-fi/connectivity issue, or a ST hardware issue? I have recently bought a wi-fi extended in order to avoid signal drops but I am not sure if that has helped much.

Anything else I should try to fix this? Any ideas on what could try to identify the problem?

Would it be common to need to have the ST overhauled after a couple of years? I really don't want to be stuck without my ST for several months for repairs.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

[GungHoGolf]

Could be an IR laser curtain bulb getting weak. Try putting in LH mode and see if it picks up better. Also best putting reads usually with ball placed a couple inches behind dot, and make sure your unit is level with top of mat and tilt/roll are zero’d out in the Level feature.

[Johnski]

I use a chipping putter which works every time. its not ideal, but it seems that the ball has to slightly get off the ground for it to register with Skytrak and TCG2019
Its a bit tricky to even get that to register for 6ft or less putts, but i just have gimmes set for those shorter shots.

[sirish19]

Thanks guys, I have realized the importance of keeping it level as a few times I realized that it was not level and getting no reads. I also wonder if it may have something to do with the mat. I have the YGT-3D mat and I sometimes find that the laser dot is not a perfect circle so if I step down the mat, I get a little better read. It is not completely flat under my mat so it may not necessarily a fault of the mat.

[Morini]

I believe putts are at the extreme lower end of the field of view. If the case blocks even a tiny bit of sensor, there may be no reads and/or misreads for putting (especially HLA). Case aside, yes, it needs to be level. In fact, I would experiment and drop the Skytrak a fraction of an inch below to see if it reads putts better. There is no harm in doing this, as long as your lofted shots are still read.

Ron's advice about putting ball back is great.

With regards to the dot, it is just a rough guide of where to put the ball. You can literally tape over it if you know where to put the ball, so I would not worry too much about the dot being a circle. You want target line about 12 inches from edge of case. In terms of where on this line to put the ball, the location indicated by the laser is a compromise that is perfect for mid iron trajectory, but as clubs get higher and lower, they approach the limits of the sensor field of view. That is why driver and woods may work better and inch or two away from the screen, and lofted wedges one inch closer to screen (and if needed one inch closer to unit). Other than at the extremes of field of view, accuracy is not affected by where you put the ball. If both sensors see the ball, it will read accurately (if aligned properly).

[3on3putt]

I use a chipping putter which works every time. its not ideal, but it seems that the ball has to slightly get off the ground for it to register with Skytrak and TCG2019
Its a bit tricky to even get that to register for 6ft or less putts, but i just have gimmes set for those shorter shots.

I don't find this to be the case at all. I can see how getting the ball airborne might help it get in the camera's field of vision a little better but I don't think there's any truth to it having to get off the ground. I putt as I normally do and only rarely have a no-read on putts in TGC2019. I have a putting mat that extends from my hitting mat to my screen so the ball is never airborne.

One thing that I do feel like happens is if I really follow through with my putter head (perhaps a bit too quickly) I sometimes wonder if the putter head gets in the way of the photos and disrupts the read. I tend to not have any putting misreads when I use a more "pop-like" stroke with little to no follow through (Brandt Snedeker style).

[Morini]

If you have to get it off the ground, there is an issue. I would try with case off, and if that works, put it back on and try to get a better fit. Also try lowering the skytrak, even slightly lower than hitting surface if needed.