Persistent HLA Error Appearing Mid-round

[hillzz22]

I've owned my SkyTrak for a little more than a year now, and generally feel pretty confident in it's accuracy. However, every so often, I encounter a persistent issue with accuracy in some dimension (often horizontal launch angle) that appears mid-session or mid-round. Sometimes I can eradicate the issue by rebooting & reconnecting the SkyTrak to my PC (I always use it in network connected mode), but sometimes this does not work.

Last night, I was in the middle of a tournament round in TGC 2019 and this happened again. I was playing a Par3 course (Brace33 Short Bus Tour), so iron/wedge shots only. I know my setup very well at this point and can clearly see where the ball hits my impact screen (i.e. dead center or L/R of target line). Shot after shot that hit the screen close to dead center was missing 20-30+ yards right (ALWAYS right) in the game. This was even more exaggerated with short pitches (e.g. a ~25 yd chip had a HLA of +12.5 deg, even though I watched it hit the screen dead center. Looking at the shot data this morning, it appears +4 deg of HLA was being added to every shot (except putts, since I have the straight putt patch enabled).

I aligned the unit right before the round using the SkyTrak range. The first round I played in TGC 2019 was perfectly normal (no HLA errors). When I started noticing this issue, I rebooted and reconnected the SkyTrak twice, but the issue persisted. I did not quit and restart TGC 2019, but maybe should have?

Has anyone encountered something similar before and know how to fix in realtime? Pretty frustrating and a big buzz kill, especially during tournament play. I can provide pictures of my setup or shot data from the round in question, if that would help. Thanks in advance!

[GungHoGolf]

It's rare that a "new" problem pops up with SkyTrak units, but I honestly have never heard that one before. Does it ever happen when hitting on the SkyTrak range? Definitely should try restarting TGC next time to see if the problem may be on that side.

I suspect a software issue one one side or the other; a hardware issue in the SkyTrak unit is possible, but less likely I think. TGC has a beta SkyTrak interface program you might try, if you're not already.

[Morini]

Wacked HLA is usually an issue with Skytrak at wrong height. But then it should manifest in both Skytrak range and TGC2019. It can also happen with dirty balls or background interference (Skytrak uses change in ball size between images to determine HLA). Sometimes also a poor case fit as part of a ball may blocked. Does it happen more often with some trajectories than others. It is possible that this is some type of TGC2019 software flaw, but unlikely.

[hillzz22]

Thanks for the replies. I suspect it's a TGC software issue and probably not a SkyTrak hardware/case/ball quality issue, since the unit seems to work fine most of the time. I have the official SkyTrak protective case, so case fit shouldn't be a problem and I'm very confident the unit is at the right height and properly aligned (I've actually found the GungHoGolf alignment method very helpful, so thank you!)

I can only guess TGC 2019 was the culprit in this case, since I've never seen this issue when using the SkyTrak range. Hopefully I never encounter this again, but if I do, I'll definitely try restarting TGC 2019.

I have tried the beta SkyTrak interface program in the past and like how it shows realtime leveling data, but I seem to get a lot more no reads when trying to chip or putt with the beta interface program, so had given up on it. Anyone else ever notice this, or am I crazy? I notice it was just updated the other day, so maybe I should give it another shot.

[Morini]

The official metal case is also prone to poor fit, so no guarantee.