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I bought a Skytrak immediately when it came out, despite having a house/garage that was built in an era where ceilings were no higher than 8 feet.
So I mostly used it to improve my short game. Sure enough, over practice time with a Skytrak and Exputt, my game from 50 yards in, went from 3-4 shots to somewhere closer to 2.
But an interesting thing happened with my full swing. I'd play some sim rounds by getting around the course with a punch shot using irons. And one day I stumbled across a chart of PGA Trackman average stats across the bag.
What struck me the most, was the launch angles, like a 9-iron for instance. I took a look at my 9-iron punch shots on Skytrak and sure enough, my launch angle was in the upper 20s, where tour players were around 20 degrees. It was eye opening!
Being kind of new to golf, my conception of a golf swing was the club hinging freely around the wrists as you struck the ball. Predictably, that led to a very flippy swing with all the inherent disadvantages associated with it. Video confirmed that my clubhead was way past my hands upon impact, the very picture that every serious golfer would abhor.
That's where the Skytrak was incredibly useful. I set out to practice hitting punch shots, but with the specific purpose of getting hands forward on impact and imagining that picture perfect shaft lean. I used launch angle and shot direction as my numerical feedback loop, and over time, I consistently crept closer to 20 degrees with a 9-iron. What was incredible was that my Skytrak 9-iron punch shots were now going almost as far as my normal flippy 7-iron on the course.
I found that I was able to transition (pun intended) that Skytrak punchshot feel to full swings on the range. I finally got to experience that bliss of compression and divots in front of the ball. All those tips that you hear, scattered throughout industry... forward shaft lean, lag pressure, hitting down, flat left hand, float loading, line of compression, holding lag... all those dizzying concepts that felt so out of reach... now made complete practical sense to me. And anytime I felt like I got lost, I'd go back to the Skytrak drill to get that feel back.
Anyway, TLDR... but I often see posts asking whether someone had enough ceiling height for a golf sim. And while low ceilings are an impediment to full swing games/simulations, I wouldn't let it prevent you from reaping Skytrak game improvement benefits.
I'm wondering if people had similar stories or tips of using a Skytrak in limited environments?
Or any software finds or tips (i.e. chipping style par3 courses in TGC) that cater to this situation?
So I mostly used it to improve my short game. Sure enough, over practice time with a Skytrak and Exputt, my game from 50 yards in, went from 3-4 shots to somewhere closer to 2.
But an interesting thing happened with my full swing. I'd play some sim rounds by getting around the course with a punch shot using irons. And one day I stumbled across a chart of PGA Trackman average stats across the bag.
What struck me the most, was the launch angles, like a 9-iron for instance. I took a look at my 9-iron punch shots on Skytrak and sure enough, my launch angle was in the upper 20s, where tour players were around 20 degrees. It was eye opening!
Being kind of new to golf, my conception of a golf swing was the club hinging freely around the wrists as you struck the ball. Predictably, that led to a very flippy swing with all the inherent disadvantages associated with it. Video confirmed that my clubhead was way past my hands upon impact, the very picture that every serious golfer would abhor.
That's where the Skytrak was incredibly useful. I set out to practice hitting punch shots, but with the specific purpose of getting hands forward on impact and imagining that picture perfect shaft lean. I used launch angle and shot direction as my numerical feedback loop, and over time, I consistently crept closer to 20 degrees with a 9-iron. What was incredible was that my Skytrak 9-iron punch shots were now going almost as far as my normal flippy 7-iron on the course.
I found that I was able to transition (pun intended) that Skytrak punchshot feel to full swings on the range. I finally got to experience that bliss of compression and divots in front of the ball. All those tips that you hear, scattered throughout industry... forward shaft lean, lag pressure, hitting down, flat left hand, float loading, line of compression, holding lag... all those dizzying concepts that felt so out of reach... now made complete practical sense to me. And anytime I felt like I got lost, I'd go back to the Skytrak drill to get that feel back.
Anyway, TLDR... but I often see posts asking whether someone had enough ceiling height for a golf sim. And while low ceilings are an impediment to full swing games/simulations, I wouldn't let it prevent you from reaping Skytrak game improvement benefits.
I'm wondering if people had similar stories or tips of using a Skytrak in limited environments?
Or any software finds or tips (i.e. chipping style par3 courses in TGC) that cater to this situation?
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