Skytrak irons vs driver

[DanFindlay]

I have been pounding balls for 2 years now with this unit and have absolutely no complaints. I have noticed something odd and figured I would probe the forum to see if anyone sees something similar.

The data coming back from the unit for my irons is BANG ON. Exact yardages I hit on the course with both fades and draws 60deg thru 4-iron (3-iron and I are not a acknowledging each other right now). My yardage book has these numbers printed in it based entirely on Skytrak. It is impressive for a camera based unit.

However while my driver matches up with ball flight quite well the carry is probably 15-20 yds short of my on course play ON AVERAGE. I can still practice easily enough with this discrepancy as the unit provides the data I need to correct launch and spin. Only once every 100 swings do I see a carry number that matches up with my on course numbers.

It is just so weird to me to see a well hit ball come up so short in carry when if I do the same with an iron it travels exactly how far I know it should. Anyone seeing something similar?

[Morini]

• What version is your Skytrak range app? The high ball speed fix was implemented early 2020.
• You do mention carry in your third paragraph. Are you confident in your on course carry numbers? To get accurate info, you'd need somebody to spot landing and laser back.
• Have you checked impact location with foot spray etc? Hitting indoors can lead so slight setup differences.
• Indoor swing can be worse for driver. How does your 7 iron and driver ball speed compare? Driver ball speed should be about 35-40% faster.
• How optimal is your driver launch angle and spin on Skytrak?

[DanFindlay]

Thanks Morini. Response in order:

Skytrak is up to date per latest version.
With the amount of practice and play I am extremely confident in my carry yardages. +/- a few yards at most.
I do check the impact with the driver and it is consistent. My sim room is very big so the indoor swing issue has been minimized as best I could do.
7 iron 121 mph for a carry of 176 yds / driver 161 mph for a carry of 274 yds (averages)
Driver launch and spin are right where they should be. The crazy thing is that 6 in 105 swing which goes up into the carry numbers I expect to see while on the course it is more like 8 in 10.

Like I said originally not a big deal as I use this for practice only and it is producing a perfect experience for that. Just interested in understanding the data better.

Thanks.

[Morini]

If those are averages, driver ball speed is about 33% faster, which is just outside the range I gave. Since you have tour 7 iron speed, may as well use the tour ratio, 40%. That should give you driver ball speed of 169 mph. A shortfall of 8 mph is about 16 yards which matches your observation. If you have the updated Skytrak range (not E6), ball speed is accurate, so it is a mystery. Are you using new premium balls on the Skytrak?

Indoor swing is much more likely than faulty unit, but impossible to know with certainty. If you have access to a trackman or even a Mevo you can compare ball speeds vs Skytrak.

[DanFindlay]

Yup, only tour balls and I throw out the worn ones as I go. I will check the Trackman when I get back to my coach in December. An interesting mystery for sure. Thanks for your feedback.

[Morini]

You said that some of the Skytrak shots are in the range of what you see outside. While you are waiting for the Trackman session, you could use footspray on the driver and note the impact location of shots that match outdoors versus those that don't.