Should I buy a Skytrak system?

[JDW]

Have been reading about different systems and have been most interested in Skytrak. I am a bit hesitant as there seems to be different issues and constant new products ect. I have an outdoor set up that I hit balls into...a 10" X 10' X 10 ' golf net. I do NOT have the option to hit indoors. I live in the Northeast so in the winter will not be able to use. This unit will be a portable setup that I can use with my golf net. I am most interested in practicing golf shots but would like to also be able to play a course if I wanted but not a deal breaker if I could not.
Just wondering if anyone has input as to what would be the best option/system for me ? I am a bit concerned about all the updates that have to be issued to fix bugs in the system. I understand with any new products there are things that need to be worked out. Is there any compelling reason to wait? Will the hardware have to be changed out? Would like to have a system that can be expanded on and not become obsolete. I noticed that there was a sale that sold Skytrak and a swing analyzer together. Are these systems incorporated some how or will be down the road? Any input or guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Mazenblue]

I really like mine and it won't Sync. SkyTrak is working on it. Let me know how you like it.

[jon.summy@aol.com]

Congrats!!! I think you are going to really like it!! Let us know how it goes!!! I have sounds like almost the same setup you will have. We hit in a 10 by 10 cage outside on full shots, and ST does a really nice job. We have not had any issues with the unit. I had issues syncing with the old release, but with new release the sync has been flawless.

[Mazenblue]

I'm syncing!!! I roughed in a 12x10 cage with screen in my shop. I spend way too much time hitting balls! I will be upgrading the area here and my cabin soon. I'll post pics. The information on this form has been fantastic! Thanks to everyone here for all of your help.

[doublebogey]

Mazenblue, anything specific you did to get it to sync? I'm still trying to get mine to sync for first time since purchase 2 months ago. Thanks.

[Skedaddle]

Xi + gives you much more than Skytrak (though isn't as good indoors as gear effect not taken into account), as you have Angle of Attack and Spin Loft (and hence Dynamic Loft). You also have horizontal launch which will pretty much give your Face to Target. Hence given a centre strike (or if you use indoors) you will be able to work out path from the Spin Axis and horizontal launch. So loads of club data there that Skytrak doesn't provide. You therefore have effectively all the ball and club data you could want with an Xi+ and some basic calcs, so you don't have to go all the way to the X2

[jon.summy@aol.com]

I respectfully disagree here....on having all the ball and club data. You don't have path on XI+....no fancy formula is going to give that....because Horizontal Launch is impacted by face and path.....you can't separate that exactly without both parameters.....you certainly don't have any plane numbers....Xi+ is a very good unit.....but cost twice as much as a ST.....and it does not have all the club and path numbers......no way.......You can guess at them from calculations. Not much more ball data than the ST in my opinion.

[Skedaddle]

But with Xi+ indoors no gear effect is considered hence your path calcs sb pretty accurate. The spin axis effect on Skytrak will include both the discrepancy between path and FTP, and also gearing making working back to path numbers much more harder than Xi+ (unless of course you centre strike or use an iron where gearing affects little)

[Mazenblue]

Doublebogey, I uninstalled then reinstalled both apps. Skytrak and Skygolf 360. It finally worked. It took a few times Keep trying and let me know if it worked for you.

[Mazenblue]

Forgot to give jon.summy props because he was the one that gave me the info on another post to once again uninstall and reinstall as well as Mr. Hogan.

[jacksonlui]

Can't wait to see pictures of your setup! I just have a boring net and mat inside my garage, nothing fancy.

I've a flightscope kudu which provides much more info than the ST. However for the price ST is the best bang for the buck. Height of shot, angle of descent, etc... are very important pieces of information. The vector even shows/predicts for you your swing path which is helpful.

[BogeyMan]

I have been watching several forums since the announcement of SkyTrak and am anxiously awaiting the PC integration as I am not an Apple user and do not want to purchase and iPad that would no longer get utilized once the PC integration has been released, therefore I have been sitting on the fence watching, listening to all the features that are supposed to be coming. I hope that by the time the summer is over some of what is being promised has been released. I have built a sim setup in my barn over the winter and have been patiently waiting, right now I just use it to hit practice balls into an empty white screen once in a while to work on swing flaws after a round of golf.

Just wanted to get my first post out here after months of hiding int he dark. May in the future I can enjoy some online rounds of golf with some of your guys using my SkyTrak.

[DeaconBlooze]

I hear you. I bit the bullet and bought a Skytrak, as well as an iPad to run it. I plan to sell the iPad once they release PC integration. Right now, I just want to see some simulation software get released. I keep seeing "soon", but that's been said for quite a while. I'm growing pretty impatient. I'm hopeful that they'll at least have the WGT option available soon. I'm also hopeful that option will be free, and we'll be able to upgrade to the other options that have been mentioned (E6 / TGC) for a reasonable price.

[Hoosierdaddy]

I think they just want it to be right when they release it. Sometimes those pesky bugs can be hard to find. And even harder to fix without sacrificing on one end or the other. But if you listen real hard I think you can hear the whispers. And I think it's closer than anyone thinks. I can't speak for WGT or E6 for that matter, but TGC will be worth the wait. I can understand your frustrations. But do you really want something that is not 100%? I guess if I was putting a product out, I surely would not want a bunch of negative posts on here when things don't work. I can't see that improving sales. And don't forget they have kids to feed and mortgages too. So I can understand their side of this deal. But I can assure you one thing. I would put a bet out there for any amount of money any one of you wants to cover that they want it out worse than you do. Ultimately their goal is to make you happy. But that will not happen if they sell you a car with electric windows that roll down but won't roll up. So just hang tight a little longer and they will get the windows moving up and down and then we can all enjoy the snow blowing up our skirts while we play a nice round of golf.

I don't know how much time you fellas have spent on this forum? But I been with this bunch going on 5 years now. This is our 3rd forum we have called home. And from my observations when something works great you see 10-15 posts. But when something goes bad, the string goes on forever, the next thing you know the post's are in the 100's. And then just when you think the string is dead someone will chime in with a comment that is 3 months old and start it all over again. Not to say there is anything wrong with that. Just making a point. So the longer it takes the better you can expect it to be.

Either that or they are having too much fun playing on it and just don't care.

Those are the only two excuses I can think of why it has taken this long. Which one do you think it is?

[DeaconBlooze]

I hear you, too. I'm relatively new to this forum, it was pretty sparse until somewhat recently. I spent quite a bit of time lurking on the Ottawa forum.

I know they want to get the bugs worked out before releasing it. A little background on myself - I'm also heavily involved in the pinball hobby. One of the questions I often hear is "do they still make those things?" Yes, they do. And they have a very similar problem. They often release a brand new game (which costs between 4,400-7,500, approximately) with what we consider to be very bare bones codes (rules, features, etc). Most of the hobby looks on that as a bad thing. While I can get frustrated with the amount of time it takes them to correct it, they eventually get feedback from players and make the game better than they would have if it would have just been a single release at launch.

I'm all for them getting most of the things lined up, but quite frankly, I don't think most people would consider the range software "complete" at this time. I'm hopeful they have a large update coming with more range features, and at least one course software ready to go. I admit I'm fairly impatient, evidenced by the fact that I bought an iPad just so I wouldn't have to wait to buy/use one of these things. So, when I keep seeing things like the words "very soon", I start to realize that's a very relative term.

I think I became most frustrated when I recently picked up a Skypro. There are promises of that being integrated with the Skytrak. I'm not expecting that right now, and planned to use them independently for quite a while until the integration is released. Even when the integration is released, who's going to want to move the Skypro from club to club and recalibrate in anything but a range session, anyway? So I got to using it, and realized that there are features there that are still very much not available (comparing swings to a database of other players, for instance). This is something that's promised "soon" on the app itself. Seeing that, and knowing that the Skypro was released quite a while ago had me a little aggravated to be honest.

This is just a little venting from an overall happy customer. I love the unit, but I just expect more considering the potential that the actual LM offers. I hate to see things limited by poor software integration, and hope things are further along than I expect. I spend about an hour a night hitting balls in my garage. If I'm going to get that sweaty, I hope to have some useful data to take away from the session, or a virtual round in the books.

[rickbw]

I also am a new owner of a Skytrak. I have had the device now for 1 week. Here are my initial comments;
1) I find significantly different outcomes with the device on the driving range (very accurate) versus using it at home indoors (foam or real balls, the same)
2) I have not been able to sync any of my sessions, so I have taken to using excel to input my average and "best" shot by club by session. I'm hoping to see improvement
3) My initial interaction with tech support was not good & I was very disappointed
4) Overall, I like the device, but I hope they make significant software improvements going forward. Until they do, I would hesitate to buy one.

[aja]

Should you buy a Sktrak system?

No. Don't even consider buying a Skytrak until:

1) they actually get the roll-out right,
This one has been very poor and shows no sign of improving.

2) they provide decent support,
Seems that those who contact their regular support channels get nowhere and are reduced to using this forum to try and solve support issues.

3) they prove that they can do integration with sim software,
Lots of promises... WGC, how far along is that? TGC, we know it's coming....

4) they get their marketing/subscription offerings sorted out,
Game improvement package, what is that really? Subscription, one time purchase? Does anybody know?

5) they have a PC platform,
Apple. That's it.

Short summary of reasons not to buy a Skytrak.

My 2 cents!

[Bubba22]

I agree somewhat aja. They have issues with their support and data sync. They do need a pc and android app. If you want to simply hit balls and have an iPad I would say buy one. At that price it's a great option. The supscription option has been in question so don't go that route. They are integrating with sim softwares but when that will be announced is unknown. So it comes down to what you expect and want from th system now and in th future!