New SkyTrak user - distances are short

[cbereuter]

I purchased a refurbished Skytrak (the original, not the new ST+) several weeks ago, and I'm struggling to get accurate carry distance numbers with my setup at home. I thought it may be ISS at first, so I kept hitting balls thinking eventually I'd get comfortable and my numbers would normalize. However, I'm still getting the same numbers from when I first set it up, even though I hit balls almost daily. I recently took the device to an indoor hitting area where I could compare it side-by-side to a TrackMan setup; I wanted to make sure the unit was working properly. The data my Skytrak gave me was very comparable to the data I got from TrackMan, and my distances were within the range that I play them at. I was happy to know the unit seems to work, but this means something is off with my setup here at home.

All of my distances at home are short across the bag by 15+ yards, even my 1/2 and 3/4 wedge shots are short. The biggest issue that I'm seeing is that ball speed is reading 10-15mph lower on full swings when compared to the data from the TrackMan session. Launch angle and spin rate are also slightly higher, but not by an alarming amount like ball speed is. This explains why the carry distances are shorter, but I can't seem to understand what is causing the differences in those data points. I should also mention that ball flight seems to be accurate, and I rarely have misreads or unregistered shots (maybe 1 in 50 shots at worst). To save some time answering potential questions, I've tried seemingly everything including...

• Setting up both indoors and outdoors so as to eliminate the potential for Inside Swing Syndrome. Setup is the same just outdoors, but still got the same results.
• Various golf balls, including some with additional markings. I always position the ball with the logo facing the Skytrak.
• Various positioning of the golf ball relative to the laser (on the laser, in front, behind, etc.)
• I tried using a cheap hitting strip instead of my mat - got the same results
• Hitting off of tees so as to eliminate the golf mat variable entirely
• Skytrak device on and off of the hitting mat
• Skytrak in and out of the FMJ case
• Skytrak at different heights (level with hitting surface, with FMJ legs, without legs, above hitting surface, below, etc.)
• Clearing everything in the garage and hanging a dark blue solid background behind me so the ball is clearly visible to the Skytrak
• Different lighting setups (overhead lights, spotlight only, no lights)
• Tape on the club face (I also verified that I'm hitting solid strikes on the clubface)
• Wiping the plastic that covers the camera on my device with a microfiber cloth
• Connecting to the Skytrak using both direct mode and network mode
• Resetting the Skytrak
• Uninstalling and reinstalling the app

No matter what I do at home, I seem to get the same results with the same distance/ball speed issues. I cannot replicate the success I had at the TrackMan hitting area. I'm happy to provide some of the data if it may help identify potential causes. Below is an image to give you an idea of my setup.

[OttawaP]

Sure sounds like it needs servicing.

[OttawaP]

Sure sounds like it needs servicing.

[trapdraw]

Any chance you could borrow a launch monitor or swing speed radar to compare your swing speed in your garage vs the driving range? I think eliminating the possibility of ISS is step 1. If you swing the same speed in both, it would point to the setup. Since you’ve already tried off a tee, that should eliminate your turf as a possible problem, so about the only thing left to play with is the image the SkyTrak cameras see in your garage. Changing the lighting or having a solid color backdrop behind you to provide cleanest image for the SkyTrak cameras are all I can think of to try.

[cbereuter]

This is a good idea, but I may have a hard time finding someone in the area near me who could help. I will say, I played around with a friend’s MLM prior to investing in a ST for myself (he lives out of town or I’d use his MLM to conduct a side by side experiment). I used the same outdoor setup that I’ve tried on the ST, and the MLM numbers were pretty close to what I expect to see. Much closer than the ST has been thus far, anyways. I opened up a ticket with ST, so we’ll see what they say.

[Morini]

Skytrak doesn't measure swings speed, so swing speed radar won't help with direct comparison. Lighting does nothing. Backdrop same. Skytrak is photometric, it is not that fickle.

[Caroo220]

Your mat could be the culprit as well. Your story seems almost identical to mine when I first started with the SkyTrak - low numbers at home, compared side to side with trackman (off fiberbuilt mat) and everything looked good.

I cut a holy grail strip (gung-ho golf) into my existing mat and voila - distances back to normal. Plus it’s better on the joints.

[cbereuter]

Would the mat make THAT big of a difference on ball speed? The mat used definitely makes some kind of difference, but would it slow ball speed down that much? Also, I tried hitting off a tee to mitigate the mat as a variable, but it didn’t make a difference. If changing the mat would for sure fix it I’d do it, but spending $180+ is a lot to spend on something that may or may not fix the issue. I appreciate the suggestion though! I may have to break down and try it just to see…

[Caroo220]

My apologies, I overlooked where you said you had tried teeing up.
Hard to say for certain if it is one thing or another, I’d say keep tinkering until you get it dialed in.
Re: mat - there are lots of good options on the market right now at varying price points as well as a few DIY options. I think most would recommend something other than what appears to be a very thin mat straight on the concrete. Your elbows, wrists, etc will thank you.

[Morini]

You have already tested everything. Miscalibrated Skytrak's are very rare, and once you tested against TM4, the chance of that is now astronomical.

This is not a misread, basically zero chance of that. The ball speed is actually lower, and the question is why. The three obvious causes are:

• indoor swing
• clubhead mat interaction
• internally cracked ball

... but you have basically ruled out all of these. I personally think you are trying way too many things, and while unlikely, it is possible that you got worn out or overwhelmed/confused controlling all those variables. Most have no bearing on ball speed. Don't even waste your time.

New clean white ball. Hit off tee. Don't worry about lighting too much, just make sure it doesn't shine into the sensor. Don't worry about white shoes etc, doesn't change ball speed one iota. Ball position helps get reads, does nothing for ball speed. Etc etc. The three things I mention are all the factors. There is absolutely nothing in setup that affects ball speed.

If it isn't some new phenomena, I am going with indoor swing. You did say you tried outside, but if there is the slightest tension because you are subconsciously worried about something it can throw off the timing. You mentioned testing for contact, but with all the other tests, you may simply have been too tired.

I did state that the chance of miscalibration is near zero. That is the way it has been for years, but as I have posted elsewhere, I believe that the Skytrak is software calibrated (as opposed to hardware). There has been some strange things happening since the server switch where long time knowledgable users are having unexplained ball speed and alignment issues. Particularly head scratching are differences between Skytrak range and TGC2019 and the other sim we can't mention here. I think there is a chance that the software calibration works by passing on a corrective factor to the image engine, and that this factor got reset for some users during the server switchover. Since TGC2019 was connecting through its own interface, it would explain the difference ... also why TGC2019 users were forced to update interface. Very small chance that is an actual issue, but something is definitely going on. There has also been unexplained alignment differences between the different software options. I don't know if you are an experienced user, but you definitely have been thorough. Speaking against all this is the fact that unit was accurate when up against TM4 ... mystery for sure.