SkyTrak Distance Issue

[SkyTrak_Seth]

Here's a summary of my perceived distance issues with Skytrak:

My carry distances on Skytrak were about 15% shorter than what I experience on the course. My typical carry distance for an 8i is 145; on Skytrak it was always around 125. I was convinced that my Skytrak unit was defective and the issues were not due to common user errors such as swinging differently indoors, alignment of the unit, etc.

I finally brought the unit to a Golftec to have one of their instructors test it against a GC2. He wasn't able to use the Skytrak and GC2 at the same time, but he did compare sets of 5 shots on each with a PW and 6i. The results were almost identical with the 6i and the PW distances were slightly shorter on Skytrak and also showed slightly higher backspin numbers.

I also hit at Golftec to see if I had the same distance issues using their setup. What I found is that I was hitting about two inches behind the ball. I have a new Country Club Elite golf mat at home and realized that it was slowing the club down significantly more than when I hit on grass or on a worn commercial mat at a driving range. This was the reason the distances were much shorter on Skytrak.

The feedback from Skytrak has really helped with hitting the ball first and has greatly improved my game. I was amazed to see how similar the ball flight, spin and distance numbers matched up to the GC2.

Thank you for your honesty!! Something like this is true in more cases than not. Kind of reminds me of dealing with infuriated customers in my tech support days.

"This stupid thing won't even turn on!"
"Is it plugged in?"
"---click---"

[bennyg211]

This is definitely a huge factor. At the local driving range I can hit my 7iron carry average 165yd and good hits will be 170yd and the odd one has crept up to 180yd when its been really struck and has a 30yd hook-draw. At home on my Huxley Premier Tee Turf 2 (same turf at Gleneagels, Wentworth and St Andrews) I average about 150-155yd and have to really strike with good contact to get my 165-170yd. It's because the turf really grabs and the driving range turf is hard and will just throw the club into the ball without slowing down the club much. It really does promote good ball striking, which can't be a bad thing. In a nutshell there is nothing wrong with the Skytrak at all, it is a peach. Also, I can maybe count on one hand he miss reads I might've had on the unit in 100's of strikes.

[A.West]

I notice almost nobody complains about Skytrak overestimating their distance. Without using a rangefinder, I don't really trust flag distances at driving ranges, and I can really only judge the ones that come really close to landing at the flag. For what it's worth, my new Skytrak is showing me carry distances that are a bit longer than I remember hitting last week at the range. But I think it's because Skytrak has already helped me figure out some of my swing flaws, and my CC Elite mat is a more consistent surface than the somewhat hard and beaten up grass at my driving range.

[A.West]

And one more big obvious difference I forgot: I hit old Calloway range balls at the range, versus a new Calloway Hex Control on Skytrak.

[TorchRedRob]

Hex Control will also spin less than the average range ball, hence more distance