SkyTrak 6 MONTH REVIEW and Software Overview | PROS & CONS

SkyTrak 6 Month Review and Software Overview | PROS & CONS
We got set up with a SkyTrak back in March of 2021 and wanted to run through our impressions after using it for 6 months!
Chapters
00:00
00:23 - Overview
01:49 - Pros
04:14 - Software Walkthrough
16:20 - Cons
#skytrak #golfsimulatorreview
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- Kelly and Austin

[@clearshotgolf1098]

After seeing this, would you consider getting a SkyTrak?

[@MrWillyd3rd]

In my experience, moving the ball about an inch forward of the red dot will help the camera see the ball for short chip shots. Moving the ball an inch behind for drives and fairway woods/irons helps as well. Thanks for the videos!

[@danielmccrae593]

Yes. Makes a bing difference.

[@Alan1michel]

agree

[@reneejacques7212]

I purchased the Skytrak a few years ago and had about a 75% success rate for registering my shots. I tried many different things to get this to go up, and by accident, realized that when the unit is unplugged, I jumped to ~99%. I have mine going wirelessly through my iPad, then into my projector, so leaving it unplugged during use was easy. For all my clubs except the driver, the machine rarely ever misses a shot. For the driver, I started setting the tee about an inch farther away from the unit, in direct line with the red dot, now it registers most of the time. Good luck

[@toddg3268]

FYI, at 2:54 you note that you haven’t tried it outside but have heard that it doesn’t work well in an outdoor setting. I used mine exclusively outdoors, in full Texas sun, hitting into a net and didn’t have any problems, other than the rare occasion that I didn’t get a reading. Those misreads were probably poor shots on my part. I already had a mat and net, so I went with the least expensive set up I could think of: SkyTrak connected to an iPad on a stand. It actually worked great! Yes, getting the ball positioned properly with the laser was a little more tedious than just pulling a ball onto the mat and hitting, but knowing how well (or poorly) the ball was struck was worth it. My only real gripe was there are no course simulators included in the SkyTrak Game Improvement $100 annual subscription. SkyTrak’s subscription only “allows” you to connect to 3rd party sims, but does not include any. Garmin’s R10 has 40k+ courses based on it’s GPS mapping, as well as 5-6 E6 Connect courses - all for $100/year. SkyTrak is $2k vs. Garmin R10 at $600 - which one would you think includes a sim? The R10 needed more space than I had, which is why I went with SkyTrak. Unfortunately, I bought right around the time I had injured my shoulder and once I realized that I needed surgery, I returned it inside the 30 day window for a refund. I’m still 3-4 months from full swings, but was cleared just yesterday for chipping. Assuming nothing has changed in the launch monitor market, I suspect I’ll be buying SkyTrak again soon.

[@GolfQuestChannel]

I also use a skytrak and iPad on a stand. I love being wireless and how portable it is. I do usually airplay my iPad to a tv mounted on the wall but it gives me the option to take it anywhere and also watch golf on the tv and play just from the iPad as well. Good to have options.

[@stevepaier1338]

I have unit as well exclusively outside and almost no issues with misreads. Once in a while it does happen but maybe 1 in 25. It is mixed sun and shade at different times of day and really doesn’t seem to matter too much. Agree with playing with ball position on chips. Best alignment advice seems to be like you did at first setup. Get it close by eye then chip a few and get the reading to match the direction. Forget the laser guides. I do look to zero out the tilt and roll. Also big plus is how easy software is to use on iPad just open app and you are ready to go.

[@mathiasgoransson8468]

When you hit chip shots you can use Putting Mode and it will reed every chip👍

[@larsreiles3633]

I have positioned an old desktop light just next to the skytrak. That is so important. In your setup, it would be to the left. As the lamp has a round cover, I do not even see it. My Skytrak records every chip and put. Also high launching pitches need to be setup more advanced to the lazer.

[@clearshotgolf1098]

I love that. I will be trying that immediately

[@thesetzers8952]

I have been using mine outside on uneven ground only aligned by eye and I have basically 0 issue. Occasionally at dusk I will setup an LED spotlight on low and have no problems at any distance really.

[@DA-mk9ob]

I would love to have an indoor launch monitor, living in the Great North golf is about to be shutdown for six months but the mis-reads issue is a deal-breaker. I have seen many reviews that say the same thing. And the alignment issues. Personally 2K is a lot of money to spend to have to deal with so many mis-reads and having to tinker around with alignment. If others have the patience for this, good for them. I don't so I choose to go without, maybe something better is on the horizon. BTW, good job on the video.

[@clearshotgolf1098]

So, I also have a Bushnell Launch Pro, which is basically a subscription based version of the Foresight GC3, and I have found that unit to be much more reliable than the skytrak and in a similar price point. It is just limited on the software you can use with it. Skytrak is very open, while foresight products are not

[@jerrywbissey1797]

I do t get the people that have misreads. I virtually never have more than a few. I have found it very reliable and accurate. For the money a great value.

[@jzero32]

Have had very few misreads but lighting was essential for good reads on putting NO led lights made a world of difference and went from multiple misreads per hole to MAYBE 2 per round. Flop shots misreads disappeared once we placed the ball forward of the dot and didn't fly the cameras. Took awhile to dial everything in and now is a total blast. Finally found a simulated sand mat which should arrive in a week now ,I've been looking for forever (always unavailable even overseas) 2 months to get here, and see where to place ball when it's half covered in the deep simulated sand. PS I absolutely love the SK especially for the price. Be precise with setup and alignment and lighting and you should be good.

[@davewojtowicz2246]

Hi, I'm curious if your sand mat arrived and how you like it. How do you match that up with the sky track? Do you have to move the sky track to a different area?

[@aevans1979]

Short chips operate work like an over-the-top shot where the club face stays in the camera view and this distorts the ball data. Longer chips move the club head all the way through the ball with the ball outpacing the club head. As someone said below you can try moving the ball a bit ahead of the red dot.

[@tubbykramer]

Found your videos while awaiting delivery of my Skytrak. The software walk through is exactly what I needed. Thanks

[@clearshotgolf1098]

Glad I could help!

[@richg7264]

Bob, how are you enjoying this unit so far?

[@jimcole2648]

I am sending mine in to get checked. I can hit my 7 150yrds and this shows 70-75. I took it to the range and actually yards was 148, where the Skytrak showed 77. I started to hit harder and didn’t care where the ball went to see the rest as that was accurate other than the yards. I started to use in my simulator and same issues. I was so irritated I started to hit harder to see how to get to 150 as that was the wrong thing to do. This unit has screwed my game and swing. I can’t wait to see the results when they get it. It’s 3 months old.

[@scratchgolf]

put the short chip shots an inch behind the red dot.

[@davidmaxfieldgolf]

Just found your channel and subbed mate, enjoyed this.

[@christopherlovelady1044]

Speaking of the missed shots on short shots and putting. I just watched another video that suggested different places to place the ball in relation to the laser. I haven't had a chance to test it for myself but he suggest placing the ball about an inch in front of the light on shorter shots and putts and about an inch behind the light for higher club head swings. Anxious to try for myself because I too experience the same frustration with the missed shots.

[@Russian0705]

If you take the FMJ casing off, putting and short wedges are muchhhh better! Give it a try, game changer.

[@Russian0705]

Also make sure there is no LED lighting around it - this is for anyone new who will be getting their sim set up going

[@clearshotgolf1098]

So then what do you do to offset the height difference between the hitting mat and where the skytrak would be sitting? build a box? turn the FMJ around so the unit isnt reading through the little holes?

[@Russian0705]

@@clearshotgolf1098 i completely remove fmj, i find my shots to be much more accurate and less missreads. So what you do if u just wanna do for putting and chippibg- remove fmj put to the side, take bare skytrak and place directly on hitting mat. It has been working great for me for over 2 years and ive confirmed with friends that own skytrak as well

[@donedwards2043]

For whatever reason I have the miss reads on the range, maybe not as many as you had in the video. Have way less miss reads while playing tgc 2019 rounds. Clean lens and bright white balls help alot, as does painting my tees black for driver.

[@clearshotgolf1098]

I have definitely noticed that. I recently removed the unit from the metal case because it was hard to clean the lens effectively while it was in there. It has been much better, and i definitely have to cycle through balls more frequently.

[@davidcole2337]

Great Video. My Brother just purchased one of these. If you are wanting to get dialed in with your clubs this is great solution. Also helps you improve your Smash Factor with Practice.

[@clearshotgolf1098]

Agreed! Its been wonderful

[@christopherreese3181]

This is the 1st SkyTrak video I’ve seen actually showing backspin on the green.

[@clearshotgolf1098]

I have a hard time getting balls to really spin when im playing TGC 2019 unless i have the green firmness set to Super Soft, but on the skytrak range software, it seems to spin pretty good

[@michaelgutierrez4196]

Being 2023 adddddn they new one is out, what you say buy the old one or go new one! ?

[@stevebigelow4184]

Just got mine set up. Love your input. So far middle irons and hybrids don't register as far as on the course unless it's a perfect hit. Also we had to raise the sky tracker up for drivers because it wouldn't register the hits. There has to be a better way than raising it up and down. Look forward to your input. Thx

[@clearshotgolf1098]

I haven’t had that experience. As long as the sky trak is on the same level as the hitting surface, I’ve had good success. Also, if your lighting shines into the camera, you could experience some issues. Last thing, if it’s sitting ON the mat, then movement in the mat can affect it as well

[@FLjeffinPCB]

So now that you know your club yardages on Skytrak and a golf mat, How does that compare to playing on real grass? Thank you!

[@NickMart1985]

its 99% accurate assuming you dont hit chunks. Chunks on a mat are very forgiving.

[@TheEugenelee13]

We have noticed having a light directly over the laser helps. But we still get a fair number of misreads. The most frustrating part though is alignment. We’ve found that if the Skytrak is even slightly off parallel that you see significant pushes/pulls depending on where it is. The laser alignment doesn’t seem great, and we’ve taken to putting an alignment stick across the front of the cage. But it does seem to take a few shots to make sure alignment is ok before you can use it. Any other tips on alignment would be great from anyone.

[@clearshotgolf1098]

Im with you on alignment. Definitely the best is just lining it up parallel to target. As far as misses, i actually took my skytrak out of its case about a week ago, cleaned the lens, and then have tried using it outside of the case. I'm not sure if its lighting or what, but it seems to read much more accurately outside of the case than in it. Maybe give that a shot and see if you get similar results. Could have been the cleaning though. The lens was pretty dirty from dust from my mat getting kicked up on it.

[@fransbijnen]

I cannot wait to get my hands on the skytrak

[@clearshotgolf1098]

Its pretty awesome

[@MichaelWilliams-xs3bj]

I am not sure yet why but my skytrak is not straight or I have horrible draw. Everyone had a draw bad. We had to turn it so the right side is further back than the left. Anyone know why it is doing this? I mean we can now all hit straight shots if we don't open or close our club

[@jvmendoza1972]

What about the Mevo? I heard less missed shots, instantaneous visuals feedback as well.

[@reidcorbett895]

I too have Skytrak/TGC2019 and think this is awesome. I don't get misreads on short chips and maybe that is because I have a recessed light directly over laser dot?? 5 misreads in a row would be very frustrating and not acceptable...I definitely don't think that is the norm! I agree alignment mode not great. I just go to driving range and hit 40 yd chips to align. After doing that though I do think my alignment for putting in TGC2019 is slightly biased to the right. Because I am LH TGC2019 software thinks I pull putts showing face closed at impact. So on straight flat putts I have to aim left edge or slightly more to get a straight putt. Ball may bounce slightly on mat which may cause this?? Anyone have this issue? I think distance for putting and chipping is pretty accurate. I think data on full hits is fantastic.

[@hardshootercom]

Missreads. USB cable or static is a known problem

[@seanln5209]

Tx for the video. First about the editing criticism you got. In general that is good advice but for a video like this I think the way you presented it is fine. This is not a first impressions/unboxing type review where bullet points would get the job done it's a 6 month review where more of a conversation is needed. Which is what you did so for me that was helpful. After watching this video I will be purchasing a Skytrak instead of the Bushnell Launch Pro/Silver subscription which will save me literally thousands of dollars. The Skytrak should give me what I need. The 2 second delay was noticeable and I wonder if that is a function of the Specs of the PC you use. Would a souped up gaming PC eliminate that? Or even just adding some memory to your PC? Also, have you ever used the iPad app and if so does it compare favorably to the PC software? Thanks

[@clearshotgolf1098]

So the computer I’m running it on is pretty souped up. I’ve heard the complaint of shot delay from most people using the sky trak, still not a big deal though imo. I have not used it with the iPad app, but I’m helping my buddy build a hitting space in his garage, and we are going to use the sky trak with an iPad and airplay it to a tv. As soon as that’s up and running, I’ll share some insight. I’ve heard it’s pretty solid though

[@TheSamuelhenne]

Garmin R-10 best bang for your buck?

[@Ctpa1]

Looks like much cheaper to buy the components separately than get the 9,000 package. Can you share the components you purchased to have your set-up?

[@clearshotgolf1098]

So I originally bought all of this as a package through foresight sports that included a GCQuad launch monitor. The whole package was around $25k. I ended up selling the GCQ and computer with software that came with it due to the effect the pandemic had on my business. I imagine that between the screen, hitting mat, and projector, we were looking at around a $5,000 value. Its just tough to analyze since it all came together.

[@jeremycopeland281]

Hello. Thanks for your videos. Have you used foam balls? My hitting unit isn’t quite done yet so I’m using those balls. I’m hoping, the real balls correspond to how I actually hit in real life. Does that make sense?!? Just thought I’d ask

[@westingrove4729]

I rarely have miss hits of 10 yds may be a lightning issue

[@richg7264]

Enjoyed your video, thinking about getting one of these.. looks like u have a gaming computer you’re connecting to. Is that what u need?

[@pooallpooall]

my skytrack too has problem of always go left. updated spin decay? no..still big probem. all my shot go left with big hook. when i try compare skytrack with indoor range. totally different. spin actions. no good sky track. im not recommend skytrack.

[@stevep927]

Ever tried RCT golf balls

[@markegglestone1691]

Nice assessment thanks

[@sbf432]

Do u have to put the ball on the laser every time???

[@thomaskim388]

Does the impact screen come with the SkyTrak or where can I buy a durable impact screen?

[@coreyd1474]

where did you get that hitting screen

[@michaelbouchard1787]

What hitting mat do you use in your setup?

[@clearshotgolf1098]

It is a Fiberbuilt mat. I like it and its been pretty dang durable

[@MrDrMeow]

Nice video brother. Well done.

[@exrog]

I have a Skytrack coming tomorrow. Does this need an iPad or can you use android? Can this connect wireless to a smart TV or would it have to connect to a computer and then cast to the TV? I don't have a hitting screen as I'm just using an indoor hitting net. Just for info, what are the requirements for indoor hitting with a driver ie h/w/d? Sorry for all the questions and your videos are an immense help. How big is the room you are using? Thanks in advance and you have a new subscriber.

[@clearshotgolf1098]

Hey! So, i will answer all this as best as possible. First off, i dont have any android devices, so i am not sure if SkyTrak makes an app for android. When using on an ipad though, the skytrack doesnt connect directly to a television, but if you have it connected to your ipad, you can wirelessly cast/airplay it to a smart tv or a tv using a streaming device like a roku, appleTV, etc. The skytrak doesnt need a certain amount of space for hitting since it uses cameras to read ball data at Impact, so you could have a net a couple feet in front of you and it will read it. You would need at least 9 foot ceilings though to keep from hitting the ceiling with longer clubs. My room is 16 feet wide and i have 9 foot ceilings. The screen is about 12 feet away from where i hit the ball. My buddy has a net in his garage though, and the net is set up maybe 6 feet in front of where we hit from. I've brought my skytrak over and hit into that with him and have had no issues. I hope that helps to answer your questions!

[@hardshootercom]

@@clearshotgolf1098 Use it on my android phone. no problem

[@craigboyko9814]

thanks for the video...I am in the process of trading in my mevo for the skytrak. Did these tips help with the misreads?

[@clearshotgolf1098]

Yeah they have. Now if i'm getting more common misreads, i just make sure the lens in front of the cameras on the skytrak is clean, and then make sure the ball im using isnt super marred up. Hitting the same ball hard a few hundred times wears it out fairly quickly.

[@larsreiles3633]

Important: Here one more clue. I think Skytrak needs to be in the right mode. At least it is what I think since I play TGC and the software informes me in what mode skytrak is. On the range, it cannot put. I think Skytrak expects a medium to fast full swing (maybe it does if you select PUTTER. have not tried) You have to go into the PUTTING range. Thats where it takes every put and smallest chip. Also in TGC 2019, or Creative golf, my skytrak takes every put or wedge. But for PUTTING and small chips, right CLUB has to be selected. Is mostly automatic So, sometimes if a chip is very short, I need to select PUTTER in the software so that skytrak records the small chip that looks more like a PUT. If lobwedge is selected near the green, skytrak awaits a high fast shot. Mostly does not record small chip then.

[@clearshotgolf1098]

Thank you so much for these tips. I'm going to try out all of these. You're the best!

[@larsreiles3633]

@@clearshotgolf1098 But even if skytrak records the puts, it feels very difficult because greens are extremly unpredictable. And I do not trust accuracy of skytrak in putting. I use chiping with 5 meter gimmies That seems super acurate. Puting does not give me satisfaction in the sim. Ok... have not really been training it. Just like on the real course... 🤣

[@DrMetal1978]

@@clearshotgolf1098 Did they work? Did you find a chipping solution? (great video, thanks)

[@izgubicu]

I just got it for $610

[@alfredocastaneda2178]

Skytrak is a rip off. Scammers all they want is money. My Skytrak missing shots all the time. To send is $100 buck plus to fix for more money. Bushnell i recommend

[@jb0915]

Super inaccurate

[@pwoeckener]

Handheld video on a smart phone to post to KZbin is not the way to go. Show me the Skytrack screen, and show me how it works, how it looks, etc. I don't need to see a video where it's all over the place in bad lighting and blurry. Gives me a headache. And I'm not watching this to look at you. I'm here to look at the product you are reviewing. And get it down to under 10 minutes. There is no reason for this to be pushing 25 minutes. Edit, edit, edit!!!

[@clearshotgolf1098]

Thank you for the input! I’ll definitely implement your thoughts for future videos. I appreciate the feedback!

[@deldridg]

2 years later, but rarely do I come across such an entitled comment. Did you pay for this review? How much are you contributing to the YT repository of useful information? Perhaps adding a comliment here and there would be nice. Hopefully you've become more grateful and gracious in the last 2 years, mate. Cheers - Dave

[@BillyBridwell]

This product sucks!!!!!!!!!!! You would be better of spending $2,500 on anything else. It just sucks and the software is S&*%.