Skytrak

The Skytrak launch monitor makes our short list of the best entry level launch monitors, retailing for $1995.00. $1495 reduced. I heavily researched Skytrak and almost bought one.

I was super close to pulling the trigger on the Skytrak instead of the GC2 (I’m glad I went with the GC2).

*There is newer model called the SkyTrak+.

If the budget would have been my deciding factor in my launch monitor then I would have absolutely went with a Skytrak. But I had saved up for nearly a year for the investment in my golf simulator and ultimately decided to go with the GC2 at a significantly higher price point.

Skytrak Overview – The 101

This Skytrak review is going to be based on my extensive research. I’m going to share with you everything that I found when deciding which launch monitor to purchase. I think the launch monitor is the most important part of a golf simulator, so making the right choice is crucial.

Below I have included links to specific forum posts, videos, websites and facebook groups that you may have to join in order to read. I show you what I found when looking into the Skytrak and my thoughts about it.

For 100% full disclosure though, as of this time I have not played on a actual Skytrak. I was going to buy one on the second hand market but the ‘Rona shot the demand sky high for Skytraks. Used ones were selling on ebay for over $3k! (Retails for $1995 new).

Long story short is that when the market comes down I may buy one to test and properly review, but for now this review will share my full research and thoughts about buying a Skytrak as your launch monitor.

Skytrak is pretty much the gold standard for entry level indoor launch monitors that reflect accurate and realistic results. It is a ground based launch monitor that uses photometric technology to capture multiple data points from the ball itself.

It was first launched in 2014, check out the official press release here. So the technology itself has been around for a good while now and has proven itself over time to provide pretty darn accurate results.

It is considerably less expensive than the main competitors, with the exception of the Mevo+ at a similar price point in 2020. The Foresight GC2 retails for $6500 and the Trackman and Flightscope radar based launch monitors are 5 figures and up in price.

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Accuracy of Skytrak

Is it accurate? Does it read shots correctly? Does it reflect shot shape and distances from real life?

These questions mattered and I’m happy to say that the Skytrak was pretty darn accurate. If accuracy were the main thing I was comparing it to the GC2 against, I would have bought the Skytrak happily.

Let’s take a look at some of the information I found on how accurate is Skytrak compared to other launch monitors?

Hitting Shots On A Skytrak

Actually hitting shots using Skytrak seems a bit ‘particular for me’. I was reading the ‘TGC2019 Tips and Tricks thread and there is a section just for ‘Skytrak Ball Placement’

SKYTRAK BALL PLACEMENT
Driver: place ball behind red dot
Irons: place ball direct on red dot
Wedges: place ball 1in in front of red dot
Putter: place ball behind red dot

Ok, so something to be specific about for every shot. The Skytrak uses a laser pointer to tell you where to place your ball. Also best practice is to turn any logo on your ball directly towards the camera so the system has something to focus on.

Misreads – No Reads

This seems to happen more frequently with a Skytrak than with the GC2, but overall it seems to be not extremely frequent if you follow those rules above for placing your ball. For the most part, Skytrak reads every shot. While watching videos and reading forum posts it does seem to happen a bit more than I’d like.

Do you need marked balls with Skytrak?

No, you do not have to put any sort of markings on the ball to get the Skytrak to read shots accurately. Best practice is to place the logo of the ball you are using directly at the skytrak so it’s camera has something to focus on.

Is there a best ball to use with Skytrak?

Latest recommendations is to use whatever ball you play with outdoors. You do not have to use special balls for the Skytrak to read them. The rep from Skytrak says to use plain white balls, not the Truvis balls with a lot of markings.

Is there a Skytrak delay?

Yes there is a delay for sure.

It is on the short side a 2.5 seconds. This is if you have a lightning fast computer and a fast connection from the Skytrak to the PC.

Here is a video of a very fast skytrak.

It’s personal as to how much you dislike the delay. For me, this was a fairly big factor in what I thought would be the entertainment results of the launch monitor. The speed of the GC2 was one of the big things.

And Here is a video example of around a 4-5 second delay.

Who is playing? Left and Right Handers?

Skytrak is a ground based launch monitor so using it with left and right handers is not the easiest as you have to move it back and forth and make sure it is properly aligned each time. If you are going to be right or left handed only then this works fine. If you have to change it regularly, some forum posters have created a swivel style track to move the skytrak back and forth easier and make sure the unit is properly aligned. See here, here and this youtube here for another example. You can make it work even if it is not the most convenient.

If you have the space, the Mevo+ should be on your radar (get it) as it sits behind golfer and does not have to be moved for right or left handers. It’s a radar based unit. Overhead units like the Uneekor would also work but they come in at the higher price point levels.

Where are you using the Skytrak? Indoors is good, outside is not so good.

Skytrak works best indoors. Outdoors gives the skytrak fits, it just does not seem to work as well. This is from multiple reports from around the web. Here, more recently here and easily findable if you google skytrak outside or outdoors. I only planned on using my launch monitor inside so this one I did not spend a ton of time researching but the consensus seems pretty clear…. skytrak works best indoors.

Buying a Skytrak

The Skytrak itself retails at $1995.00 and is available at a handful of retailers (rainorshine, shopindoorgolf, direct from skytrak).

There is an active used market both on ebay, the simulator forums and on the facebook groups and discord channels.

What Computer Do You Need for Skytrak?

You can take a look at all the different system requirements here. Keep in mind that it depends on which software you end up using as to the beefiness of the computer you need to run the software efficiently.

Playing TGC2019 on Skytrak?

Yes it is possible to play TGC 2019 using a Skytrak. There are a handful of things you have to do to get set up and your best bet is to ask the guys on the forums or on the discord channels.