SkyTrak Launch Monitor - Full Review

A good example of this is it’s “bag mapping” feature. With bag mapping, you hit a set number of balls with each club in your bag. At the end, SkyTrak gives you a great visual for problem areas in your bag make-up.

You could do this with any launch monitor by hitting balls, writing down all your numbers, throwing them into an excel sheet, and figuring out all your averages, gaps, etc. But SkyTrak’s automation of this makes things way easier.

Another cool one is the Club Compare. If you are a club junkie like me, then you often go back and forth on which clubs are in your bag. With club compare, you can put clubs up to the test against each other and see exactly which one performs best!

It is important to note that most of SkyTrak's features require an annual subscription to one of SkyTrak's plans. Which ranges from $100-$200/year. Without a subscription, you are limited to the basic driving range on SkyTrak. Which is a fine place to start, but eventually it's worth it to subscribe. You get a lot more out of the launch monitor and the features are worth it.

One of the most overlooked features include the Environmental Conditions feature. This is great to ensure the conditions match up with your every day playing environment.

For example, if you live in a high elevation where the ball flies further, you will want SkyTrak to be set in that environment. But another cool way to use it is to prepare for playing in different locations! Planning a golf trip to Florida? Set the temperature, elevation, and humidity similar to Florida and you can get used to your new distances before you even get there. Pretty cool!

One of the best parts about SkyTrak is its ability to integrate with many different golf simulation software options. This allows you to use SkyTrak as a golf simulator and play golf on real courses from the comfort of your own home The top golf simulation software integrations include E6 Connect, The Golf Club 2019, and WGT (World Golf Tour).

These 3 options are, in our opinion, the best software options out there for golf simulation. So it's awesome that SkyTrak offers integrations for all 3. SkyTrak also integrates with some fun software options such as Fitness Golf (incorporating workouts with course play), and ProTee Play (fun arcade type golf games). Golf simulation with SkyTrak is very fun. With software options such as The Golf Club 2019 and WGT, you get to play amazing courses such as Pebble Beach or even Augusta National. Putting, like with all golf simulators, takes some getting used to. It is tough mentally to develop feel when looking at a screen. So you end up hitting some wacky putts and chips here and there. But nonetheless, course play is really fun for golfers of all skill levels.

The only downside to SkyTrak golf simulation is it's 2-3 second shot delay. After impact, it typically takes around 2 seconds for SkyTrak to read your shot and display it on the screen. This isn't a huge deal. But after using systems that display your shot instantaneously, you realize how nice it is to have such instant feedback.

Our SkyTrak Software Recommendations If you're wanting to use SkyTrak for golf simulation, we recommend pairing it with either E6 Connect, WGT, or The Golf Club 2019. The Golf Club 2019 provides the biggest course selection but will have the biggest upfront cost ($995). Once you pay that though you don't have to pay any sort of monthly subscription fee. You will need to have a PC to run TGC 2019. If you don't have a PC, then go with either E6 Connect ($300/yr) or WGT ($200/yr). E6 will give you the best overall simulation experience. But WGT is slightly cheaper and has the more "famous" courses. For a full guide on SkyTrak's golf simulation software options, check out our Golf Simulator Software Guide for SkyTrak.

When reviewing indoor launch monitors, the amount of space needed is an important factor to consider. With SkyTrak, you place it only a few feet in front of the golf ball at setup (perpendicular to the target). Because of this, you basically just need enough room to make a full swing in order to use SkyTrak. So if you have enough space for a golf mat and can make a full swing with your driver, then you have enough space to use SkyTrak. Some of the best places for an indoor golf setup are basements, garages, or extra bedrooms.

This simple mat and net package includes SkyTrak and your first year of the SkyTrak Game Improvement Subscription for just under $3,400. It's space requirements are just 8' high x 10’ wide x 12’ deep.

Today’s launch monitors typically use either camera or doppler radar-based technology. SkyTrak is a photometric, or camera-based, launch monitor. Photometric launch monitors use high-speed cameras to capture and analyze the ball at impact. Then after a few algorithms here and a few equations there, it spits out your data.

SkyTrak’s photometric technology has one main downside but overall is extremely accurate and reliable. From our experience, SkyTrak’s data is remarkably almost always spot on, and usually not more than 1-2% off from the more expensive units such as the Foresight Sports GC3 or FlightScope X3. The fact that you can get this type of accuracy with SkyTrak for thousands of dollars less is one of the many reasons SkyTrak is so popular.

The one downside to SkyTrak is it’s accuracy outdoors. Although SkyTrak is advertised as an indoor/outdoor launch monitor, we typically do not recommend SkyTrak to users who will be using their launch monitor primarily outdoors. In our experience, SkyTrak’s accuracy falls off fairly significantly when used outdoors including many shots going completely unregistered. In perfect conditions (slightly overcast, artificial turf, and no direct sunlight), it may work alright.

Overall, SkyTrak is a really awesome launch monitor. We've spent countless hours at the office on SkyTrak and it's certainly a staff favorite. It's also a customer favorite with nearly a 5 star rating. It's easy to use, accurate, and provides a ton of cool features. It's a solid choice for both a lower handicapper who really wants to dive into the data, or a higher handicapper who is more so looking for a good time with family and friends.

Pairing SkyTrak with a golf simulation software is the icing on the cake. Giving you the ability to play real golf no matter the time of year. Here is our quick breakdown on SkyTrak: SkyTrak is for you if you're looking for the best indoor launch monitor and have a budget of less than $5,000.