SkyTrak Review
Launch monitors can be a difficult product category to wrap your head around at times. The technology varies, the price ranges are all over the spectrum, and you often find yourself scratching your head trying to decide what decision will work best for your game.
As the top golf launch monitor reseller on the market, we have gotten our hands on over 20 different launch monitor units for our own in-house testing and have gotten unbiased feedback from hundreds of customers. We’ve spent hundreds of hours testing these launch monitors out in our office showroom and out on the range so that we can provide you the best possible information.
Today we’re offering up our honest feedback on SkyTrak, one of the most popular launch monitors under $2,000. In this SkyTrak Golf Review, we’ll go over the good, bad, and everything in between! Here are some links in case you want to skip to specific sections:
Quick Links
Is SkyTrak Accurate?
Review of SkyTrak Features
SkyTrak Data Offering
SkyTrak for Golf Simulation
SkyTrak vs more Expensive Launch Monitors
Overall Verdict
Customer Reviews
Video Review
Is SkyTrak Accurate?
Summary: Very impressive indoors but tends to struggle outdoorsToday’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 GC2 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.
Outdoor Accuracy
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.
Our Verdict?
SkyTrak Features Review
Summary: An impressive list of useful features that will help you improve your game and keep you entertained.SkyTrak is one of the most feature-rich launch monitors on the market. Once again, a remarkable feat considering the price tag.
What we really like about SkyTrak’s features are how user-friendly they are. Some launch monitors throw a bunch of data at you and leave it up to you to decide what to do with it. But SkyTrak offers many different modules that, in a way, hold your hand through various game improvement strategies. 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.
A whole article could be dedicated to go over SkyTrak’s features. So we’ll do our best to summarize SkyTrak’s features and what they do:
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Driving Range | SkyTrak’s standard driving range to hit shots and view live shot data |
| Multi-color shot tracers | Multi-color shot tracers - separates different clubs with it’s own unique shot-tracer color, allowing you to easily see shot dispersions with different clubs |
| Numeric Display | Numeric display - SkyTrak’s option to view session data as a numeric table |
| Competitions | Long drive and closest to the pin contests |
| Session History | The ability to save and review past range sessions |
| Environmental Controls | The ability to change environmental factors such as elevation or temperature |
| Club Compare | A helpful club fitting assessment to help compare two clubs |
| Skills Assessment | Various skills tests to help benchmark performance |
| Bag Mapping | An assessment to help dial in your distances and discover poor club gaps in your bag |
| Wedge Matrix | An assessment to help dial in your wedge distances and half swings |
| Golf Simulation | The ability to integrate with golf simulation software |
Another great thing about SkyTrak's features is that each one is helpful and something you will probably use if you own it. A bunch of technology, not limited to golf, packs a ton of "features" into the product but half of them you never end up actually using. My Amazon Alexa has probably thousands of features but I end up using it mostly as a kitchen timer or a music player...
Anyway, some 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!
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.
Our Verdict?
Data Offering
Summary: Provides a ton of useful data but misses out on more advanced club dataLaunch Monitor data can typically be broken down into two categories: Ball Data and Club Data. Ball data includes everything related to the ball. Things such as ball speed, spin, launch angle, etc. Club data includes everything related to your club such as clubhead speed, club path, club face angle, etc.
SkyTrak provides a ton of data. Things such as apex height and landing angle really showcase how advanced SkyTrak can get.
However, one of the biggest things to realize with SkyTrak is that Club data is calculated using the ball data measured. Because of this, there is less club data that SkyTrak provides. This is common for launch monitors in this price range however.
The main data metrics you miss out on with SkyTrak are advanced club metrics such as club path, impact location, and face angle. Here are the key data points SkyTrak measures.
Data Points Measured
✓ Total Distance
✓ Carry Distance
✓ Roll Distance
✓ Ball Speed
✓ Club Head Speed
✓ Launch Angle
✓ Offline Yardage
✓ Back Spin
✓ Side Spin
✓ Flight path
✓ Angle of descent
✓ Smash Factor
Our Verdict?
Using SkyTrak for Golf Simulation
Summary: One of the best parts about SkyTrak! Golf simulation takes indoor practice to the next level
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.
Our Verdict?
SkyTrak Compared to More Expensive Launch Monitors
We've tested a lot of different launch monitors here at Rain or Shine Golf. So we feel that we have a pretty good understanding of how they all stack up. And to be honest, SkyTrak isn't that far off from units that cost upwards of $10,000.
But here are a few things you miss out on compared to the more expensive launch monitors:
- Extensive Club Data
More expensive units often have more club data metrics such as impact location on clubface, club path, and face angle.
- Video Analysis
Some launch monitors allow you to sync up video recordings with swing data.
- In-depth putting analysis
While SkyTrak does read putts, some launch monitors provide more in-depth putting metrics and training modules.
- White labeling of session reports
This allows you to put your brand logo on session reports. Typically used by instructors and teaching academies to send students their results from a lesson.
While you do miss out on some of these more advanced features, SkyTrak is still the best indoor launch monitor in the $2,000 price range. It provides tons of great game improvement features and more than enough data to properly analyze your game.
How Much Space Do I Need 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.
You may need a bit more space if planning on having a full golf simulator setup with projector and screen. For a detailed look at the top SkyTrak Golf Simulator packages along with their space requirements, head here.
Conclusion
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.
If you're looking for an outdoor launch monitor, then check out FlightScope Mevo+.
If you're looking for an indoor launch monitor but have a slightly bigger budget, check out the new Uneekor QED. It provides more in-depth club data and a really cool slow-motion video feature.
Lastly, if your budget is less than $2,000 check out the Ernest Sports ES14 for indoor users or the FlightScope Mevo for outdoor use. You won't get quite as much data and you won't have golf simulation capabilities, but these units cost less than $500.
