New $500 Flightscope personal launch monitor (MERGED)

[Rubenc87]

I can wait for the release in March and wait for the reviews after that.

[GeoffDickson]

Another thing to consider when using LMs, especially indoors is the difference between validity and reliability.

 

Validity is the degree to which the instrument/device or survey question measures what it’s supposed to measure. Think of validity as accuracy.

Reliability is all about consistency (even if inaccurate). You cannot have validity without reliability.

 

 

Ideally, you want validity and reliability.

 

If identical swings produce the same MEASURED numbers that are different from REAL numbers, then we have reliability but no validity. Here the numbers are very consistent but not "on target". When it comes to spin rates at least, if you hit enough balls inside and outside, you will learn to live this problem.

 

What you want to avoid at all costs is the same swing producing very different numbers. Here you have no validity and no reliability....and it is a shitshow of epic proportions.

 

So if you can't have validity, then at least hope you have reliability.

 

I wonder if the Mevo has the same validity and reliability as its big brothers?

[magnito1969]

specs say it'll "provide" these numbers:

• Ball speed
  
• Club speed
  
• Smash factor
  
• Vertical launch angle
  
• Carry distance
  
• Spin rate (when metallic dot is used on golf ball)
  

But my question is what will it actually "Measure" and what will be "Calculated"

[Skedaddle]

Reckon it'll all be measured aside from smash

[goatbarn]

Reckon it'll all be measured aside from smash

 

And carry. It will not track the ball until it lands, like the big dopplers do. And apparently spin, unless you use a metallic dot.

[Hondabuff]

So for an extra $150 from the SC200, you're getting launch angle & spin rate (if you use the stickers).

 

Is that really worth the extra $150? I don't even quite understand what's so important about spin rate. I know all the driver reviews talk about lowering your spin rate. But those numbers honestly don't mean anything to me. I mostly care about using it at a range to get average distances for each club. I think I'd rather just go with the SC200 over the Mevo.

 

Should have grabbed one at the PGA Show. Show special was $200 (down from $350).

 

I had an SC100 for 2 range sessions and sent it back to Amazon. It missed a lot shots and the ones it did pick up were +/- 15 yards according to my laser. I purchased a ES12 on Ebay for $80 which is just a ball speed radar and have to use a SSR for my club head speed. The ES12 is around +/- 5 yards at the range and I was really impressed with it. Knowing spin rates would be awesome in a portable unit. Just going out for late afternoon practice rounds and seeing the difference between spin of a Prov1x vs. Prov1 would be killer. You could just keep your iPhone in your cart and toss the Mevo down for every shot when you play during a practice round and review the data when your done. Since the unit is coming from a major player like FlightScope you have to imagine the software alone is going to be better then say the ES12, ES14, SC100 and SC200.

[YoYoJumbo]

This will be interesting. I'm actually pretty excited to hear the reviews when you guys get some in your hands in March. As someone who would mostly use it outside, the whole "offline" thing doenst mean much, but I see how it can be a burden to someone with a set up in their garage.

[Sebmour]

I see the MEVO to be an outdoor driving range or practice round tool. You can see your ball flight and then get the numbers from it.

 

If they want to sell these for indoor use, ball flight simulation will be needed.

[QuickFeet]

Will a metallic pencil work like a sticker? So you could mark range balls and not waste the stickers. Anybody ever tested that?

 

Circuit writing pen.

 

I've used this one for many years. The pen/aluminum dots will help as they provide a better reflective surface for the radar frequency to hit and return to the antenna in the launch monitor.

 

http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.174/.f

[imscottr]

I want to see how this comes out. I was an early adopter of the Skytrak. I liked it but the distance were never good. I hit my 7 iron avg 168 on Trackman. On skytrak, I barely hit 155 and the ball curvature is intense.

 

This totally makes me sad. I'm so close to finally pulling the trigger on the SkyTrak....

[wbond]

Unless people state that they have verified the distances outside confirming whether or not they have a bad unit, i wouldn't put much stock in these responses. There are too many times that people take it outside and it measures correctly, leading to the issue being related to "indoor swing" or something going on with their indoor setup. There have been bad units, so it is possible that it was short.

I want to see how this comes out. I was an early adopter of the Skytrak. I liked it but the distance were never good. I hit my 7 iron avg 168 on Trackman. On skytrak, I barely hit 155 and the ball curvature is intense.

 

This totally makes me sad. I'm so close to finally pulling the trigger on the SkyTrak....

[ChaosTheory]

If the Mevo knows the launch conditions, surely it can calculate the downrange landing spot???

[dcmidnight]

A sc200 would give the same carry for 2 drives with the same ballspeed when their different launch and spin conditions could mean in reality a difference of up to 40 yards. It's a ballspeed monitor not a launch monitor like the Mevo will be

 

This is an important piece and where I think Mevo differentiaties itself - if in fact it is actually measuring launch angle and spin. Have not seen Flightscope actually confirm yet that those two variables are actually measured. But given the size of the unit I think I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

[OffTheDole]

Circuit writing pen.

 

I've used this one for many years. The pen/aluminum dots will help as they provide a better reflective surface for the radar frequency to hit and return to the antenna in the launch monitor.

 

http://store.caig.co...category.174/.f

 

Awesome. Thanks!

[cgasucks]

I'll will look forward to any Youtube reviews of it, especially against comparisons of other launch monitors that costs thousands more...

[Whiskey_fire]

We need somebody from flightscope to get on here and give us ? answers

[robrey85]

 

Why the hell would you want to see a subscription model? This is one thing I don't understand. Why do I want to shell out $X just to have to continuously pay $Y to maintain usage. From a consumers standpoint, it's the stupidist freakin' thing ever. From a companies standpoint, I get it. It's the main reason I'll never own a SkyTrak. I'd rather pay the extra money and get an XI since like you said, there are ways to get XI Tour specs.

 

Oh, boy, I guess I have to draw it in crayon... The cost of hardware is rapidly coming down. Doppler components and quality infared cameras and the like. Trackman has a patent on measuring spin/rotating parameters of a sports ball, any sports ball, using a doppler radar system. This means plotting the curve of a fastball, the rotations on a football, tennis, etc... If you use a doppler in you're launch monitor, or any sports ball measuring device, and want to use it in regards to measuring spin, you pay Trackman, or you are Trackman... That's why all these companies extrapolate spin data or use cameras and stickers... There's a huge point of cost right there. Not unlike a prescription drug before the patent window closes, after that... Generic... Any guy with a chemistry degree and some basic equipment can make those pills... But the IP and application research is where the real value is.

 

So let's say I can buy a Trackman unit, or Fligtscope unit for 2k, but with minimal data points activated, or even no data points activated. I'm paying for hardware. I can custom tailor what I need and when I need it by essentially renting software that's always current and on an on demand basis. I don't need a launch monitor all the time. Truthfully when I'm testing equipment or working on a major swing change or prep etc.

 

I would rather pay 2k up front for the hardware, which is nothing special at all. Then pay 100-200$ per month or even 10 bucks a day to turn on the data points when I need them as opposed to paying 20k+ plus yearly maintenance and licensing costs to have the whole thing ready to go 24/7 365.... The value is in the software... a kid at a local technical college can build you a doppler measurement system... The software to get the data out of it that you need and accurately is where the real value is.

 

It's a win/win. Trackman, Flightscope, whoever can go into the software business. No more dealing with inventory, shipping components, import/export, etc. Let someone else deal with that, or set up a seperate company. They just do knowledge product and software. The consumer can now get the real value product for manageable sized buy in therefore having access to a product or service that was previously outside of their grasp financially. And the company, in this case Trackman, seeing as they have to produce teh software anyway for their professional clients is increasing theyre revenue stream and influence (not to mention collecting data and selling it to Titleist, Bridgestone, Golf Digest, etc) By selling usage of a product that's just sitting there anyway already developed. People/pro's/golf shops etc. can still buy it up front and get the yearly deals if they choose, and obviously on an every day use basis that's the bargain, so you're high end and professional clients aren't pissed that Joe Dirt hitting off the top of his winebago while waiting for the nascar race to start paid way less for the same thing you did because he just paid for 1 day, or month etc. that when extrapalated out would cost 10x what they paid for the whole year....

 

Not many including myself have the scratch to lay out for a 20k purchase for personal use, that's why most trackman's are in the hands of someone using it as a commecial investment rather than a personal toy. There's big money in the personal golf toy market, and that has been largely untapped because of high cost and limited data points for the cheaper units....

 

So... Now... Do you understand?

 

No need to be a condescending women's hygiene cleaning product about it. I get what you're saying and it makes sense, doesn't mean I have to like it. I'm just from the school of wanting to pay the full amount for what I want even if I only use it 50% of the time. I don't want to have to deal with the hassle of subscriptions and all that jazz. It's a pain. :stink:

 

I like the idea of having this tech at such a low price point, but isn't the point to play golf and have fun, not constantly chasing numbers. Just a thought.

 

Do you even know what forum you're on? :cheesy:

[somaplr]

Anyone know if the mevo will be sim capable or if it'll have a driving range to hit targets or play challenge games?

 

It would not do either of those. There is no mechanism to track starting side angle or axis spin - so the machine would have no idea what direction you hit it - just how far it went.

 

I would imagine this would be a "not good" inside unit from what it sounds like - there would be zero way to tell how offline target you were.

[b.helts]

This, in my opinion, will not be useful to recreational golfers. I think where it will be useful is for outdoor fitters. Fitting will be its primary use case.

[somaplr]

Unless people state that they have verified the distances outside confirming whether or not they have a bad unit, i wouldn't put much stock in these responses. There are too many times that people take it outside and it measures correctly, leading to the issue being related to "indoor swing" or something going on with their indoor setup. There have been bad units, so it is possible that it was short.

I want to see how this comes out. I was an early adopter of the Skytrak. I liked it but the distance were never good. I hit my 7 iron avg 168 on Trackman. On skytrak, I barely hit 155 and the ball curvature is intense.

 

This totally makes me sad. I'm so close to finally pulling the trigger on the SkyTrak....

 

I would echo this x1000

[QMany]

Just got off the phone with Flightscope technical support:

 

"If you are familiar with our other units, the radar is tracking the same way. So if you are hitting indoors, it will measure until it hits the net. If you are outdoors, it will measure the entire ball flight."

[Hondabuff]

Just got off the phone with Flightscope technical support:

 

"If you are familiar with our other units, the radar is tracking the same way. So if you are hitting indoors, it will measure until it hits the net. If you are outdoors, it will measure the entire ball flight."

 

Anyone know who owns a Flight Scope what kind of battery does it operate on? Cant imagine this just running on 3 AA's.

[SmoothStroker81]

Thanks for the heads up

[DaveGoodrich]

Just got off the phone with Flightscope technical support: "If you are familiar with our other units, the radar is tracking the same way. So if you are hitting indoors, it will measure until it hits the net. If you are outdoors, it will measure the entire ball flight."

 

Perhaps the unit has a weaker radar than the higher priced units, but with the stickers, it is still capable of following the entire ball flight. If true, this sounds promising. And the circuit-writing pen sounds like a great idea to minimize the use of stickers at the range.

 

Very intrigued.

[somaplr]

Just got off the phone with Flightscope technical support: "If you are familiar with our other units, the radar is tracking the same way. So if you are hitting indoors, it will measure until it hits the net. If you are outdoors, it will measure the entire ball flight."

 

Perhaps the unit has a weaker radar than the higher priced units, but with the stickers, it is still capable of following the entire ball flight. If true, this sounds promising. And the circuit-writing pen sounds like a great idea to minimize the use of stickers at the range.

 

Very intrigued.

 

I can't imagine people buying this thing and putting a pen to use on every single range ball they hit. It would seem that if you are outdoors, it's still going to be able to tell total distance, but spin numbers will be in extreme error. You can see the ball flight outside.

 

The efficient way to use the stickers is to hit into a net, therefore needing to be inside and not being about to tell the ball flight direction, but you would get spin.

 

Seems to be a gap of a problem here. It sounds like the unit answers one question, and to be used for outside use...and that question is - how far did I hit that ball and what are my ball speed numbers?

[DaveGoodrich]

Just got off the phone with Flightscope technical support: "If you are familiar with our other units, the radar is tracking the same way. So if you are hitting indoors, it will measure until it hits the net. If you are outdoors, it will measure the entire ball flight."

Perhaps the unit has a weaker radar than the higher priced units, but with the stickers, it is still capable of following the entire ball flight. If true, this sounds promising. And the circuit-writing pen sounds like a great idea to minimize the use of stickers at the range. Very intrigued.

I can't imagine people buying this thing and putting a pen to use on every single range ball they hit. It would seem that if you are outdoors, it's still going to be able to tell total distance, but spin numbers will be in extreme error. You can see the ball flight outside. The efficient way to use the stickers is to hit into a net, therefore needing to be inside and not being about to tell the ball flight direction, but you would get spin. Seems to be a gap of a problem here. It sounds like the unit answers one question, and to be used for outside use...and that question is - how far did I hit that ball and what are my ball speed numbers?

 

No, I'm not going to put a mark, or a sticker, on every ball I hit at the range. Personally, I would be using it mostly into a net at my house. But to be able to take it to the range and "reality check" my ball flight vs. the numbers I am getting on the unit seems useful.

 

Does this unit tell anything about spin axis? Obviously, this would help tremendously to judge ball flight when you are hitting into a net. I can put a target on my net to tell me if I am starting the ball where I want, but whether its turning left or right is tough to judge, other than by feel.

[robrey85]

Just got off the phone with Flightscope technical support: "If you are familiar with our other units, the radar is tracking the same way. So if you are hitting indoors, it will measure until it hits the net. If you are outdoors, it will measure the entire ball flight."

 

Perhaps the unit has a weaker radar than the higher priced units, but with the stickers, it is still capable of following the entire ball flight. If true, this sounds promising. And the circuit-writing pen sounds like a great idea to minimize the use of stickers at the range.

 

Very intrigued.

 

I can't imagine people buying this thing and putting a pen to use on every single range ball they hit. It would seem that if you are outdoors, it's still going to be able to tell total distance, but spin numbers will be in extreme error. You can see the ball flight outside.

 

The efficient way to use the stickers is to hit into a net, therefore needing to be inside and not being about to tell the ball flight direction, but you would get spin.

 

Seems to be a gap of a problem here. It sounds like the unit answers one question, and to be used for outside use...and that question is - how far did I hit that ball and what are my ball speed numbers?

 

Speaking from experience, a net is the worst thing you could hit into with those stickers. The net will DESTROY those stickers in one or two shots. What you need is a blanket or some type of relatively soft and non-abrasive backing.

 

I have a high impact netting in my cage in the backyard and when drewtaylor21 and I were doing our ball testing we put up an Allstate blanket to minimize the damage done to the stickers after seeing what the net does to the ball.

[somaplr]

Just got off the phone with Flightscope technical support: "If you are familiar with our other units, the radar is tracking the same way. So if you are hitting indoors, it will measure until it hits the net. If you are outdoors, it will measure the entire ball flight."

 

Perhaps the unit has a weaker radar than the higher priced units, but with the stickers, it is still capable of following the entire ball flight. If true, this sounds promising. And the circuit-writing pen sounds like a great idea to minimize the use of stickers at the range.

 

Very intrigued.

 

I can't imagine people buying this thing and putting a pen to use on every single range ball they hit. It would seem that if you are outdoors, it's still going to be able to tell total distance, but spin numbers will be in extreme error. You can see the ball flight outside.

 

The efficient way to use the stickers is to hit into a net, therefore needing to be inside and not being about to tell the ball flight direction, but you would get spin.

 

Seems to be a gap of a problem here. It sounds like the unit answers one question, and to be used for outside use...and that question is - how far did I hit that ball and what are my ball speed numbers?

 

Speaking from experience, a net is the worst thing you could hit into with those stickers. The net will DESTROY those stickers in one or two shots. What you need is a blanket or some type of relatively soft and non-abrasive backing.

 

I have a high impact netting in my cage in the backyard and when drewtaylor21 and I were doing our ball testing we put up an Allstate blanket to minimize the damage done to the stickers after seeing what the net does to the ball.

 

Ok - I was speaking in mere generalities, but good point. I'm on ST and not a Flightscope product so I use a net.

[Howard_Jones]

Just got off the phone with Flightscope technical support:

 

"If you are familiar with our other units, the radar is tracking the same way. So if you are hitting indoors, it will measure until it hits the net. If you are outdoors, it will measure the entire ball flight."

 

If thats true, this unit begs to be jail braked to get descent angle and apex, so i doubt that answer, they would not exclude those 2 outputs if the radar could measure the hole flight.

[TollBros]

Basic radar-based systems can only measure ball and club speed. Everything else is calculated. I want this to be great, just like I wanted the ES14 to be great, but there's too much going on that can't be accounted for in even the best calculations.

 

What I REALLY want to see is an affordable multi-sensor-type system that incorporates 2 or 3 types of measurement sensors... something like SkyTrak (ball speed, spin, launch angle) + P3Pro (club speed, club path, face angle) + Radar(ball speed, club speed) in the ~$2500-$3000 range could seemingly pull together several of these systems into an affordable package that could also offer more reliable measurement-based data with less variables, less calculation, and even some redundancy for sanity checks.

 

And frankly it should be highly possible. It's about time launch monitors come down to earth. Paying 30k like we do for Trackman systems is like still paying $8000 for a 60 inch plasma. It's high time the prices reflect the pricing in every other arena of technology. In my estimation they are about 400% too high.