New $500 Flightscope personal launch monitor (MERGED)

[games]

Great news: The 1.8 firmware update appears to have cleaned up the clubhead speed issue!

 

IMPORTANT: The unit needs to sit at the same level as the ball. If hitting off a mat, set the unit on the ground behind the mat. When hitting off a tee, place the box for the unit behind the mat, then set the unit on top of the box.

 

Learned the above this morning at the range. Set up properly, the unit is spot on.

[Hondabuff]

Great news: The 1.8 firmware update appears to have cleaned up the clubhead speed issue!

 

IMPORTANT: The unit needs to sit at the same level as the ball. If hitting off a mat, set the unit on the ground behind the mat. When hitting off a tee, place the box for the unit behind the mat, then set the unit on top of the box.

 

Learned the above this morning at the range. Set up properly, the unit is spot on.

 

I might have to hit some balls tonight into the net to see the new readings. I always thought it read my irons too high and my driver a bit low. Does it seem more consistent now?

[games]

Great news: The 1.8 firmware update appears to have cleaned up the clubhead speed issue!

 

IMPORTANT: The unit needs to sit at the same level as the ball. If hitting off a mat, set the unit on the ground behind the mat. When hitting off a tee, place the box for the unit behind the mat, then set the unit on top of the box.

 

Learned the above this morning at the range. Set up properly, the unit is spot on.

 

I might have to hit some balls tonight into the net to see the new readings. I always thought it read my irons too high and my driver a bit low. Does it seem more consistent now?

 

IMO, yes. Correct vertical placement of the unit is key. My range is mats on top of a concrete sidewalk. Was hitting off mat with unit sitting on box placed on grass behind sidewalk and carry and club speed both read high. Asked a gentleman to hit a few for me. And his 7 irons also read high. On a whim, I asked him to hit his driver. All I did was move box five inches right to be direct behind the tee. His carry was spot on with driver and he confirmed club speed was in line with his prior launch monitor experience.

 

Then, asked him to grab his 7 iron again. This time I removed the box and set the unit directly on the grass behind the sidewalk and readings were spot on with both shot outcome and his stated normal club speed. I hit shots from same position and carry estimate was in line with actual and club speed within range of my normal LM measures.

 

My takeaways: MEVO is sensitive to vertical placement comparative to ball. Also, stickers should be used when hitting into a net and with worn range balls. If range balls are new or markings are not worn, spin is fine.

[dlee723]

I posted this up in a different thread here, but I think it is worthy of discussion specific to the Mevo.

 

Who should we believe? Notice the difference in Carry.

 

I think the generic answer to your question is Trackman is probably right. But it also depends...are you on a range doing full ball measurement? If you are, trackman measures the full flight so just because you launch a certain way doesn't mean it will fly the theoretical distance..(wind, temp, elevation etc being factors) The mevo only measure the first 40 yards or something. If you are hitting indoors on the trackman, then yes it could be model differences. But I don't think it should be that big of a difference.

 

I would still trust the trackman results for fittings, even if indoors. I like the mevo a lot but if you are trying to fit..go with the 20k unit vs the 500 dollar unit haha.

[games]

I posted this up in a different thread here, but I think it is worthy of discussion specific to the Mevo.

 

Who should we believe? Notice the difference in Carry.

 

I think the generic answer to your question is Trackman is probably right. But it also depends...are you on a range doing full ball measurement? If you are, trackman measures the full flight so just because you launch a certain way doesn't mean it will fly the theoretical distance..(wind, temp, elevation etc being factors) The mevo only measure the first 40 yards or something. If you are hitting indoors on the trackman, then yes it could be model differences. But I don't think it should be that big of a difference.

 

I would still trust the trackman results for fittings, even if indoors. I like the mevo a lot but if you are trying to fit..go with the 20k unit vs the 500 dollar unit haha.

 

If the $500 unit gives you a carry distance you can corroborate within a tolerable variance, it's pretty much a no-brainer.

[TravAz]

Those were just the generic "optimizer" numbers from trackman - I haven't had a chance to compare them side by side.

[sandy]

I really need to stop buying random crap I don't need/keep and invest in one of these.

 

I just purchased a Skytrak . My Mevo may be for sale . Interested ? Only used for about 6-7 weeks .

 

Hopefully you bought yours knowing it does not work with yellow balls. The area I live in the ranges all use yellow balls for range balls and white premium balls for club fitting ala Trackman 4(not for general range use). Hard to understand why a modern device would have such design shortcomings as ball color..

 

On come on, that's just silly. Of course it works with yellow balls. It's been tested/documented many, many, many, times, by others as well as myself. It uses Doppler radar, not optical- so the color, from a technical perspective, does not and CANNOT matter- its Radar!

 

Evidently you didn’t read your owners manual..

“SkyTrak uses the photometric approach..that is camera based.” it ain’t Doppler. Sure you have one you have tested? I tried one the other day and it has a hard time with yellow balls, white, pink, blue, green all Volvik colors no problem just the yellow..it also doesn’t like balls with big logos on them.

[Hondabuff]

I really like the new Myflightscope page that allows you to delete shots now. I find the club head speed to be very stable and consistent now and very much inline with my last fitting session on Trackman for the AP3's. I had a few shots that read longer then normal and couldn't tell if I just got it on the screws or a weird anomaly. All shots were with a sticker on a 2015 prov1x. I hit a bunch of wedges in the yard where I can hit up to 90 yards unobstructed and the Mevo was within 3 yards of the laser everytime. 1.8 is a nice improvement over 1.7 firmware.

 

[rebby]

I really like the new Myflightscope page that allows you to delete shots now. I find the club head speed to be very stable and consistent now and very much inline with my last fitting session on Trackman for the AP3's. I had a few shots that read longer then normal and couldn't tell if I just got it on the screws or a weird anomaly. All shots were with a sticker on a 2015 prov1x. I hit a bunch of wedges in the yard where I can hit up to 90 yards unobstructed and the Mevo was within 3 yards of the laser everytime. 1.8 is a nice improvement over 1.7 firmware.

 

 

I'm really glad that you posted this. Without being able to remove shots, I've found the web interface cumbersome at best so it's been a long while since I checked it out. This prompted me to check it out again. Thanks!

[Hondabuff]

I can honestly say the website went from the part that I disliked the most to the part that I really like. You can clean up bad shots and/or delete whole sessions now.

[TravAz]

Guys - My driver launch angle seems to have gone up 3-4 degrees since the upgrade to 1.8. Anyone else notice a difference? Clubhead/smash seems much better, so maybe LA was reading low before?

[rebby]

Guys - My driver launch angle seems to have gone up 3-4 degrees since the upgrade to 1.8. Anyone else notice a difference? Clubhead/smash seems much better, so maybe LA was reading low before?

 

I noticed a higher LA w/my driver as well. I'm not sure if clubhead/smash was any better though, it was pretty cold out when I was hitting balls yesterday so ball speed really suffers (no baseline of comparison at this temp).

[Highbury]

For those who have purchased the Mevo, how have you used your data to make you a better golfer?

 

I have read through the thread as far as my attention span will allow. I have seen people complain about the accuracy of the data, lack of features, and some with performance issues. It seems that most performance issues have been corrected through firmware updates and i can understand the limitations of a $500 launch monitor.

 

The data is where I have some questions. I realize this is not a Trackman, etc. but what metrics do you use? Do you feel you have enough accuracy to give meaningful feedback? Can you spot the outliers or strikes that the Mevo miscalculates when examining the data post session?

[TravAz]

Highbury: My thoughts:

 

- The main thing I wanted to do with the Mevo was confirm my launch with the irons. Had a lesson last year and was diagnosed as adding loft at impact. I hit the ball higer than the guys I play with and it was driving me nuts. With the Mevo and the flightscope optimizer tool, I was able to validate my launch conditions were “good enough” for me to stop obsessing and focus elsewhere. No other product for the $$ measures launch angle.

 

- wedge gapping - Mevo got my wedge distances much more dialed. Having the mevo set to call out distances is pretty nice at the range.

 

- Driver fitting - Ive gotten really close with the driver, and now I think I know what can be gained with a shaft change in my current driver head.

 

All of that being said, I bought the Mevo intending to use it for a month or two and resell it. The $$ I lose will still be cheaper than a 1hr fitting where I couldnt have achieved all of that. Risk is that some new better product drops and devalues the mevo in the marketplace. Im sure as soon as I sell it, I will want it back, but honestly expect some new tech to drop at the pga show 18, so who knows. Tech isnt going to stop moving forward, and $500 for the mevo is a chunk of change.

[flanmou]

Guys - My driver launch angle seems to have gone up 3-4 degrees since the upgrade to 1.8. Anyone else notice a difference? Clubhead/smash seems much better, so maybe LA was reading low before?

 

I noticed a higher LA w/my driver as well. I'm not sure if clubhead/smash was any better though, it was pretty cold out when I was hitting balls yesterday so ball speed really suffers (no baseline of comparison at this temp).

 

With the new firmware, I see:

- LA is higher. Probably 2degs higher than what I would really believe.

- CHS numbers are definitely more precise, no more jumping around with the driver. However I think they're biased low. It reported smash factors of 1.53 and 1.54 which are flat-out not believable. I'm confident in its ball speed numbers, meaning I think its driver CHS numbers (for me) are at least 3mph low. Like I said, quite precise so I don't mind, I just mentally add 3mph to CHS numbers it spits out.

[Skedaddle]

Old trackman chart. Go onto trackman university and it's algorithm is very different now.

 

All the algorithm differ, gc2, tm, fs, skytrak, optimal flight (used by fitters) but at least they're closer than they were. Best advice is to hit outside on radar on windless 25 degree day

 

I posted this up in a different thread here, but I think it is worthy of discussion specific to the Mevo.

 

Who should we believe? Notice the difference in Carry.

 

Trackman says 149mph Ball speed, launched at 12.4 with spin of 1887 will carry 239 yards. When these figures are put into Flightscope optimizer software, it gives 251.4 yards. That 12.5 yards is the difference between carrying that bunker, water, etc. Also probably the same math the Mevo uses.

 

Then compare Trackman's Total with Trackman Carry, again in the 149mph ball speed category. 20y difference in total by dropping spin.

 

My mevo always has me within 200+- rpm of 2700 with the driver - yes with stickers. If I believe Trackman, I need to drop spin in a big way and pick up 20yds total. Nothing I do with flightscope spin/launch agrees with Trackman. Not sure I want to go on an adventure to find a new lower spinning shaft if Flightscope is correct. If Trackman is correct, its a no-brainer.

[Hondabuff]

I use a bubble level with mine and looked back at the past 5 sessions and can confirm my launch angle is 2 degrees Lower. Yes lower. How is everyone else verifying your Mevo is really level? My driveway looks level but slopes almost 2 degrees.

 

[rebby]

Hondabuff, is the Mevo really this sensitive to being level? I practice on a grass range and simply drop it behind me when I’m hitting without worrying too much about it (like I do with Trackman). If I should be keeping it level it wouldn’t be much trouble to do so. The instructions do say to keep it level with the hitting position but if it’s too delicate, that gets more difficult than it sounds on a grass range.

[matchavez]

Hondabuff, is the Mevo really this sensitive to being level? I practice on a grass range and simply drop it behind me when I’m hitting without worrying too much about it (like I do with Trackman). If I should be keeping it level it wouldn’t be much trouble to do so. The instructions do say to keep it level with the hitting position but if it’s too delicate, that gets more difficult than it sounds on a grass range.

 

Kind of a big assumption that there isn't an internal gyro that notes where "level" is...

[Hondabuff]

Hondabuff, is the Mevo really this sensitive to being level? I practice on a grass range and simply drop it behind me when I’m hitting without worrying too much about it (like I do with Trackman). If I should be keeping it level it wouldn’t be much trouble to do so. The instructions do say to keep it level with the hitting position but if it’s too delicate, that gets more difficult than it sounds on a grass range.

 

Kind of a big assumption that there isn't an internal gyro that notes where "level" is...

 

I really think the next version of the Mevo needs a bubble level or a internal setting from the app where you can zero it out before the session starts. When your plopping it down on the range which I have done several times, you never really know what angle its sitting at. I usually hit my 7 iron around 22* and if I start seeing 28's or 16's then I know its tilted one way or the other. I think the internal option to zero out the unit is the way to go.

[flanmou]

Hondabuff, is the Mevo really this sensitive to being level? I practice on a grass range and simply drop it behind me when I’m hitting without worrying too much about it (like I do with Trackman). If I should be keeping it level it wouldn’t be much trouble to do so. The instructions do say to keep it level with the hitting position but if it’s too delicate, that gets more difficult than it sounds on a grass range.

 

Kind of a big assumption that there isn't an internal gyro that notes where "level" is...

 

FS claimed to me in an email that tilting the unit shouldn't affect LA numbers. On June 15:

Me: Does the unit take into account its level? I.e. let's say I set it up 2 degrees tipped down. Will it report launch angles 2 degrees too high?

FS: If you have the Mevo tipped 2* down. It will not affect the numbers in that aspect. But, you may impede the mevo from seeing as much of the ball flight at that point.

[ijohnson]

How accurate have people found driver spin to be? I've watched a few reviews saying it seems to always be in the 2500-3000 range regardless of what it actually is, and one of my big reasons for looking at the MeVo is to try to dial in contact to increase distance. Biggest problem right now is spinning my tee shots over 3000, and really want something that can show me if I'm getting that number down.

[flanmou]

How accurate have people found driver spin to be? I've watched a few reviews saying it seems to always be in the 2500-3000 range regardless of what it actually is, and one of my big reasons for looking at the MeVo is to try to dial in contact to increase distance. Biggest problem right now is spinning my tee shots over 3000, and really want something that can show me if I'm getting that number down.

 

It's worth stating that spin doesn't affect distance that much. 160mph ball speed, 11deg launch: the difference between 2k spin and 3k spin is 1.7yds of carry on the FS optimizer.

 

https://flightscope.com/products/trajectory-optimizer/

[Hondabuff]

Hondabuff, is the Mevo really this sensitive to being level? I practice on a grass range and simply drop it behind me when I’m hitting without worrying too much about it (like I do with Trackman). If I should be keeping it level it wouldn’t be much trouble to do so. The instructions do say to keep it level with the hitting position but if it’s too delicate, that gets more difficult than it sounds on a grass range.

 

Kind of a big assumption that there isn't an internal gyro that notes where "level" is...

 

FS claimed to me in an email that tilting the unit shouldn't affect LA numbers. On June 15:

 

Me: Does the unit take into account its level? I.e. let's say I set it up 2 degrees tipped down. Will it report launch angles 2 degrees too high?

FS: If you have the Mevo tipped 2* down. It will not affect the numbers in that aspect. But, you may impede the mevo from seeing as much of the ball flight at that point.

 

That's pretty interesting. Someone will have to contact Flightscope for confirmation unless you still have the email. Maybe the unit does zero out when you sit it down.

[chch3]

How accurate have people found driver spin to be? I've watched a few reviews saying it seems to always be in the 2500-3000 range regardless of what it actually is, and one of my big reasons for looking at the MeVo is to try to dial in contact to increase distance. Biggest problem right now is spinning my tee shots over 3000, and really want something that can show me if I'm getting that number down.

 

It's worth stating that spin doesn't affect distance that much. 160mph ball speed, 11deg launch: the difference between 2k spin and 3k spin is 1.7yds of carry on the FS optimizer.

 

https://flightscope.com/products/trajectory-optimizer/

It might not affect carry distances that much, but it would affect roll out and total distances a lot.

[Ri_Redneck]

How accurate have people found driver spin to be? I've watched a few reviews saying it seems to always be in the 2500-3000 range regardless of what it actually is, and one of my big reasons for looking at the MeVo is to try to dial in contact to increase distance. Biggest problem right now is spinning my tee shots over 3000, and really want something that can show me if I'm getting that number down.

 

It's worth stating that spin doesn't affect distance that much. 160mph ball speed, 11deg launch: the difference between 2k spin and 3k spin is 1.7yds of carry on the FS optimizer.

 

https://flightscope....tory-optimizer/

It might not affect carry distances that much, but it would affect roll out and total distances a lot.

 

Especially into a breeze. headwind magnifies spin affect. I have to do some more reading because I'n getting very interested in this product.

 

BT

[TheBIIgCat]

How accurate have people found driver spin to be? I've watched a few reviews saying it seems to always be in the 2500-3000 range regardless of what it actually is, and one of my big reasons for looking at the MeVo is to try to dial in contact to increase distance. Biggest problem right now is spinning my tee shots over 3000, and really want something that can show me if I'm getting that number down.

 

It's worth stating that spin doesn't affect distance that much. 160mph ball speed, 11deg launch: the difference between 2k spin and 3k spin is 1.7yds of carry on the FS optimizer.

 

https://flightscope....tory-optimizer/

It might not affect carry distances that much, but it would affect roll out and total distances a lot.

 

Especially into a breeze. headwind magnifies spin affect. I have to do some more reading because I'n getting very interested in this product.

 

BT

I am also, just seems to get better and better and for the price, nothing even compares in that range

[flanmou]

Hondabuff, is the Mevo really this sensitive to being level? I practice on a grass range and simply drop it behind me when I’m hitting without worrying too much about it (like I do with Trackman). If I should be keeping it level it wouldn’t be much trouble to do so. The instructions do say to keep it level with the hitting position but if it’s too delicate, that gets more difficult than it sounds on a grass range.

 

Kind of a big assumption that there isn't an internal gyro that notes where "level" is...

 

FS claimed to me in an email that tilting the unit shouldn't affect LA numbers. On June 15:

 

Me: Does the unit take into account its level? I.e. let's say I set it up 2 degrees tipped down. Will it report launch angles 2 degrees too high?

FS: If you have the Mevo tipped 2* down. It will not affect the numbers in that aspect. But, you may impede the mevo from seeing as much of the ball flight at that point.

 

That's pretty interesting. Someone will have to contact Flightscope for confirmation unless you still have the email. Maybe the unit does zero out when you sit it down.

 

Would be nice for someone else to contact them and verify independently then report back.

[ijohnson]

How accurate have people found driver spin to be? I've watched a few reviews saying it seems to always be in the 2500-3000 range regardless of what it actually is, and one of my big reasons for looking at the MeVo is to try to dial in contact to increase distance. Biggest problem right now is spinning my tee shots over 3000, and really want something that can show me if I'm getting that number down.

 

It's worth stating that spin doesn't affect distance that much. 160mph ball speed, 11deg launch: the difference between 2k spin and 3k spin is 1.7yds of carry on the FS optimizer.

 

https://flightscope....tory-optimizer/

It might not affect carry distances that much, but it would affect roll out and total distances a lot.

 

I was doing gap testing on GC2, and my BS was always between 157-160, with launches in the 12.5-15 range. Longest shot was 157.8 BS, 14.9 LA, 2500 backspin for 274 carry/296 total. The following shot was 13.9 LA, 157.8 BS, 3319 spin for 258 carry/276 total, which is a pretty major difference. Azimuth between the two was within 0.1*, so the only major shift here was the backspin. I already hit the ball pretty high (all my drives were in the 40-45 yd peak height range), so if I can have a device to tweak driver settings on to get those 275/295 drives more consistently, that'd be ideal.

[TravAz]

The problem is the algorithms.

 

There is a huge difference between what Flightscope thinks spin does and what trackman/gc2/4 think spin does.

 

There was a kurfluffle a few weeks back when Rory was supposedly carrying 3w 345 yards on the range based on the data:

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/465610/was-rory-really-carrying-three-woods-330-yards-or-were-the-numbers-juiced/