New Tiger Woods Launch Monitor

[Rausky]

I have the FSK,  BLP, and Mevo+ to see for myself which I preferred. I primarily use my LMs outside on a range, rarely inside. Here's the pro/cons for me:

 

FSK

Pros: Quickest setup by far, integrated camera, app is actually good, no sub needed, on-screen display.

Cons: Camera angle kinda sucks, hence the recommended 12ft placement. Unit overheats easily in the Carolina heat during summer (90+ degree days). Cloud doesn't store video, just session data. I also had some video issues but it might be related to overheating. Normalization is not that great and range ball normalization is TBD. I'd also like a flight path display like Foresight Pro & Mevo+ apps have. It has dispersion, but I'd like the full ball flight.

 

BLP

Pros: No question it felt the most accurate, I never doubted the reads. Indoor it was the easiest to use and setup. Foresight software runs well. Club data was also very accurate and helpful. 0 issues running in the heat.

Cons: My biggest complaint is FSX Pro app. It's definitely not as intuitive as FSK's app. Paid subscription for sim software, which isn't cheap. On an outdoor range, having to move the unit after 5-6 shots is also a pain because you have to re-align.

 

Mevo+

Pros: Smallest unit, super easy to just hook on my bag and take wherever.  People complain about the setup but I didn't think it was that bad. It was by far the cheapest unit and seemed pretty accurate. The app wasn't terrible either, when it worked. The Pro+ package is a cool addon to have for club data, but at a price.

Cons: I really wanted to like the Mevo+ the most just because of its size, but man this thing had some connection issues. The unit displays an orange light to show it's "armed" and ready for a shot, similar to the light on the BLP, but so many times it would just never arm and therefore never read shots. I tried resetting, trying different phones, etc. Maybe my unit was defective, but I remember when I tested the regular Mevo I had similar issues. There's some serious firmware issues I suspect. The app is supposed to pair with an iPhone as well to get video data from the iPhone, but that didn't work either or when it did it was incredibly choppy. Additionally, the battery life is pretty pathetic.

 

Overall, I'm selling the BLP and Mevo+ and sticking with the FSK. From a learning perspective, the camera is really great (even if it's a bad angle) and the reads are pretty accurate. If I used my sim more I probably would've stuck with BLP, but for outdoors I think the FSK is only beat by Trackman.

Edited September 15, 2023 by Rausky

[SwingBlues]

On 9/16/2023 at 5:55 AM, Rausky said:

I have the FSK,  BLP, and Mevo+ to see for myself which I preferred. I primarily use my LMs outside on a range, rarely inside. Here's the pro/cons for me:

 

FSK

Pros: Quickest setup by far, integrated camera, app is actually good, no sub needed, on-screen display.

Cons: Camera angle kinda sucks, hence the recommended 12ft placement. Unit overheats easily in the Carolina heat during summer (90+ degree days). Cloud doesn't store video, just session data. I also had some video issues but it might be related to overheating. Normalization is not that great and range ball normalization is TBD. I'd also like a flight path display like Foresight Pro & Mevo+ apps have. It has dispersion, but I'd like the full ball flight.

 

BLP

Pros: No question it felt the most accurate, I never doubted the reads. Indoor it was the easiest to use and setup. Foresight software runs well. Club data was also very accurate and helpful. 0 issues running in the heat.

Cons: My biggest complaint is FSX Pro app. It's definitely not as intuitive as FSK's app. Paid subscription for sim software, which isn't cheap. On an outdoor range, having to move the unit after 5-6 shots is also a pain because you have to re-align.

 

Mevo+

Pros: Smallest unit, super easy to just hook on my bag and take wherever.  People complain about the setup but I didn't think it was that bad. It was by far the cheapest unit and seemed pretty accurate. The app wasn't terrible either, when it worked. The Pro+ package is a cool addon to have for club data, but at a price.

Cons: I really wanted to like the Mevo+ the most just because of its size, but man this thing had some connection issues. The unit displays an orange light to show it's "armed" and ready for a shot, similar to the light on the BLP, but so many times it would just never arm and therefore never read shots. I tried resetting, trying different phones, etc. Maybe my unit was defective, but I remember when I tested the regular Mevo I had similar issues. There's some serious firmware issues I suspect. The app is supposed to pair with an iPhone as well to get video data from the iPhone, but that didn't work either or when it did it was incredibly choppy. Additionally, the battery life is pretty pathetic.

 

Overall, I'm selling the BLP and Mevo+ and sticking with the FSK. From a learning perspective, the camera is really great (even if it's a bad angle) and the reads are pretty accurate. If I used my sim more I probably would've stuck with BLP, but for outdoors I think the FSK is only beat by Trackman.

 

Based on my experiences with FSK & also not recording videos - I may suggest you restart (power off & on) your iPad or iPhone, before you first connect to FSK

 

I use a 9th Gen iPad & this restart step ensures I get video

 

Hope this helps

 

PS Good call, I returned the GC3 to my buddy, its his anyway. While it was good, hated the dots & FSK delivers more easy to read data especially without dots or needing app.

 

Enjoy 👍

 

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by SwingBlues

[darom86]

Does the FSK app have skills challenges/combines like Trackman or FS Skills app?  If so, can you elaborate what they are?

[J13]

4 hours ago, darom86 said:

Does the FSK app have skills challenges/combines like Trackman or FS Skills app?  If so, can you elaborate what they are?

 

It doesn't have any of that

[darom86]

My range is off mats that are not perfectly level with the ground on which the KIT needs to be placed.  How do you ensure that the KIT is level with the ball/hitting area?  Tech support suggested aligning the device first through the device itself and then second through the app.  Thinking I need to find a book that is the appropriate 1 inch height or so and bring that with me to the course and place the device on that

[Rausky]

11 hours ago, darom86 said:

My range is off mats that are not perfectly level with the ground on which the KIT needs to be placed.  How do you ensure that the KIT is level with the ball/hitting area?  Tech support suggested aligning the device first through the device itself and then second through the app.  Thinking I need to find a book that is the appropriate 1 inch height or so and bring that with me to the course and place the device on that

It autobalances/adjusts in comparison to Mevo+ which you have to angle within a set parameter. When starting a practice session in the app it will display the camera with guidelines where to aim it.

[Rausky]

On 9/24/2023 at 9:37 AM, darom86 said:

Does the FSK app have skills challenges/combines like Trackman or FS Skills app?  If so, can you elaborate what they are?

Nope. I do wish they'd come out with a public roadmap of features though.

[darom86]

The view of where its aimed within the app seems too elevated to me (like its beneath the level of the mat too much).  I will play around with it.  Also in my first two sessions with it, it missed shots for seemingly no reason.

[darom86]

I think some combines customizable or not would be an easy addition, they could easily get input from their tour guys.  Seems like an easy marketing boost.

 

I also wonder if they would consider adding a metric akin to Trackman's "swing direction"

[Spinozist]

Does it really need the full 10 feet? That's awful far back...

[wfrogge1]

On 12/22/2023 at 3:57 PM, Spinozist said:

Does it really need the full 10 feet? That's awful far back...

8-10ft is required.  This is common for most radar based units

[Spinozist]

On 12/24/2023 at 12:43 PM, wfrogge1 said:

8-10ft is required.  This is common for most radar based units

...I wonder if it's at least partially also for the camera angle. At any rate, I decided to pick up an FSK unit, I'll test it myself when there's a break in the weather. The only thing I think is missing are shot tracer lines and the ability to sync up a face-on view camera (many of the cheaper units have either or both of these). Since the FSK hardware is a lot more powerful than i.e. the original Rapsodo and the SC4, I feel like they should be able to add both of these without much ado.

[Spinozist]

...also, even the SC4 will save sessions without a phone. It's quite nice just to plop it down, hit, then leave, and worry about diddling with a phone for later. This option should at least be available for those with a subscription.

[smdunlop]

Does anyone know what the discount is for a PGA professional for the FSK?

[awtryau89]

17 hours ago, smdunlop said:

Does anyone know what the discount is for a PGA professional for the FSK?

Local pro told me last night he paid $3800 for his. $1200 off retail I guess is pretty good.

[wfrogge1]

On 1/11/2024 at 7:49 AM, Spinozist said:

...I wonder if it's at least partially also for the camera angle. At any rate, I decided to pick up an FSK unit, I'll test it myself when there's a break in the weather. The only thing I think is missing are shot tracer lines and the ability to sync up a face-on view camera (many of the cheaper units have either or both of these). Since the FSK hardware is a lot more powerful than i.e. the original Rapsodo and the SC4, I feel like they should be able to add both of these without much ado.

I agree it might be due to the camera view. Can tell you that I have put mine 6ft behind me once at a range and it did well.  Not sure why they don't have shot tracer lines on the iOS app. Would be a helpful visual aid when I am at home and hitting into a net.

[jecarnl]

On 1/12/2024 at 11:00 AM, awtryau89 said:

Local pro told me last night he paid $3800 for his. $1200 off retail I guess is pretty good.

This is correct. 

[marmot8]

Has anyone heard when/if the Kit will support limited flight golf balls?  I've been told it's coming since 2022 - feels like it isn't capable.  @FullSwingSimulators

[zap311]

On 1/24/2024 at 6:18 PM, marmot8 said:

Has anyone heard when/if the Kit will support limited flight golf balls?  I've been told it's coming since 2022 - feels like it isn't capable.  @FullSwingSimulators

 

I haven't heard anything about limited flight balls. Last I checked with the FS team, they are working on range ball normalization, but they didn't specify limited flight.

[TheGriftKings]

On 2/7/2024 at 12:58 PM, zap311 said:

 

I haven't heard anything about limited flight balls. Last I checked with the FS team, they are working on range ball normalization, but they didn't specify limited flight.

Did they say when normalization is coming? I’ve been asking since the summer and they keep saying it’s coming soon…

[Avidswampthing66]

13 minutes ago, TheGriftKings said:

Did they say when normalization is coming? I’ve been asking since the summer and they keep saying it’s coming soon…

It's been coming soon for a long while now.  Its not a deal breaker, but will be very helpful

[TheGriftKings]

9 hours ago, Avidswampthing66 said:

It's been coming soon for a long while now.  Its not a deal breaker, but will be very helpful

Yeah, it’s such a great launch monitor but unfortunately I don’t see how I can use it at the range without normalization. @FullSwingSimulators shows all these videos of their sponsors enjoying it at the range implying that we’ll enjoy all of its benefits too, but in reality if you don’t have (a) normalization, or (b) Pro V1’s on your range then I don’t see how most people get a full experience because the information it reports doesn’t translate to our experience.
 

Overall I’m very disappointed that it’s taken this long for them to offer this basic functionality given that the range is the environment where most people will use their product (and they even promote it as such).  

[Avidswampthing66]

1 hour ago, TheGriftKings said:

Yeah, it’s such a great launch monitor but unfortunately I don’t see how I can use it at the range without normalization. @FullSwingSimulators shows all these videos of their sponsors enjoying it at the range implying that we’ll enjoy all of its benefits too, but in reality if you don’t have (a) normalization, or (b) Pro V1’s on your range then I don’t see how most people get a full experience because the information it reports doesn’t translate to our experience.
 

Overall I’m very disappointed that it’s taken this long for them to offer this basic functionality given that the range is the environment where most people will use their product (and they even promote it as such).  

I agree.  Not a great look for FS.

[J13]

1 hour ago, Avidswampthing66 said:

I agree.  Not a great look for FS.

 

Agree.  They are moving at snails pace.

[wfrogge1]

5 hours ago, TheGriftKings said:

Yeah, it’s such a great launch monitor but unfortunately I don’t see how I can use it at the range without normalization. @FullSwingSimulators shows all these videos of their sponsors enjoying it at the range implying that we’ll enjoy all of its benefits too, but in reality if you don’t have (a) normalization, or (b) Pro V1’s on your range then I don’t see how most people get a full experience because the information it reports doesn’t translate to our experience.
 

Overall I’m very disappointed that it’s taken this long for them to offer this basic functionality given that the range is the environment where most people will use their product (and they even promote it as such).  

Yeah on my FSK app it still says "coming soon" or whatever....  

At my range we have a mix of range balls and "limited fight range balls" that aren't marked so we can't tell what is what from our bucket of balls.  We also have Toptracer that of course is normalized.   What I have experienced when comparing the FSK to a friends SC4, a SC200, a MLM2, and a PRGR is that the Toptracer at this range reads low on ball speed by 5-6mph with irons and 10+ with woods. These "personal launch monitors are fairly accurate to each other and typically only differ by 1-2mph with irons, 3-4 with woods.  On top of that some balls are old and worn out, some are new, some are new and marked the same but with large numbers on them and sound really loud when hit.  The balls at this range are really impacted by the weather as well. If the temp is 45 degrees  my friends that swing in 113 range have a hard time carrying their driver 230mph. Days later when the air temp is 65 they are carrying 250. 

I guess my point is this. In order to properly normalize the balls we are hitting would need to be consistent and that is not the case at any range. There are just too many variables and differences in the quality of each ball to get an accurate normalization.  Not sure I would trust any normalization TBH. The testing my friends and I have done show what numbers match this Toptracer (ball speed, launch, peak height, direction) to real balls so w know they are good.  I know path is right with the FSK and I assume that AoA and other club data is correct too. 

[TheGriftKings]

11 minutes ago, wfrogge1 said:

Yeah on my FSK app it still says "coming soon" or whatever....  

At my range we have a mix of range balls and "limited fight range balls" that aren't marked so we can't tell what is what from our bucket of balls.  We also have Toptracer that of course is normalized.   What I have experienced when comparing the FSK to a friends SC4, a SC200, a MLM2, and a PRGR is that the Toptracer at this range reads low on ball speed by 5-6mph with irons and 10+ with woods. These "personal launch monitors are fairly accurate to each other and typically only differ by 1-2mph with irons, 3-4 with woods.  On top of that some balls are old and worn out, some are new, some are new and marked the same but with large numbers on them and sound really loud when hit.  The balls at this range are really impacted by the weather as well. If the temp is 45 degrees  my friends that swing in 113 range have a hard time carrying their driver 230mph. Days later when the air temp is 65 they are carrying 250. 

I guess my point is this. In order to properly normalize the balls we are hitting would need to be consistent and that is not the case at any range. There are just too many variables and differences in the quality of each ball to get an accurate normalization.  Not sure I would trust any normalization TBH. The testing my friends and I have done show what numbers match this Toptracer (ball speed, launch, peak height, direction) to real balls so w know they are good.  I know path is right with the FSK and I assume that AoA and other club data is correct too. 

True, the algorithm for normalization will always vary, but the larger point is that for FSK as a competitive technology, their product is the only one in that peer group (and used by professionals) that doesn’t have that really basic functionality.  

[Avidswampthing66]

I had fun getting my pops dialed with driver shaft for his Paradym X.

 

Autoflex 405 vs Ventus Red (Velocore) 5R2

 

The large ring is Autoflex and the super tight one is the Ventus.  His longest of the day was with Ventus as well.  Good stuff.   Once you create the club and name it, it’s easy to use.  Easy to toggle between them.   We used premium balls for this test bc range balls simply can’t be trusted.

[J13]

1 hour ago, Avidswampthing66 said:

I had fun getting my pops dialed with driver shaft for his Paradym X.

 

Autoflex 405 vs Ventus Red (Velocore) 5R2

 

The large ring is Autoflex and the super tight one is the Ventus.  His longest of the day was with Ventus as well.  Good stuff.   Once you create the club and name it, it’s easy to use.  Easy to toggle between them.   We used premium balls for this test bc range balls simply can’t be trusted.

 

 

I gave them the suggestion of allowing players to assign colors to shots and setups. That way when you look at the grid you can see whats what.  Changes like that are incredibly easy yet they do nothing.  The rings they display on the dispersion screen could be a mix of setups/shots.  It's not like the smaller circle is all 1 setup.  Really disappointing so far.

Edited February 14 by J13

[Avidswampthing66]

6 minutes ago, J13 said:

 

 

I gave them the suggestion of allowing players to assign colors to shots and setups. That way when you look at the grid you can see whats what.  Changes like that are incredibly easy yet they do nothing.  The rings they display on the dispersion screen could be a mix of setups/shots.  It's not like the smaller circle is all 1 setup.  Really disappointing so far.

Yeah, idk if they are just cashing in or what but, seems like a SIMPLE oversight and correction with an update.  Thank goodness I saw very clear differences today, but on another day it may be impossible to tell what's what.  Especially if they all say D and are blue.

[PLLand55]

All Tiger $ going to new clothing line. 🤪