GC Quad vs GC2 + HMT - How much difference is there?

[gophers79]

I've been coveting my own personal indoor golf room for a while now, and having space for one has started to factor into our upcoming house hunt, so my thinking about my own golf simulator has become more "real".

 

I'm mostly convinced that the camera systems are better for indoor golf simulation than radar ones, so I've been focused on Foresight's GC Quad (specifically, the Sim In A Box that they offer, since I'm basically starting from scratch).  However, was wondering how much difference there is between GC Quad and a GC2 with the HMT attachment?  If it's more economical to go with the older model, I may end up doing that, assuming there's not a major downgrade in quality.

 

Thank you in advance for your insight!

[Krt22]

Think of it as a long term investment and get the quad. Costco has the sim in a box, it went on sale frequently before COVID hit, I am guessing LM sales are starting to cool down finally so I would not be surprised if that happens again soon with the holidays coming up. Then add the club data after

[ajlacombe]

27 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

Think of it as a long term investment and get the quad. Costco has the sim in a box, it went on sale frequently before COVID hit, I am guessing LM sales are starting to cool down finally so I would not be surprised if that happens again soon with the holidays coming up. Then add the club data after

The Costco version of the Sim-in-a-box is slightly different than the ones straight from Foresight Sports.  From my discussions with them, the ones through Costco are something like an earlier version with a slower computer and a few other differences.

 

The one from Costco is here. The club data is $4k so I think it is $2k cheaper.

 

I bought the one from Foresight and have been thrilled with it.  I have done a bunch of fittings for friends - I have learned a lot by doing that.

[gophers79]

35 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

Think of it as a long term investment and get the quad. Costco has the sim in a box, it went on sale frequently before COVID hit, I am guessing LM sales are starting to cool down finally so I would not be surprised if that happens again soon with the holidays coming up. Then add the club data after

What was the sale price when it was on sale at Costco? Does it ever go on sale thru Foresight themselves?

[Krt22]

16 hours ago, gophers79 said:

What was the sale price when it was on sale at Costco? Does it ever go on sale thru Foresight themselves?

I think it was 3k off in Nov 2020. Foresight does occasionally have sales, at one point they were giving away a free GC2 if you bought a quad. I bought my quad from Greg Sheffield at Indoor Golf Solutions (he is an authorized dealer) as the costco deal was already gone

 

The costco deal has 30 courses vs the 15 that foresight has for the similar package. So even if you had the extra 4k for club data, its cheaper and you get more courses. If it goes on sale its an even better deal.

[Cactus Jack]

I understand the underlying tech is different, but both GC2+HMT and GC Quad produce the same results right? Also, I often see units for sale without software, do you need FSX to get a basic driving range and to visualize the data? My understanding is the GC2 is more an open platform, while the Quad is largely locked. Are there third party software programs that present club and ball data?  

[Tekray]

Big fan of GSPro

[Celeras]

On 8/30/2021 at 6:14 PM, Cactus Jack said:

Are there third party software programs that present club and ball data?  

 

Yes.

 

And the main difference here isn't the LM results but rather the bundled tech. Quad has WiFi and USB-C, GC2 is stuck with mini USB and bluetooth only.

[Krt22]

1 hour ago, Celeras said:

 

Yes.

 

And the main difference here isn't the LM results but rather the bundled tech. Quad has WiFi and USB-C, GC2 is stuck with mini USB and bluetooth only.

The quad has some other advantages. 4 cameras vs 2 (even with the HMT, 2 cameras are for the club, 2 for the ball), this impacts accuracy to a certain extent. It has a larger allowable hitting area, replaceable battery with longer life, no need to replace the strobes, etc. It has bluetooth and ethernet connectivity as well

[Celeras]

28 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

The quad has some other advantages. 4 cameras vs 2 (even with the HMT, 2 cameras are for the club, 2 for the ball), this impacts accuracy to a certain extent. 

 

I agree with the latter part of your post, I didn't list all the technical improvements but the overall package is significantly better/newer. Disagree with this part though, as far as I know the tolerances are exactly the same.

 

Vertical Launch Angle        Ball Speed:       Back Spin:       Side Spin:       Azimuth:

+/- 0.2 degrees                  +/- 0.5 mph       +/- 50 rpm       +/- 50 rpm       +/- 1.0 degrees

[Krt22]

2 minutes ago, Celeras said:

 

I agree with the latter part of your post, I didn't list all the technical improvements but the overall package is significantly better/newer. Disagree with this part though, as far as I know the tolerances are exactly the same.

 

Vertical Launch Angle        Ball Speed:       Back Spin:       Side Spin:       Azimuth:

+/- 0.2 degrees                  +/- 0.5 mph       +/- 50 rpm       +/- 50 rpm       +/- 1.0 degrees

Horizontal LA is the one parameter that a a quad will be better at, that was always one of the limitations of the GC2 since in plane motion is hard to detect with only two cameras. I agree there will be little difference for vertical LA and overall spin. 

[Celeras]

34 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

Horizontal LA is the one parameter that a a quad will be better at, that was always one of the limitations of the GC2 since in plane motion is hard to detect with only two cameras. I agree there will be little difference for vertical LA and overall spin. 

 

My manual doesn't even list a tolerance for horizontal LA so I have no idea on that one.