Buyer's Guides

Buyer’s Guide: Personal Launch Monitors

BY GolfSpy Tim
Mar 16th 2015
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Ownership of launch monitors (accurate ones) has traditionally been limited to golf teaching professionals, club fitters, and the rich (and potentially famous). That’s understandable given the cost of these systems, but that’s changing…quickly. As the technology to measure ball flight becomes more accessible and more affordable, several manufacturers have entered what we call the personal launch monitor space.

While a professional grade launch monitor can set you back as much as $25,000, the launch monitors we tested start at under $200. It’s absolutely true that none of these budget units can match the professional products feature for feature (none of the units we tested provide clubhead data), each offers the promise of accuracy for substantially less than their professional-grade counterparts.

That sounds great, but a launch monitor is only useful if it really is accurate, and at an absolute minimum, consistent. Can a personal launch monitor offer that?

We put four of the top personal launch monitors to the test to find out which ones actually perform as advertised.

The Contenders

Ernest Sports
ES12

Ernest Sports
ES14

Voice Caddie
SC100

SkyTrak Golf
SkyTrak

The Comparisons

To establish and quantify accuracy, units were tested alongside a professional-grade launch monitor. Shots were recorded simultaneously and the results were collected from each device for comparison with our control unit. Results are based on a collection of driver, hybrid, 7-iron, and pitching wedge shots. Each unit registered a total of 120 shots.

Accuracy

Each of the units we tested had moments of glory where the numbers it registered were dead-on accurate (in comparison to our control unit), but each suffered from the occasional wild miss as well. Some users will find it easy-enough to discount these shots and be otherwise happy.

One of the toughest measurements for this price range of monitors seems to be the Azimuth. While not reported by any of the monitors in our test, it’s used a basis for some of the reported numbers, but when a ball starts too far right or left, the reliability of the overall numbers negatively impacted. Not surprisingly, straighter shots produce more reliable numbers.

Comparative accuracy was established using all shots registered by each launch monitor. As noted above, this includes shots measured from a driver, hybrid, 7-iron and pitching wedge.

The chart below show the average percent difference from our control launch monitor across all shots.

The chart below shows sample data from a single shot simultaneously captured by all four devices. This is intended to provide you with a visual from a true numbers perspective. These numbers, as they are from a single shot, may not align with the overall averages listed above for each device.

MYGOLFSPY RECOMMENDED

Good: The overall accuracy variance for this unit in testing was 4.92% from the control, and the numbers were the most consistent of any unit in this test. That borders on excellent when you consider that the cost for some of the big boys run 10 times the price. For those looking for an “affordable” in-home simulator, SkyTrak has announced simulation options (which including putting) coming in the near future. The reported online capabilities will likely add to the value and fun of this unit.

Bad: No built-in display. Requires an iPad.

Notes: Offers a plethora of data, reliability, and consistency at an affordable price. SkyTrak is your most accurate option under $2,000. Upcoming simulator capabilities will make it a no-brainer for those looking for an inexpensive, yet realistic indoor setup. For club fitting, SkyTrak will get you close, but doesn’t offer the exacting accuracy/consistency you’d need to be 100% confident in the finer points.

Buy SkyTrak – $1995

Good: Distance, Ball Speed, Swing Speed and Smash Factor all represented along with games you can use to practice on the range with accuracy that is surprising at this price point.

Bad: Doesn’t measure spin. Lacks a smart phone/table interface.

Notes: Simple yet extremely well-done. Well-suited for quick range sessions.

Buy Voice Caddie SC100 – $269

The Others

While the Ernest Sports ES12 and ES14 each fills a role, we didn’t find either unit to be consistently accurate-enough to warrant our recommendation.

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GolfSpy Tim

Tim focuses on Tech and Soft Goods for MyGolfspy. In his other life he tries to play as much golf as possible, whether that's during travels for work as a wedding photographer, or during testing - Tim has a tough time hanging out at the driving range when he could be out on the course. Based in Folsom, CA Tim has a penchant for adventure and mischief.

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GolfSpy Tim

comments

Join The Discussion

Brian

7 years ago

Awesome review… you guys are way ahead of the pack on this.

some new devices to add to the list?

ES16 and FlightScope Mevo?

ParHunter

8 years ago

I bought a SC200 because the older SC100 was recommended in this article.
For me the distances where way off though. They seemed to be okay for my 7 iron but for half wedge shots they were completely off. Giving me around 20-30 yards more than I actually hit (checked with laser range finder). I’ve tried to adjust by changing the loft on the SC but that didn’t make much of a difference. Shame I really wanted to like the device. But I guess you get what you pay for.
I guess the problem is that they don’t measure the distance (even though they are saying that) but estimate it based on ball speed and the loft/club selected for the shot. The assumptions they are taking might be okay for some players but they certainly didn’t work for me.

shifty

8 years ago

Just wondering if anyone with a es14 has tried to pair it with Swinguru Pro? Tons of more features, if its as advertised, and does it work?
I think the ES16 must have to be paired with Swinguru Pro as well to get the numbers that they say it will once released. Could be wrong, but its supposed to be camera based, so that makes sense.

Brad Smith

9 years ago

I have the following thought whenever I see ANY article about launch monitors:
I’d appreciate the following info: What does each unit actually measure vs what do they “estimate” or “calculate through some algorithm”. And that includes your Control Unit, which you should have identified.

Tony Wright

9 years ago

Good article. I will be REALLY excited when someone figures out how to create a device like these that also measure Face Angle at Impact and Path at Impact. THAT will be a terrific lower cost device!!

Larry Bowden

7 years ago

Swingbyte does that. Not sure how accurate it is. Swing speed must be close because I was hitting my 7 iron about 140 yds with 75 mph swing speed on the swingbyte.

Nicholas Johnson

9 years ago

I can’t say that I agree or disagree with what’s here 100 percent. I own an ES12 and have never had any problems with it or Ernest Sports! I know that my 6-iron is a club I can hit 190 yards, and the ES12 has been spot on with merely a 2 yard difference! In the beginning I was like any first time user. Unsure if I had it set properly. I kept getting 138 yards on any club that I hit. So I read the instructions and ended up adjusting the altitude setting and voila! Please understand that I am not disputing this article or any of the comments here. It’s all great information, especially since I wanted an ES14 (would still like to play around with one just to see for myself,) I just haven’t had any unpleasant experiences with it. No, I don’t work for Ernest Sports. I am a golfer just like everyone else. I’ve owned an ES12 for several years and it just hasn’t failed me yet. I was excited about all of the data that I read would come along with the ES14 but with a family, a full time job, and a $500 price tag, that purchase never happened.

Bryan

9 years ago

Hello i want to know what is better, and what people thing about optishot 2 vs the skytrak?

Frank Pipolo

9 years ago

Honestly, not even comparable. Skytrak is as close as your going to get to the GC2 for a good home/range launch monitor. like Tony says, putting and home simulation is coming. Optishot IMO more like a toy and is fun, but not in the same ballpark. FYI I have both and really wanted to get the GC2, but just to much for the golf nut.

Actually, I am grateful that I did not go down that route of a GC2 as I am not sure I would get the value out of it due to how much I use the ST.

Darryl Gwalter

8 years ago

I purchased a Skytrak after owning an Optishot for year. Due to the inaccuracy of the Optishot it totally killed my swing path and distance control. 270 yards on an Optishot was 230 yards on a Skytrak. The Optishot is a fun video game, but I think it does more to harm your swing than help.

Billy

9 years ago

Earlier in the comments you said that u asked flightscope about testing the xi. Have you had any experience with the flightscope xi, are they any good indoors /outdoor?

Scott

9 years ago

Great article! Thanks so much for this side-by-side comparison.

Quick question regarding the results table:
You said earlier in the article that each monitor “suffered from the occasional wild miss”. Does the data used in this table include all of the wild misses or were those data points scrubbed out before calculating the averages?

Is there a chance you could easily re-run the table to include just perceived “good data” if that’s not how you originally did it?

Specifically, I’m thinking about a skytrak, but I’d be curious to understand how accurate it is when you look at the numbers for just properly-captured shots. If it is near-perfect in those scenarios but it completely whiffs on every 10th shot, I’m probably more excited than if it is +/- 5% off every time. Those are pretty significant differences for the skytrak measured parameters (mph, rpm, and launch angle) in my opinion.

Thanks!

Tate

9 years ago

Sorry about that, Mark- thank you for your fair comments.

Mark

9 years ago

Guys – I have absolutely no affiliation with Ernest Sports. I’m simply a satisfied customer that researched the low cost LM market thoroughly and knew what I was getting into before my purchase (my expectations were grounded).

There has to be a reasonable explanation for why some people can’t seem to get their units to reliably pick-up shots. I must admit that I’m disappointed to hear that some of you are not getting what you feel should be better support from the company. My interaction with them (over email) has been responsive and valued. I wish they would look deeper into what factors may impact reliability for shot pick-up. I know that you must absolutely have a fresh battery, but other than that I would say that there’s a least a square foot region where you may place the ball and not have any issues. Oh yeah, and I never change the angle of the stand unless I’m hitting driver. I keep it at the max angle (but I do hit fairly high balls with all of my irons, but nothing crazy – my 6 iron launch angle is around 21* as measured by GC2).

Note that the unit needs to “see” at least 10′ of ball flight to reliably report data (if you’re hitting into a net).

BTW – After using it at an outdoor range again yesterday, I’m really wondering if the launch angle is actually seen by the unit. For shots that are on line, but low (think thin shots) my unit was reliably picking this up and showing drastically lower launch angles than my pure hits. And…. I hit over 200 balls and can only remember about 4 or 5 shots that weren’t picked up. I have no problem with those numbers.

Club length setup is within the CAL setup area and support can guide you on how to use this for your particular needs.

edddieboy

9 years ago

Mark, thank you for clarifying that you have no affiliation with Ernest Sports. I think Tate was having a little fun with your rah-rah attitude. I know I didn’t take them as tongue and cheek and not mean spirited. Besides, given what I know about the ES14 and my experience with it to date, I’d be embarrassed to say that I work for such a company.

Since you are familiar with the ES14, let me share with you and all the readers of mygolfspy my backyard range session with it.

I began like I always do by setting up the ES14 and selecting a pitching wedge. So there was a letter “P” on the display. I took my first swing and bam, there was all the data. I have my ES14 set up at factory default of 7 second intervals between the two sets of screen data that appear. So I’m off to a good start. I hit another ball, look down at the ES14 only to see that the same data is being displayed. It never recorded my shot. This happened several more times which is par for the course for the ES14, so I powered down the unit and turned it back on. It should also be noted that with my ES14 it’s a little tricky to power on/off as the power button is not completely centered on this cheaply made product.

After powering the ES14 back on it was able to capture data for the next couple of minutes. Then, after just puring a shot, I looked down at the ES14 and the data flashed for about 1 second and the display then cycled back to the screen with the little “P” on it like when I first turned the unit on. Scenarios like this happen all to often.

As I’ve said in the past, I have contacted Ernest Sports multiple times asking for an exchange and never heard back. One would think that if the company was worth their salt, they would at the very least given some kind of response, good or bad. And if they were unwilling to offer an exchange, how about offering to have me send the unit back and they would take a look at it. Nope, not Ernest Sports. Oh, I forgot. If they found nothing wrong with my unit then they would be on the hook for the $7 shipping charge back to me or even worse, replace my unit. Yikes!!!

Un-biased, un-waivering, un-apologetic, you deserve the truth. That’s what mygolfspy is all about. Power to the player. The fact is the ES14 wouldn’t be a good buy at $250 let alone the asking price of $550. The unit is cheaply made, the data is inconsistent at best and the customer service/support is awful. I’m quite sure that the “powers that be” at Ernest Sports read these posts. Yet nothing seems to change.

People, please take my word on this. The ES14 is not worth the price Ernest Sports is asking for it. It’s not even worth half that amount. Save you money and your sanity.

Tate

9 years ago

Eddieboy- I am with you. I would say that “reading” one out of three/four shots is a disappointment, and even attempting to explain this to the ES team gets you nowhere. They only insist you have the unit set up incorrectly and are fairly combative. The only mandate to the sales team seems to be “no refunds allowed.” If the co would just be somewhat forthcoming with their calculations of spin, smash, etc., I could almost buy in. But the vagueness is insulting.

Tate

9 years ago

I have to laugh at some of the comments from “Mark” above– these are clearly dictated by the ES CEO or his wife- it’s their party line for response to an average piece of equipment.

edddieboy

9 years ago

Tate, great pickup regarding Mark’s comments. They are spot on. However, I beg to differ. The ES 14 is not and “average” piece of equipment but rather a “well below average” piece of equipment. Like I said in my earlier post, I’m one of the lucky ones to have only paid $450 for a unit that is so cheaply made and under performs. Couple that with some of the worst customer service and it’s no wonder the ES 14 is so unreliable.

People please, those who are thinking of purchasing the ES 14, save your money and don’t believe the hype. You will only experience utter frustration and total disappointment. Save your money and your sanity.

Gordon

9 years ago

Great review guys. Just what the average joe needs to make an informed purchase.

Was really keen on the Voice Caddie sc100 but have one question. I usually head to the driving range after work at night. Does it work at night?

Rod_CCCGOLFUSA

9 years ago

I use a Flightscope for outdoor fitting and an Accusport for indoors. I bought the ES14 and the Voice Cddie to use in giving lessons. I discarded the voice caddie because it was so inconsistent in tracking shots. I use the ES14 for the swing speed and ball speed data that helps develop tempo and solid ball striking. All launch monitors rely on limited real data and lots of algorithms to project outcomes. That’s why I prefer to work outdoors where both my client and I can see swing results for real.

thomas

9 years ago

thanks for that input. This has been my thought. My most messed up era in golf was working at Golfech on a launch monitor/harness/video. Bummer you found VC so inconsistent because size and price are perfect for that the purposeI want.

Thomas

9 years ago

Love the conversation here. Wish again there was a bit more data shown. I like the final table but wonder when you measure the same shot with all the monitors at the same time if you are getting off axis errors. Instead of saying the “control unit” why not just say Foresight since they have been stated to be your sponsoring monitor?
Data wise was accuracy consistent with the different clubs or did you find more difficult with driver vs. hydrid etc? In your single shot test, the variance from “standard” is different than the averages. Was distance reported consistent? IE always short or long? One of the uses is not that you will know exact but you can still know consistency. More important than does the data match the reference…the reference should be reality.
What other parameters are there for the data? IE is this indoor data? Bridgestone B330-RX?
I think for the money a couple hundred for the SC100 is a great fun piece to have especially on a poorly marked range. I do wish it connected to the PC to download data to keep history etc. and I think they are working on another model just like Ernest has with the 12/14. But at a couple thousand…I can play a LOT of golf and take a LOT of lessons for that amount.
Do people see a difference in accuracy from mats vs. grass?

K. Han

9 years ago

Nice reviews on affordable launch monitors.
I am one of early adopters for Skytrak. I got one as it came out on the market last November.
It actually measures the most critical data points such as ball speed, launch angle, side angle, spin (or spin axis), and my outdoor testing proved they are very accurate. I have used Skytrak in my basement during the winter and it produces great feedback and graphic representations for shots I hit on the Ipad app. I was able to practice all kinds of shots (low, high chip/pitch shots, draw, face, etc.) with confidence. Without side spin (or spin axis), you don’t know if it is a fade or draw.
The Skytrak developer has been communicating with consumers like me at one of the online forums so that I know they keep improving features for the Ipad app. Even if there has been some minor glitches, the developer has been responding to them very well.
Overall, I am very pleased with my investment.

adam

9 years ago

Great article guys. I’ve been looking forward to seeing how the skytrak fell out amongst the competitors.

Skip Perrey

9 years ago

Ok I own the ES14 and never consider your $2k unit. I too brought my unit at the show and was updated thru Ernest Sports. I have used many unit that came out in the 80’s and to some of the new “trackman” most mechinal and some electronic but they gave you a rule of thumb measurement. Now correct me the only trackman I was on had to have metal tabes added to the balls? What I saw in the charts do not suggest the outcome you came to? I donate monthly not much but it’s something. I trust yawl but now I wonder. I have used my ES14 with my IPad to get a range, but my eyes give me the truth or at least I exept those number I see.

Fede

9 years ago

I understand that when using any of these launch monitors you have to select the club you will use beforehand, for example 7 iron. Can you set the loft or is predefined and unchangeable?

My TM Rocketbladez 7 iron has a 30.5º loft, but my friend’s Titleist AP1 7 iron has a 33º loft. Won’t this give you the difference between these LM and a trackman ?

Mark

9 years ago

With the ES14 you can (and should) configure the correct lofts for your clubs (although 0.5* increments are not available, only whole degrees). Also, the ES14 provides further customization for your club lengths if needed. It’s important to set these values correctly to ensure the data provided is more accurate. The ES14 also provides for altitude adjustment as well and I’ve found that function to work very nicely.

edddieboy

9 years ago

Mark, where is it in the ES14 configuration menu that you can account for a clubs length? I’ve never seen that. I know you can adjust for the lofts, but I’ve never seen where you can adjust for the length of the club.

Craig

9 years ago

What was the control unit. Was it a camera based unit or a radar based one.
If it was camera based I would not even trust it. Again all the numbers are calculated on camera based and not as accurate as radar based. So please tell me that you used a radar style as your control.
Even Zelocity has it’s fair share of calculated guesses.

Ed O'Grady

9 years ago

While it might be interesting to know what the control unit for this test was, it’s inaccurate to say that camera units cannot be trusted. Just as with radar units, some camera units are better than others. It is my understanding that foresight’s GC2 is in use by nearly all of the larger golf club makers and several of the club makers and fitters in my area rely on it exclusively.

Mbwa Kali Sana

9 years ago

My God ,I wouldn’t like to play a round of golf with any of the commentators of this blog:You’re all obnubilated with figures completely useless the average golfer:when you are on the golf course ,do you think” Launch angle “, “Spin”,” Smash Factor ” etc,etc,
You enjoy YOUR game ,try to send YOUR ball to the appropriate place ,nurse YOUR tempo,keep YOUR head cool.
I am over 80 ,play since 50 years ,now up to a handicap of 7 :I own a SC100 since one year ,I don’t find it useful or helpful .
The ” Greats “of the past – BOBBY JONES- PICARD- WALTER HAGEN- BEn HOGAN – didn’t have all this trash and didn’t play worse for lack of it .
Marketing and Consumérism is killing golf !

eddieboy

9 years ago

Mbwa Kali Sana, 7 handicap or not, at 80 years old plus, it doesn’t come as a shock that you wouldn’t find one of these devices helpful to your game. Based on your comments, it sounds as though you are out for the pure enjoyment of the game, which I think is something we all share. Just because not everyone agrees or has differing opinions, doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t be fun to play with.

Mike

9 years ago

Nice review. Thanks for going through the process of doing it and writing it up. A couple of things I think can be added. Full disclosure: I own a SkyTrak and like it.

The unit measures side spin as well as horizontal launch angle. Nice seeing the the accuracy being validated to a point. I have about 3 swings on mine next to a Flightscope and found it to be pretty accurate (but a small sample size). The one number I don’t put a lot of faith in is the club speed. Hitting the ball squarely, I think its pretty good. But poor contact penalizes club speed.

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

Mike – my understanding is that the club speed from SkyTrak is less a measurement and more an estimated/calucation based on other factors. (could be wrong, I’ll see if I can confirm this in details)

TS

9 years ago

My understanding is that is correct.

Denny

9 years ago

I too agree with any launch monitor when you do smash the living crap of one and it blinks or winks at you, first instinct is to send it down range. That happened quite a few times with the ES 12 while i was learning the sweet spot and how far to setup the net.

Denny

9 years ago

I most definitely can provide 1000’s of shots with both the ES 12 and Zelocity. Where do I send ‘Em….

DEnny

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

Denny – not sure if the Zelocity would be a launch monitor that would be considered industry standard for comparisons – if anything the Zelocity might lineup pretty closely with SkyTrak from my understanding.

Mark

9 years ago

Unfortunately I believe that this review is missing critical information and does not accurately portray the true situation between these 4 units.

The SC100, lacking integration with any phone/tablet, means that you can never collect any of the data recorded for later review. I find that a huge “miss” for this unit. The ES14’s ability to record your sessions and dump the data into Excel makes it quite valuable for assessing your yardage gaps across your set. This would be quite difficult to without being able to easily calculate your averages across good hits.

The ES14 only measures club speed and ball speed – all other statistics displayed are calculated based on assumptions (and BTW, the ES14 does include Total Distance – your chart is wrong). Since the ES14 only measures the speed of the swing and the ball speed, the spin and launch angle are just “educated guesses” programmed via algorithms. However, I have found that it is quite accurate in regards to the club speed, ball speed, and the calculated carry/total distances provided. You do not state in your review what your “control” unit is. And as you so strongly advocate, “I want the truth” – so please provide what was used as the control unit that these were measured against. Transparency would be appreciated.

Finally, there’s a big difference between $500 (ES14) and $2000 (SkyTrak), so I was quite surprised to actually see that the SkyTrak’s numbers were not better than the ES14 (at least that’s what your chart data shows). So I’m confused as to how the data you present here supports your final conclusion. If I’m just looking at the data I would not be happy about my $2000 investment in SkyTrak (no matter how pretty the new simulation software is – at added cost of course).

If it’s not already obvious, I was an owner of the SC100 (returned it) and I presently own the ES14. I think this review requires a second look and some additional data gathering. You should ensure that you truly understand how the units gather their data by speaking with the manufacturers. The fact that you completely missed the “Total Yards” for the ES14 makes the review highly suspect in my opinion.

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

Mark, thanks for the catch on the total yards in chart. We meant to include an updated chart and it’s now there.

unfortunately you have to choose between total yards or carry. Also, total yards is a near completely manufactured number. calculated, but did you miss in the rough, is the fairway rock hard, or are we talking post rain. (but that opens a whole other can of worms when talking about launch monitors, elevation, weather conditions, atmosphere and more)

We’d love to see any direct comparisons of matching swings that you’ve done with the ES14 with a professional grade unit that shows something different if you have that data available.

Mark

9 years ago

When you dump the data from the ES14 you get both carry and total distance, but as you stated, total distance is completely “manufactured” based on the type of club you hit (i.e. for the driver it always adds 21 yards to the carry). So I pretty much ignore the total distance since that’s not really something anyone should consider when using one of these units (a variable dependent on course conditions and swing technique/skill).

Unfortunately when I did my accuracy test using a Trackman and my rangefinder I did not record the “control” values, however, after thousands of swings on the ES14, I’m quite confident in the data that it spits out. Sure there are some errant values, but all of the units do that every now and then.

I think the important point was lost (or not really provided) in this review. Even if you do not believe that the “absolute” values provided are correct, there is a lot of value in having the “relative” values for comparison. The ES14 helped provide me with instant feedback regarding my swing speed and contact quality (since it measures the ball speed). Having that data helped me improve the lag in my swing and gain club speed through impact. It gives a kind of confirmation to the feedback you get when you know your swing is off as opposed to when you really flush a hit at top swing speed.

Ban

9 years ago

Thanks a lot for your feedback Tim.
Unfortunately, I haven’t seen the answer to the question regarding the control unit.
The truth shall set us free so I was hoping you could give us more numbers so that we can make our own opinion. Like the total number of shots per club and the average accuracy.
Thanks again.

Jack

9 years ago

What about the 3 bays GSA product? Do you have any recommedations?

Mark

9 years ago

That’s not a personal Launch Monitor. That falls into the “swing analyzer” segment.

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

Mark is correct –

And….. we will be publishing a full buyer’s guide on swing analyzers shortly!

Denny L

9 years ago

I’ve used both the ES12 and ES 14 for the past 2 years against my aging – but still very accurate $6K Zelocity Pure-Launch.
For one, you can set the Carry or Total Distance in both ES’s so not sure what happened there.
Two, the ES 12 is around 200 not 2000 and the ES 14 is 300 ish not 2000.
What I’ve learned from using the ES’s is placement is more critical with the ES14 – they even provide a ruler for guidance.
What I prefer to all the above is the ZEPP Golf device and App. it’s far more intuitive and to me more accurate from the swing perspective -which is where we should be placing more emphasis. Why did it go right or left, not why can’t my monitor capture my bad game…

My .02 which no one every pays a penny for….

Denny

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

Denny great catch – you can select either carry or total distance – though the units won’t display both at the same time.

Unfortunately the Zepp is a totally different category of devices – they are swing trainers/analyzers – but…. we’ll be producing a buyer’s guide for exactly that category very shortly.

eddieboy

9 years ago

If you use the ES14 with the iPad app, you can set the carry distance to show on the ES14 and the total distance is displayed on the iPad app. The numbers are just a best guess.

GolfSpy Tim, I’m surprised that you didn’t include the FlightScope Xi as part of the test. The unit price is in the $2500 range. Would love to see that review. Keep up the good work. You have the best unbiased golf review site I have ever seen. Thank you for the service you provide!

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

Ah… great work around Eddie.

Yeah, we invited FlightScope to submit the unit but they turned down the opportunity.

Eddieboy

9 years ago

Now this is a review I’ve really been waiting for. Great job!

I purchased an Ernest Sports ES14 when they first became available after the PGA show last year. The cost was $450. From what I could tell looking at the youtube video’s, this thing looked to be just was I was looking for. Boy, was I wrong! What a total disappointment.

At first, I thought this unit was pretty cool. But after using it for about 30 minutes, I realized just how frustrating this unit can be. Many of the shots never even register! So I have to power the unit down, then turn it back on only to have the same issue a few minutes later.

I called the company and spoke to Jamie, who is very nice and she made a few suggestions which I tried. Still the same issues. I called back and also emailed asking for a refund and never heard back.

A few month’s later, I received a mass email from Ernest Sports stating that the iPad app was finally available for download. So I downloaded the app only to find out that the bluetooth connection was sketchy at best.

After trying to contact customer support, I received another email that there was a firmware upgrade that was available free of charge. I thought that might just be what the doctor ordered, even though it required me to send the unit back to Ernest Sports. It seems the brain trust at Ernest Sports did not factor in a way of updating the unit by the end user.

I received the unit back within two weeks time and was anxious to give it another chance. Long story short, the free upgrade made no difference at all and if anything, the unit is even slightly more unreliable than it previously was.

Some of my biggest beefs are that many times the unit simply does not register when a shot is hit and just keeps flashing the the most recently recorded shot data. I’ve hit some of the longest “worm burner” drives of my life with 112 mph swing speed and 268 yards of carry. Absolute nonsense. The unit also registers higher swing speeds than what they actually are. Spin rate numbers are also a joke.

In summation, this is a purchase that I wish I had never made. Any support I attempted to get from Ernest Sports fell on deaf ears. It’s just been a very bad experience and if the company really was top notch first class, they would have at least attempted to remedy the situation rather than ignoring it.

My advice to all those who are thinking of purchasing the ES14, save your money. Ernest Sports has increased their price and it isn’t even worth half of what it costs. You’ll find it maddening when you hit some of your best most sweet feeling shots, only to look down and see the shot data was not captured.

Don’t believe the hype from Ernest Sports and just move on. You’ll be happier in the end if you do.

Mark

9 years ago

You must have had a very early production unit (as stated by the fact that the iPad app was not yet available). I have had very little trouble with the ES14 registering shots (as long as the battery is fairly fresh). In fact, the ES14 is quite forgiving regarding ball placement in relation to the unit’s position.

You are correct that some of the data will be “complete nonsense” if you made a bad hit. The data is much more accurate for solid shots. You just need to understand that going in.

BTW – Support has always been quite responsive and I feel that the investment in the ES14 has helped my game significantly.

John

9 years ago

Both the SC100 and ES14 assume you hit the shot on the face. So wormburners for both are going to be inaccurate. But why do you need to know those numbers anyways? And if the shots didn’t register, it must have been user error or the unit needed a physical repair. Firmware wouldn’t fix that. Defects happen for every company. I have used both the ES14 and SC100 and both are very similar in regards to the accuracy (ball,club, smash). The ES14 gives you the app and calculated spin and launch, which is valuable to some , although at a slightly higher cost. I don’t agree that the ES14 spin is nearly 30% off though…are you sure you put in the correct lofts in the unit? That changes the numbers a lot.

I do have to say though, regarding the testing, did you try to capture all the shots with all the units simultaneously? With all the units generally needing pretty specific ball placement that seems like it would lead to a lot of inaccuracies…hopefully it was just for that one comparison.

eddieboy

9 years ago

John, the point is the ES14 is giving bad “inflated” information on bad shots. One can only imagine what kind of accuracy it gives for the “good” shots. If my unit is indeed defective as you seem to be insinuating, why are all my attempts to have the situation rectified been rebuffed by Ernest Sports? Even a bad response by them would be better than no response.

I also have my loft and lie angles checked every year and they are all correctly inputted in the ES14, so there is no “user error” as you are suggesting. Say what you want about the ES14, but for my money, the unit isn’t worth the cost of it. Sadly, there will be those who will want to believe the hype and end up with a very disappointing purchase.

John

9 years ago

Yeah, they definitely should have given you some reply. Poor customer service, obviously, leads to unhappy customers. And I was referring to the tester, not you, about the lofts of the club, sorry. And all I wanted to point out is that it couldn’t be a firmware issue.

Tom D

9 years ago

I purchased the Voice Caddie SC100 a few months ago. My results back up what was said in the review. I still can’t figure out how it gets distance so close, given the fact that there is no way to tell it the lofts of the clubs being used. I was skeptical about the accuracy, since it was telling me I was hitting shorter than I expected. However, when the club pro came over and asked to try it, the SC100 reported his distance to be about 2 yards off where he said he normally hits the club he used. The truth might set one free, but it will likely p!ss you off in the process.

Mark

9 years ago

I would like to purchase the Sky Trak, but am concerned that shortly after purchasing they will do some kind of promotional discount as they have done in the past. My research shows they have offered $300 and $500 discounts in the past. Anyone aware of any current promotional price?

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

Definitely worth contacting them and asking/mentioning this

ryebread

9 years ago

I’m lucky enough to have one of the “nicer” units and tried a SC100 prior to see if I could get by on the cheap. I found it to be a bit lacking.

Unless something has changed in the software, it’s pretty much just guessing based on the input parameters of the club that you select. It just takes the ball speed it reads, plugs it into that and outputs some distance.

I’ve not tried SkyTrak. Maybe it is better because it is at least trying to pick up launch angle and spin. At that price point (new) I wonder if it isn’t wise to pick up one of higher quality used?

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

SkyTrak is pretty impressive for what it is.

Even a used higher end unit will be rough for a lot of golfer’s budgets – but I’m a fan of buying as much as you can afford.

ryebread

9 years ago

There’s no debating cost is an issue. I just think if you’re paying $2k for a Skytrak, then you’re in the ball park for a used nicer unit. You just have to shop well.

I’d like to try Skytrak. I like the idea of playing sim golf, particularly in the winter. My unit does not do that as it is licensed.

I would agree with the statement that any unit misses shot. My knock on the SC100 is that it not only misses but just reads inaccurately. To me it was seemingly no better than a video game, and was just a distraction at the range when I should have been practicing.

Good review though and much appreciated. One of these days the consumer line will break through and EVERY golfer will have one. I’m waiting for that day, even if it means taking a bath on what I have.

brlawyer

9 years ago

Agree 100% with your SC100 comments. That was (and very likely still is) a genuine rip-off.

Andy (UK)

9 years ago

Thanks for the review, these are products I am very interested in.

When you were at PGA 2015 were there any updated versions of these products or new ones coming up for launch this year ?

My only experience is with the ES14 which my golf pro has recently purchased for when he’s not able to get on the communal Trakman. Strangely we have found the stats on it to be far more accurate than your review. I wasn’t able to compare side by side on the same shots, but a few observations we both made.

1) We know my swing speed averages (after many sessions this winter) and the ES14 matched what we would expect to see.
2) Same with my spin rates and with a 7-iron (majority of the session) it wasn’t far off again
3) We expected ball speeds and again it was as anticipated during a standard session on Trakman.
4) Finally I use Trakman regularly and it can often miss club path data. Can often half or double spin rate data. Can often confuse a shot and show a distance that doesn’t make any sense. Trakman misses even more when used on grass, which is strange as they often show data capture with Pro’s on grass.

Moral of this story…? Nothing – even costing $25,000 – seems to be 100% accurate. I’m just not sure if these 1st generation portable units are worth jumping on, or if I should be waiting for version 2.?

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

Hey Andy,

I was at the show and the only updates I saw were the SC200 from VoiceCaddie which is the same unit basically, but vocally speaks the numbers to you so you don’t have to bend down to read them.

Aside from that, SkyTrak was demoing a unit connected to simulation software (same base unit)

I’d LOVE to hear your results comparing shot for shot your experience on the ES14 vs. the Trackman. The numbers from the ES14 look really good on their own, but in our testing side-by-side there were a lot of measurements that were just too far off base to be able to know when the unit is correct or not when used on it’s own.

No unit is 100% accurate every time, but the more you pay, the closer to that number things get.

Large chris

9 years ago

Excellent comment, I’ve played around with a few units, and own an excellent old Vector Pro (same principle as Skytrak).
Even the 25,000 dollar units misread some shots, and struggle off grass. I understand Trackman sees the club head as a ‘blob’ and so has to calculate rather than read a lot of data. GC2 HMT sorts this but then you need white dots added on the club face. So quite a few drawbacks with the Rolls Royce options.

Therefore I think there is loads of potential over the next couple of years for these units, and more developed versions, to offer keen amateurs good data at a sensible home budget price. I’m sure the swing analyser market will keep developing with more accuracy as well.

Tony Covey

9 years ago

Simply brilliant comment. You’re absolutely correct about the professional stuff. Everything misses something, and no product is perfect. Like the lower priced units, even enterprise grade launch monitors have particular strengths and weaknesses. Like anything else, it’s important that one fully understands how those strengths and weaknesses align with the intended use before purchasing.

Jm

9 years ago

Great your review. This is exactly why i come to the site.

Thanks for the honest comparison with the side-by-side comparison to a professional unit

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

Stoked to help

Anon A Mouse

9 years ago

I own both of the recommended units and you’re comparison is spot on. The Skytrak with it’s ability to see shot shape is a godsend in cold weather places. After a winter of working with both units I was dead on when I finally got to play last week. No winter rust for me.

GolfSpy Tim

9 years ago

glad to hear you’ve been getting some good use out of your SkyTrak – have you been using it indoors our out?

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