Swing speed/Tempo Monitor

[Pa Jayhawk]

Has anyone used any of these or have any recommedations? I want to get a swing speed monitor, preferably with a tempo setting. I am trying to tone down my swing and see how much without effecting my speed. I have used Beltronics for speed and liked it, but it doesn't monitor Tempo.
http://www.swingmate.biz/
I am thinking about the Golfsmith model, and have seen the other. Anyone use one or have recommendations?
http://www.golfsmith.com/products/245245
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009OIJP0/103-8939120-4348668?v=glance&n=3375251

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Just updating this thread. I bought this model on Thursday.
http://www.golfsmith.com/products/245245

It is going back to the store, and I will be trying another model. Comparing it to my experience with the Beltronics I tried before and may possibly end up buying, it is major POS.

First off, they recommend you use reflective tape like what you find in a bike shop. It was supposed to come with some, which it did not. Well, you are supposed to place it 12-14" from the club head. Without the reflective tape, it would only pick up a swing from about 1-2" away. Even from 1-2" away, it would only pick up about 1/2 the swings. Then it would rarely register the tempo. Even the speed, which mine has always been around 103 when tested, showed up anywhere from 58-85 and never registered over 85. So I went all over creation trying to find reflective tape, most of the bike shops had closed at 5pm and it was 5:15. I live in an area with little retail close by and none of the dicks or Sports Authorities had tape I felt would work. Needless to say, I decided I did not want to spend alot of time looking for something that the other devices did not require.

So anyways, I know from experience the Bel model picks it up every time, I would rather not have the tempo timer than to have to deal with the hassle and lackluster performance of the Golfsmith model, so it is going back. I will likely order one of the others, as this is the only model I have found in the stores.

Another side comment, even the manual had all kinds of misspellings and was stapled together. They obviously did seem to put a lot of R&D or time into creating this device.

 

[ezra76]

Go all out and get a launch monitor . The store I go to has that Swingmate deal set up and it sucks. The thing is very inaccurate. I've ranged from registering a 116 with a Cobra driver to a 101 with a Titleist. It also hiccuped out a 130+ a few times which I got a chuckle out of. Good luck finding what you're looking for.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

I actually tossed around the idea of a cheaper launch monitor last year, unfortunatlly I have really been unable to find any comments about any of them either. I have heard you need to spend at least $800 or so, but decided that was a little much to spend without being able to first try one or find someone who has experience with one. Where as right now being able to tone down my swing is my main thought right now, and $100 is not as much of a gamble. I know the swingmate is one of the most used models, and the one I borrowed from our old pro. It would appear from what I have heard that the Tempo timing ones are not really as beneficial or accurate as they sound. I believe the Swingmate is considered the most accurate for just speed, and the predominate choice for independant clubmakers.

 

[ezra76]

Could be the ones at the shop are old and batteries are going south too. Either that or maybe I did have 15mph. difference but that seems a bit drastic. I really would like to go to another demo-day and get on a launch monitor with the swing change. The last few weeks I've hit my longest drives ever on 3 different holes at my home course with a 360cc driver in a 10.5. Definitely maximizing my height, arm length and speed a lot better than I was.

 

[ualtim]

I use the Bel and have had no problems with it. I have used it to fit some folks I built clubs for and it seems to be really accurate for my club making purposes. I used a launch monitor at Golfsmith to measure my swing speeds one day and the next day I used the Bel and got essentially the same numbers (average swing speed was within 1 MPH). The Bel is great because I can bring it out to the range in my golf bag and set it up in seconds. It is small enough so that it does not attract too much attention at the range so that you do not get a line of other people wanting to "try it out" lengthening your time at the range (sounds kind of mean, but I get limited time at the range as it is so I would rather spend it improving my game or fitting someone rather than showing everyone at the range how the device works.)

Best price I have seen on the internet was at Amazon.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Thanks. I think it is likely I will be ordering the Bel in the next couple days. I don't blame you about not wanting to share it to much. I am the same way with my range finder. The one time I did mention it, I spent 1/2 the round doing everyones ranges and shot very poorly. Anymore, I actually make it a point of telling people that exact thing the first time I use it so they don't ask, although if there is ever serious question and no markers I will help them out if it saves time. They actually do not have many driving ranges around here, so I usually practice in my yard with no ball and a matt. This is the first year I have stayed off the range since moving up here, and it seems to be better for me. I think I think more about my swing and not contact. Transfering that to the course is the only thing, which seems to be working lately.

 

[Augster]

The Swing Speed Radar is the one I would suggest. It's the one Tom Wishon suggests getting as an entry-level swing speed monitor.

If I don't get a launch monitor, it'll be the one I pick up soon enough.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

The Swing Speed Radar is the one I would suggest. It's the one Tom Wishon suggests getting as an entry-level swing speed monitor.

If I don't get a launch monitor, it'll be the one I pick up soon enough.

Interesting, my main reason on not choosing it over the Bel is that I had found no one giving it a recommendation out side of the guy on Amazon that accidentally hit it with his driver on Amazon in the first 5 minutes, which really left a question mark in my mind I actually like the size of it and even found that you can use it for ball speed and they sell a cover to protect it from errant shots should you choose to do so.

Hearing that about Tom Wishon may put whole new spin on matters, as I was planning on ordering the Bel today since I knew it was very reliable for speed from experience. Although the tempo timing was probably just as important to me as speed. It was also mentioned in Tour Tempo along with the Bel, but they gave no real recommendation between the two.

Thanks guys!!! I will likely be ordering one today, and will update the thread with my thoughts after I get a chance to use it for a while.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Another interesting note, since I originally posted this in July, it now appears Jim McLean endorses the product on the site. I don't remember seeing that last month.
http://www.swingspeedradar.com/ssrwithtempotimer.html

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Well, Just Order the Swing Speed Radar w/ Tempo Timer. I should have it in a week or two. It comes with some bonus book from Jim McLean. Will post my thoughts when I get a chance to try it out.

 

[Don]

Jayhawk; I'm glad you posted this, as I too was thinking of getting that unit from Golfsmith. After reading how bad it is, I dumped that idea real fast. One thing I noticed is that the unit is designed to be used "indoors", and I wonder if it would work any better out of the sun. In any case, I think I'll look into one of the other units for now. Thanks for the heads-up on this. Later, Don.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Jayhawk; I'm glad you posted this, as I too was thinking of getting that unit from Golfsmith. After reading how bad it is, I dumped that idea real fast. One thing I noticed is that the unit is designed to be used "indoors", and I wonder if it would work any better out of the sun. In any case, I think I'll look into one of the other units for now. Thanks for the heads-up on this. Later, Don.

I in fact used it outside, both in Shade and sunlight. I also tried a strip of Duct tape, and even at one point went so far as putting a flashlight next to the sensor shining at the club to see if it had better reflection. None of this really worked to well. I did toy around with it inside initial and it seem to work worse. I'm not sure if it would work better with reflective tape, it did seem to do a little better with duct tape which seems similar. I would tend to believe that even with reflective tape, it would have a hard time picking up a club at the recommended 12"-14".

It actually seemed like a well thought out setup with being able to angle the sensors and do Ball speed, as well as raise and lower the sensors, plus a cable adapter. Unfortunately either I had a faulty unit, which was the only one in the store, or it was just not constructed well. The thought of have to spend to much time hunting down tape when other units do not require such, as well as spending a great deal of time getting it set right turned me off from wanting to try further. I am fairly adapt to all things technical, and this left me thinking I was a guinee pig for something that didn't work to well.

I guess looking back I had to question going into it as well when the guy in Golfsmith said they used them to fit customers. I had to resist to not ask why they used this over the 7-8k monitors they have in the store.

I will be sure to give a review of the one I ordered. If it is as good or better than the bel, I will be happy. I think the Bel will calculate distances if you select the club, where the one I ordered will do Tempo. Really Speed and tempo would be ideal for me. I did also notice that they took the bel off the Tour Tempo site, and only list this one now. Plus on the front page I see the Author displays a picture of the screen for the one I ordered when doing an advertisement.

We'll see how it goes.

 

[Augster]

So you are getting the SSR w/ Tempo eh? Cool. That's the item I keep waiting to jump on on Ebay. I search for it about 3 days a week waiting for a lower price.

If I NEEEDED it right now I would just buy it. But since I'm kind of leaning toward a launch monitor (the Zelocity Purelaunch) I don't know how much I'd use the SSR once I got my monitor. So if I can get one for a low, low price, I may get one to stave off the purchase of a full launch monitor. I'm kind of in limbo. But this is neither here nor there.

Let us know how it works out!

 

[Don]

Jayhawk: the reason Golfsmith might use that unit is that the Vector launch monitors they have in the store, don't measure "swing speed". They only measure "ball speed". It "estemates" swing speed from the ball speed. That's okay, but if you really want to know your swing speed, and how effective you are transfering clubhead energy to the ball, you need both, not just an estimate. As I'm sure you know, how well you contact the ball, makes a hugh difference in how far you hit the ball. So a solid hit at 90 MPH clubhead speed can be better than a poor contact hit at 100MPH. If the Vector only measures ball speed, which it does, you don't really know your swing speed or how well the contact was. Truth is, it's not easy or cheap to find a unit that "measures" both. They measure one and estimate the other, not the best way to do it in my book, but that's what they sell.