Lab Tested: SkyTrak+ Launch Monitor

Personal launch monitors provide cost-friendly (relatively speaking) indoor golf simulator setups and are competing with state-of-the-art launch monitors.

SkyTrak is one of the leaders in the personal launch monitor market. So the question we want to address is: For $3,000, is SkyTrak+ worth it? We headed to the MGS Lab to put it to the test.

SkyTrak+ versus Foresight GCQuad

From an “at-home” golf perspective, SkyTrak+ offers tremendous upside. It is your 24/7 accessible practice range. Who doesn’t like that?

If our 2023 personal launch monitor test taught us anything, it’s that not all personal launch monitors are the same. Yes, there are similarities and the performance gap between consumer-grade and enterprise class is narrowing, but weaknesses remain.

How does the SkytTrak+ compare to a Foresight GCQuad head-to-head with data? We know Foresight GCQuad is the gold standard for indoor testing. That’s why we use it.

Let’s see the results focusing on a driver, 6-iron and pitching wedge. Each data observation consists of the average outcome for each metric.

Driver Data

The driver’s mission is to maximize distance off the tee. Here’s what we found when we looked at key metrics like carry distance, ball speed, club head speed, launch angle and backspin.

The standout comparison is ball speed. SkyTrak+ does an exceptional job at reading ball speed off the club head with a less than a one-percent differential from the Foresight GCQuad. 

Unfortunately, this is where data accuracy starts to dip. Here are the differentials for carry distance, club head speed, launch angle and backspin.

Carry Distance – 8.41% Club head Speed – 4.16% Launch Angle – 12.19% Backspin – 5.12%

As you can see, there are some weaknesses in the performance of the SkyTrak+ with data accuracy. Here is a statistic to chew on: – 8.41% correlates to a 19.2-yard differential.

6-Iron Data

Iron data is where SkyTrak+ produces more consistency. Once again, ball speed is the best performance differential. For the 6-Iron, SkyTrak+ produced less than a one-percent differential for ball speed. 

Here are the results for carry distance, club head speed, launch angle and backspin. Notice how most of the differentials are tighter versus the driver data. 

Carry Distance – 2.34% Club head Speed – 1.81% Launch Angle – 8.92% Backspin – 3.65%

The glaring weakness for the 6-iron data is the differential in launch angle which remains consistent with the driver data. 

Pitching Wedge Data

The pitching wedge data is the final confirmation that SkyTrak+ produces consistent ball speed data. There is a less than a one-percent differential between the SkyTrak+ and Foresight GCQuad for ball speed. 

Take a look at the pitching wedge percentage differentials for carry distance, club head speed, launch angle and backspin.

Carry Distance – 0.68% Club head Speed – 1.90% Launch Angle – 6.47% Backspin – 4.48%

The pitching wedge data for SkyTrak+ continues to display a tighter consistency versus the driver data. Launch angle specifically sees an improvement in consistency. Carry distance also sees a tighter differential.

Additional Data Observations

Spin Axis

Why is spin axis important? It is the measurement that tells you how much the axis of the ball tilted at impact. Spin axis has a strong correlation with curvature, which is important for measuring how far offline a ball travels.

Picture a globe on a stand with its slight tilt. For the right-handed golfer, a negative spin axis results in left curvature. A positive spin axis results in right curvature. Spin axis is one of the main reasons we utilize and trust Foresight GCQuad for indoor testing.

As you can see, there are differences between each of the conditions – driver, 6-iron and pitching wedge. The spin axis for the driver shows the largest variance.

Club Path Data

The direction the club head is moving at impact in relation to the target line. Similar to other measurements, for the right-handed golfer, a negative number means left and a positive number means right. If you’ve heard of the terms “out to in” and “in to out,” those refer to club path. “Out to in” will be a negative number. “In to out” will be a positive number.

As you see, again there is quite a disparity between the SkyTrak+ data and the Foresight GCQuad data. I know my path progressively gets more neutral with a longer golf club so it’s striking to me that my pitching wedge and 6-iron SkyTrak+ data is closer to a neutral club path.

Face to Path Data

Face-to-path is the relationship or angle difference between the club face and the club path. It also plays a role in determining the spin axis.

SkyTrak+ is consistent with producing a closed club face from each hitting condition. Once again, the differential between the two launch monitors is significant enough, aside from the pitching wedge data.

Offline Data

Once again, a negative number represents a shot to the left. A positive number is a shot to the right.

As you can see, there are varying outcomes in offline averages.

Is SkyTrak+ Worth It?

SkyTrak+ is on sale for $2,695. Is it worth it? For less than $3,000, don’t expect the accuracy levels of $20,000-plus launch monitors.

However, the features SkyTrak+ offers, the ease of setup and the opportunity it provides for 24/7 access to practice is phenomenal. If you get the full package, you can play golf anytime.

Ball data as a whole is encouraging for SkyTrak+, especially when it comes to ball speed accuracy. Metrics such as carry distance, launch angle and spin are more consistent as you use a shorter golf club (irons specifically). It is likely this data will improve over time with firmware and algorithm enhancements.

However, if you are purchasing a SkyTrak+ with an emphasis on overall data (ball and club data), you might be underwhelmed or misinformed, especially when it comes to driver data. We found driver data accuracy to be one of its weaknesses in this year’s testing of best golf launch monitors. Those findings are consistent with this new batch of data.

A Final Note on Testing

For most short to mid-iron data metrics, consumers should expect SkyTrak+ to be within less than 5% accuracy compared to Foresight GCQuad, especially ball speed, club head speed, carry distance and backspin.

For driver data, as speed increases, SkyTrak+ is more efficient with certain metrics (ball speed and club head speed). Consumers should expect these numbers to be within 1% accuracy compared to Foresight GCQuad.

Driver carry distance, regardless of speed, appears to be between 7-9% shorter carry than Foresight GCQuad.

Launch angle across the board appears to be between 6-12% lower than Foresight GCQuad and this number increases as the golf club gets longer.

Is the SkyTrak+ Right for You?

Ultimately, whether SkyTrak+ is worth the investment is up to you. While it may not provide you with $20,000 worth of data, the SkyTrak+ still performs very well and many readers have reported positive results.

Editor’s Note: This article is written in partnership with SkyTrak.

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