26 replies to this topic

[zakkozuchowski]

Swingbyte Review

By Don Smith

GolfWRX Contributor

Tested: Swingbyte mobile swing analyzer

I’m always looking for the next swing improvement tool, because it is often the Indian, not the arrow, who causes most errant shots.
I was excited for the opportunity to evaluate the Swingbyte, a swing analyzing system that attaches to your golf clubs and sends swing data to a mobile phone or tablet through Bluetooth.

Swingbyte captures club head speed and acceleration at all points through the swing, the club's true plane from address to impact, club face angle relative to swing path, static and dynamic loft and lie at address and impact, as well as angle of attack, club path and tempo. But like any gadget, especially one that promises so much and is as cheap as the Swingbyte, I approached testing with caution.



Pros: Swingbyte provides an incredible amount of information for the very modest price of $149. The information provided was accurate and relevant, once you understood how to sort through it. It’s compatible with Apple iPhone (3GS or later), as well as the iPod Touch and all iPads. It also works with Android phones and tablets 2.3.3 with Bluetooth 3.0 or later.

Cons: Setup was difficult, and the user interface is not very intuitive. The unit also rotated left on the shaft after several swings, which resulted in bad readings, meaning I had to keep realigning the unit to stay square to the clubface. At times, I found it difficult to understand the information that Swingbyte provided.

Overall: The device is simple to attach and fairly easy to use. It was free of any technical glitches, and I found it easy to sync the results. For $149, the Swingbyte provides an unbelievable amount of data. But some of the data is so in depth and technical that you may need to talk to your PGA Professional to get the most out of it.



Out of the box, the Swingbyte setup guide was difficult to follow, and I could have used some audio instruction to go along with the pictorial. I also found it difficult to switch from the swing view screen to the data screen, which I believe should be be more user friendly, requiring only one click back and forth.

The Swingbyte did a lot of thing very well, however. It worked equally well with my iPhone as it did my Samsung Galaxy Tablet. I had no problems turning unit turned on and off, and swing data and swing screen animations it provided were excellent. Although I first struggled to interpret the large amount of data that Swingbyte provides, once I developed a corrective action plan with my PGA Professional the device was excellent at tracking progress or absence thereof.

If you consider how much it would cost to get this level of information on an ongoing basis, this price of $149 dollars is extremely modest. With just a few simple improvements, this could be a "got to have" swing improvement tool.

[seve1972]

great review!...thanks

[Kadin 25]

Cool product and nice review

[neova]

cool looking - kinda like a poor-mans' version of trackman/flightscope but much better than medicus speed radar....

even if the readings were not accurate, i think i can benefit from comparing my swing-by-swing metrics to see how consistent i can get, sort of like what the PING iPing app does for putting...

will be getting one then!

[MSchad]

Don, nice review. But you said, "I also found it difficult to switch from the swing view screen to the data screen, which I believe should be be more user friendly, requiring only one click back and forth."

You can actually go from swing view to data view by touching the data point above the thumbs up icon, and then touch the phones back button to go back. At least that is how it works on my Android Phone.

I have had mine since late June. Highly recommend this as a training aid.

Edited by MSchad, 19 September 2012 - 02:28 PM.

[BSKND]

Has anyone used both this and the 3bays GSA device?  I'm thinking about getting one of the two, but I'm curious to her pros/cons from people who have tried both.  Thanks!

[RLL33]

GolfSense makes an app for the iPhone that does all this with better graphics that are easier to understand, and the interface and setup are clear, simple, and easy to use. It draws your swing arc around an image of a player, and the swing can then be compared on your iPhone or iPad to an "ideal" and rotated 360* in 3D to view your swing path from all angles. A tiny device attaches to the back of your glove through the fastener strap and it communicates with your iPhone via Bluetooth. You can just put your iPhone in your pants pocket and swing away. It's virtually weightless and you don't have to worry about it slipping around on the club, etc. It even tells you how far you're rotating on your backswing and follow through in degrees, and if your tempo is the ideal 3:1. If you want to save a swing, you can sync it to the cloud for viewing later. I've been spending some time with it and was going to post a review one of these days, but the app is available on iTunes and the device on their website GolfSense.me.

[accordable4sho]

I own one and love it!  I highly recommend buying one if you want to review your swing data.

Bought mine at a local AT&T wireless store, but Amazon sells them too...

[Zachman]

Does anyone know if it would be compatible with my 2nd generation ipod touch?  It is confusing when it says compatible with ipod touch because there are so many generations of the ipod and I don't want to pull the trigger if I have to go get a new ipod to use with it.

[Golf815]

I also have had one of these since they were released to the general public a few months ago.  I have to admit that I've only tried to use it 2 or 3 times because the interface was so lacking due to a lack of detailed instructions.  I have trouble registering new swings, and every time I change clubs in the software (iPhone), I have to re-sign in.  The data it does provide on my couple swings stored in there is very impressive, however.  But until the interface gets a little better, this thing is staying on the sidelines.

[timbo08]

Bought one when it came out, haven't been able to get it to work right since I got.  Difficult user interface and just wouldn't register swings.  Sounds like it went a lot better for you but it was $149 down the drain for me.

[MSchad]

Zachman, on 22 September 2012 - 01:41 PM, said:

Does anyone know if it would be compatible with my 2nd generation ipod touch?  It is confusing when it says compatible with ipod touch because there are so many generations of the ipod and I don't want to pull the trigger if I have to go get a new ipod to use with it.

I would ask them on their user support site.... https://getsatisfaction.com/swingbyte

[MSchad]

timbo08, on 23 September 2012 - 11:20 PM, said:

Bought one when it came out, haven't been able to get it to work right since I got.  Difficult user interface and just wouldn't register swings.  Sounds like it went a lot better for you but it was $149 down the drain for me.

Have you logged a request/support ticket on their support site? https://swingbyte.zendesk.com/forums
When I had a problem they were very quick to respond and resolve it.

Edited by MSchad, 24 September 2012 - 07:21 AM.

[jlazaro]

Bought one of these yesterday (~$100 at the AT&T store after discount) and tried it at the range.  A few thoughts:

• As the OP noted, the amount of data is great.  The ability to see your clubhead speed, swing path (especially transition from backswing to downswing), and club face at impact are very, very useful during a range session.  I doubt all of it is 100% accurate, but I felt it was close enough.
  
• The unit itself does slide on the shaft after a few solid iron hits, so you need to realign it every so often.  It only takes a second or so, but I could see how this would become annoying.  I think Swingbyte has released an additional piece to help compensate for this.
  
• They need to address the measurement of swing tempo.  I have a "waggle" before it hit - sometimes the Swingbyte would register this as the beginning of my backswing.
  
• The user interface of the software could be simpler, though this wasn't a huge negative in my view.

Edited by jlazaro, 25 September 2012 - 10:01 AM.

[ntagger]

jlazaro, on 25 September 2012 - 10:00 AM, said:

Bought one of these yesterday (~$100 at the AT&T store after discount) and tried it at the range.  A few thoughts:

• As the OP noted, the amount of data is great.  The ability to see your clubhead speed, swing path (especially transition from backswing to downswing), and club face at impact are very, very useful during a range session.  I doubt all of it is 100% accurate, but I felt it was close enough.
  
• The unit itself does slide on the shaft after a few solid iron hits, so you need to realign it every so often.  It only takes a second or so, but I could see how this would become annoying.  I think Swingbyte has released an additional piece to help compensate for this.
  
• They need to address the measurement of swing tempo.  I have a "waggle" before it hit - sometimes the Swingbyte would register this as the beginning of my backswing.
  
• The user interface of the software could be simpler, though this wasn't a huge negative in my view.

Are the AT&T stores running a promo, or is the PGA/LPGA teaching pro discount you're referring to?

Zachman, on 22 September 2012 - 01:41 PM, said:

Does anyone know if it would be compatible with my 2nd generation ipod touch?  It is confusing when it says compatible with ipod touch because there are so many generations of the ipod and I don't want to pull the trigger if I have to go get a new ipod to use with it.

Looks like it's the 4th gen iPod touch that's compatible

Edited by ntagger, 25 September 2012 - 05:34 PM.

[Dien]

Anyone compare this to a Flightscope or Trackman?

[jlazaro]

ntagger: It was an AT&T store promo

[zacktess]

Jlazaro- What was the promo? and how long is it running for? i looked on att website but it listed it at the regular price with no promo noted

[jlazaro]

I'm honestly not sure.  I found out about it when I was at the register.  My receipt reads: "25.0% Premium Power and Accessories Promo Discount", so whatever that means.  

I bought it in NY.

[Richpenny]

I just went today to an AT&T store today and got the same 25% discount on the swingbyte.  The guy didn't know about the discount but I told him to try ringing up the sale to see if there was a discount on it and there was.  so a pretty decent deal at $111.75 before tax.  Just got it today so haven't had a chance to use it yet.  I did install the app on iOS and that went smoothly, I tried to make a practice swing inside but I almost broke a lamp and killed my 10 week old puppy so I decided to stop.  One observation, the build quality doesn't seem great.  Seems like the plastic is of cheaper quality and it doesn't seem super durable.

[DrJinh007]

jlazaro, on 25 September 2012 - 10:00 AM, said:

• The unit itself does slide on the shaft after a few solid iron hits, so you need to realign it every so often.  It only takes a second or so, but I could see how this would become annoying.  I think Swingbyte has released an additional piece to help compensate for this.

I just went to their website and they will send you 4 mounting tabs for free if you email them.

[capecodder]

Cool product, anyone know if its compatible with video analysis apps like SwingReader?

[Ajlepisto]

I bought one of these units yesterday. It was pretty fun to use, but today it keeps disconnecting after a few seconds. Can't register a swing or anything. Too bad.

[Max_M]

Dien, on 26 September 2012 - 01:50 PM, said:

Anyone compare this to a Flightscope or Trackman?

Yeah, that could be really something. Don or anyone else who used Trackman or Flightscope and had a chance to work with Swingbyte? Please

[BrianL99]

Max_M, on 17 October 2012 - 05:59 AM, said:

Dien, on 26 September 2012 - 01:50 PM, said:

Anyone compare this to a Flightscope or Trackman?

Yeah, that could be really something. Don or anyone else who used Trackman or Flightscope and had a chance to work with Swingbyte? Please

Swing Speed & tempo is about the same as any flight monitor.   All other data is merely "relative", in my opinion (you can sort of compare swings to each other).

Strength of the Swingbyte in my opinion, is overall swing path ... very accurate in my opinion.

[strum]

ntagger, on 25 September 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:

jlazaro, on 25 September 2012 - 10:00 AM, said:

Bought one of these yesterday (~$100 at the AT&T store after discount) and tried it at the range.  A few thoughts:

• As the OP noted, the amount of data is great.  The ability to see your clubhead speed, swing path (especially transition from backswing to downswing), and club face at impact are very, very useful during a range session.  I doubt all of it is 100% accurate, but I felt it was close enough.
  
• The unit itself does slide on the shaft after a few solid iron hits, so you need to realign it every so often.  It only takes a second or so, but I could see how this would become annoying.  I think Swingbyte has released an additional piece to help compensate for this.
  
• They need to address the measurement of swing tempo.  I have a "waggle" before it hit - sometimes the Swingbyte would register this as the beginning of my backswing.
  
• The user interface of the software could be simpler, though this wasn't a huge negative in my view.

Are the AT&T stores running a promo, or is the PGA/LPGA teaching pro discount you're referring to?

Zachman, on 22 September 2012 - 01:41 PM, said:

Does anyone know if it would be compatible with my 2nd generation ipod touch?  It is confusing when it says compatible with ipod touch because there are so many generations of the ipod and I don't want to pull the trigger if I have to go get a new ipod to use with it.

Looks like it's the 4th gen iPod touch that's compatible

Anyone know the promo code for online purchase from the at&t website ?

Edited by strum, 17 October 2012 - 02:45 PM.

[smith7200]

Picked one up last week. The app is still a little glitchy, but for the price and the amount if data it provides, its a great practice tool.