Today we will be unboxing and showing off the technology of the new Foresight GC3 launch monitor. We have a lot more coming up on these devices once they get officially unveiled in the near future.
The teasers for these devices and early buzz for the internet golfer has set the stage for heavy anticipation of this launch. While we cannot answer questions today about pricing, that will be coming soon in our next update, we are here to talk all about the devices.
This is a dual launch for two separate products. The Foresight GC3 and the Bushnell Launch Pro. Before we get to the technical side of things, it is important to note that these two devices are identical from a hardware standpoint. Let’s go over what it does and to do that, we dropped the new Foresight GC3 into the THP Tech Studio for a full test.
Similar in fashion to the GCQuad we use for all of our equipment testing in the studio, the GC3 uses multiple cameras (in this case 3) and features the same level of accuracy that are considered by many to the be the gold standard in measurement. Why? Well a lot of reasons, but the most glaring being that cameras capture more ball and club data such as spin axis rather than use algorithms to derive what is taking place.
What Foresight has been able to put into the GC3, makes this the launch monitor that many golfers have been waiting for.
Foresight is launching the GC3, which is what we featured in the video above. Bushnell is releasing the Launch Pro, which is the exact same device from a hardware stand point. Our next update on these devices we will show off the full video (the second half is cut out above) where we unravel the cost of ownership, as well as what makes Foresight GC3 and Bushnell Launch Pro different.
My thoughts are similar. It’s good to see the design elements are similar, but it definitely feels like it’s going to be priced higher than I was hoping for. It will be interesting to see how each is priced.
Yes, this is a full featured launch monitor that will also have simulator capabilities.
Totally agree, the market is small for a launch monitor priced at $8,000+ IMO. I know a lot of wealthy guys at my club that are simply not interested in a launch monitor at that price but absolutely would be at $3-$4k. It might not make sense as most of them won’t hesitate to buy a vehicle, RV, or boat that each depreciates $10k per year, but they won’t pay that much for a GC3.
Another factor preventing even those who can afford it from spending $8k on a LM is all the private clubs around here have at least one Trackman and many have two or three that give members easy access to accurate data. We have two indoor simulators at my club from November to March and unlimited access to them, and the two Trackman’s is $400 per year. This winter, my club is updating the simulators to use Foresight or Trackman.
One day the accurate launch monitor prices will come down where they are affordable to a lot more golfers. I remember working at Best Buy back in the late ’80s selling 50-60" big-screen TVs with a mediocre picture and brightness for $3,000-$5000, which in today’s dollars is $6,496-$10,827. The 40" Mitsubishi Tube TV was $4,500 when it first came out or about $10k in todays dollars and we sold a surprising number of them especially right before the SuperBowl, lol.
Im not sure it’s as small as people think it is. While this doesn’t pertain to this unit, Foresight as a brand could barely make GCQuads fast enough for demand pretty much since launch.
If it is the latter, what is the evolution of the Quad? It must be coming soon, no?
I get the obvious difference between the 3 and the Quad, but what advantage does 4 cameras bring over 3?
I think it’s more approprirate to think of the GC3 is the evolution of the GC2 – as a GC2+, so to speak.
The fourth camera provides face angle, loft, lie, rate of closure. Beyond that, my understanding is that it provides identical data to GCQuad.
You know the market much better than me and certainly Covid drove up demand and slowed supply for many products. In my small circle of 15-20 avid golf buddies, none currently have a LM over $500 but I’d guess half of them would bite on something accurate like a GC3 if it was in that $3-$4k range. At $6k plus, none of them would purchase.
Foresight on their website indicates they have 15,000+ currently in use worldwide so they must sell something like a few thousand units each year. Obviously with 25,000,000 golfers in the US, not many individual golfers own one.
This was actually covered a bit earlier in the thread.
Me too. And as mentioned above I’m sure the pandemic played a role in that, but the demand has been there for a while. And based on simulation there is definitely the growing consumer market it is going to takeoff in the next year or two
That’s been my thought. The market seems strong, but maybe not populated with the people we want to think. Like @tahoebum I know plenty of dedicated players here who have the money to spend on one at quad prices, but still don’t. Golf is mostly recreational for them though, and not work related in any way.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head in terms of how they view the product. I was hoping the evolution of the GC2 would be similar capability at a lower price, but it seems they’ve gone with upgraded capability. We’ll have to see, but I think we all assume that comes at a higher price, otherwise they’d be making their other unit obsolete.
Now that I type that, do they still produce the GC2? I only see it available on 3rd party sites and used.
I don’t think they do nor do they have plans to make the GC2 any longer. This is its replacement, and yeah, rather than making something similar to the GC2 more cheaply, they’ve made something that is clearly and objectively better for what I’d imagine is a comparable price.
From the Foresight website:
"Today, Foresight Sports is a total technology provider, with more than 15,000 GC launch monitors and golf simulation solutions in use in retail stores, driving ranges, commercial facilities, and homes worldwide."
There are about 9,500 golf courses/country clubs in the USA and many more retail stores and driving ranges. Foresight and Trackman are the big players in this market and I know most private clubs around here have more than one Trackman or GC2/G
CQuad. My club has two Trackmans and are likely buying one or two more in the next year.
I think the market will explode when the price hits a certain "affordable" range. What that price range is, I can only guess. I’d buy a GC3 tomorrow if it were in that $3,500 range, but I’m not buying one at $6,000 and certainly not at $8,000. Technology is rapidly changing, and these will get cheaper in another 5-10 years. In the mean time I’ll use the Trackman at my club when I get the urge.
We haven’t released any details on pricing but it’s coming soon. I will add that when GC2 came out I said the same thing, it will come down as tech explodes. Then GC4 came out I said the same thing. It never happened.
People always want to compare it to TVs or other mass consumer electronics, but it’s just not that comparable. For TVs, for example, you’re looking at a market *every* consumer participates in, and thus there are an infinite number of companies that throw their hat in the ring and compete. Foresight has two competitors, and they’re both offering fundamentally different technology, and it’s not a big enough market for a bunch of new competitors to be eager to try to jump in the ring and compete with them.
Your right; it never happened, and maybe it never will. Or maybe it will just take more time. I paid $3,000 for a 65" plasma TV in 2012, and now I can get a much better 65" TV for $600. Then again, launch monitors are not TVs and have such a tiny audience that the prices may stay high and unaffordable for most golfers for decades.
To me, it’s a small niche product when a dominant company like Foresight currently has only 15,000 in use worldwide. Their sales on these can’t be much more than 3,000 units or about $40M per year. I know a dozen members at my club who own small local/regional companies(less than 30 employees) with $10M-$50M in annual revenue.
Maybe the average avid golfer doesn’t care enough or is good enough ,even to want a launch monitor like a GC3 even if it was $999. Many members at my club don’t need or own a laser rangefinder/GPS and are fine just looking at the 100 and 150 markers and taking a guess. Crazy that they won’t spend $200 or less on a rangefinder when their dues are $800 per month.
Hmm, missed that post. Rewind!
Yes they will both be available.
Good move by Bushnell and Foresight to compare distribution channels for the consumer golf market where each has one strength and one relative unknown.
Likely too rich for me, but still curious.
7K is still going to be far too much for the average consumer interested in this I think, the 3k is definitely getting much closer to the mark though. But it kind of all depends what those additional features are, and that’s all assuming this secret source is correct.
I bet anyone who overpaid for a Skytrak, Mevo+, or bought a GC2 in the past year is disappointed they didn’t wait.
Bushnell Launch Pro — Will cost approx $3/4k usd (No-one has confirmed) – Will come with the FSX Subscription service and the ability to choose either Silver 5 course or Gold 10 course "30 day trials ". Then will cost $xxx/year (No-one knows yet – probably similar to E6 on a per year subscription)
Foresight GC3 — Will be $7k USD Will come with Ball data, Club data (1 dot) & FSX 2020 gold 10 course license (lifetime)
Big Questions right now I have from my speculation
– GC3 and BLP both offered in US. Why? Will the Launch pro be offered outside US? (seems like a no)
– Will the Bushnell Launch pro therefore have some sort of locked software, to only work with Mobile devices? (Same device/hardware as GC3 implies not same software)
– There is supposedly an update coming to FSX 2020 that will NOT be a free upgrade, but a ‘new software IP’. (unlucky to the GC3 purchasers who will get railroaded by this if they want anything but the FSX2020 Potato graphics)
– How many tech savvy people are going to take this device and ‘customise’ it for other Sim software like TGC2019/GSPro (alot )
Mevo+ is amazing for price and very accurate. To me, it’s only missing path and club face, which it clearly has locked. For now…
Had hope this pricing would force FS to offer locked data for a fee. But it’s too high and not competitive enough.
Camera is the future of at-home sims, not radar. Space constraints give camera-based systems a huge advantage, among other things.
They also measure spin axis, instead of calculate it, so accuracy is far more consistent.
Not arguing, but to be honest, everything is calculated from captured data points, regardless of launch monitor. Yes how the data points are captured are different and in turn can create nuances in the calculation (for radar indoors mostly). Which leads to more consistent results with a camera based system.
I’m saying for those who paid $3k+ on the Skytrak and Mevo+ in 2020 on eBay or elsewhere, might be kicking themselves because they’re not going to get that return now and this launch monitor is definitely a step up.
Correct, except on of them is capturing the data points the other is not.
Some can get pretty close, which is discussed in our next video (the rest of this video).
@JB , when the radar tracks the ball flight, is it not measuring spin axis (with metallic dots) in that period of time to calculate the ball flight?
They can get close to measuring, of course that all goes out the window as soon as you use it outside
And now this news: Vista Outdoor has agreed to buy Foresight Sports for $474 million:
https://frontofficesports.com/vista-outdoor-acquires-foresight-sports-for-474m/
Got it!
In the meantime, Albatross Club Members, stay tuned to this section of the forum for something very cool coming up later this year and early next year involving indoor golf and launch monitors in general. It’s awesome like the rest of our THP Experiences haha
As in, today? Tomorrow? Thanks!
This sounds very awesome. Don’t know what it is but I’m excited!