JonD. This is how Virtual Coach was intended to be used. If you're using the drill videos within the fault's lesson plan, then it's related to fixing that specific fault. The intention is for users to find the drills that resonate with them, not use all the drills. The only video that we'd want you to watch for sure is the fault/flaw explanation video, so you can understand what your specific flaw is and why it matters.
SwingByte 2.0 THP Review Thread
Thanks for that info, Pat, that is very helpful.
Thanks Pat, that makes more sense. Looking forward to the updates in the next virtual coach.
Are there any thoughts or plans to re-engineer the latch system as well?
Rusty Dave
#staffproto
Hi PCSB,
I'm curious as to why only 5 swings? When I did a couple of lessons I thought that was too few swings to really nail down my faults. In fact I've tried it a few times and it's come up with different faults a few times. I would think that a minimum of 20 swings would be better at truly nailing down repeatable major faults. IMHO.
NewGlfr
New member
This issue I have with this work flow is the following.
If I get an idea of what my faults are and then do the mini game to see how I'm doing and get through it with 8/10 improvement, why would I even bother with the drill vids? Once I've "passed" the level (I'm not sure what to call it), I have to delete the lessons to try again. There go the vids!
Why not really hone down on what to work on (1-3 vids) per lesson and then offer the "if you want more drills or need more information go to your account online for more vids" kind of thing? At the range, I want to maximize the little time I have. If I don't "get" that one vid you offer for the lesson, I just don't have the time to look through the 18 others to find something that clicks so I can practice. I hope I'm explaining this effectively.
Is there a way to "save" the vids from the lesson you've just gotten through? Maybe on the website in your account or something? I haven't seen that at all.
Rusty Dave
#staffproto
Great idea. I would love the ability to "favourite" some drills for easy viewing later.
Honestly, it's hard get to an unconscious competence level in a short time and having relevant favourited drills to practice on demand would go a long way.
Rusty Dave
#staffproto
Great customer service. 12 minutes to get a response about a replacement. You don't see service like this much anymore.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Questions for the testers...What version of IOS are you guys running? What is video performance like for you?
Rusty Dave
#staffproto
8.4.1 Haven't upgraded to 9 yet. No video issues for me.
NewGlfr
New member
Latest version. The resolution is not great.
I'm running 9.2, no problems with videos that I have noticed.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
- Messages
- 24,445
- Reaction score
- 13,062
- Location
- Southeast, South Dakota
- Handicap
- 7.6
You can add me to the list of people that has received awesome customer service from Swingbyte. My wife ended up buying me one for my birthday. Unfortunately, I unpacked it and saw right away that the plastic piece that holds the strap was broken. I reached out to the company and after giving them the details they are sending a replacement! They were super quick to respond and great to work with. It's unfortunate it was broke but I am very grateful they were so good to me.
Nice to see the SwingByte folks getting involved in the thread!!
I'm on 9.2 but was on 9.1 the last time I was out with the device. Other than the service being unavailable, I've had no performance issue. 64GB iPhone 6.
I'm on 9.2 but was on 9.1 the last time I was out with the device. Other than the service being unavailable, I've had no performance issue. 64GB iPhone 6.
Glad hear it. As we get user feedback, we'll continue to update and improve the UX of Virtual Coach.
As for the latch, there are many factors that can cause a breakage. It shouldn't break but if it does, the good news is that it's easily replaceable and we're happy to send out replacements. There aren't any current plans to re-engineer the current latch system for SB2 but like any tech company in a competitive space, our team is always working on ideas for how we can improve our hardware design; making it lighter, stronger, cheaper, etc.
My experience isn't that the latch needs to be stronger or lighter, it is that it needs to function properly to keep the device fixed to the shaft.
Good question. We've definitely tested this out and 5 swings is enough for VC to find your faults. It finds many swing faults in the analysis but only picks out the common faults its most confident it. Think about from a golf instructor's perspective - many times, a good swing coach can pull out your top faults after watching you swing just one or two times. We worked with the the instructors at Plane Truth Golf to build this and 5 swings seemed to be the sweet spot of not too many but enough for VC.
Having said all that, we have seen cases where 5 swings hasn't been enough. So it's something we're open to playing with or changing. Good feedback. Please keep us posted. If you create new lesson plans with the same club and are getting a variety of faults, please share those lessons plans with us so we can learn more. Just a screenshot will do. Thank you!
NewGlfr
New member
You have a representative sample of 5 randomly selected units that were sent to 5 reviewers and 4 out of 5 broke. If you look at the reviews of your Product on Amazon.com, you'll see that the majority of the reviews that were negative point to the latch and how easily it can disengage or break.
Your customer service is excellent. No doubt. It has to be. If it weren't, you would have major problems as all of us here have needed to use it. Something to think about.
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NewGlfr
New member
It would be awesome to be able to select how many swings you want analyzed. 5, 10 or 15, maybe?
sandiegonative
Active member
SwingByte 2.0 THP Review Thread
For the record, my latch has not broke (knock on wood). However, I am having some issues keeping the unit aligned.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
For the record, my latch has not broke (knock on wood). However, I am having some issues keeping the unit aligned.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
NewGlfr
New member
Sorry, I fixed my post. 80% failure rate is still not great, really.
I got the monthly report. I really like getting this summary info like this. It's a nice feature. Unfortunately, my report contains bad data - my ball flight was exactly opposite of what is shown. I'm a software guy - this type of result smells like user error to me, but I really thought I had the device on the shaft properly.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Appreciate the feedback. I'll pass along the feedback to the CS team and tell them to keep up the good work. We're well aware of the issue with the latches and have stepped up QA measures to make sure that new batches are more durable. In the meantime, we're happy to replace that part for customers who have had issues. Thanks again guys!
NewGlfr
New member
Apologies if my comment came across a little harshly. It was not meant that way.
I've really been thinking about the latch mechanism and it just seems to me that there are too many potential failure points. If there was a way to make the latch a wide hook on one side where you can slip a very heavy duty rubber band (that is replaceable) and then use more of a tension/stress mechanism like on a ski boot, I think you would find far fewer failures. Add a few rubber bands to the package as extras, and it would be far easier for the end use to replace. Just a thought.
So I got out for some range time with the Swingbyte Virtual Coach this weekend. Was a little time strapped, with me fitting it in between shopping and a holiday party, but wanted to get an update in.
I went to the range with the intention of working on my iron swing, and that's exactly what I did. Started with a 6I and never put it down. After warming up I took my evaluation swings and got the following feedback.
I watched some videos and tried to run through the drills that were prescribed for the first fault of my arms being above plane at the top. Found a video that I liked right away and was able to see what they were talking about, and implement the change described. After a few reps of the drill, I was able to make some improvement, scoring a 62 on the 'work on this fault' exercise right out of the gate.
The second issue identified, my right elbow leading and my left arm pulling, was not as straight forward for me. I went through a number of videos, and while I understand the issue that they're addressing, none of the videos I watched really resonated with me. This resulted in me struggling with the fix they recommended. During the 'work on this fault' session, my best scores were actually on swings that had terrible results. I ended up below 50 ultimately and a little frustrated with this one as I just couldn't get it to work and the results didn't match the device's scoring of my swing. More on this in a bit.
The last fault, I'm already familiar with from past sessions, so I know the drills to work on. I ran through a couple of them and was back on track pretty quickly. I know this is a legit issue as it's something I'm always working on as I have a tendency to get lazy and slide forward instead of rotating my front hip out of the way.
I wanted to talk to the results vs. scoring of the virtual coach for a moment. I've noticed a mix of results on shots that score well within the confines of working on a specific fault. Whenever you're working on a swing change, you're going to mishit the ball. I want to say that the good score on the SwingByte is like a coach saying "I know that didn't look good, but you're on the right track" but without someone seeing both, it's a little disconcerting. I understand that we're not chasing perfect here, but thought it was worth mentioning.
As far as the actual unit functionality, I'd say that the hardware has been pretty solid. I did find that the device doesn't spin as readily on my C-Taper Lite iron shafts with the brushed finish, as it did on the chrome finished shafts in my PINGs. I tried sliding it up a bit to get some purchase on the bottom of the grip, but didn't see any benefit. I think if they can figure this out, then this would be a home run in the physical hardware conversation. The latch seems effective, but it's only been a few range sessions with mostly irons at this point. Will keep an eye on this as we continue.
Overall thoughts... While this device definitely doesn't replace a professional coach/instructor, I believe it fits a segment of folks who either don't want to go to a coach, can't afford regular visits, or just like being able to get instant feedback as they work on the range. The results of the virtual coach can be a little disheartening when you're struggling but the feedback has had significant utility for me so far. I would recommend that anyone using the virtual coach very much take their time with the drills and videos, making sure that you've really grasped the fix being communicated and working on it until you're comfortable, then moving to the next drill. I'm wary of being overloaded with too many swing thoughts, and I could see a hacker like myself, with a swing that varies day to day, getting different results in different rage sessions, resulting in way too many swing thoughts at one time. As with anything, this tool requires a basic understanding and the ability to pace yourself on the resulting drills and fixes so that you can truly absorb the changes presented.
Hoping to get the virtual coach to the range with my driver and/or FWs & hybos next. More to follow! Let me know if anyone has any questions.
I went to the range with the intention of working on my iron swing, and that's exactly what I did. Started with a 6I and never put it down. After warming up I took my evaluation swings and got the following feedback.
I watched some videos and tried to run through the drills that were prescribed for the first fault of my arms being above plane at the top. Found a video that I liked right away and was able to see what they were talking about, and implement the change described. After a few reps of the drill, I was able to make some improvement, scoring a 62 on the 'work on this fault' exercise right out of the gate.
The second issue identified, my right elbow leading and my left arm pulling, was not as straight forward for me. I went through a number of videos, and while I understand the issue that they're addressing, none of the videos I watched really resonated with me. This resulted in me struggling with the fix they recommended. During the 'work on this fault' session, my best scores were actually on swings that had terrible results. I ended up below 50 ultimately and a little frustrated with this one as I just couldn't get it to work and the results didn't match the device's scoring of my swing. More on this in a bit.
The last fault, I'm already familiar with from past sessions, so I know the drills to work on. I ran through a couple of them and was back on track pretty quickly. I know this is a legit issue as it's something I'm always working on as I have a tendency to get lazy and slide forward instead of rotating my front hip out of the way.
I wanted to talk to the results vs. scoring of the virtual coach for a moment. I've noticed a mix of results on shots that score well within the confines of working on a specific fault. Whenever you're working on a swing change, you're going to mishit the ball. I want to say that the good score on the SwingByte is like a coach saying "I know that didn't look good, but you're on the right track" but without someone seeing both, it's a little disconcerting. I understand that we're not chasing perfect here, but thought it was worth mentioning.
As far as the actual unit functionality, I'd say that the hardware has been pretty solid. I did find that the device doesn't spin as readily on my C-Taper Lite iron shafts with the brushed finish, as it did on the chrome finished shafts in my PINGs. I tried sliding it up a bit to get some purchase on the bottom of the grip, but didn't see any benefit. I think if they can figure this out, then this would be a home run in the physical hardware conversation. The latch seems effective, but it's only been a few range sessions with mostly irons at this point. Will keep an eye on this as we continue.
Overall thoughts... While this device definitely doesn't replace a professional coach/instructor, I believe it fits a segment of folks who either don't want to go to a coach, can't afford regular visits, or just like being able to get instant feedback as they work on the range. The results of the virtual coach can be a little disheartening when you're struggling but the feedback has had significant utility for me so far. I would recommend that anyone using the virtual coach very much take their time with the drills and videos, making sure that you've really grasped the fix being communicated and working on it until you're comfortable, then moving to the next drill. I'm wary of being overloaded with too many swing thoughts, and I could see a hacker like myself, with a swing that varies day to day, getting different results in different rage sessions, resulting in way too many swing thoughts at one time. As with anything, this tool requires a basic understanding and the ability to pace yourself on the resulting drills and fixes so that you can truly absorb the changes presented.
Hoping to get the virtual coach to the range with my driver and/or FWs & hybos next. More to follow! Let me know if anyone has any questions.
NewGlfr
New member
I spent an hour yesterday outside and hit about 50 balls with my PW and also tried the Swing Coach again.
I looked through the Swing Coach recommendations along with every swing I have on the app so far and also on the few recordings of my swing via video. I did this with back and forth comparison of the Practice mode, Virtual Coach , Vids of me and the Virtual Coach vids and things just really don't make much sense to me.
For example, 90% of the shots I hit yesterday were "hooks" according to the Practice mode. There is no way this can be accurate as I was hitting balls between my house and the neighbors house which is about 25 feet across in a lane about 120 feet long. I was using the Callaway foam balls, and about 30 of the balls landed within a circle about 25 feet in diameter about 90-100 feet away. I took an extreme amount of time between shots to make sure the device was aligned before each swing.
I also took a lot of time to really see what the Virtual Coach was saying about my swing and compare it to the swings seen on Practice mode and in my mind, they looked nothing alike. What I mean is that the Virtual Coach is showing me what my swing should look like based in what the Virtual Coach is seeing and what the vids are recommending for me to change. Sheesh, I hope I'm explaining this right.
I spent about three hours looking these things over last night and doing a comparison and came to the conclusion (for me) that I can't correlate what the unit is saying about my swing, what the shot outcomes are based on what the device is saying the shot outcome looks like to the app, and what I'm seeing both in real time outcomes and what I'm seeing in Practice mode.
I'm eventually going to put together another Youtube showing my thoughts and what this device is saying and how it doesn't necessarily correlate to me.
I looked through the Swing Coach recommendations along with every swing I have on the app so far and also on the few recordings of my swing via video. I did this with back and forth comparison of the Practice mode, Virtual Coach , Vids of me and the Virtual Coach vids and things just really don't make much sense to me.
For example, 90% of the shots I hit yesterday were "hooks" according to the Practice mode. There is no way this can be accurate as I was hitting balls between my house and the neighbors house which is about 25 feet across in a lane about 120 feet long. I was using the Callaway foam balls, and about 30 of the balls landed within a circle about 25 feet in diameter about 90-100 feet away. I took an extreme amount of time between shots to make sure the device was aligned before each swing.
I also took a lot of time to really see what the Virtual Coach was saying about my swing and compare it to the swings seen on Practice mode and in my mind, they looked nothing alike. What I mean is that the Virtual Coach is showing me what my swing should look like based in what the Virtual Coach is seeing and what the vids are recommending for me to change. Sheesh, I hope I'm explaining this right.
I spent about three hours looking these things over last night and doing a comparison and came to the conclusion (for me) that I can't correlate what the unit is saying about my swing, what the shot outcomes are based on what the device is saying the shot outcome looks like to the app, and what I'm seeing both in real time outcomes and what I'm seeing in Practice mode.
I'm eventually going to put together another Youtube showing my thoughts and what this device is saying and how it doesn't necessarily correlate to me.