- Admin
- #1
SwingByte 2.0 has added some new software and THP has sent out 5 of the units to forum members for review. This thread will serve as host for those reviews.
SwingByte 2.0 THP Review Thread
emart2173
#journey2017
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2014
- Messages
- 32,082
- Reaction score
- 7
- Location
- North of my desired location
- Handicap
- 10
Looking forward to reading everyone's thoughts
NewGlfr
New member
Here's a real quick overview of the App itself. My first time trying something like this so be nice!
LOL, I just realized I said "New golf" not NewGlfr. I was nervous LOL. Sorry about the background noise, too. Darn kids!
[video=youtube;r6uv-oB_6L8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6uv-oB_6L8[/video]
LOL, I just realized I said "New golf" not NewGlfr. I was nervous LOL. Sorry about the background noise, too. Darn kids!
[video=youtube;r6uv-oB_6L8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6uv-oB_6L8[/video]
Nice video review. You can add and delete clubs in the bag section. I believe you swipe left to right on the club you'd like to delete, and there is a "+" in the top right to add additional clubs
My app won't open this AM, going to try it a few more times then reinstall it to see if that works. I'll also have my initial review up later today.
My app won't open this AM, going to try it a few more times then reinstall it to see if that works. I'll also have my initial review up later today.
First, and foremost, thank you to THP and SwingByte for this opportunity to test and review the SwingByte 2.
Background Info:
I’ve been playing mediocre golf for most of my life, with some great shots sprinkled in to keep me coming back. My putting is the strongest part of my game, short game has been decent but inconsistent of late and my sand game is hit or miss. I started taking lessons with a new swing coach a couple of months ago, but didn’t have time to put the work in at the range to engrain the changes to memory with planning a wedding. My drives have been the true sore spot in my game over the past 2-years, they go far (over 250yds on average) but rarely in the short grass and more often behind some inanimate object which is a big focus of mine in this off-season.
I feel that I have a smoother swing (when hitting the ball well), and hope to validate that with this testing process. It will be interesting to see what data can be obtained from a “bad” swing, and how easy it is to interpret that data using the app.
Initial Impressions:
Brilliant packaging! Seriously, brilliant packaging is my first thought. The device is clearly displayed in a clear case attached to a “shaft” with a compartment at the bottom of the packaging housing the USB charging cable and a small instruction booklet.
The device, itself, is quite small (pictured next to a pack of gum) but packs some serious engineering. It is essentially 2 small plastic pieces, not much larger than a Twix candy bar in circumference (and ½ as long as one) connected on one side by a rubber hinge similar to what you would find on a Yeti cooler, and an intricate metal locking device on the other side (pictured here).
It seems to clamp down really well on a club, and it doesn’t appear to twist easily.
The application user interface is very clean-looking and intuitive to use. The “buttons” are a good size, and had no trouble with clicking on the wrong thing (this could be because I am using an iPhone 6+ though). It took about 10-15 minutes to set up my golf bag, and most of that time was spent looking up my club specs on Callaway’s preowned site.
A suggestion; and I know it would take some work to do this, might be to have this information within in app itself. It already asks (optional) what brand of club, perhaps a sub-section to select model with standard club specs loaded and an option to adjust (if necessary). I wonder, how many people will avoid this step in the setup, or just put in a few clubs because of the time it currently takes to research.
I'm headed to the range shortly for some initial data. Let me know if there are any things that you are curious about.
Background Info:
I’ve been playing mediocre golf for most of my life, with some great shots sprinkled in to keep me coming back. My putting is the strongest part of my game, short game has been decent but inconsistent of late and my sand game is hit or miss. I started taking lessons with a new swing coach a couple of months ago, but didn’t have time to put the work in at the range to engrain the changes to memory with planning a wedding. My drives have been the true sore spot in my game over the past 2-years, they go far (over 250yds on average) but rarely in the short grass and more often behind some inanimate object which is a big focus of mine in this off-season.
I feel that I have a smoother swing (when hitting the ball well), and hope to validate that with this testing process. It will be interesting to see what data can be obtained from a “bad” swing, and how easy it is to interpret that data using the app.
Initial Impressions:
Brilliant packaging! Seriously, brilliant packaging is my first thought. The device is clearly displayed in a clear case attached to a “shaft” with a compartment at the bottom of the packaging housing the USB charging cable and a small instruction booklet.
The device, itself, is quite small (pictured next to a pack of gum) but packs some serious engineering. It is essentially 2 small plastic pieces, not much larger than a Twix candy bar in circumference (and ½ as long as one) connected on one side by a rubber hinge similar to what you would find on a Yeti cooler, and an intricate metal locking device on the other side (pictured here).
It seems to clamp down really well on a club, and it doesn’t appear to twist easily.
The application user interface is very clean-looking and intuitive to use. The “buttons” are a good size, and had no trouble with clicking on the wrong thing (this could be because I am using an iPhone 6+ though). It took about 10-15 minutes to set up my golf bag, and most of that time was spent looking up my club specs on Callaway’s preowned site.
A suggestion; and I know it would take some work to do this, might be to have this information within in app itself. It already asks (optional) what brand of club, perhaps a sub-section to select model with standard club specs loaded and an option to adjust (if necessary). I wonder, how many people will avoid this step in the setup, or just put in a few clubs because of the time it currently takes to research.
I'm headed to the range shortly for some initial data. Let me know if there are any things that you are curious about.
NewGlfr
New member
It worked! Thanks for the tip!
Bit of a bummer - after actually opening mine I see that it is missing the latch. Oh well, a chance to see what Swingbyte's CS can do for us.
Computer 101... Always save what you are working on while you are working on it! I had my review from my range session this afternoon nearly complete and my computer rebooted to update argh! I'll have it up tonight...
emart2173
#journey2017
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2014
- Messages
- 32,082
- Reaction score
- 7
- Location
- North of my desired location
- Handicap
- 10
Nice thoughts to start with guys.
Mystery Meat
Ben Hogan Fan
I bought one of these units from a member here last year. Gave it a honest try for a few weeks and gave up on it. The video never synched up to the data. And the data itself was inconsistent and a little hard to believe. I've had s trackman analysis a few months before this and the numbers didn't match at all. Also didn't like that the data it gives after the strike is considered a "grey area" and is just a guess by the unit. Some of that data could be as valuable as the data you received before the initial strike of the ball.
these units have tremendous potential , just don't think we are quite there yet
these units have tremendous potential , just don't think we are quite there yet
Ah man. You probably missed it when Keith was handing out the latches since they didn't come attached when they were being handed out.
Hmm, I'm not sure if I didn't see that or didn't know what it was (and lost it). Oh well, it will get worked out one way or another.
I'm happy to report a first good interaction with SB's CS - I got a Sunday afternoon response within two hours of me opening a support ticket, and it looks like they'll take care of it (they asked for a picture of the problem, serial number and my mailing address).
EDIT: kudos to SB's CS. I already received a response saying they were mailing me the replacement pieces. That's pretty impressive support.
Damon.H
New member
I'm looking forward to these reviews guys, I'm about to hit the button on Swingbyte 2, Swingtalk or 3bays etc. I like data so I'm leaning towards this one. What I'm interested in is what i'm dynamically doing with the club head in regards to loft/lie/path/AOA.
SwingByte 2.0 THP Review Thread
Does anyone know how to upload the videos from the app to Tapatalk? I'd like to share a few, but the "share" button gives me a link to the swing plane animation and not the video itself. Also, the animation in the link requires adobe flash player which isn't supported on iPhone... More on that later. For those wondering what I'm talking about:
"Take a look at this 103 mph swing with a Driver club:
https://rest.swingbyte.com/s/6PdME7LKRsazegonyl037Q"
Does anyone know how to upload the videos from the app to Tapatalk? I'd like to share a few, but the "share" button gives me a link to the swing plane animation and not the video itself. Also, the animation in the link requires adobe flash player which isn't supported on iPhone... More on that later. For those wondering what I'm talking about:
"Take a look at this 103 mph swing with a Driver club:
https://rest.swingbyte.com/s/6PdME7LKRsazegonyl037Q"
Sorry, TUT, don't know the answer to your question.
I have a question back at you - can you switch to watch the (same) swing face on then from behind or do you only get one view or the other?
I have a question back at you - can you switch to watch the (same) swing face on then from behind or do you only get one view or the other?
emart2173
#journey2017
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2014
- Messages
- 32,082
- Reaction score
- 7
- Location
- North of my desired location
- Handicap
- 10
If it's like Cleveland's wedge analyzer you should be able to change views on the app
You can watch the same swing animation from multiple angles, even 360*. The video, however is from behind as far as I can tell as there is a circle to line up where the ball is and a line that it seems to determine draw or fade.
Six4three5
Tour Star...Layin' Up!
Great initial thoughts fellas. This looks like to be a neat little aid. Excited to hear your guys's thoughts as you get more time with it.
garethw
Well-known member
This is pretty much the same reason I stopped using mine. I know this is a unit costing a couple of hundred (?) compared to a trackman / gc2 / flightscope but the numbers it produces are quite different. From memory I think the AoA was something like 5 or 6 degrees different. There is I believe on Swingbytes website a Q and A part that has the differences listed. I tested the beta version several months back and had no end of problems syncing, the app crashing, video not working, but I guess that was the whole point of testing. Hopefully these have been ironed out and the testers get some good info posted.
One thing I did find out was to use a piece of clear tape over the alignment / usb cover as they are prone to flying off in use.
DawgDaddy
Old Coot
Man I hate that for you. Windows 10 is doing updates without asking permission for me and I hate that. I have not found how to get it to ask permission like older versions did.
It's completely user error on my part, it had been asking to reboot or postpone for 3 days now and I kept pushing postpone by 4 hours, then closing the laptop prior to the time expiring.
I've almost got my work recreated and should have it up today
I was able to get to the range yesterday for an initial test of the Swing Byte 2. Conditions were dry and in the low 50’s with a decent amount of wind at my back. My goals were:
- Figure out how to use the device
- Experience how it records, displays, presents, and how I can interpret the data
- Review how the device/app makes suggestions based upon my swing faults
*I did not intend on spending time doing the drills suggested based upon my swing faults, then gathering more data, rather just wanted to better understand how this thing works and interacts with the golfer.
The device itself paired as easily as any other Bluetooth device to an iPhone, and is VERY snug fitting to the club. It took a few moments to realize that I wouldn’t break the rubber connector, and that it does have just enough stretch in it to get it on. It was easy to align, and did not provide any weight or visual obstruction. I left my phone on top of the divider between the hitting bays, then attached to my golf bag at the back of the hitting bay and experienced no issues with being out of range. It did (once) ask me to place the club against a wall to recalibrate, but this took literally 5-seconds.
I took 65 swings (a large bucket) using my PW, 7i, 4W and Driver for reference points.
The device records 14 (!) different pieces of data (shown here and accessed when you double-tap on one of the 4 main icons on the main screen) including: Clubhead speed, face to address, club path, face to path and tempo. More information on these can be found on their website: http://blog.swingbyte.com/Swingbyte101
It says to click on the “i” for more information, but I didn’t see that option using the app on the phone. It does have that option when you log into the web portal though. (more on those features in a future post). Also, regarding the tempo ratio, it gives you a definition of what it is, but not what is good/bad for reference. I did, however, just figure out that if you press and hold an icon at the main screen you get a “Dial it in” meter… I will spend more time on this next range session and report back.
As an internet golfer, I found myself drawn to the “Head Speed” icon (obviously!) and didn’t spend too much time while hitting looking at anything else. After the first few shots, I clicked the icon in the bottom-right to expand a few options, by selecting the top Icon that looks like an atom you receive feedback on your swing faults accompanied by a YouTube video instruction with suggested drills/changes to correct it. I found that throughout the practice, I always had 1-5 suggestions to go through should I choose to do so.
One thing I’d like to see, if over time the program will “average” your swings and give you feedback on a few trends it sees in your swing. The virtual coach does this over 5 swings, and I’ll do that during my next session, but I’m curious to see if it does it over a larger sample of data as it seems to store that information in your profile.
In conclusion, for my first experience with it, I found it easy to set up and use, interesting to interact with and the one suggested video I watched (spine angle) and the drill they demonstrated seemed to lead to better shots immediately (visually anyway). I hope to be able to get out once/twice this week and will report back as I start to understand the information it’s providing and work on some of the suggested improvements.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me/post in here if you have any questions or would like me to keep an eye on anything specific.
- Figure out how to use the device
- Experience how it records, displays, presents, and how I can interpret the data
- Review how the device/app makes suggestions based upon my swing faults
*I did not intend on spending time doing the drills suggested based upon my swing faults, then gathering more data, rather just wanted to better understand how this thing works and interacts with the golfer.
The device itself paired as easily as any other Bluetooth device to an iPhone, and is VERY snug fitting to the club. It took a few moments to realize that I wouldn’t break the rubber connector, and that it does have just enough stretch in it to get it on. It was easy to align, and did not provide any weight or visual obstruction. I left my phone on top of the divider between the hitting bays, then attached to my golf bag at the back of the hitting bay and experienced no issues with being out of range. It did (once) ask me to place the club against a wall to recalibrate, but this took literally 5-seconds.
I took 65 swings (a large bucket) using my PW, 7i, 4W and Driver for reference points.
The device records 14 (!) different pieces of data (shown here and accessed when you double-tap on one of the 4 main icons on the main screen) including: Clubhead speed, face to address, club path, face to path and tempo. More information on these can be found on their website: http://blog.swingbyte.com/Swingbyte101
It says to click on the “i” for more information, but I didn’t see that option using the app on the phone. It does have that option when you log into the web portal though. (more on those features in a future post). Also, regarding the tempo ratio, it gives you a definition of what it is, but not what is good/bad for reference. I did, however, just figure out that if you press and hold an icon at the main screen you get a “Dial it in” meter… I will spend more time on this next range session and report back.
As an internet golfer, I found myself drawn to the “Head Speed” icon (obviously!) and didn’t spend too much time while hitting looking at anything else. After the first few shots, I clicked the icon in the bottom-right to expand a few options, by selecting the top Icon that looks like an atom you receive feedback on your swing faults accompanied by a YouTube video instruction with suggested drills/changes to correct it. I found that throughout the practice, I always had 1-5 suggestions to go through should I choose to do so.
One thing I’d like to see, if over time the program will “average” your swings and give you feedback on a few trends it sees in your swing. The virtual coach does this over 5 swings, and I’ll do that during my next session, but I’m curious to see if it does it over a larger sample of data as it seems to store that information in your profile.
In conclusion, for my first experience with it, I found it easy to set up and use, interesting to interact with and the one suggested video I watched (spine angle) and the drill they demonstrated seemed to lead to better shots immediately (visually anyway). I hope to be able to get out once/twice this week and will report back as I start to understand the information it’s providing and work on some of the suggested improvements.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me/post in here if you have any questions or would like me to keep an eye on anything specific.
Haven’t been to the range yet, but I did check the Swingbyte out after it was delivered this weekend. Even rolled some putts with it!
So right out of the gate, I thought that they did a good job on what I would call ‘neat’ packaging. Obligatory unboxing photos below. While it is just a plastic case, it does a good job of holding onto the device itself and the charging cable. Doubt I’ll keep it in there, but the presentation was pretty cool.
And here’s one of the device and the compartment where they keep the accessories. Not super interesting to most, but I’m a product nerd by trade, so little touches like this I find very cool.
Setup was very simple. It connects the same as any bluetooth device, and securing it on the club is not a complicated affair at all. I will say that it did take a little bit of work to get the unit aligned properly, but more on that in a bit. Here’s what it looks like attached to a putter.
I also wanted to note that it really is unobtrusive when addressing the ball. I had no issues with it distracting me once I started rolling putts as I was focused on the ball.
So, to alignment. I thought I had it on straight, but after rolling my first few putts, it kept showing me pushing to the right. After closer inspection, it showed me lining up my club head open at address. After a little bit of fidgeting though, all seemed well enough and I started rolling putts with it.
Much to my chagrin, my normal miss reared it’s ugly head yet again in a pull. This one wasn’t the worst one, but most were like this.
I tried to work on it and ended up rolling a coupe straight finally! Was doing this in my living room so no huge swings, but we’ll get into that here this week.
So initial impression for me is that even as a putting aid, I think this device has merit. Especially after checking out the website and seeing the statistics. I am going to run through the virtual coach mode as well with putting to see if there’s any drills that can help me with my flat stick game. Stats from my last round were pretty decent but not great. Would be huge to get a few strokes back around the green.
Definitely more to follow as I can’t wait to get this thing on the range. May even have one of my buddies take a few swings with it, if I can get one device to sync to two phones (he’s a lefty) or accounts.
So right out of the gate, I thought that they did a good job on what I would call ‘neat’ packaging. Obligatory unboxing photos below. While it is just a plastic case, it does a good job of holding onto the device itself and the charging cable. Doubt I’ll keep it in there, but the presentation was pretty cool.
Spoiler
And here’s one of the device and the compartment where they keep the accessories. Not super interesting to most, but I’m a product nerd by trade, so little touches like this I find very cool.
Setup was very simple. It connects the same as any bluetooth device, and securing it on the club is not a complicated affair at all. I will say that it did take a little bit of work to get the unit aligned properly, but more on that in a bit. Here’s what it looks like attached to a putter.
I also wanted to note that it really is unobtrusive when addressing the ball. I had no issues with it distracting me once I started rolling putts as I was focused on the ball.
So, to alignment. I thought I had it on straight, but after rolling my first few putts, it kept showing me pushing to the right. After closer inspection, it showed me lining up my club head open at address. After a little bit of fidgeting though, all seemed well enough and I started rolling putts with it.
Much to my chagrin, my normal miss reared it’s ugly head yet again in a pull. This one wasn’t the worst one, but most were like this.
I tried to work on it and ended up rolling a coupe straight finally! Was doing this in my living room so no huge swings, but we’ll get into that here this week.
So initial impression for me is that even as a putting aid, I think this device has merit. Especially after checking out the website and seeing the statistics. I am going to run through the virtual coach mode as well with putting to see if there’s any drills that can help me with my flat stick game. Stats from my last round were pretty decent but not great. Would be huge to get a few strokes back around the green.
Definitely more to follow as I can’t wait to get this thing on the range. May even have one of my buddies take a few swings with it, if I can get one device to sync to two phones (he’s a lefty) or accounts.
Last edited: