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SwingByte 2.0 THP Review Thread

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SanDiegoNative's Initial Impressions

SanDiegoNative's Initial Impressions

First and foremost, thank you THP and Swingbyte for the opportunity to test and review the Swingbyte 2 (SWB2) Mobile Swing Analyzer. In all honesty, I have never been in the market for this type of “training aid”. No real reason why or why not. With that said, I have been impressed by what the SWB2 can do and at the cost it does it at.

About Me: I’m a self-taught golfer and play to around a 14 handicap. My current swing is a work in progress due to a grip change and lingering tennis elbow in my lead arm. A few flaws I’m working on include:
1) A closed face at address
2) Too much forward shaft lean at address
3) Swing path (too flat)
4) Hooking the ball (I would like to get back where I was able to work the ball in both directions)

Ease of Use: A- The SWB2 package includes the analyzer, a short USB cable, and directions. As other reviewers have mentioned, it is packaged quite well and easily advertises what the device is designed to do (pics below). I do have one complaint about the directions. It states, “The white line on the alignment guide should be parallel with the leading edge of your club.” In my opinion, that is far too subjective. Your clubs are anywhere from 34 to 45.5 inches in length and it would be nearly impossible to align the SWB2 in the exact same position each time you remove and re-attached from one club to another. Why is this important? Because the SWB2 is calculating various measurements to the single degree. Good news… I have aligned my SWB2 to my grip alignment (which is no more than 2 inches from the SWB2) vice the leading edge. I believe based on the picture in “How Do I attach Swingbyte 2 to My Club?” link, this will work as well. After attaching the SWB2 to the club, everything else is fairly easy. Turn it on by pressing the gray button on the side and then go into your “Settings” where you Bluetooth pair the device. Next, launch the Swingbyte App and follow the few prompts to ensure the device and app are in sync. I have been prompted each time I turn on the device to set it down so it can be calibrated (lay the club down, press okay, and in under a minute the SWB2 is calibrated). Once connected, all you need to do is swing and make impact with something (i.e. golf ball, practice ball, dog chew ball, etc). I don't know how, but the device starts recording at address to the completion of the swing.

SWB2 Unboxing Pictures:
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App Experience: B+ (iPad) / C+ (iPhone) The SwingByte app is fairly intuitive. First, you add your club specifications (brand, length, lie, loft, and flex) to “My Bag” for more accurate measurements. Then you just select your club of choice from the drop down menu and swing away. I have the App installed on my new iPhone 6s Plus and an older iPad Air. Both are running the most current iOS, 9.1 but in my opinion the experience is completely different. The App does not change orientation. iPad is landscape and the iPhone is portrait. I personally found the iPad App much better than the iPhone app. Some of my observations are found below. These should be addressed ASAP.

Observations/Issues/Etc. (See screenshots below for #2-5):
Spoiler

1. I can hit the “Play” button on the iPad to play my swing. However, on the iPhone “Play” has only worked a few times for me. I’m forced to drag the play button across the screen to view my swings.
2. The iPad App is missing the Plane Angle measurement.
3. The iPad App actually explains what each measurement is. There is an “i” icon next to each measurement that describes what it is and some even have pictures for better understanding.
4. Although Swingbyte claims all your swings are stored in the cloud, I did not find all my swing on both devices. Of my 7 PW iPhone swings, only 2 showed up on the iPad App.
5. The circles on the play line are used to show various stages of your swing. The first dot is address, then ¼ swing, then ½ swing, then top of your swing, then ¾, and finally at impact. This is clearly labeled on the iPad, but not on the iPhone.

iPhone Screenshots:
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iPad Screenshots:
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Metrics Measured: A+ The Swingbyte calculates 14 various measurements (summary below). Personally, it’s information overload if you ask me. I think one should focus on a few measurements to address a specific swing flaw. For example, I focused on the measurements at address (#11-14 below). If my face at address is closed or I have too much forward shaft lean, I’m doomed to hit my dreaded hook. The descriptions below are from the iPad and I was not able to find them on the iPhone App.

Measurements:
Spoiler

1. Head Speed (MPH) – The speed of the head of the club at the point of impact, accounting for flex and rotation.
2. Swing Temp/Ratio – The duration of your backswing divided by the duration of your downswing (in seconds).
3. Plane Angle *** Not listed on the iPad App but listed on the iPhone App.
4. Face to Address – Measures how much you face has closed or opened relative to the club face at address.
5. Face to Path – The angle between the club face, and a club face that is square to the path that is was traveling on at the point of impact.
6. Path – Is the angle of the target line and the line tangent to your swing arc at impact, when viewed from overhead.
7. Lie Angle – The angle between the shaft of the club and the ground, when the leading edge of the club is square to the ground.
8. Loft – Is the vertical launch angle of the ball at impact and address. Swingbyte accounts for the loft angle of the club selected and gives you the absolute loft.
9. Attack Angle – Is the angle of the target line and the line tangent toy your swing arc at impact, when viewed straight on (Negative value means you are hitting down on the ball and positive means you are hitting up on the ball) *** iPad describes this backwards
10. Shaft Lean – Is the angle between your club shaft and the vertical (forward or backward).
11. Face Angle at Address – The direction your club face is pointing relative to the target line established with ITR (do not know what ITR stands for).
12. Initial Loft Angle – The loft of your club at address, accounting for shaft lean.
13. Initial Lie Angle – The lie angle of your club at address, based on how you are holding the club.
14. Lean at Address – Shaft lean at address

Value: B+ At $131 ($169 plus $7 for shipping less $45 discount), on initial impression, I think the SWB2 is a great value. I have used it with my PW indoors and it essentially confirms what I’m doing right and wrong. Depending on whether you have an iPhone or iPad makes a huge difference.

I still have not had a chance to hit this thing outside, so definitely more to follow.
 
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What Apple device is everyone using? For those on iPhones, are you guys also having issues playing your swing by hitting the play button?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Really looking forward to feedback on the Virtual Coach. Its new and looks very promising.
 
sandiegonative said:
What Apple device is everyone using? For those on iPhones, are you guys also having issues playing your swing by hitting the play button?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I have a 6+, no noticeable issues with the play button yet.

JB said:
Really looking forward to feedback on the Virtual Coach. Its new and looks very promising.
Click to expand...

I have an extended range session planned for Sat to address this, really looking forward to working with the suggestions and (hopefully) seeing improvements.
 
I got an e-mail yesterday afternoon about my Bluetooth issues and these are the instructions I received. I tried it this morning very quickly and it worked so far. I'll test it again when I get home after work.

Charge your Swingbyte overnight
Uninstall and reinstall the app (make sure any data has synced to the web at my.swingbyte.com to make sure you don't lose your swings)
Turn off your Swingbyte, leave it off for at least a minute
Delete the bluetooth pairing from all devices
Turn off your phone
Turn on your Swingbyte, leave it on for at least a minute
Turn on your phone
Re-pair Swingbyte with your phone
Launch the app and log in.
Add a new club (anything but a putter), leaving the default measurements
Make sure the new club is selected and connect in the app
Attach Swingbyte to your club, then lay your club flat on the ground.
Tap the Swingbyte icon (top right), select calibrate and recalibrate your Swingbyte
Take a swing with a real ball, with a full second pause at address.

I bring this up, because I find that this is something that should be on the website and easily found. If I read through the lines, although when received, the unit is supposed to be fully charged, but I'm quite certain it wasn't.

Having the above information online somewhere would have got me going in hours instead of a couple of days.

 
JB said:
Really looking forward to feedback on the Virtual Coach. Its new and looks very promising.
Click to expand...

I'm hoping to get outside with the SWB2 on Friday at the latest. Damn job, husband, and father duties come first. Go figure :)
 
NewGlfr said:
I got an e-mail yesterday afternoon about my Bluetooth issues and these are the instructions I received. I tried it this morning very quickly and it worked so far. I'll test it again when I get home after work.

Charge your Swingbyte overnight
Uninstall and reinstall the app (make sure any data has synced to the web at my.swingbyte.com to make sure you don't lose your swings)
Turn off your Swingbyte, leave it off for at least a minute
Delete the bluetooth pairing from all devices
Turn off your phone
Turn on your Swingbyte, leave it on for at least a minute
Turn on your phone
Re-pair Swingbyte with your phone
Launch the app and log in.
Add a new club (anything but a putter), leaving the default measurements
Make sure the new club is selected and connect in the app
Attach Swingbyte to your club, then lay your club flat on the ground.
Tap the Swingbyte icon (top right), select calibrate and recalibrate your Swingbyte
Take a swing with a real ball, with a full second pause at address.

I bring this up, because I find that this is something that should be on the website and easily found. If I read through the lines, although when received, the unit is supposed to be fully charged, but I'm quite certain it wasn't.

Having the above information online somewhere would have got me going in hours instead of a couple of days.

Click to expand...

I agree. Just out of experience with other devices, I charged the SWB2 before using it.
 
sandiegonative said:
I'm hoping to get outside with the SWB2 on Friday at the latest. Damn job, husband, and father duties come first. Go figure :)
Click to expand...

LOL I know exactly how you feel!!!

I was supposed to have a range session today, but life got in the way. -sigh-
 
HA!!! I got the device to talk to the app (thanks CS!) and even got to sneak away for a range session early this afternoon!

Disclaimer: Please remember I am very new to this game, haven't been in it seriously for very long and have almost no experience with these types of gadgets and/or any types of swing monitors. All I've done is go to the range, hit balls and watch some YouTubes. I've had one lesson with a Pro, but have a good relationship with the Pro at the range we go to who gives me tips.

Here we go!

App/Device Initial impressions:
- WOW, this thing is COOL!!! I'm totally a Tech guy and LOVE the feedback this app gives on each swing.

- There is SO MUCH info it gets a bit overwhelming for a newbie. Happily the Pro was at the range and answered some questions about what all the values mean. I know you can go to the Swingbyte website and read about what the values mean and such, but it would be amazing if you could double tap each box, and get sent directly to the explanation and what the values should be vs. what your values are.

- The way it shows you your swing in 3D and with all the orientations is really neat. Running it back and forth while manipulating it in 3D is really informative.

- I'm not sure how accurately the device tracks ball flight based on the calculations made. It tells you if you have a straight/fade/hook/draw/slice shot, but I'm really not too sure this is accurately describing my ball flight. There is no push/pull which is what most of my shots were, especially with the Wedges.

- One thing I will do from now on is keep track of when I hit the ball straight and give it a thumbs up. Push/Pull with get a thumbs down, and then I'll see how much better the tracking is within the App.

- I would love to have a section to make my own notes. Something like swiping the shot on the screen and be able to type something in. Like distance, how the shot felt, what I think I did and why I felt like the shot was good/bad/terrible, etc.

Virtual Coach:
- I did two rounds of this and the first round was much more successful than the second. Let me explain.

Round 1:
Pitching Wedge
Five swings and then it told me that I had three primary faults. The first was that my grip was too strong. The second was that I wasn't turning enough on my back swing and the third that on my follow through I wasn't putting enough weight on my left (forward) foot/side. One or two YouTubes for each. I found these faults and the vids easy to follow and didn't do the mini game, but immediately felt better in my swing when following the simple instructions. Within a few swings, I was able to implement the changes and was swinging away.

Round 2:
5 Hybrid
Another 5 swings. Again it said my grip was too strong. It also told me that Club is too shut at the top. Lastly, the Coach said that my right elbow is leading and my left arm is pulling. One vid for the first fault. Four vids for the second fault and EIGHTEEN (??) vids for the final fault. Very lengthy explanation for the second and third faults and many ways to approach the faults.

Assessment:
- I went over this with the Pro at the range who has casually seen me hit hundreds of balls and we've discussed my swing and newb status many times. He absolutely disagreed with the device saying my grip is too strong. He has mentioned on several occasions that my grip is not an issue at all.

- My initial impression is that there needs to be a way to ask the device to test more than 5 swings before making suggestions on how to improve. For someone who is really trying to hone in on their swing mechanics, that may be okay, but for a newb like me who probably doesn't swing the same once in a series of twenty swings or so, I think having levels of proficiency on the Virtual Coach would be awesome. More on that next.

- The first round with my PW was great because the recommendations and vids were clear, concise, short and made a difference immediately. The second round was a disaster for me. I would need to spend an awful lot of time viewing all the vids and absorbing the information, then trying to apply it. It was just sensory/information overload. Here again, I think it would be great to be able to select your level as a golfer (Beginner, High Handicapper, Mid Handicapper, Low Handicapper, Scratch, Pro for example) and then the unit can tailor the suggestions and vids to that. This way someone like me can really focus on some very specific things to improve, rather than have to filter through all of that information and try to pull out what might help.

- It would also really be cool to be able to save more than one Virtual Coaching session at a time. Three would be great. You basically have to delete the whole lesson and recommendations in order to get another round of the Virtual Coach. Again, for a newb like me, it would be really helpful to go back to previous sessions and practice things to make sure I'm doing okay with that stuff, while also getting some new stuff to work on.

- The screen on an iPhone is small. My old eyes have a bit of trouble with the vids and the resolution isn't great on the vids. Hopefully if this Beta works out, they will offer it on a tablet, which will make things much easier visually.


When I get a bit of time, I'm going to upload a couple of YouTubes with both the Practice Mode and show what it looks like and what it can do in real time, and also the Virtual Coach so everyone can see exactly what it looks like.
 
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garethw said:
I used a roll of toilet tissue when I first got mine. It was enough to pick up data, it was also enough to only do it the once after spending 10 minutes picking up shredded tissue.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Thanks for that visual and thanks for causing my coworkers to stare at the old guy who suddenly burst out laughing for no apparent reason (I'm supposed to be working, thank goodness for dual screens).

Thanks guys for your thoughts so far. I'm really interested in the Virtual Coach since SwingByte 2.0 doesn't currently support that feature for Android.
 
Playing with the Virtual Coach part of the App a bit more I noticed something.

The App gives you three lessons to work on by giving you instructional YouTubes which is awesome. However, when it comes down to the Mini game to see if you've absorbed the lesson and then practice it, you have to go through lesson one, two and three in order. You can't pick to practice lesson 3 and then test it out, then go to 2, back to 3, then lesson 1, etc.

I will test this on the range and see if you can skip around after you do the initial three. I personally found it weird that you can't chose which to do in the order you like.

AMENDMENT:
It seems like you can skip around. but it depends where you press on the screen. It's hard to explain, but if you hit the arrows on the extreme right of the screen it will only take you to the first lesson, regardless of which lesson you chose. However, if you hit the left side of the screen where it says "Lesson" then you can do that individual lesson and work on that fault.

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The more I read in this thread, the more I think I may want one of these. It's like the cost of two lessons, and I am starting to envision ways I could use this at home both over the winter and in the scenario in which my range stays closed for an extended period.
 
So I thought this was pretty cool. I got an email today with a summary of my SwingByte experience for the week. I only had the 1 day of practice this past weekend, so not a ton of data to evaluate yet, but I like the reminder! Here's a screenshot of the email:
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Virtual Coach vs. Practice Mode

I spent last night reviewing the vids in Virtual Coach mode and also seeing if I can correlate what the Virtual Coach said about my swing and what I can visually see about my swings in the Practice mode.

One thing I noticed is that they don't correlate very well visually. What I mean is, based on the YouTube lessons and how they describe my swing, I would expect to see these things on the Practice Mode visuals, but I don't. My club face doesn't look closed at all based on the lesson, and also the way my swing looks into the back swing and through to the down swing really doesn't look like they describe it should.

Now, again, I'm a newb, so maybe I'm not understanding what I should be seeing, as some of the vids are rather involved and complex imo, so that's another thing to consider.

I also would have liked some more terminology explanations as a newb. I had no idea what a "one planer" and "two planer" meant, so I spent some time with Google and found some good information on them, but until I did that, I had no idea what the Pro was talking about. All the vids in Lesson #3 (see previously posted pics) had mention of this. Newb status strikes again!.
 
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TeedUpThoughts said:
So I thought this was pretty cool. I got an email today with a summary of my SwingByte experience for the week. I only had the 1 day of practice this past weekend, so not a ton of data to evaluate yet, but I like the reminder! Here's a screenshot of the email:
e1536e6671b32e9c856dd78c89a86edc.jpg
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now that is pretty cool
 
Thanks guys for great insight so far. Definitely following this thread. Being new to the game and not having time to get a set lesson plan, something like this could be a game changer.
 
I got my e-mail,too, and for the life of me it, makes no sense. I definitely wasn't hitting the ball that badly LOL.

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NewGlfr said:
I got my e-mail,too, and for the life of me it makes no sense to me. I definitely wasn't hitting the ball that badly LOL.

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That 135% looks like a bug...
 
MPlefty said:
That 135% looks like a bug...
Click to expand...

What I *think* it might be is that it is taking all my shots instead of just the 5h as indicated and using the number of hooks on the 5h AND the number of hooks on all the shots taken with all the clubs.
 
More I'm reading this the more my original assumptions were right. I'm sure in not the to distant future these units will be the wave of the future for golf training. Now they are decent but not something to base all of your swing needs on . The path of the club is pretty accurate. The rest is negotiable at best

neverthe less I will keep it in the closet with the other million training aids I own. Looking forward to the future to see what the next versions will be like.
 
I love the fact that people can see the path of their swings and get numbers associated. If they can make adjustments based on the info,this is a solid tool for peeps that want to improve.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I love the fact that people can see the path of their swings and get numbers associated. If they can make adjustments based on the info,this is a solid tool for peeps that want to improve.
Click to expand...

Stay tuned. In the next day or so, I'm hoping to show the Practice Mode in action, and you'll see exactly how you can do that!
 
Tons of great info in this thread by you boys! They have come a long way since the first version.
 
NewGlfr said:
I got my e-mail,too, and for the life of me it, makes no sense. I definitely wasn't hitting the ball that badly LOL.

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The numbers on the bottom right quad don't make sense. You can't be over 100%.


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