On 2005-02-08, Tim (Atlanta Georgia) rated this P3ProSwing P3ProSwing a 4...(5014)
Purchase: Purchased from manufacturer for $579.00 found out later that you could buy it from other vendos for about $20 less, but the shipping times were much longer (2 weeks vs 2 days). I would assume this price will come down as it gains popularity, and I have no doubt that it will.
Pros: I like how this unit can track aspects of my swing. I get to see how fast I swing each club, what my swing path looks like, and how square my club face is at impact. I am not sure if it properly determining my toe and heel height, since I have a failry upright swing (2 degrees) but this unit does not show me having one. I havent measured the uprightness of my swing in two years, so who knows... maybe the unit is right? I have spent a great deal of time practicing with the driving range mode, and after going back to a real range for comparison, I know the unit has made a big difference in my game. The instant feedback, and swing analysis is invaluable.
Cons: I think the hardware is very impressive, but the software lags behind. You can see exactly where on the clubface you hit the ball, but even though there is an option to penalize shots out of the sweet spot range, it doesnt seem to make too much of a difference in the simulator. I could hit the ball off the toe, or off the heel and would get no feedback in the ball flight. i had to check the screen to see the impact spot. The software even had me stuck on a hillside next to a creek, and i was unable to get the ball out of there no matter how many swings i took or which angle i was aiming.
The biggest problem for my game is that i have a tendency to hit the ball thin, or outright top the ball. This unit would correctly show that the ball was topped, but the flight would be just as nice as a square hit. I would think this could be easily corrected in software if the user were allowed to define the hit area chracteristics. I wish i could make the sweet spot alot smaller, and more accurately model the characteristics of toes, heeled, and topped shots.
Additionally, if you buy it, you might as well buy the mat that comes with it. You will not be able to otherwise perfectly match the height of the unit which seems to be about 1 and 1/4 ". I came close with a couple of stacked rubber mats from home depot.
Quality: I was worried about the construction because looking at the publicity shots it looks plastic with ridges right where your iron likes to get lodged. but the unit is actually made of a very sturdy metal with a rubber top. I received an oil which i need to apply to the rubber to extend its longevity. I pretty much have to apply the oil each time i use the thing according to the directions, so I do. The tee that the unit ships with was pretty sad. I would think at that price the manufacturer could include a bag of the rubber hitting mat tees that can be had for about 3 bucks at edwin watts. Overall I think the unit is solidly constructed, and I have not has any concerns about its durability.
Review Summary: If you are looking for a swing analysis tool you can use at home this unit hits it out of the park. If you are looking for a golf simulator, you may be dissapointed in the level of customization. I have yet to break 90 in the real world, but i shot a 78 in the provided game because none of my mishits were punished enough even though the unit identified the mishit clearly in the display. I received a newsletter from the company saying that they are working on an interface for tiger woods golf, which will improve the course selection dramatically. Hopefully they are also working on better modeling mishit balls.
I thought about waiting on the next generation unit because im sure it will be cheaper, but this thing was just too useful not to have around. And having a driving range in my basement for the winter is definitely worth every penny for me. There hasnt been a day since I got the thing that I havent been sore from spending too much time on it. It would be a perfect 5 if the software was better, so i give it a 4 out of 5 for everything else.
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