Swing Caddie SC200
By now most golfers are familiar with Launch Monitors. The majority of golf equipment stores have a high end simulator bay for customers to test clubs, or take swing lessons. The Launch Monitors those simulator bays use cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000.00
For most of us a simulator bay in the basement or den is far from realistic. What if there was a product that could provide you with the same capabilities for a fraction of the cost, and is as portable as a cellular phone? Every golfer would just have to have one right! Well unfortunately there isn’t a product on the market that can do everything a high end launch monitor can. The Swing Caddie SC200 is about as close as you can get, but is close good enough?
SC200 Capabilities
The Swing Caddie SC200 uses Doppler Radar to read your swing speed, ball speed, and approximate trajectory. With these measurements it can provide you with your smash factor, and carry distance. It also keeps track of the amount of time you were using it and the number of balls you’ve hit. At first I wasn’t interested in how long I had used it or how many balls I had hit, but after a week of use those numbers began to take on an increased importance. Is Smash factor important to me? It never used to be. Well that isn’t entirely true. I’ve looked at what my smash factor was before when testing Drivers at Golf Town. After my first week of using the Swing Caddie SC200 I now pay close attention to my smash factor when working on improving my club face contact point. At first glance you might think that your Swing Speed, and Carry Distance are the only important measurements. That’s what I thought, and it only took a week for me to realize that I was wrong.
A few additional things you should know about the Swing Caddie SC200 that add to it’s appeal are the Voice capability, Remote Control, and battery life. The Swing Caddie SC200 has a very good screen that I found easy to read in most lighting conditions. There are times that reading the screen could be difficult. Thankfully the Swing Caddie SC200 has an audible announcement after each swing that informs you of the distance hit. You will still have to look at the screen if you are interested in knowing your Swing Speed or Smash Factor. I found the distance announcement quite useful. It takes a moment before it informs you so you have just long enough to make your own guess before the SC200 provides you with the answer. This feature has helped me identify what perfect contact actually feels like and sounds like. In some cases I’ve learned that louder isn’t necessarily better. The included Remote is such a welcome addition. It’s about as simple as can be. There’s a button for each club, and it’s a breeze to switch between modes. I like to switch from club to club when practicing at the Range. Quite often I’ll play a mock Par 4. I imagine a 350 yard Par 4 then tee off. I then estimate the distance left, and choose the appropriate club. The Swing Caddie SC200 removes the guess work, and is a snap to switch between clubs with the included remote. The SC200 is powered by four AAA batteries. For me that’s far better than an included rechargeable battery. I have devices that require constant charging. I’m thankful to not have another one. According to the manual you should expect around 20 hours of use. If your average Range session is around an hour that’s 20 times out! More than enough in my opinion.
First Impressions
By the time you read this the Swing Caddie SC200 has been out for over a year. Chances are you’ve already read other reviews, or seen unboxing videos of the product. What you probably haven’t come across till now is a Golf Beginner’s opinion of the Swing Caddie SC200. Unlike the majority of reviewers out there I’m not a professional golfer. I’m not affiliated with a recognized Golf publication, or Association. The Swing Caddie wasn’t supplied to me by the company for review purposes. I actually had to buy it! So I guess the real question is; for a beginner golfer like me, is the Swing Caddie SC200 actually worth it?
For me that’s a resounding YES! I’ve read some mixed reviews about the Swing Caddie SC200, from essential practice tool to novelty Range tech. The reviews were so mixed that it took quite the sale price for me to even consider the purchase. Having spent a considerable amount of time with the product the wide spectrum of conclusions I’ve come across make total sense. The Swing Caddie SC200’s usefulness is directly related to the user’s golfing ability. For a high handicapper like me, the Swing Caddie SC200 has already improved my game after one week of use. Now if I was somebody with a single digit handicap the Swing Caddie SC200 would only confirm what I already know. In fact it might even read some of my more intricate shots incorrectly because it’s configured for swings made with the club face in a neutral position. This is definitely not a product for a wedge wizard like Phil Mickelson. In fact the most lofted Wedge a Swing Caddie SC200 can read is a 59 degree. My Lob Wedge is 60 degrees so when I use it with the SC200 I have to accept a little bit of distance discrepancy, and the occasional missed swing. I mentioned earlier that the shot count feature became more important to me. What I realized is that it takes about 15 swings for me to loosen up. I also found out that I start to be affected by fatigue at around 85 swings. The difference between my optimum swings made while warmed up or fatigued is 10 to 15 yards depending on the club. This means that depending on how my Round of Golf is going I should be using a stronger club than I would expect towards the end of a Round. I’ve also learned that I should use a stronger club for the first 3 or 4 holes in a Round if I’m unable to warm up first. I also know that I only need 15 to 20 balls to hit before stepping up to the first tee. I’m sure veteran golfers have figured these things out over time. Well I’m in my third Season and I hadn’t figured it out until I practiced with the Swing Caddie SC200. Do you know your approximate distance with each club? You probably think you do. I know that I did. Well I was wrong about half the clubs in my bag. Not way wrong mind you, but wrong enough that my low Green in Regulation percentage makes total sense now. I’m certain that by the time the first set of batteries are dead in my Swing Caddie SC200; I’ll have such a good understanding of my game that hoping to break 100 will become a thing of the past. I should expect to break 100 every time out. Now will continued use help me to consistently break 90? Only time will tell. When that time comes I’ll definitely let you know.
