Swing Caddy SC300 Review: one of the best launch monitors gets an upgrade

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Swing Caddy is one of the leaders in the affordable monitor space for launch. Recently they released their SC300 launch monitor, an upgrade of the SC200 model that has been in recent years. I am impressed by the accuracy of their other releases and am curious to see how the new model piles up.

The SC300 has several new features: a special mobile app that stores your data and the addition of the launch angle and top height. As always, my goal in testing is to determine how accurate it is. In addition, I want to help you decide whether it is worth the extra premium for the SC200 to spend and how it relates to other products in this space.

What does the SC300 measure?

The promise of the SC300 is impressive. For about $ 500 the following statistics are displayed:

Swing speed
Ball speed
Smash Factor
Carry & Total Yardages
Start Angle
Apex (maximum height)

When I saw the SC300 for the first time at the PGA Merchandise Show, I was impressed by the appearance. It is a smooth piece of hardware that looks more substantial than their previous releases.

In addition, you can now synchronize your data via Bluetooth with your phone or tablet. This is a new function. I found the app very intuitive and well designed. With this you can save data from your practice sessions and you can see your stroke statistics almost immediately. What I liked the most was that you do not have to use the app if you do not want to. I think this is a better option than products like the FlightScope Mevo, for which you have to use their app.

Here is a screenshot of the app interface

As with the SC200, the launch monitor speaks your yardages quickly and displays other data almost immediately after the collision.

They Kept It Simple Again

One of the main reasons why I loved the Voice Caddy SC200 was simplicity. I think the newer model offers the same user experience. Simply turn on the SC300 and select which club you are currently hitting, and you're ready to go.

You want to follow the instructions on how to store the appliance, especially indoors. The SC300 requires about 11-12 feet total to accurately measure. Since the launch monitor uses radar technology, it needs sufficient space to see the ball travel. In addition, you have to select the club you hit and the right loft to get more accurate numbers. You can easily do this with the included remote control, and I did not think it was too much of a hassle.

The Swing Caddy SC300 has two modes during your practice sessions. The practice mode displays your information after each recording, while you can select a distance in the target mode to jump to. The SC200 did show a score after having made ten shots in the target mode, and also offered a different "approach" mode that made randomized target distances. I was somewhat disappointed that they dropped those functions because I thought they added a bit more structure to your practice session (if you need it). In general, however, I would not find a deal breaker.

Is the SC300 accurate?

Every time I test a launch monitor, I am most concerned with precise bearing distances. I believe this is the most important indicator for assessing each product, especially if you use it at home to practice.

I also remember people in these reviews that no launch monitor is perfect. They all have different ways to measure your ball flight and calculate each metric. Specific models are better indoors because they use camera technology, such as SkyTrak and Foresight Sports.

In general, the more money you spend, the more functions and accuracy you can expect. However, I have been on launch monitors that cost between $ 10,000 and $ 20,000, which from time to time make mistakes and struggle with specific measurements.

People who buy launchers in the $ 500 and sub-categories must surely dampen their expectations. But I have noticed that many products offer reasonable accuracy in this price range and can be great practice girls.

I tested the Swing Caddy SC300 indoors compared to my SkyTrak. I have discovered that SkyTrak is very accurate because it uses high-speed cameras to measure. But at $ 2000 it is a significant investment and offers much more data, such as your simulated ball flight, spinning speeds and various other statistics.

Club SkyTrak Carry YardageSC300 Carry Yardage% DifferenceSkyTrak Launch AngleSC300 Starting angle% Difference

Pitch Shot (LW) 4951429.8286.23

SW1091122.7127.723.615.98

PW130.5127.42.4024.128.215.67

7-iron171.3174.51.851720.317.69

3-hybrid2092173.7512.816.223.44

Driver2552664.2214.7168.46

Here is a summary of my findings:

The SC300 did an excellent job to measure bearing distances . I also saw similar results on ball speed, which is another important measure to measure
The launch corner was "in the baseball field", but I believe that the SC300 slightly exaggerated my launch angle
The SC300 struggled at peak height . It showed distances that were almost double the SkyTrak and thought it overestimated. This can be a limitation of the indoor unit.

In general, I found the SC300 very accurate in the carry distance / ball speed (similar to the SC200). The newer statistics were less accurate, but I still believe that the launch angle was so close that you could get valuable data. Based on what I saw at peak height, I could not say that this was a reliable measured value. I'm going to try the SC300 outdoors to see if there are significant changes in the height of the top and update the rating when the weather gets warmer.

How I would use it

Budget launch monitors are, in my opinion, best used to work on remote control. If you hit a net at home, this is a great way to map your bag and get real feedback on your photos. Instead of guessing how far you get, you can now get good data that can help you make decisions about the course.

My favorite way to work with every start monitor is to enter my wedge distances of 50-100 yards. If this was the only way to practice with the SC300, it would result in huge gains in your game. My advice is to work on specific yardages to get the feel of each of them and then test yourself by selecting random yardage to jump to.

Because the SC300 now offers a starting angle, you can work on increasing the distance of your driver. In general, if you can launch the ball higher with more ball speed (and not too much spin), you increase the driving distance. I always try to launch the ball around 14-17 degrees. I can not say that there is a correct number for all golfers because there are several considerations, but this could be a good goal for many of you (if you hit the ball too low or too high).

SC300 versus SC200

The big question with many golfers is whether they have to spend the extra money for the SC300.

The SC200 is an excellent price for just under $ 300. It provides reliable worlds similar to the SC300. If you spend about $ 200 extra, you will receive the app (which I liked) and the addition of the launch angle and top height. Are these features worth more than $ 200? I think it depends on the golfer and their budget. They are both very good at what they do for the price.

Packing

The SC300 is another excellent release of Swing Caddy. I think their products offer some of the best value in this category. If you are looking for a great practice buddy, especially at home, this will get going.

Although the accuracy is not perfect, there are many positive aspects that outweigh some of its shortcomings. I loved adding the app and getting your launch angle can help golfers who know what to do with that data.

Typically the SC300 sells $ 549, but the people from Voice Caddy sell it here for $ 499, which is the lowest price you'll see online. You can also still harass the SC200 for $ 289, which remains an excellent value.

If you want to know more about other launch monitors, read my guide here.