Purchased GC3. Having buyers remorse.

Yawtzee · January 23

I recently purchased a GC3 and have yet to open the box. I keep thinking I should have gotten an R50 for my situation. I will be building a sim in 2-3 years time, but for now my main use will be into a net in the backyard. The R50 seems more convenient for that. I got the GC3 as it is the gold standard, but having to get out tripod, laptop, and extension cord every time seems tedious... I told myself just get the proven LM, but am now having seconds thoughts.. Talk me in or out of my choice?

iacas · January 24

2 hours ago, Yawtzee said:

I recently purchased a GC3 and have yet to open the box. I keep thinking I should have gotten an R50 for my situation. I will be building a sim in 2-3 years time, but for now my main use will be into a net in the backyard. The R50 seems more convenient for that. I got the GC3 as it is the gold standard, but having to get out tripod, laptop, and extension cord every time seems tedious... I told myself just get the proven LM, but am now having seconds thoughts.. Talk me in or out of my choice?

It has a screen, and it shows some data on it. You don't necessarily need to get the laptop out every time. I have a QuadMAX, and I use it without hooking it up to a computer sometimes.

Beyond that… I'm not you, so I can't tell you what to do, and I won't really talk you into or out of anything. 2-3 years out is a long time, though. The R50 isn't great on the course, but the GC3 can work on the course and has a larger hitting mat.

Make a pro/con list or something, maybe?

chinaski · January 24

I've been debating both of these and in similar situation where I won't have a full sim up for a year or two due to space. Just a net indoors(with a monitor) and range use. I was planning to just use ipad 90% of the time anyway since more interested in numbers/testing than simulation, even when i do have full sim. The accuracy and portability is most important to me so that leads me to BLP or GC3.

tets · January 24

If you want to “see”the ball fly use the FSX pro with the iPad…

StalefishFS3 · January 24

I can say this from experience: outdoor setups are rough. Really rough. It does not matter what LM you have, it just sucks having to set up every single time simply to hit balls for 20 minutes.

I have never used an R50 but reviews seem to show the ball data is good for full shots. It struggles on short chips and putting. The GC3 on the other hand is excellent.

I just couldn’t handle the size of the R50 or having to bend down every time to manipulate the screen. That would get old quick. And you are limited to HTH, which ain’t that great.

Conversely, if you are using GC3 and a laptop, why do you need any cords? Have them both charged, connect via WiFi and you can use either FSX or GSPro on your laptop screen. Just try and have a permanent stand you can leave outside near your net, ie a bunch of cinderblocks, a cheapo table that costs 25 dollars from Costco, etc.

if you ever plan on taking to range GC3 is the best option. Although most folks overestimate how much it will be used on range or course. And also don’t underestimate the convenience of simply setting up GC3 without a laptop and hitting balls into Net using only the LCD screen. I do this a lot on my Quad.

Triple Lindy · January 24

While both the GC3 and R50 are more than I’m willing to spend, I can relate to the temporary outdoor setup issues. I’ve owned or tested just about every radar-based LM under $1k and also tested the OG Skytrak. I came back to the Voice Caddie SC300i because of the simplicity of operation - turn it on, set it down and start hitting. All others required an app and usually some level of internet connectivity. So in addition to setting up my net and mat, I’d also have to get a wifi router from the house because my connection isn’t strong enough at the back of my backyard. Add in getting a tripod out, extension cord, etc., and it got to be such a hassle that I wasn’t using the LM, so I when I saw the price of the SC300i had dropped to $250, I went back to it. (When I originally tested it, it was $550, which was too much for what it offered IMO.)

I also recently joined the PGA Tour Superstore club because they have indoor hitting bays and I have virtually unlimited access for $300/year. They use the GC3 and I have to say it was very impressive. I really liked the way the display showed the large screen hitting area and the location of your ball inside of that area. Yes, there was also a screen showing ball flight, but I often just glanced at the GC3 screen because the monitor was behind me, not a hitting into a projection screen.

If I was willing to spend $5k, the R50 would have my interest, though. I’ve not checked it out in detail, so I don’t know what the reference to manipulating the screen is about, but being able to glance down and see everything, including shot shape, sure sounds good.

Yawtzee · January 24

4 hours ago, tets said:

If you want to “see”the ball fly use the FSX pro with the iPad…

I’ve read terrible things about the app? Has it been functional for you?

tets · January 24

2 minutes ago, Yawtzee said:

I’ve read terrible things about the app? Has it been functional for you?

I use the app sometimes at our club with the gc hawk.. we have them free for members. So when using FSX pro, it’s actually on the desktop. I do use the foresight app on my phone and it’s not the best

petero · January 26

Gspro on low settings runs pretty decent on a wimpy gaming laptop too. I did that for a while before the fancy gaming rig to run high 4k settings.

collje26 · January 26

As others have said outdoor sims are tough but I haven’t had any issues with using FSX Pro on an ipad when I want additional numbers. I might be a homer for the GC3 but I don’t really see a better option other than a Quad for bringing it to the course and using it at home.

I would strongly recommend keeping the GC3 over the R50.

GAGolfer16 · January 27

I am in your exact situation with the gc3. Gaming laptop is a pain to haul out.

However, an iPad with Awesome golf is perfect.

Awesome golf's algorithm is different so the carry numbers don't always align perfectly (I trust gc3 for irons/wedges and Awesome golf for driver/woods fwiw). However they have a great range with different targets so you can watch ball flight and nice display for full data.

Not quite as simple as the r50 I'd imagine (haven't used it), but pretty damn simple, and far more convenient than trying to drag out the laptop.

The courses are lacking (four 9 hole courses, three 18 hole courses) and there is no putting, but I use my launch monitor mostly for practice, so it doesn't bother me.