See the Swing Speed Radar by Sports Sensors on Amazon

If you are embarking on a speed training journey with overspeed training like TheStack, Rypstick, or SuperSpeed Golf System, you may be looking for a swing speed radar that can accurately measure your progress. There are a few options on the market, but most of the options are surprisingly expensive. The Swing Speed Radar by Sports Sensors is the most cost-effective radar available right now, so naturally, we bought it with our own money and tested it ourselves to answer the most important question: is it accurate? There are two distinct definitions of accuracy, and both are important to discuss.

First, is the aggregate data produced by the Swing Speed Radar accurate with aggregate data produced by other measurement devices? Second, is the individual data produced on each individual swing reliable?

Is it accurate in the aggregate?

In order to test the Swing Speed Radar’s accuracy, we compared it to our Foresight GC3 Launch Monitor, which provides club data. These systems were setup side by side, and the Swing Speed Radar was set up exactly to the specification found within the instruction manual. The Swing Speed Radar is capable of measuring swing speed with or without a ball, but the instruction manual makes it clear that it is more accurate when using a ball, due to external factors like how the player may swing and release the club. We used a ball and gave it twenty swings, comparing it to the much higher priced Foresight GC3 Launch Monitor, and here are the results.

Driver Swing Speed Average:

• Swing Speed Radar by Sports Sensors: 112.9 mph
• Foresight GC3: 110.5 mph

The data here was measured on simultaneous shots, meaning the GC3 and the Swing Speed Radar were both measuring the same shots. A pattern quickly emerged that the Swing Speed Radar was, somewhat consistently, measuring my swing speed at approximately 2.5mph faster than the Foresight GC3. This may well be explained by the difference in technology between the GC3 and the Swing Speed Radar. The Foresight GC3 is a camera-based system and the Swing Speed Radar uses doppler radar to measure speed, like a Trackman. However, its interesting to note that camera based systems typically measure clubhead speed slightly faster than radar based systems, but in this case, the GC3 was consistently recording a slower clubhead speed than the Swing Speed Radar.

Verdict: The Swing Speed Radar by Sports Sensors is accurate on average. The data produced by the Swing Speed Radar was only 2% different compared to the GC3 system that is 50 times more expensive. That 2% can likely be explained by a difference in measurement technology.

Is it accurate for each individual swing?

If you are training for personal best swing speeds in your speed training regimen, this may be where the Swing Speed Radar may not provide the level of satisfaction that some other, more expensive systems might. The Swing Speed Radar, when accounting for the 2.5% discrepancy between it and the GC3, still gave us some wild numbers in our 20-swing test.

With the Swing Speed Radar measuring the same swing an average of 2.5% faster than the GC3, we would expect to see the Swing Speed Radar consistently faster than the GC3 on all 20 swings; this was not the case.

• On 10% of the swings, the Swing Speed Radar actually recorded a lower swing speed than the GC3.
• On 15% of the swings, the Swing Speed Radar recorded a swing speed that exceeded 4mph faster than the GC3, which is about 3-4% in this context.
• The Swing Speed Radar also had one blatant misread, reading 119mph on a 112mph swing.

Verdict: The Swing Speed Radar is not as reliable on single swing measurements, with any individual swing measuring between 1% slower to 6% faster than reality. However, for the price, this may meet the accuracy threshold for most golfers.

Final Thoughts

The Swing Speed Radar by Sports Sensors is a great value and should be seriously considered as a viable option in the speed radar marketplace. For most amateur golfers, relatively accurate aggregate data is all that is required to tell if your speed training, practice, or workouts are improving your swing speed. However, the most serious speed trainers, such as professional golfers or those competing in long drive competitions may want to look for a higher priced system that is able to effectively and accurately measure each individual swing.