GSA Golf : PX Sensor systems 3

All our optical sensor club and ball tracking systems are hand made and tested to perfection

Our manufacturing and assembly time for the PX2 sensor mat exceeds 16 hours per unit

GSA Golf PX mats - in contrast - use long grass fiber mats that allow the club to get under the ball for a true feel

Reflex sensor pads
Nearly all low cost golf pads on the market are reflex sensor pads
The method here is to place IR LED light emitters next to the optical sensors in the pad so that
when a club passes over the sensors, the IR light hits the underlying surface of the club and reflects back to the optical sensors.
The major problem with this method is that the light being reflected is dependent on the reflectivity of the underlying surface of the club
which can greatly vary depending on the angle of the club and type of underlying surface with all it's varying degrees of reflectivity.
The result is inaccurate club face angle detection.
The solution to this problem is to cover the entire underside of the club with low reflective black tape and then add a high reflective strip along the underlying leading edge of the club.
Other than all the hassle of having to tape up the entire underside of all your woods and drivers, the whole lot starts to peel off if the club hits the hard surface of these pads.
So have fun with that !
Shadow based sensor pads
In contrast, shadow based optical sensor pads - like our PX series - produce very clear and defined shadow images of the club as it passes over the sensors,
which results in precise and accurate club face angle measurements without the requirement to add blackout tape and reflective strips to the club.
In addition, because shadow based systems don't require IR emitters, they can pack double the number of sensors in the same space for double the accuracy.
Note that most low cost sensor pads on the market use just 16 or 32 sensors
whereas our PX2 club tracking mat features 96 sensors !
To conclude, shadow based sensor pads are far more accurate then reflex sensor systems but do have one major draw back over reflex sensor pads.
Namely, when putting you can't look down over the ball as you would normally do when putting as your head will block the overhead light and so the system won't work then.
Solutions to this issue are:
1. keep your head up or to the side when putting.
2. Use our floor lamp so that the light source is below your head height.
3. Mount the overhead lamp further forward so that the light enters the sensors at an angle
(note that this method requires cutting down the leading edge of the grass fibers down)
4. Use a separate ball tracking system as with the PX3 or our CX2 cameras

PX - LX

The PX - LX combines any of the PX sensor tracking mats with the LX Lite or LX Pro camera launch monitor

Add ball vertical launch, speed and spin to the PX1 or PX2 or PX3 sensor tracking mats with the PX-LX

Click above to read more about LX Launch Monitors

Pros and Cons of optical systems compared to camera systems

PX optical system advantages
1. Compared to camera systems, our PX optical sensor systems are a breeze to setup
Other than installing the software and mounting an overhead lamp, PX optical sensor systems are Plug'n,Play
2. PX Optical sensor systems don't require the room or enclosure to be dark
3. PX Optical sensor systems don't require flooring to be non reflective
4. PX Optical sensor systems don't require any tracking dots to be applied the club
5. PX Optical sensor systems detect very precise club speed as well as club face angle and club path
PX optical system disadvantages
1. Optical sensor systems are not quite as accurate as camera systems
2. Optical sensor systems require cameras (LX or CX) to detect ball launch angle
3. Optical sensor systems require that the player always play the ball from the same spot unless using ball tracking cameras

Combining camera and optical sensor systems

Most of the above disadvantages can be overcome by combing both camera and optical sensor systems

The PX5 for example uses optical sensors to capture club data so that there is no requirement to apply any tracking dots to the club

and the cameras capture ball data (ball speed, path and launch angle) and allow the player to hit from other surfaces like fairway, rough, sand and greens for putting.

GSA Golf true feel mats

Warning! Most low cost (under $1000 ) optical sensor golf pads only use a thin grass top layer that feels very hard.

When hitting into these pads it can hurt and cause sprained wrists.

After using these pads for a while you'll probably find that you are adjusting your swing so as not to hit into the mat.

In contrast, GSA Golf use long grass fiber mats that allow the club to get under the ball for a true feel

PX2 vs CTS

Club Tracking Systems

PX2 advantages

1. Detects club path, speed and face angle for all clubs without tracking dots or markings on the club
2. Easy setup compared to cameras - it's essentially plug n play
3. PX Optical sensor systems detect very precise club speed as well as club face angle and club path
PX2 disadvantages
1. No photographic evidence of club face angle accuracy

CTS advantages
1. Detects club path, speed and face angle for all clubs with photographic evidence
2. Most accurate club tracking system available
CTS disadvantages
1. More complex setup
2. If not using tracking dots a visible flash is seen with every shot
3. Tracking dots or stripes may need to be applied to the clubs

Not sure which is best ?

No problem. We offer free exchanges of CTS and PX2 systems with associated price adjustments.

i.e. if you purchase one club tracking system and decide later that the other would be better than we can usually do a straight swap plus price difference as long as the unit is in good condition

BX ball tracking sensors

Use the BX ball path detection sensor array with built in trigger for the Vcam vertical launch camera

to replace the Hcam and SX line scan camera in a CX system

Price: $ 1,295.00

Camera sensor trigger array

As an alternative to our line scan camera triggers, you can also use optical sensor array triggers to trigger the V and H cam ball tracking cameras

The unit is 5ft in length and features 48 sensors that detect any ball passing over them.

Its advantage over the SX line scan camera trigger is that it doesn't require a non reflective floor surface that usually requires black carpet to be placed under the SX camera