[beachy]

I've been looking for a sensor that can accurately detect a golf club sweeping over the top of it (how close, how quickly, arc of swing).

The idea being to create a golf launch monitor that doesn't require hitting a ball, so you can play sim golf inside. Think playing alongside the Masters as you watch on TV in the lounge - without smashing a golf ball through your TV.

I am wondering if this could be suitable (or a number of them ganged together).

[cglace]

My dad had something like this that hooked up to his computer in the 90's.

[speps]

The risk of hitting the sensor and seeing it flying across the room into the TV seems too risky.

As mentioned, a high FPS camera along with the Kinect tech to extract a skeleton would work so much better. You could make that in your garage using a PlayStation Eye and existing open source tech.

[beachy]

Yep, the sensor would need to be buried/encased in a mat. The club needs to make contact with the mat realistically (i.e. like taking a divot on a real grass surface).

Most launch monitors today use high cameras or doppler radar. Neither of them really works without a ball. The difference between a good shot and a crap shot is a few millimetres. The technology can measure a bit of data from the club alone (club speed, angle of attack) but that's not enough to accurately extrapolate actual ball flight, since it's all about the quality of the contact of club on ball before ground.

[risenshinetech]

This already exists, its called the Optishot, and it doesn't work very well when compared to any modern radar or camera based sensors.

[beachy]

The opportunity is for something that can accurately measure your golf swing without a ball.

Optishot is not that:

> Since no ball data is recorded, the OptiShot 2 cannot accurately read how your club impacts the ball, so if you top the ball or even miss entirely, the OptiShot 2 will show that you made solid contact.

[schrectacular]

Seems like a hall sensor or two plus a magnetic club head is what you need

[beachy]

Some kind of electromagnetic sensor does seem like a way to go. Not sure of the practicalities of magnetising/ keeping magnetised a golf club head though.

And ideally it would work with all of your clubs or at least all your metal clubs, not just one special club.