In the world of golf equipment, a healthy percentages of products turns over on a one-year cycle. Even before your hot new driver hit shelves, it was on death watch. A good bit of the rest of what we cover is good for two years at most.
The rate at which brands innovate might lead one to think golf technology moves at speed of light—or maybe the speed of “Dark.”
I suppose that makes it all the more fascinating that what I’d argue are golf’s biggest technology brands—the guys tasked with measuring the efficacy and efficiency of the annual (and bi-annual) flood of products, and the golfers who swing them—operate on significantly more conservative timelines.
A Brief History of Foresight Innovation
Case in point, GC2. The original Foresight launch monitor hit the market in 2010. Other than the external HMT add-on (circa 2013) which allowed GC2 to measure the golf club, the hardware remained viable, arguably state-of-the-art, for six years. To put that in perspective, over that same period, TaylorMade launched 73 drivers.
(I’m kidding. Let it go, people.)
In 2017, Foresight Launched the GCQuad.
Ubiquitous on the PGA Tour, the Quad is used by equipment manufacturers, top fitters and many of the best teachers in the world. GCQuad has been the official launch monitor of MyGolfSpy since the year it launched.
Save the firmware and software updates we’ve come to expect from any piece of technology (I upgraded the firmware on my dryer last week), GCQuad has set the pace in the photometric (camera-based) launch monitor category for the last six years.
It’s not just best-of-breed. It’s Secretariat at the ’73 Belmont. There are other horses in the race; they’re just not in the same class.
QuadMAX – the Next Generation of Foresight Flagship Launch Monitors
So here we are, six years removed from the introduction of GCQuad, and Foresight is finally launching a new device: the QuadMAX. As perhaps a testament to how far ahead of its time GCQuad was, not much is changing with the underlying hardware that powers QuadMAX.
There’s a good reason for that.
One could argue that, as a construct, accuracy is an absolute. Either you’re accurate or you’re not. And if you’re already accurate, being more accurate is a difficult hurdle to clear.
Foresight QuadMAX Features
With that in mind, improvements to the QuadMAX aren’t so much about improving accuracy as they are building on Foresight’s foundation of accuracy with a robust set of features, many of which were requested by current GCQuad users.
New Touchscreen Display
QuadMAX offers a new touchscreen display that improves navigation and general ease of use. If you’ve used a GQQuad, you know navigation of the on-board menu system is functional but not exactly streamlined.
Customizable “MyTiles”
The QuadMAX touch interface brings a new feature called MyTiles that allows users to customize and prioritize the data displayed on the screen. Driven by requests from Tour pros and instructors, MyTiles gives users the ability to selectively focus on a few, or even just one, metric during a practice session.
You’ll find similar functionality within the FSX Pro app but now it’s available within the hardware itself.
Hit Now, Analyze Later
The Foresight QuadMAX launch monitor includes a large internal memory that stores data collected during a practice session on the device itself. When you’re done and ready, your session data can be offloaded for further analysis via the Foresight Sports app.
By all means, keep using the mobile app if you like but the goal is to offer distraction and tether-free options for golfers who prefer not to deal with a mobile device.
If you’re like me, you might sometimes hit a lot of shots during a practice session. I’ve been known to go 200 deep and then some but that won’t get me anywhere close to exhausting the capacity of the QuadMAX’s memory.
Foresight says the QuadMAX can store data for up to two billion shots. So, as long as your uninterrupted run rate doesn’t exceed one shot every second for more than 60 years, you’ll be fine.
QuadMAX – More On-Board Metrics
If there is a limiting factor to GCQuad, it’s that a healthy percentage of what it measures is available only through software like FSX Play, FSX Pro or the mobile app. The on-screen display gives you the basics but, if you want to look at data for things like apex, descent angle, offline, etc., you need one of those external bits.
With QuadMAX, additional metrics are directly available on the device which means you’ll be able to use them with MyTiles and you’ll be able to analyze them later with the Foresight Sports app.
Impact Free Speed Tracking
I’m probably in the minority but the QuadMAX feature I’m most excited about is a new ability to measure swing speed without the need for impact. This should prove especially useful for golfers using swing speed training systems like The Stack. Simply attach a Foresight fiducial (aka reflective sticker) to your preferred swing stick (even if it’s just your driver) and you’re good to go.
Lighter and Longer Lasting
Lastly, the QuadMAX brings with it a 15 percent larger battery. Battery life on GCQuad is plenty good but Foresight says QuadMAX’s lights will stay on noticeably longer. While that might suggest a heavier device, QuadMAX is actually15 percent lighter than GCQuad, thanks to some new magnesium internals. That should make a difference when you’re lugging it through an airport, for example.
2024 – A Year of Innovation
QuadMAX marks the second major launch of 2024 for Foresight. The simulation-focused, overhead Falcon was announced earlier this month. We expect there will be more to come.
Foresight’s new flagship launch monitor will be previewed at the PGA Show and available for purchase in February.
To learn more, visit www.foresightsports.com.
