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The Swing Caddie SC300 personal launch monitor upgrades the SC200 with a larger screen and an app for storing your data. Accuracy is good for the price.
Get exclusive Plugged In Golf pricing HERE!
See our review of the Swing Caddie SC300i Launch Monitor HERE
Introduction
For so many golfers – from the gear head to the range rat – owning a launch monitor is a dream. But with professional models costing well into five figures, that dream is unlikely to become a reality for most.
Swing Caddie wants to help golfers bring their dreams to life. Their SC200 (review HERE) was one of the earliest entries into the personal launch monitor market. Now Swing Caddie has brought out the next generation, the SC300, which adds more measurements and an app while keeping the price within reach of regular golfers.
Set Up & Ease of Use
Like the SC200, the SC300 scores major points for being easy to use. Charge it up, drop is 60 inches behind the ball, and fire away. The SC300 is significantly larger than the SC200, so you can easily read the results of each shot without bending down or squinting. You can also have the device announce the numbers after each shot.
The SC300 comes with a remote control which makes many features easier to use. You can switch from driver to sand wedge in just one touch instead of cycling through every club with the on-unit buttons.  That said, the range on the remote control is limited, and it needs to be pointed directly at the SC300.
Swing Caddie’s app connects to the SC300 quickly and easily. The primary value of the app is that it will store your shots (if you create an account), so you can monitor your progress over time.
Effectiveness
Let’s start out by identifying what the SC300 claims to do. Using Doppler Radar, it measures swing speed, ball speed, carry distance, launch angle, and apex. Swing Caddie states that the SC300 has a 3% error on ball speed, 3 yard error in Target Mode (user sets target distance), and 5% error on carry distance in Practice Mode.
I tested the SC300 head to head with a Foresight GC2 both indoors and outdoors. Outdoors, I found that Swing Caddie’s claims about ball speed accuracy were generally right on. The biggest gap that I found was 3 MPH, but more often the SC300 was within 1 MPH.
The SC300 was almost as accurate with launch angle. It captured many shots perfectly, though there were occasional shots that were significantly off. When it comes to club head speed, there was significant variance between the GC2 and the SC300, but this was not entirely unexpected. Different launch monitors – even at the professional level – can give different readings because they measure the club speed at different points in the swing.
When it comes to distance, the SC300 performed similarly to the SC200. With mid irons, it does a good job of approximating carry distance. When you get into the ends of the bag – woods and wedges – the SC300 struggles because it doesn’t measure spin.
Indoors, I found some significant problems with the SC300. With the high and low lofted clubs, I found the SC300 was generally operating at the far edges of error range. Particularly with wedges, it was routinely 3 MPH faster and 3-5 yards longer. When I switched to mid irons, the ball speed and distances gaps remained, but the launch angle became very erratic. I was seeing launch angles as much as 10 degrees higher than measured on the GC2.
Longevity
How much you use the Swing Caddie SC300 will likely depend on how and where you use it. If you’re currently hitting balls into a net, the SC300 is going to be an upgrade that you use regularly. For players who do all their practice outdoors, the SC300 may come out for serious sessions but stay home when things are more casual.
Regardless of how you use it, the SC300 gets high marks for being portable and easy to use. It can easily live in your golf bag and can be set up in under a minute. Also, the 12 hour battery life is awesome.
Value
The Swing Caddie SC300 retails for $500. At this price, it’s in a category with two other devices – the Rhapsodo MLM and the FlightScope Mevo. This is an interesting price because it’s so far below the professional grade launch monitors that cost many thousands of dollars, but it’s still a major investment for most golfers.
Plugged In Golf readers can get a special price of $450, and support Plugged In Golf, by buying the SC300i HERE
Conclusion
In the battle of the consumer-grade launch monitors, it’s hard to declare a winner because each device has a unique approach. If you want something that’s incredibly easy to use and doesn’t require a smartphone connection, the SC300 is the easy choice, but be aware that its accuracy is not as strong indoors.
Buy the Swing Caddie SC300 HERE
Matt Saternus
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With the personal launch monitor market getting more competitive at entry level, after data accuracy I think that simulation will be the biggest attraction. A decent entry level monitor with a range for tapping and simulation to play a few courses is all I want to add to my net in the back yard!
Another honest,valuable & helpful review from a trusted professional.
Thank you Matt.
Matt –
I’ve been looking at the personal launch monitor products for some time now. It’s hard to decide which one is “best”. However, my understanding is that the SC300 now also can measure spin rates and does so through the app. I met someone recently that had the SC300 and he showed me the data on his phone. Very nice where one could see ball flight, spin, launch etc. He said however that the SC300 had trouble in bright sunlight outdoors so that was one negative. Otherwise he really liked the device and uses it frequently. For myself however, I think I am going to to save up for a Sky Track, as the feature I really desire is the ability to play various courses. For about $2,000 more and the very positive product reviews, I think it’s worth the extra cost.
Mike,
If I were in this market and were going to buy something today, I would buy the SkyTrak. More data points, simulation, better accuracy. All that said, the price difference is not nothing so I understand why others would opt for the Mevo or MLM or SC300.
Best,
Matt
Mike,
The best ‘budget’ launch monitor out there now is the Mevo+. It has all (pretty much) of FlightScopes professional launch monitor data capture points plus…It is a simulator too.
Excellent bit of kit, I’d be buying that if I hadn’t dropped cash on an SC300 last year.
There will always be new technology coming along, it’s just where/when you decide to jump in and buy. I bought what I considered the best unit for me at the time and price point I was willing to invest at then.
Would I make the same choice now, with the Mevo+ hitting the market? Yes, the SC300 fits my needs, outdoor monitor I can use in a net, course or practice ground.
Would I make the same purchase if I had somewhere to practice indoors? Hell no!!! Sky Track wouldn’t get a look in, I’d be laying down the money for a Mevo+ every day of the week and twice on Sundays ;-)
Kent
Hey Kent…I was leaning towards the Mevo as well until a guy reviewed it and said it was great inside but not outside. The reason being that you need to line up a “siteline” that is on the Mevo…outdoors, which is where I would use it, would be next to impossible unless you were on mats only…
The unit is great. However, I am reallly getting sick and tire of entering all my clubs into the app before I can actually use it because it will not save the clubs. Hours wasted trying everything.
Used my sc300 again today. Again I had to reenter all my clubs into the app on my phone. Unit worked great. Tracked about 95% of my shots . As long I practiced and had the unit and phone (Samsung Note 9) on and connected I had no problems. BUT as soon as I logged off every single club I had entered was gone again. The phone app really needs to be fixed. At this point I am considering sending it back and buying a mevo.
Apparently, I can’t get any answers from Customer Service.
Doug,
I’m sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, you’re not the only one I know who has had problems with Voice Caddie customer service.
Best,
Matt
I have been using the cs 300 for a few weeks on my practice, half outside (hitting area) and half inside (placement of net). So far the stats are consistent and, I think, quite accurate. I had some problems at first with the unit and app, but most of these have found solutions. I would like to set all stats at 0, however, and start over now that I am familiar and comfortable with with device. Does anyone know if this is possible? If so, how?
I tried contacting voice caddie, no response.
Pierre,
Unfortunately I don’t have an answer for you. Even more unfortunately, not hearing back from Voice Caddie is not unusual. I wish I could be ore helpful.
Best,
Matt
Bonjour Matt,
Merci for your response. I have a reply from Voice Caddie.!!! They say the app will soon have a total delete option.
Pierre
(golfs are open again here in France with a long list of virus rules to follow)
If you had to choose between the Mevo or SC300 for a setup in a garage, what would you suggest? I’m just looking for some feedback on launch angle, spin and distance while practicing.
If you have enough ball flight/space, I would got for the Mevo. Much more data.
Best,
Matt
Jamie Fordyce, I like the swing caddie very much, it is accurate and simple to use. What is the Beston power pack?
Hi ,
there is an option to calibrate sc300 as with the finder balls goes 20-30 yards longer
Wiktor
The SC300 quits working after about 10 shots. Also kept registering my wedge swing speed at 125 mph. I called and emailed the company numerous times…no response. So, I gave the device away to one of my bag room guys, If you want something RELIABLE, save your $500 or go spend $15,000 for something that works !
I don’t believe ANY $500 device is going to satisfy any serious golfer.
I got 147 club head speed with a pitching wedge. And the ball speed was 97. This is not a reliable system. Mine is going back.
Anyone know if there is a delete all option on the SC300?
Recently, I bought new SC 300. I wonder why SC 300 didn’t work with several driver? One was working but another three drivers didn’t work. No answer on the monitor.
Looking for a monitor that provides accurate information on carry and total distances, wedges to driver, outdoor use , Florida ( lots of sunshine) , under $500.
Chris,
Unfortunately there is no such device. Nothing in that price range measures spin, so the distances are going to be estimates.
-Matt