aimtobreak80’s Review of Skybrook Golf Club on 7/18/25

Skybrook Golf Club

Date: 7/18/25 Fri Afternoon
Overall Rating:

"Worth playing"
Conditions: Average - isolated issues
Pace: < 3 Hours
Cost: Not entered
Username: aimtobreak80
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This is not really a review of the course, rather it is one man’s review and opinion of the new, Top Tracer facility on the driving range at Skybrook Golf Club.

Disclaimer: I have not played golf for over two years due to arthritic fingers that would not adequately grip the clubs. I recently put fatter grips on the clubs, and headed to the range to see if, and how well, I could swing with them in place. I was looking forward to the Top Tracer technology to provide some objective, quantitative measure(s) of my performance. The good news is that I can hit the ball reasonably straight on a consistent basis without any signs of a blister occurring on my fingers. The bad news is that my “distance” has decreased significantly, presumably due to the effects associated with becoming an octogenarian, but that is beyond my control.

Now to the Top Tracer review. The facility just opened to the public in the past month, and the “newness” is impressive. There are 15 bays available, all completely covered. Amenities include a unisex restroom, cold water fountains, seating, clubhouse lunch counter phone in ordering, and a cart girl on duty, the latter being especially welcomed on the Heat Index 105 degree day that I elected to visit at 1:30 in the afternoon. There are several ball/basket options available, ranging from 30 to 140 balls, $11 to $41 respectively, and credit card, or other electronic payment methods, accepted. Word of advice: be sure to put the basket in place BEFORE completing the payment operation!

There is a bit of a learning curve for using the technology, most particularly if you are interested in personalizing the data and having it downloaded for review away from the course. One needs the TOPTRACER Range app, and to become familiar with it before heading to the range. The real time display on the monitor is sufficient for purposes of general performance assessment, but the amount of data quickly becomes a little overwhelming. I had hoped to compare Top Tracer data to that from my 3BAYS GSA swing motion analyzer, but a technological problem with the latter prevented me from doing so. I am not a fan of turf pads for driving ranges, because I believe such affect both swing mechanics and ball flight motion, but that can’t be helped given these circumstances. Another issue (shared and voiced by a fellow golfer on the range) is the quality of the range balls (especially over time, and extended usage) and effects on distance and ball flight curvature. So, I do not know how accurate the data from my outing may be, but it compared reasonably well with my real time visual assessments, and I believe that the average, casual user could benefit from this new addition to the driving range at Skybrook. If nothing else, it provides an objective measure of consistency.

On another note, the grass practice tee area is restricted to members only, but that’s no big deal. However, the practice bunker and two greens were in poor shape. The condition of the bunker was reminiscent of several years ago when even the on-course bunkers were terrible. The current condition certainly doesn’t afford any opportunity for good bunker practice. I hope that this is a temporary issue, and not due to inattention and lack of maintenance caused by concentrating on the new Top Tracer facility.