SwingTalk: Great Idea, Poor Execution Leaves This Traveling Golfer Wanting More For $149

SwingTalk Golf Swing Analyzer with Voice Feedback ($149.00)

 Image Courtesy of Amazon.comhttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81Hpsroi88L._SL1500_.jpg

If golf is an integral part of your travel plans like it is mine, a device that can help your game is worth its baggage weight in gold. Having played golf in Greenland, England (St. Andrews and Carnoustie), Germany, Italy (inside the crater of a semi-active volcano), Hawaii and Guam, I want to get the most out of my game when spending big-bucks to play abroad.

SwingTalk looked appealing and easy to use online, so I decided to buy one on Amazon and try it out for my readers. I received the device quickly enough, but the battery does not last long and the "automatic" voice feedback (swing ratio and speed) is intermittent, making the device a pain in the neck to use on the range.

[[ASIN:B00ZH04N2Y SwingTalk Golf Swing Analyzer with Voice Feedback]] I received the device quickly enough, but the battery does not last long and the "automatic" feedback (swing ratio and speed) is intermittent, making the device a pain in the neck to use on the range.

There is no way to view the data online (on a computer) and the paltry amount of information provided about the product and how to use the data are not well explained on their website (which is almost strictly promotional). I used it once for 20 minutes and on the second attempt a few days later the device died before I made a single swing. Having to recharge the unit after every use is a pain I am not sure I want to endure. Finally, when I placed my phone on the ground right behind me, the device intermittently lost its pairing with the device, forcing me to interrupt my practice to re-pair the two. 

If the battery lasted a longer (at least 2-3 sessions), if there were a way to view and analyze my data online (not just on my phone), and if there were better online support (more information on what to do with all of the data), this could be a valuable tool. For now, it is not and I am sorry I bought it!

 Image Courtesy of Amazon.com - http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61Azly2V7XL._SL1163_.jpg

If the battery lasted a longer (at least 2-3 sessions) and there were better online support (more information on what to do with the data), this could be a valuable tool. For now, it is not and I am sorry I bought it!

CombatCritic Gives SwingTalk Golf Analyzer 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... Bombs Are Good In This Case!

PS - I was contacted by SwingTalk (GOLFZON) after posting my review on Amazon with the following comments:

Swingtalk Golfzon CS Team says: 

Hello, This is the Swingtalk Golfzon CS Team. 

Sorry for the battery issue caused!  

The SwingTalk consumes most battery while searching for the bluetooth connection. 

Please take this into consideration when using our device.  

Also, our website is still under development for support, so for any issues, you can reach us via Amazon message services. 

Viewing data on a computer (Excel export) feature is on its way!  

Please reach us for further comments. 

Thank you!

Here is my reply to them:

Considering that the device pairs quickly enough (seconds) by Bluetooth, that does not account for the paltry amount of time you can use the device between charges. 

Downloading the data to a spreadsheet would be helpful, but more important would be a detailed analysis of the vast amount of data and how the average golfer can use it to improve our games. For example, "tempo" is displayed as a ratio (e.g. 3.8:1), but I could not find information on what the ratio means and how I go about moving toward the "goal" (e.g. 3.0:1). A web-based interface for our data would also be nice because viewing information on the small screen of our smartphones has severe limitations. 

Additionally, some features are not explained at all. In "Swing Analysis" various parameters are displayed by forwarding through the swing, but there are comparisons (displayed in RED) in the App that are not mentioned anywhere in your literature and which I assume are the goal or "ideal" (pro golfer). I also found out, quite by accident, that there is an additional "top-down" view available in the App that is not mentioned in the YouTube demo or literature. 

Your product has excellent potential, but it appears that it was released before there were adequate resources and support material available to explain the features or interpret the data. It would be extremely helpful if I could access the data and Swing Analysis on my computer and have links to video and/or articles that explain what the information means and how it translates into improving my game.

You can read more on my popular blog http://www.combatcritic.com which is averaging 45,000+ visitors a year.

Thanks for your comments!

Then, out of the blue, I received another message from the manufacturer basically asking me to alter my review to their benefit:

From: GOLFZON - Amazon Marketplace Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at 8:09 PMTo: CombatCriticSubject: Feedback request from Amazon seller GOLFZON SwingTalk Golf Swing Analyzer with Voice Feedback Black [ASIN: B00PVKG6D4] 

Dear customer, 

We are the seller of SwingTalk that you recently purchased. 

We understand that you had problems with the device, and we would be happy to help you out if you could tell us the problem specifically. 

Also, could we kindly ask you to revise or delete the customer feedback? 

As a seller, customer feedbacks are really important to us to maintain the good customer care and service.Hope you understand and thank you very much for your business with us, we highly appreciate it. 

Have a nice day. =)

My response:

Had you read my detailed review, you would know what the problems are. 

Why would I revise my review when nothing has changed? I think it is absurd that you would ask. 

If you were concerned about customer care and service, you would not put a product on the market before it works properly and has the supporting documentation to provide useful information when using that product. 

Here’s the link to my review:

http://www.combatcritic.com/2015/09/swingtalk-great-idea-poor-execution.html 

I suggest you read it and have some solutions for my problems before contacting me again. 

Thank you, 

CombatCritic

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Title: SwingTalk: Great Idea, Poor Execution Leaves This Traveling Golfer Wanting More For $149

Key Words: Golf Swing Analyzer with Voice Feedback,  SwingTalk, Golf, Swing, Analyzer, Voice, Feedback, TravelValue, travel, value, review, Amazon, CombatCritic

Is The Voice's Will Champlin Just Shy or Is There More To It?

Is Will Champlin, the very talented contestant and finalist on this season’s NBC’s The Voice, just very shy or does he possibly struggle with what has been referred to until recently as Asperger’s Syndrome? Could NBC, The Voice, or Will himself be waiting until the season is over to make an announcement, not wanting to influence fan voting either positively or negatively?

As a licensed professional counselor with over 30 years experience as a clinician and experience working with and treating those with autism, I would personally not be surprised. If Will did have Asperger’s Disorder (now referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder in the new DSM-V) or another form of autism, all I could say is BRAVO! Not because I would ever wish something as debilitating as autism on anyone, but because he could make an excellent ambassador and role model for those individuals and families struggling with autism and other mental health concerns and obviously overcame great odds to achieve the success he has on The Voice. That could potentially have a massive impact on the elimination of the many negative stigmas surrounding not just autism, but all mental disorders, something I have personally been fighting very hard to achieve.

I am not going to detail the differences between DSM-IV-TR and DSM-V diagnoses here as that would take many pages and is not really relevant to this discussion. Let it suffice to say that whether we call it “Asperger’s Disorder” or “Autism Spectrum Disorder” is not important because they are both merely diagnoses, labels we as clinicians are often mandated to provide and do not define who a person is.

Will Champlin appears to be an extremely quiet person and smiles are few and far between, both symptoms of what we used to call Asperger’s and other Autism Spectrum Disorders. In-fact, Carson Daly commented for the first time just last week that it was nice to see Will finally smiling. Will also appears rather uncomfortable on stage with difficulty making eye contact. Another thing that has stood out is Will’s unwillingness, inability, or lack of comfortableness touching others. Most, if not all Voice contestants hug or otherwise touch Carson Daly after a performance or when greeting others, including their coaches and other contestants, but Will does not. 

I have seen Carson deliberately not touch Will in those situations and last week, while the very talented (and probable winner of this season’s show) Tessanne Chin and James Wolpert (who was eliminated last week), Adam Levine’s two other finalists, were holding each other tightly while waiting for the announcement of whom would be moving on to the #VoiceFinale, Will Champlin stood alone and emotionless. These are all symptoms of the Autism Spectrum Disorders, a very few symptoms of a very complex set of criteria we use to make diagnoses.

I do not know Will Champlin and do not have enough information to make a diagnosis, nor should I. Maybe he is just a very shy person or maybe he struggles with autism. All I am saying is that based on the behaviors I witnessed during this season of The Voice, he could be one of the millions of people who struggle with the developmental disorder we refer to as “autism”. 

Autism comes in many forms and varies wildly in severity, as do all of what we in the profession call “mental disorders”. Whether Will Champlin has a diagnosable disorder or not cannot and will not be determined here nor would it define him. However, an influential person with Asperger’s, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or whatever label we as humans feel the need to put on people with symptoms of social discomfort, could bring positive awareness to the struggles the millions of people with mental health issues suffer through each and every day.

I have written extensively about the stigmas surrounding mental disorders such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression, both in general and specifically in the military. My goal here is to help eliminate those stigmas and the many misconceptions the public has regarding mental disorders and mental health treatment. 

The winner of this season’s The Voice has not been announced as I write this and believe Tessanne Chin will likely win. But I am pulling for Will Champlin mostly because I would like Will to succeed on the Voice and in life. 

Good luck Will!

Key Words: NBC, television, The Voice, voice, Will Champlin, Carson Daly, show TV, singing, song, talent, Asperger's, autism, spectrum, disorder, CombatCounselor, combat, counselor, psychology, therapy

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