An Honest Review of The Foresight GC3 Launch Monitor

I’m lucky to have a golf learning center at the club where I belong that has the Foresight GC3 launch monitors available. I’ve had a lot of time to experiment with the Foresight to see what it offers.

The Foresight GC3 can be used as a personal launch monitor for game improvement, but it can also be a great golf range finder to use as a simulator. I did not use this with the simulator software. Instead, I use it to work on my golf game, collect data, and bring that to the course.

Here’s my honest opinion of the Foresight GC3 and whether or not it’s something you should spend your money on.

Overall Ratings and Thoughts

The overall rating for the Foresight GC3 was 9.5/10. The unit lost a few points because it can be hard to find that 7” x 10” hitting zone when you start working with it. In addition, keep in mind that this model will not work when you want to get some data about your putting stroke.

Outside of that, I’m impressed with the accuracy of the data that you can get from the Foresight GC3. In addition, the overall model is durable, lightweight, and has a long battery life. I find it very easy to use.

Lastly, having that touchscreen display to get data without a full simulator setup is a huge benefit in a quality launch monitor. As great as all of this other technology is, sometimes you need a quick setup on the driving range that allows you access to your data.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Foresight GC3’s Features

The Foresight GC3 works both indoors and outdoors. It’s considered to be a more premium personal launch monitor with incredible accuracy. The Foresight GC3 is not nearly as expensive as the Trackman, but many believe the accuracy is relatively close.

Three Precision Cameras

The GC “3” in the product title helps us know that there are three cameras here that help golfers collect data about their golf swing. The cameras are used for ball and club data, both of which are only available on premium launch monitors.

Touch Screen Display

The Foresight GC3 has great connectivity to plenty of devices, but if you want to work with just the launch monitor alone, you can. You can see an easy-to-read display even when the sun is shining on the driving range.

As much as I like seeing the data on the bigger screen, sometimes it’s nice to take a quick glance at the launch monitor screen and see my results within seconds.

The fact that this is a touchscreen also makes the unit more user-friendly.

Limited Space Requirements

One thing that all golfers should look into when purchasing a launch monitor is the space requirements. Luckily the GC3 hitting zone is only 7” x 10”. This is smaller than most, so it works well at a driving range or even in a golf simulator room in your home.

Software Package Options and Compatibility

Although the Foresight GC3 can work just fine without simulation software, it also has some great functionality when compared with the FSX 2020 Simulator Software. With this product, you can play ten golf courses and set up a driving range session, and the graphics are quite impressive.

Data Collection

Perhaps the most essential feature of any portable golf launch monitor is the data that it collects. The more data you can get, the better the launch monitor performs in a simulator setting.

In addition, when you get good at understanding and learning from this data, you can use it to help improve your golf game.

The ball data that the Foresight GC3 collects:

• Ball speed
• Carry distance
• Horizontal and vertical launch angles
• Total spin
• Side spin
• Spin axis

The club data that Foresight GC3 collects:

• Club head speed
• Smash factor
• Club path
• Angle of attack

When you want to collect information on the ball, you can use any club in your bag without stickers or sensors on your club. To collect the club data, there are small stickers placed on your club. The stickers do not change your golf club’s performance, look or feel in any way.

Lithium Ion Battery

The Lithium Ion Battery in the Foresight GC3 makes it a lightweight unit, and it also ensures that you have 5 to 7 hours of practice time before you need to recharge the battery. This is plenty of time, and the recharge is relatively quick.

Total Weight of 5lbs

When heading out to the practice range, the last thing I want is a big clunky launch monitor with lots of cords and cables. Considering that three cameras are included in the Foresight GC3 and can track both club and ball data, I’m impressed with the 5-pound weight and the easy transferability of the launch monitor.

 

Foresight GC3’s Performance

Now that you have the basics of how the Foresight GC3 works let’s go through some of the performance variables so that you can see what you are really getting/paying for when you purchase the Foresight GC3.

Accuracy

I find the Foresight GC3 to be really accurate. In fact, I noticed that it even helped me to become a bit more accurate on the course. The carry distance number was the biggest help I got from using the Foresight.

I think, like most golfers, I may have my distances down, but my carry distance is a few yards less than I thought it was.

In addition, I’ve been working on a swing change, and the data from the Foresight GC3 helps me to understand when I did things correctly and when I didn’t.

Of course, the ball flight can sometimes tell me this as well, but the GC3 only confirms it.

Ease of Use

The Foresight GC3 is pretty easy to use. I can’t say I was the one that programmed it, but I was able to figure out how to toggle through the screens, and I even learned how to switch it to the left-handed mode for my husband.

You do have to switch it manually to a left-handed golfer as it reads data on one side of the ball; if you don’t switch it, the Foresight will continually tell you that the ball is not in the right place.

Getting the ball into the proper location is a bit frustrating at first, but then you learn to get used to it.

Essentially there is a trapezoid-type shape on the screen, and this is the area where you can place the ball. The area seems somewhat large, but when you try to put it in the correct spot, you realize that you have to be quite accurate.

One thing to remember is that your target area for placing the ball is always going to be just behind the unit, as this is where it needs to be in order for it to read the impact position.

Overall Functionality

The Foresight GC3 certainly does everything that I would expect a launch monitor in this price range to do. The fact that I need to put the stickers on to get club data is not a deal breaker.

The stickers are durable, and it’s not like you need to take them off when you head to the golf course.

Another great benefit here is that you can use the Foresight GC3 both indoors and outdoors.

 

What I Like About The Foresight GC3

Overall I like the functionality of the Foresight GC3, and as a player who is most comfortable working on my game in regards to feel and looks as opposed to stats and numbers, this says a lot! Here are my favorite things about the GC3.

The Screen Is Easy to Read

If you don’t want to get involved with hooking up your launch monitor to a screen, the fact that the unit itself has a screen is a great benefit. Even some of the more expensive models from other companies don’t have this screen for quick on-the-go practice.

The Numbers Were Accurate

I’ve played around with some other less expensive portable launch monitors and felt as though there were quite a few outliers in the data set. With the Foresight GC3, that was not the case.

In all honesty, I even have my kids with me sometimes when we are practicing with the GC3. This launch monitor picks up on the 75-yard drives of my 6-year-old, and she is learning about carry, roll, and lots more.

Speed of Results

I like to practice fast and find it annoying when a golf launch monitor slows me down. In fact, at times, I would rather not even use the launch monitor if it ends up costing me time waiting for my results.

The Foresight GC3 has the results before I can even look down at the screen. It clears them quickly and prepares me to hit my next shot. Overall for a fast practicer, you will have no trouble enjoying the GC3 and what it has to offer.

 

What I Dislike About The Foresight GC3

The Foresight GC3 is one of my favorite launch monitors. Although I have not used it as a full simulator to play a round, based on the accuracy of the results from practicing with it, I know there would be no issues using it to play a round.

In addition, with the speed of the results, you should be able to play an uninterrupted round of golf and not spend your time waiting on results.

Finding The Right Ball Positioning Can Be Challenging

There is only one thing about the Foresight GC3 that takes some time to get used to, and that is finding the correct positioning of the ball.

If you were to practice with this launch monitor quite often, you could probably adjust quickly to the positioning of the ball and know right where to put it. However, every time I break out the unit, I have to play around with it to ensure I’m setting the ball up properly.

For the iron shots, this is fine as you move the ball around with your club. For driver shots, it’s a bit more annoying because you may have to tee and re-tee the ball from time to time.

Not Useful for Putting

The only other downside to the Foresight GC3 is that it does not measure or analyze putting. However, the newest Foresight GC4 does allow you to measure and track putting as well.

 

Who Is The Foresight GC3 For?

The Foresight GC3 is not the cheapest of the golf launch monitors on the market. However, it has a wide array of functionality. Golfers with an indoor simulator but also want to practice on the driving range will love what the GC3 offers.

In addition, the Foresight GC3 has excellent functionality for aspiring professionals. Some golf coaches and teachers have also invested in one of these for their students. Overall it’s a versatile launch monitor in the mid-price range.