There are two chief reasons to consider purchasing a personal launch monitor: to improve your game, or just to have fun. (Or both.) Which product is best for you will depend on what you’re looking to do with it. Serious players and professionals determined to dial-in their performance will want a monitor that provides as much data as possible—metrics like launch angle, apex, ball speed, carry distance, smash factor, spin rate, club path, angle of attack, clubface data, and so on. Casual players may just be more interested in playing simulated courses, either with friends or against online competitors. Some monitors offer both kinds of capabilities. Many models require you to pay an annual subscription to access some of their capabilities, either to the manufacturer and/or to the makers of third-party software like Foresight GSPro, one of the industry’s top golf sim platforms. Launch monitor tech is improving rapidly, and prices on some models have come down to the point that there are affordable monitors that offer a nice package of capabilities. But there’s a lot to compare between them.
One consideration is the user interface (UI). Some models have built-in screens that let you quickly and easily set up and make use of their features; others connect via apps to tablets, mobile devices, or PCs. Your preference will mostly depend on how and where you plan to use it. There are several models that can be used both indoors and outdoors, while others are designed solely for indoor simulator-room use. Wherever you plan to use yours, you’ll need to understand the monitor’s space requirements, as different monitors need different amounts of open space in front of and behind the ball to provide accurate readings.
For this story, I’m focusing on launch monitors that are portable and can be taken to the range. Even within that category, there’s a wide variety of offerings—at price points from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. There’s sure to be a product from one of these companies that’s a good fit for your intended purpose.
Rapsodo Golf
Rapsodo launched its MLM in 2019, and it’s still a popular, low-priced choice. The MLM ($299.99) is a pocket-sized product that uses both doppler radar and your iPhone’s camera to generate data. It’s a good option for anyone looking for an inexpensive IOS-linked monitor that offers a good set of data points. It doesn’t offer a simulation capability, but for range work, it’s a good product at a good price. With its premium subscription, you get cloud data storage of 10,000 videos with launch statistics, slow motion replays, and more.
The Rapsodo MLM2Pro ($699.99) is a step up from its younger sibling. It features doppler radar plus two down-the-line cameras (impact vision and shot vision), and you can connect via Bluetooth to a third camera to add a third, face-on angle. Gamify your Rapsodo MLM2Pro by purchasing an MLM premium membership and connecting it to the third-party Awesome Golf Assistant or E6 Connect apps, which provide training aids and up to 100 SIM courses, including replicas of 23 sim tracks ranked in the World Top 100.
FlightScope
FlightScope offers three strong products, starting with its low-priced, entry-level Mevo model ($349). The Mevo uses 3D Doppler radar to measure eight data parameters, and comes with a Challenges and Competitions option, video overlay, and swing training tools. The Mevo+ ($1,954) adds another 12 data parameters, plus 12 E6 Connect courses, including Pebble Beach and St. Andrews. FlightScope’s next tier up is the FlightScope X3 ($10,995), and with that model, which adds synchronized image processing to the Doppler, you can measure 50 data parameters, one of them being full tracking radar that monitors the ball all the way from impact to landing.
Garmin
Lightweight and uber-portable, Garmin’s Approach R10 ($599.99) provides a good range of shot metrics, automatically records video and shows it with your stats overlaid. With subscription to its Virtual Round feature, you can also play sim golf on 43,000 preloaded courses. The Approach R10 is uber-connectible, too. The Garmin Golf app lets you see your stats in real time and create your own tournaments. And you can link it to the E6 Connect and play the E6 courses, compete with family and friends via the Awesome Golf app, tee off on the 140 courses of the Creative Golf app, or play any of 150,000-plus predesigned courses (or create your own) via the TGC 2019 golf sim software.
Bushnell Golf
Bushnell’s entry in the category, the Launch Pro ($1,999.99–$3,499.99), is a serious tool. Unlike radar-based systems, the Launch Pro system combines three proprietary high-speed/high-resolution cameras with infrared to deliver high-end analytical performance. It measures a host of ball flight characteristics and, via subscription to their Club Data package, can provide club data, too. Connect to the GSPro, with over 500 user-created courses, and put the Launch Pro’s legendary accuracy to work for you in virtual games and online competitions.
Uneekor
Uneekor’s EyeMini ($4,500) measures 18 real-time data points. Its display is easy to read. And with its Pro and Champion subscription packages, you can have multiple profiles and seamlessly connect to sim courses via the brand’s own GameDay and Refine+ software—or play GSPro, E6, or TGC 2019 sim courses via its third-party connector.
Foresight Sports
Foresight makes several advanced launch monitors, each designed to cater to different needs and levels of expertise. Their flagship model is the QuadMAX ($19,999). Like the company’s GCQuad ($15,999), it utilizes four high-speed cameras to capture precise data on ball flight and club performance, and provides in-depth analysis of key metrics such as swing speed, launch angle, and ball spin with accuracy. The QuadMAX’s compact design and versatile setup make it ideal for taking to the range, and it can provide putting analysis, too. Plus it has a touchscreen display that makes it easy to access data. For those interested in simulation and more immersive experiences, Foresight Sports’s FSX Play software pairs seamlessly with both monitors, offering course simulations and practice environments. This software allows golfers to play on virtual replicas of 25 famous courses and track their performance in real-time, enhancing both practice and play. And, it can integrate with GSPro.
Full Swing
The Full Swing Kit Launch Monitor ($4,999) is endorsed and used by Tiger Woods, so you can assume that it offers excellent, reliable performance. Its full-color OLED display is customizable, so you can arrange it to show the 16 ball and club data points its radar tracker reveals just as you wish on the KIT display, your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch—or even via spoken word to your headphones. Take advantage of its 4K camera and high-resolution video replay to review and share swing videos through the free app. And link through to E6 Connect to access its practice areas, compete in mini-games, and play over 100 sim courses. Upgrade to Full Swing’s Premium app to access all your historical data, get unlimited video storage, track your trends, and share session data with your coach.
Trackman
If you’ve ever had the chance to visit the range at a PGA Tour event, it’s likely you’ll have seen the bright orange Trackman 4 (From $21,995) being put through the paces by pros looking to better understand the dynamics of their swings and ball flights. It provides accurate shot analysis, putting performance data, impact location info, AI-assisted biomechanical motion analysis, an AI-powered teaching assistant named Tracy, and much more. Trackman’s virtual course library is one of the largest in the industry and includes famed courses from every corner of the world. Plus, there’s a fun selection of games for kids of all ages. If you’re swinging it like a pro, you can even enter global tournaments from a Trackman simulator, like the NEXT virtual events, whose season finale pays a cool $100,000 to the winner.
PRGR
Last, and also least (in terms of size), there’s the PRGR Launch Monitor ($229.99), which is small enough to carry in your back pants pocket. It uses Doppler radar to examine a short list of data points: ball speed, clubhead speed, smash factor, carry distance, and total distance. Which means that it’s mainly good for measuring distance-related metrics. But no monitor is easier to set up and use, and at its price point, it’s something of mini-marvel.
Can you use any of the products with an Android phone?