6 Best Affordable Golf Launch Monitors

6 Best Affordable Golf Launch Monitors

 
By: Nick Bockenfeld, PGA
⌚11 Minute Read

Introduction

So you don’t currently have a launch monitor or simulator, and you are thinking about how you can practice at home. Well, Trackman, and Fullswing may not be available for you because of their high cost, so instead, here are some great alternatives to those. You should be able to hit into a net and get some kind of feedback at home! No need to brave the range in the winter; just get one of these and a mat and net instead!

 

Rhapsodo MLM

Rhapsodo MLM

The Rhapsodo MLM is a fantastic mobile launch monitor. If you are looking for something you can use at home and at the range, you found it. The MLM combines a doppler radar with your phone camera to provide you with instant video replay, active shot tracer, and accuracy within 2% of Trackman. It measures distance, club speed, ball speed, smash factor, launch angle, launch direction, and shot apex. You can add the premium MLM subscription to get personalized insights and key takeaways, performance combines, slow motion video replays, video storage of up to 10,000 videos, shot apex, and access to online golf lessons. 

Pros

  • Immediate feedback
  • Visualize ball flight
  • Very portable
  • Club gaping 
  • Virtual Competition
  • Easy to set up
  • Easy to use
  • Carrying case

Cons

  • Subscription needed for any insights on your game
  • No immediate instructional feedback without subscriptions
  • Combines and performance test behind paywall
  • More expensive than CTRL

 

Garmin Approach R10 Launch Monitor

Garmin Approach R10 Launch Monitor

The Garmin R10 is another highly portable launch monitor that is easy to take home and easy to use at the range as well. It takes videos of your golf swing and gives the important hitting metrics that will help you to get better while you practice. Keep track of your distance, launch angle and direction, and other important metrics in the palm of your hand! The R10 monitors directly, ball speed, club head speed, launch angle, and launch direction, and then it derives spin rate, spin axis, carry distance, apex height, club face angle, club path angle, angle of attack, and a few other important metrics like carry distance and total distance. 

Pros

  • Alignment aid included
  • Play holes on the driving range
  • Connects to E6, Home Tee Hero, and TGC, so you have access to hundreds of courses and ranges to play while you practice
  • Club face and path measurements
  • Capture video with your phone
  • Carrying case included
  • Phone mount included
  • Use at home or on the range
  • Access to tournaments through Garmin Golf App

Cons

  • A lot of features hidden behind paywall
  • No instructional feedback, so you have to interpret the metrics on your own. 
  • Due to spin numbers being calculated, they can be less accurate than a SkyTrak. 

 

FlightScope Mevo

FlightScope Mevo

Starting at $399, the flight scope Mevo is the cheapest launch monitor out there. With that low cost, however, there is a loss in performance and metrics that it tracks. It will absolutely help you to dial in your distances. It is 100% portable and meant to be easy to take with you anywhere. The ultra portability makes it easy to stash in your bag. It uses 3d doppler radar to track these 8 parameters: Carry distance, spin rate, club speed, ball speed, vertical launch, smash factor, apex height, and flight time. Combine it with the FS Golf app, and you can get some pretty good insights into your game. 

Pros

  • Portable
  • Doppler radar
  • Mevo skills challenge
  • 30-day return guarantee
  • Backed by a large-scale launch monitor company in flight scope

Cons

  • Only tracks 8 metrics
  • No instructional feedback
  • Metallic dots on balls required indoors
  • No horizontal launch of face measurements
  • No path measurements. 
  • No ball flight simulation

 

FlightScope Mevo Plus

FlightScope Mevo Plus

Like its little brother, the FlightScope Mevo Plus is a portable launch monitor, but it is a little bigger. It still sits behind you and uses doppler radar technology to track where the ball is going. Unlike its little brother, the cost is up there pretty high, but with that, you get much higher accuracy and over 20 different data parameters that it tracks. Including everything the Mevo does, plus shot dispersion, shot type, launch direction, roll distance, lateral landing, spin loft, angle of attack, and apex height. Plus others. 

Pros

  • Very accurate
  • Portable
  • Ball flight simulation
  • Supports chipping and putting

Cons

  • Club path and club face hidden behind the extra $1000 purchase 
  • No E6 connection or any other kind of courses
  • Expensive

 

SkyTrak

SkyTrak

The SkyTrak is the best simulator you can get for the money. While accuracy is not always the highest, if you line it up right and keep your alignment set properly, the SkyTrak is going to be your best friend. You can use it indoors, hitting into a net, or take it out to the range with you. It uses a high-speed camera system to watch your ball, so the spin numbers are highly accurate, and its tracking of your ball flight really helps to visualize what the ball is doing and what you can work on. SkyTrak brings the possibility of simulator golf to the average person by keeping costs low and offering several different options for course packages.

Pros

  • Picks up spin very well
  • Visualize ball flight
  • Windows, IOS, and Android apps mean you will have a device that can pair with a SkyTrak
  • Play 18 holes indoors
  • Easy to pair and start using
  • Picks up swings well

Cons

  • Camera system doesn’t pick up club metrics very well 
  • No doppler radar
  • No club face metric
  • No instructional feedback

 

Bushnell LaunchPro

Bushnell LaunchPro

The Bushnell Launchpro is a fantastic partnership between Bushnell and Foresight Sports to create an affordable launch monitor that uses a high-speed camera system to watch the ball spin and leave the impact area. The Launchpro uses mostly Foresight software, and you get access to FSX2020, an amazing driving range, and simulation software. What sets the Bushnell apart from the other devices on this list is it has its own LCD screen that tells you the crucial ball and club information without needing to be connected to the app. 

Pros

  • Very accurate ball and club data
  • onboard LCD screen to give you metrics
  • Easy to take to the range or use indoors 
  • Play courses like Teton Pines
  • FSX Software is easy to use

Cons

  • No Android app
  • Most expensive on this list
  • No instructional feedback
  • Launch Monitor takes a little while to connect
  • Setup takes a long time

 

CTRL Golf Swing Master

CTRL Swing Master

The CTRL Swing Master is the most cost-effective way to hit balls into a net and be provided with real feedback on what you need to do the next time you take a swing. It is incredibly mobile. Use it from home, the office, the range; it doesn’t matter, CTRL goes with you everywhere. You don’t even need to hit balls, just take swings and get CTRL’s feedback to help you take your best swing every single time. Just head to the range, build a baseline model, then take swings, and CTRL tells you how to hit your ideal shot no matter where you are or what you are hitting into. Just slide on the sleeve, pop in the sensors, and start getting better. CTRL gives feedback on the club face, club path, and tempo to help you become a more consistent player and a far better ball striker.

The best part about CTRL is that you can use it whenever you want, without a ball, just taking swings and working on tempo. 

Pros

  • Cost Effective
  • Gives instructional feedback
  • Helps you get better
  • Fast set up
  • Easy to use 
  • IOS and Android App
  • Competitive leaderboards for minigames and combines
  • Updates and new features always in development pipeline
  • 90-day improvement guarantee 
  • Incredible customer support team
  • You don’t have to hit a ball
  • Helps you hit your best shot every time

Cons

  • No visualization of your shot
  • No Web App

 

Conclusion

There are several great launch monitors on this list. My recommendation, if you can only choose one, is, of course, the CTRL Swing Master. You can take swings with the Swing Master on the range and don’t even need to hit a ball. CTRL is number one on my list because it is the best way to get better while hitting balls. CTRL also works great with all of these launch monitors to take advantage of seeing the ball flight and getting actual instructional feedback. I think that the best combination would be CTRL with the Garmin R10.

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