Launch monitors

dave_giz

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2009
Location
bury
HCP
Increasing
Local club/country
None curently
Irons
MP18 SC's along with MP S-18 wedges 52 & 58.
Driver
Mizuno JPX 850 driver and 3 wood.
#1
I need the advice of the wizened forum sages please. There is a chance, albeit a slim one, that I might be getting a home net room along with a launch monitor! It's early days as it won't be until next year when I have a load of building work done, but I'm giddy about this prospect and want to get some ideas on the best budget launch monitors (no GC2 recommendations please) before my wife changes her mind and turns it into a storage room for her shoes or something.

I've only ever been on a GC2 and Trackman, so I know nothing about the alternatives, so all advice gratefully received.
 

Deemac

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
HCP
4
Local club/country
Torrance House Golf Club EK
Irons
MP 69's
Driver
Mizuno JPX 850 Fujikura Orochi 60g Stiff
#2
dave_giz said:
I need the advice of the wizened forum sages please. There is a chance, albeit a slim one, that I might be getting a home net room along with a launch monitor! It's early days as it won't be until next year when I have a load of building work done, but I'm giddy about this prospect and want to get some ideas on the best budget launch monitors (no GC2 recommendations please) before my wife changes her mind and turns it into a storage room for her shoes or something.

I've only ever been on a GC2 and Trackman, so I know nothing about the alternatives, so all advice gratefully received.
I thnk Kevmc has a home room of this type, perhaps he could advise?
 

Celtic_Bil

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2009
Location
North Yorkshire
HCP
6
Local club/country
Hunley Hotel & Golf Club, North Yorkshire
Irons
MP18SC/MP5/MP54
Driver
JPX850
#3
When I was looking at launch monitors recently, I read a fair few reviews and thought that the ES14 looked the best of the 'cheaper' models.  Decent trackman comparison & review at golfwrx.com ES14 Launch Monitor.

A bit more expensive than the others, but maybe worth the extra couple of quid.

The two important things to check are the accuracy of the data provided and whether the data is actually measured or just estimated.
 

hvcarvalho

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 6, 2009
HCP
25
Local club/country
www.xiragolfe.pt
Irons
Mizuno, JPX 825 2h&3h + MX-300 4-P + MP-T10
Driver
Mizuno MP 630 FT 10,5ª Fubuki Reg
#4
In addition to GC2 and Trackman you also have Flightscope and ES14.

I've only been in Trackman and Flightscope and they're very similar...

For ES14 you have some good reviews (you can find them here: http://forum.bunkersparadise.com/clubs-balls-and-accessories/ernest-es14-portable-launch-monitor-review and here: http://www.golfwrx.com/290441/review-ernest-sports-es14-personal-launch-monitor/)

Hope this helps :)
 

Shortputt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2015
Local club/country
P&P
Irons
MP60 5-PW Matrix Studio 74F
Driver
TM Burner 9.5
#5
While the ES range has been mentioned they don't get a recommendation from MyGolfSpy.
http://www.mygolfspy.com/buyers-guide-p ... -monitors/

I think you need to decide what it is you actually want to measure and what level of inaccuracy you will tolerate as this will probably eliminate most of the contenders. If you want some form of Simulator that will open other possibilities.
You will also need to make sure your room will be not only big enough to swing a club but also long enough for some of the launch monitors to work.

I have been looking at some of these for the past couple of months and found that some of the cheaper ones measure very little and calculate a lot of the info from your club information, loft and type, and the small amount of data they actually measure. I have given up on the idea for now.
 

DennisMiller

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2014
Location
Miami, Florida
HCP
Old Age
Local club/country
Killian Greens Golf Club
Irons
MX-1000
Driver
ST-180
#6
I have a Zelocity monitor called "The Radar". I don't think it's made anymore. It's a fairly basic unit that has to be set for the club you are hitting and reflects ball speed and carry distance. I've found it's pretty accurate for the carry distance when I have it on the range, but using it with a net can give back weird readings. The company said it would work if the net was 8' away, but my net is small, so I probably stand closer to it than I should.

If you find one now, they go for around $120 and that's a pretty good value, but keep in mind, it doesn't give you all the data the newer units do.

It looks like this...
 

Stewart 57

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2011
Location
Sandnes, Norway
HCP
15
Local club/country
Egersund Golf Club, Norway
Irons
Mizuno MP 64, 4,5,6 & 7- PW. MP T7 ,50,54,&58 dgr, wedges, Mizuno A, 309 Putter,
Driver
St200 driver, MP650 3 wood, JPX 800, hybrid,
#7
You could also pick up a Vector pro Launch monitor on the bay, these are really the first launch monitors used , before trackman and flightscope became ore prominent, I have one I use for clubfitting,  it also has teach software, so that yo can film your swing and check it against others, , only drawback I have I have not got a steay place to keep it permantly set up, 
  Golfsmith( no longer in uk ) had one in their hitting net, set up permant, so it was just a case of hitting,  its as good as trackman and flightscope, gives you all the same reading that you need, 
 

Stewart 57

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2011
Location
Sandnes, Norway
HCP
15
Local club/country
Egersund Golf Club, Norway
Irons
Mizuno MP 64, 4,5,6 & 7- PW. MP T7 ,50,54,&58 dgr, wedges, Mizuno A, 309 Putter,
Driver
St200 driver, MP650 3 wood, JPX 800, hybrid,
#8
I can take a copy and send it to you to see what readings and info it give you , it also has a practice software but that extra
 

dave_giz

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2009
Location
bury
HCP
Increasing
Local club/country
None curently
Irons
MP18 SC's along with MP S-18 wedges 52 & 58.
Driver
Mizuno JPX 850 driver and 3 wood.
#9
From what I've read, given that it's going to be a confined space, I suspect that camera based launch monitors would be the best rather than radar. The reason for this is that there would be very little data for a radar machine to extrapolate the ball flight from - but I believe camera technology is more expensive... dang it!
 

chavesl

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Location
Lisbon - Portugal
HCP
9.4
Local club/country
Paço do Lumiar - Lisboa - Portugal
Irons
Mizuno Bettinardi C02h putter; Mizuno MP-R12 60º DGXP-S300; MP-T4 wedges (52º, 56º) DG-S300; Mizuno MP53 3-Pw - DG S300; MP FliHi #3 21º KBS Tour S; Titleist 910h (19°, 17º) Diamana Ahina 90 S; TM R9 #3 Wood Stiff
Driver
Mizuno JPX850 11.5º Fujikura stiff
#10
Stewart 57 said:
You could also pick up a Vector pro Launch monitor on the bay, these are really the first launch monitors used , before trackman and flightscope became ore prominent, I have one I use for clubfitting,  it also has teach software, so that yo can film your swing and check it against others, , only drawback I have I have not got a steay place to keep it permantly set up, 
  Golfsmith( no longer in uk ) had one in their hitting net, set up permant, so it was just a case of hitting,  its as good as trackman and flightscope, gives you all the same reading that you need, 
Hi,

For an amateur, the Vector Pro, it is good, and is affordable.

The only problem with the Vector Pro is that it is an old model, and Accusport has stopped their business.

I have one, and it stopped working, and now I can't get it fixed any more! :(

There is a new launch monitor, in the USA that costs around 2000US$ the SkyTrak.
Is from the same guys that were from Accusport, but now work for a new company.

Also the cheapest model from Flightscope costs ~2500€ in Europe, but to use it indoors requires a bigger room, with at least 4 to 5 m in length, so that the doppler radar can track the ball flight.

Regards

Chavesl
 
Joined
May 7, 2015
Local club/country
United Kingdom
#11
Check eBay for a GC2 - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Foresight-GC2-Game-Changer-Smart-Camera-System-Golf-Launch-Monitor-Shield-/400919334233?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d58a78d59 looks like it will go cheap due to always needing power plugged in.
 

hidrake

New Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2019
HCP
21
Local club/country
United States
#12
Just curious about this thread and what you ended up going with four years ago?

I ended up finding a used GC2 for $5400, and a HMT for $4900. I had a SkyTrak for two years before I decided to upgrade to something a little more accurate. Plus I really wanted club data as well.

I got it primarily for my indoor golf simulator, however I have taken it to the range and it works so much better than SkyTrak did. SkyTrak did ok if it was cloudy, dawn/dusk, or a covered range. Sunlight messes with the camera that captures the ball data.

The GC2 doesn’t have that problem and is ridiculously accurate. I took it to the range the first time I used it to see how it matched up to what I actually hit IRL.

I also like having smash data. It really gives you a full picture of your swing. The numbers are helpful if you understand them and can make the corrections. I can’t so I took some lessons as my local Pro uses the GC2 and learned what I needed to do to improve, and now I practice the same way at home.
 
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