Would Launch Monitor Help Me?

[hoonnirun]

As a new golfer who doesn’t know how to hit fade or draw and don’t even know his clubs distance, would any of personal/budget type launch monitor help, especially when hitting at home to the Net?

Im thinking of buying one, but not really sure I could make a good use of it. I have my eyes set on Mevo, rapsodo and the one that interested me the most R10 (if it is anything as advertised)

 

[Shorty]

I would say definitely not. Invest your money in lessons if you are a keen beginner.

[DaveP043]

Agree with @Shorty, learn to hit the ball decently first, get some lessons.  

[Shindig]

I definitely agree:  the money is better spent.  As @DaveP043says, learn to hit the ball decently, then get some lessons.  

 

If you need to know your clubs' distances, a single small bucket at the range, once you know how to hit decently well, can help you map a lot of distances, certainly enough that you aren't haphazardly guessing during a round.

[ncates00]

1 hour ago, hoonnirun said:

As a new golfer

No. Once you get a solid foundation and swing, absolutely if you take the time to learn the ball flight laws. Having a good monitor after you’ve established the foregoing helps keep you on track throughout the calendar year. However, now is not the time for you to worry about this. 

[iacas]

I don't like to tell people how to spend their money (except to visit https://lowestscorewins.com and https://golfishard.com), because I don't know how much they have or what they value, but I'd definitely put them in the same order as others:

1. Lessons (even online via evolvr.com).
2. Training stuff.

Training stuff could include a launch monitor, but it'd be mid-way or lower on that list, too.

 

[Shorty]

3 hours ago, hoonnirun said:

I have my eyes set on Mevo, rapsodo and the one that interested me the most R10 (if it is anything as advertised)

 

I think you've got the answer you needed/wanted/expected.

But....just out of interest. What were you thinking you could learn from a launch monitor at this stage in your golf "journey*"? (*cringe expression)

The most important feedback and information you can get as a learner - and beyond -  is what it FEELS like to hit the ball well and what ball flights LOOK like. This is done with your eyes, ears and muscles. You won't need a machine to confirm what you have experienced. Once you have experienced those feelings - and they, early on, are what forms a love of the game, you will try to reproduce those feelings. This is done by hitting golf balls, not by having another screen in your life. Just my opinion.

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by Shorty

[boogielicious]

13 hours ago, hoonnirun said:

As a new golfer who doesn’t know how to hit fade or draw and don’t even know his clubs distance, would any of personal/budget type launch monitor help, especially when hitting at home to the Net?

Im thinking of buying one, but not really sure I could make a good use of it. I have my eyes set on Mevo, rapsodo and the one that interested me the most R10 (if it is anything as advertised)

 

I have a MEVO, but it’s finicky hitting into a net. Your set up has to be perfect with 8 feet from the ball to the net and 7 feet from the MEVO to the ball. This makes it difficult to do wedges because they launch high. My nets are about 7 feet high and the ball hits the net and climbs up hitting the top and then bounces all over creation. The MEVO is much better for outdoors or large indoor facilities. For outdoors, if the range balls are crappy, you can get weird data too. The other systems have the same setup requirements, so keep that in mind.

I would highly recommend using Evolvr for lessons instead of getting a MEVO. You go at your own pace and focus on your priority piece for improving ball striking. That’s the key to improving. And if you are a good student, you will improve at a good pace. Learning to practice smart takes discipline.

I also use my iPhone and iPad with the MirrorVision golf app. You set up your iPhone as the camera and it shows on your iPad. The app is $25 per year subscription, which is well worth it. You can easily use this with your net set up too. My only issue with these are the sun and keeping the iPhone and iPad shaded to keep them from overheating. I use this setup to film my swing and send to Evolvr or post in my My Swing thread.

As for draw or fade, it takes a while to get your ball flight down to know your pattern. To really get to know this, you have to make more consistent contact. Working with my Evolvr instructor helped a lot for that. My curve is a draw and my miss is more often a hook. Learning your tendencies or “shot zones” helps scoring a lot. If you don’t already have a copy, get Lowest Score Wins. It’s the best golf book out there and explains out to improve far better that I can.

[iacas]

To be fair Scott Wedges should only launch at about 30°.

[boogielicious]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

To be fair Scott Wedges should only launch at about 30°.

I’ve been working on that! Even at 30 degrees, they still climb up the net from 8’. It hits at 4.6 feet. I have lines on my net for 15, 20, 25 and 30 degrees launch. I even put a second net in front to dampen it.

[tinker]

A roll of impact tape , see where on the face your hitting. Once you get around the middle of the face you can work on distances and ball movement.

[TL308]

I would echo what a lot of folks have already mentioned.  Make sure your clubs are a good fit for you as far as loft and lie are concerned then lessons and practice.  The initial goal would be don't worry where it goes at first but try to make good solid contact in the center of the face and once that happens you can start working on direction.  

[HankBlue]

To some extent, I disagree.  I'm a new golfer and, as such, there seems to be constant work and experimentation.  Having a consistent hard data source in addition to your "feels" helps to know the difference between "got it" and "got it ALL" and, thus, "does that work?" is sometimes answered too.  Plus, winter is almost upon us here in Michigan.  So, I've created an indoor range inside my garage.  My new Swing Caddie SC200+ ($350) is going to help me train all Winter.  I think it's money well spent... but we'll see in the Spring. 

PS I take lessons too. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by HankBlue

[iacas]

12 hours ago, HankBlue said:

To some extent, I disagree.  I'm a new golfer and, as such, there seems to be constant work and experimentation.  Having a consistent hard data source in addition to your "feels" helps to know the difference between "got it" and "got it ALL" and, thus, "does that work?" is sometimes answered too.  Plus, winter is almost upon us here in Michigan.  So, I've created an indoor range inside my garage.  My new Swing Caddie SC200+ ($350) is going to help me train all Winter.  I think it's money well spent... but we'll see in the Spring. 

PS I take lessons too. 

Is it too late to return that and get this?

 

[HankBlue]

On 11/5/2021 at 12:15 PM, iacas said:

Is it too late to return that and get this?

 

Maybe not. 😃

[iacas]

3 hours ago, HankBlue said:

Maybe not. 😃

For the money it's a much better product/deal. If you have the space, that is.

[hoonnirun]

my friend loaned me his SC200. Now I use it almost every time, not only for distance but to improve my impact. As all of you know, hitting on Matt a bad shot still feel good. I’m trying to improve my impact “ball first” “hit down on the ball” and “center of club face” I don’t worry about swing speed and distance as much. The SC200 ast as feedback for me that I can see and feel right away. I have used foot spray actually I’m on the second can, but now I know just off center I loose about 10 yards, not hitting down another 10 yards gone. 
I can really see my improvement from the last game when I tried to hit down.

Edited November 7, 2021 by hoonnirun

[HankBlue]

Before the SC200, I used to think, when I thumped the center of my Callaway target, that was "really good."  Turns out, with the lower lofted clubs, that's actually "fat."  Now, with the immediate distance feedback, I feel my indoor sessions are more comparable to an outdoor range session.  The big bonus, of course, is my indoor range is open 24/7/365 and it's a very short commute.