Launch Monitor. Do they really work?

[99s]

Is launch monitor use usually free when you check out clubs, or do most shops charge a fee?

Do they just estimate swing speed and launch angle from the location and force of the impact with a 'blanket', or do they actually track the clubhead and ~10 feet of ball flight?

[golf_junkie27]

Is launch monitor use usually free when you check out clubs, or do most shops charge a fee?

This depends on where you go. Most golf stores are the former. The place I went to actually put some electronic equipment on my wrists and painted my golf balls. They were able to then measure all facets and give me print outs complete with pics. Pretty cool stuff.

[Harry Longshanks]

As a high handicapper with a wicked slice, I can tell you that launch monitors do not accurately measure ball spin. All of my drives were magically somewhat straight. The ones that weren't straight down the middle started to the right or left and flew straight in that direction. In real life, my ball starts straight down the middle and then takes a 90 degree turn to the right. I've spent some time with a LM and never saw that happen once.

If that's the case, then the LM wasn't calibrated correctly. I've hit on a LM on a range at the output was dead-on with the actual ball flight.

[joshtpa]

If that's the case, then the LM wasn't calibrated correctly. I've hit on a LM on a range at the output was dead-on with the actual ball flight.

Me too. I was amazed at how dead on it was.

[DDBowdoin]

I've had mixed results, but a majority are fairly accurate.

I had one tell me I was striking a driver consistently 285... I'm confident but 8 or so swings in a row at 285, hmmm doubt it

[wagon b0y]

Is launch monitor use usually free when you check out clubs, or do most shops charge a fee?

Over here it is 35$ a session. But if you buy a club that day, they wave the fee. You don't have to buy a driver either. It can be any club.

I'm sure if you know someone that works at a golf store, they will let you hit it for free during a slow time of the day.

[joshtpa]

I have never paid a fee at Dicks, Edwin Watts, or Golfsmith.

[dakmon]

I am in the same handicap range as you are and I was very pleased with the results from the launch monitor. I purchased an R7 a few years ago and have been extremely satisfied.

[Harry Longshanks]

I have never paid a fee at Dicks, Edwin Watts, or Golfsmith.

^^^^ Reason #3,496 that I hate you Birdieman.

(Reason #3,497 is that there isn't even a Dicks, Edwin Watts, or Golfsmith near me.)

[joshtpa]

The offer still stands for you to come for a visit.

[bigearnucsd]

So i've decided to spend a little more time on the LM the other day at the Golfsmith. Luckly the one in ontario,CA has a pretty decent size area with the net is about 50 feet away so that you can actually get the better feel of hitting the ball. i think the people there are starting to recognize my face so that i starting to feel little awkard just using the machine and walk away. oh wells... at least they don't pressure you to buy anything.

i'm about to buy a new driver titleist 907 D2 but just waiting until the new 909 ones come out so that the D2 price will drop probably to $199.

i've tested the diamana blue 65 and UST proforce 75. i've hit those on the LM for a good one hour but the numbers weren't that much off between the two. I felt the slight difference in the feel. so i guess end of the day the LM didn't really help deciding between the 2.

[bleedcubbieblue]

yes they do work, incredibly well!

[CarlJr]

I SOOOOOOOOO want one of these for my house:

Does that just hook up to a tv monitor, or a laptop? That would be really cool to have at home. It looks like you can pick up a used on on ebay for ~$2K.

[rebby]

I think that launch monitors are a great tool and can really help with your equipment choices IF you use them "correctly". I see a lot of guys visit various golf stores, take their top 3 choices to the monitor, take a few swings w/each and buy whichever one is best (which may just be the one that goes the furthest).

I use the launch monitor quite a bit differently. I'll spend some time w/their "fitter" but I'll spend a lot more time on my own as well. I'm also very willing to try pretty much any head/shaft combo in the store (and go to other stores to try others as well). I don't look at any prices and I don't really care what name is stamped on what. I'm there to find what works best for me.

I also try to take a few trips every week for at least 2-3 weeks. I keep track of how things worked for me on a given outing as a starting point for the next "trial". I'll also track the relevant numbers off of the monitor, things like swing speed, ball speed, launch angle, distance, left/right distance, etc, etc for my top 2 or 3 favorite combos for the day. When I get home I'll take this information and start comparing them based off of what I head/shaft combo that netted these numbers. This gives me a very good idea of what other combos to try the next time. I start running scenarios of if I tweak this number on this shaft, if I try this loft on this head, etc. Then I look to see if there are heads/shafts that fit these tweaks. After a few weeks of doing this I find that the same head/shaft combo almost always boils it's way to the top of every monitor session. Furthermore, I've also compiled a ton of information on how tweaking things here and there can affect my shots. In this case, I-Mix is a huge advantage.

These monitor sessions also teach me a lot about what type of ball striker I am and what shots I can pull off on a consistent basis. Once I finally pull the trigger on a new (driver, 3 wood, irons, whatever) I already know my new equipment pretty well. I know what shots I can pull off and which shots I need practice. I've also got a rough idea of how far I hit them. Needless to say, I love launch monitors...