If you are looking for a way to make your driving range practice more productive, including a portable launch monitor may do the trick.
These days, there are a variety of launch monitors available in the market, and there is sure to be one that will fit your budget. Prices range from about $200 to over $20,000 for the industry standard Trackman.
However, for now, I want to focus on the low end of the price range.
First of all, it’s important to understand how a launch monitor can help improve the productivity of your practice sessions on the driving range.
The most important feature of a launch monitor is that it will help you figure out the typical distance you hit the golf ball with each club. Distance control, particularly with your short irons, is incredibly important to your development as a golfer.
The most effective launch monitors will also provide data regarding your swing path, clubface angle, face to path, swing speed, ball speed and smash factor.
Along with video analysis, this is important data to help you make improvements to your golf swing.
However, there are plenty of products available that can help you improve your game, and at just about any budget. Let’s have a look at a few products that are selling for under $300.
Portable Launch Monitors Under $300
The R Motion product can be used as a swing analyzer and as a golf simulator.
It is not effectively a launch monitor, since it is not getting its information by tracking the ball. However, it does provide you with some information that you’d get from a launch monitor.
You can combine it with an app on your cell phone or run it on your PC at home.
R Motion works by attaching a sensor to your golf club. This sensor is what provides the feedback regarding swing speed, swing path and launch angle. The sensor knows when you’ve made contact with the ball, and therefore, you can take practice swings without R Motion being triggered to give you feedback.
The information from the sensor is then sent to the mobile app or your computer.
The primary issue with this product is that you’ll need a clip attachment for each club to avoid having to constantly remove the clip from one club and put it on another. As such, if your primary goal is to play indoor golf with R Motion, you’ll want to purchase the 13 clip package.
R Motion is devised primarily for indoor golf as a low cost alternative to products such as the Optishot 2 golf simulator or other more expensive simulator products.
Nonetheless, at its low cost of under $200, you get a decent training aid that can help you make improvements with your swing.
Next up in the under $300 category is the first of the true portable launch monitors, the ES-12 launch monitor by Ernest Sports.
Ernest Sports produces launch monitors and golf simulators. The ES-12 is the entry level launch monitor it initially offered in 2012, when it was awarded Best New Product at the annual PGA Show in Orlando.
The ES-12 can be used right out of the box. You simply take it to the range, get set up with the free ES-12 app, and connect to it via Bluetooth.
You simply place the monitor on the ground as directed, and with each shot you will get ball speed and distance data, that is then displayed on an LCD screen.
The data can then be stored on your mobile device using the app and you’ll be able to analyze each practice session.
The ES-12 obtains this data through the use of Doppler radar. However, the ball speed and distance data is all you get, so it’s generally only useful for dialing in your distances.
At present, the ES-12 can be purchased for under $200.
The Swing Caddie SC100 is the intro level, portable launch monitor developed by Swing Caddie. In regard to statistics that it offers, it is a step up from the Ernest Sports ES-12, and this is reflected in the price, which approaches $300.
Similar to the ES-12, the Swing Caddie SC100 makes use of Doppler radar to determine ball speed and distance.
In addition to ball speed and distance, the SC100 also produces information on swing speed and smash factor. These additional statistics can then assist you in determining whether your swing is inefficient, based on the swing speed, smash factor and distance readings.
The Swing Caddie SC100 does not come with an app. While it will provide you with information for your current session, all of your practice sessions won’t be stored.
The Swing Caddie SC100 also offers three different modes… practice mode, target mode, and random mode, to add some diversity to your practice sessions.
The practice mode simply provides you with the aforementioned data for each shot. Target mode lets you set a target distance to help you develop consistency. Random mode challenges you to hit each shot a specific distance.
The SC100 launch monitor also comes with remote for easy adjustment of settings.
Recommendation – Portable Launch Monitor For Under $300
If your budget is less than $300, then I actually recommend the R Motion product, even thought is not an actual launch monitor.
My reasoning is that the R Motion doubles as a golf simulator, so you have two products in one.
Furthermore, testing and comparisons I’ve read and seen online suggest that the R Motion is likely just as accurate in determining your average distance with each club as the launch monitors in this price range, if not even more accurate.
While the need for adding clips to each club is something of a drawback, the additional function of the product as an indoor golf simulator gives it the edge over its competitors in this class.
Oh, and I definitely do recommend purchasing the R Motion with the extra set of 13 clips. This will run you closer to $300, but it will be more practical in use, especially when playing a round of golf on the simulator.
To buy the R Motion swing analyzer on Amazon, click here… Rapsodo R-Motion Golf Simulator and Swing Analyzer with 14 Clip Attachments – PC and Smartphone
