How to Choose the Right Launch Monitor and Projector Based on Your Space

For golfers who are serious about improving their game, knowing their club and ball data are very valuable assets.  A high quality golf simulator rises above ensuring you improve your game in terms of ability, consistency, and skill. As the core of most golf simulators, a launch monitor allows you to measure and analyze ball flight data and track your shots so that you can understand how your game needs to improve.

You need to choose a launch monitor that is perfect for your golf simulator setup, and different types of launch monitor technologies will suit your needs in different ways. Launch monitors use either radar technology or high speed cameras to record the motion of the golf ball and clubface.  Both types of launch monitor can benefit from reflective stickers or dots placed on either the clubface and ball. These help the units pick up the spin of the golf ball, which is integral to modeling other parameters such as direction and carry distance.

Radar launch monitors track moving balls and need a full view of the simulator space and the flight of the golf ball. That is, they need a good view of the whole area and generally sit behind the golfer. Optimal accuracy with a radar launch monitor depends on the ball being able to travel over a minimum required distance so that adequate radar readings are achieved. In general, radar-based launch monitors require larger spaces in which to work well compared to camera-based launch monitors.

Camera-based systems can often be used in smaller spaces. This is mainly because camera launch monitors only need to view the ball’s starting position and forward of that. They use very high speed cameras to take numerous images or video footage of the ball as it is impacted by the club and makes its initial flight. A camera-based launch monitor must have a perfect view of the golf ball and hitting area. On the other hand, overhead mounted camera launch monitors require more space than portable ones because they sit either slightly in front or slightly behind the golfer and view the hitting area from above.