This Mobile Launch Monitor Fills Multiple Golf Needs for Everyone

Rapsodo's second iteration of its mobile launch monitor can be used at the course or as the centerpiece of an at-home driving range.

The portable launch monitor is becoming as much of a driving range staple for pros as alignment sticks and a bag of balls.

To get dialed in a practice session or before a tournament round, portable launch monitors are an infallible source of information on launch angles, spin rates, distances and anything else there is to know about a ball’s flight. When a few yards can mean thousands of dollars, the data matters.

But nowadays, launch monitors aren’t just for the pros. They’re not even just for measuring shots on a range. The weekend-warrior golfer can now buy one, honing swings but also making it the centerpiece of a man cave or she shed.

Rapsodo's MLM2PRO collects everything you'd want to know about your swing / Courtesy Rapsodo

One of the leaders in the space is Rapsodo, whose tech has been used for years by Major League Baseball teams and players, allowing the company to become a leader in the sports analytics space.

Rapsodo’s new MLM2PRO, the second iteration of its MLM (Mobile Launch Monitor), has increased functionality and simulation, while being compatible with both iOS and Android systems. The original MLM offered metrics such as distance, ball speed, smash factor and more, the new model offers all that plus shot tracer, spin measurements and simulation at over 30,000 courses.

“We have two areas of focus: helping people get better, and trying to create experiences,” said Justin Bryant, Rapsodo’s community manager.

That first area speaks for itself; if you’re reading this you’ve certainly seen your data at least once on a launch monitor and learned something about your game. A 20 handicap may be skeptical about taking the MLM2PRO to a local range, but that player could make it the centerpiece of a home simulator for their own game-improvement plan or an entire family entertainment system—tying in that second area of focus.

Golf’s boom during the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t just at courses but in homes, as amateurs bought launch monitors to set up in garages or spare rooms so they could swing anytime. The tech has continued to get better and consequently prices have gotten lower–the MLM2PRO costs $699 for the device and a year’s subscription (with simulations on 30,000 courses), or put another way, about the cost of a new premium driver.

In addition to launch monitors, Rapsodo sells complete home setups / Courtesy Rapsodo

If a home setup sounds intimidating to build, Rapsodo has that covered too with full at-home options ranging from a net to a large studio enclosure (priced from about $1,600 to $3,900), with the ability to bundle the MLM2PRO and/or a projector. 

Rapsodo tracks players' usage and surprisingly (but then again maybe not), Mondays and Tuesdays are especially popular, after a weekend of watching the pros. 

Perhaps hitting it exactly like them isn't in the cards, but having access to the same data is.