9 Ways a Launch Monitor Can Improve Your Golf Game

Should you use a golf launch monitor to improve your game? If you want to hit longer drives, more accurate iron shots, better putts—or all of the above—a good launch monitor can be key in making that happen. With the best launch monitor to practice with, you’ll have all the data you need to make informed decisions and fact-based changes to your swing.

In these high-tech times, there's no need to play trial and error with your technique. To help light a fire under your ... stance, we've put together this quick list of 9 ways you can use one of these amazingly accurate and informative golf devices to elevate your game and lower your score.

1. Dial In Your Distances

One of the main ingredients for succes on the golf course is distance control. Without it, hitting your targets accurately and consistently is a crapshoot. Hitting balls at the range can certainly help, but all to often the bucket of mystery you get to practice with is not on par with the balls you hit on the course. Plus you can't always see where the ball lands.

Of course, getting in more golf games will eventually give you a history of experience that, over time, can help you understand how you hit your clubs. But how practical is that?

What if there was a way to practice whenever and wherever you want, allowing you to establish a consistent understanding of your swing and how you swing with each club?

This is where the benefits of a golf launch monitor come in. By consistently hitting balls on a launch monitor, you can get acquainted with your bag in a way that you can't on the course or even at the driving range. You can track the carry each club provides when hit well. Plus, these days, launch monitors come with companion apps that allow you to see your stats, often in a variety of ways. You'll be able to save your shot data, and many of these devices allow you to record you shot and give you data overlay. The FlightScope Mevo, the Rapsodo, the Garmin Approach R10, and the Swing Caddie SC300i do all of these things remarkably well—for under $600!

All of this can help your performance by removing the guesswork in picking clubs on the course. And up goes your confidence.

2. Use Facts Not Guesses to Change Your Swing

There is no need to guess in this high-tech age.

Golfers can get an idea of, i.e. guess, how their results are being determined by impact, ball flight, shot shape, etc. That was part of the game—before golf tech.

Pros have been using golf tech for decades. In fact, that's who it was initially created for—and the golf demographic that could afford it. And they use it for very good reasons: greater insight into their shots and immediate feedback.

But now, golf launch monitors are being created for average Joes and Janes. They measure what the ball does after impact by providing measured data on launch, spin, and speed, and then employ ball-flight models or algorithms to predict things like curvature, carry distance, and height. Some launch monitors can also give club path metrics, like the Garmin Approach R10—which is availble for a mind-boggling $600!

3. Assemble Your Set of Clubs with a Launch Monitor

This point goes right along with dialing in your distances. Because when you have distance control, you can then address distance gapping, and really understand how to build a set of clubs.

This consists of paying attention to the gaps between the distances that you can hit each of your clubs. So, if you hit your 8-iron 140 yards under normal conditions, and your 7-iron 152 yards, that leaves you with a gap of 12 yards between those two clubs. The point is to keep your distance gaps as even as possible between your clubs so there are no huge gaps in your set.

The best golf launch monitor can provide detailed distance feedback to help you make the right choices about your bag. After comparing a data set of the distances you consistently hit with your clubs, you can then determine if any equipment changes should happen to even out your gapping and get you the best coverage distances you'll face on the course.

A launch monitor will provide the insight and inspiration to help you plug distance gaps and create a well-rounded set.

4. Experiment with Your Short Game

A lot of times golfers practice by hitting short-game shots with a trial and error approach. In this case, a golf launch monitor can offer imediate feedback on these shots and help you visualize and understand what type of shot or change in your technique is working—and what is not.

5. Launch Monitor vs Driving Range

Golfers don't always take into account outdoor conditions on any given day when practicing at the range. Crosswinds, for instance, could result in your shots drawing or fading. A golf launch monitor uses closed data, which is not affected by downrange conditions. Therefore these devices can give you a clearer picture on how you're actually hitting the ball on any given day, allowing you to get out on the course with more confidence and knowledge about your shots.

6. Practice When You Want, Where You Want

Winter months and the elements. Time spent going to and from the driving range. These things can impact your decision to practive more often. But the indoor/outdoor, portable nature of a launch monitor eliminates those factors that diminish your urge to practice. Home golf setups can range from the simple to the advanced, and you can go affordable or hog wild. Golf studios can be set up in your basement, garage, and even popped-up in your backyard, like our friend Gabe at Let's Play Thru does in this video. All you really need is a mat, a net, and a compatible device like a laptop or a tablet—and of course, the best golf launch monitor of your choosing. When you can't hit balls outside or get to the driving range, a golf launch monitor allows you to continue practicing and to get valuable feedback wherever you are!

7. A Golf Launch Monitor Can Help You Fit Your Clubs

We've already discussed that one of the biggest ways you stand to gain by using a golf launch monitor is by working your way into the right equipment for your game. If you're not using the right gear, you're making this game harder than it needs to be—and isn't it challenging enough already?

Let's say you're using a shaft that is too stiff (or too soft) for your swing dynamics. Or, perhaps you could benefit from a different shaft weight, club length, lie angle, or any of a number of other variables. Hitting balls in front of a launch monitor, could lead you to the perfect set of clubs for your needs. It's highly recommended that you work with a professional fitter at this level of curating your clubs.

8. Golf Lesson Alternative

Working with a coach or instructor would be ideal, right? But how realistic is that for the average golfer? Lining up time takes effort. And then there's the money factor. Luckily, you don't need to schedule time with your golf launch monitor, and, for a reasonable, one-time fee (depending on how high-end you go, of course), you get actionable data on your swing, anytime and practically anywhere you want. And if you do have the bandwidth and cashola for lessons, using a golf launch monitor at home and sharing those stats with your instructor can add benefit to your efforts.

9. Another Way to Enjoy the Game

And on the seventh day, the golf Gods created launch monitors with simulation. The beauty of golf simulators is twofold: they let you work on your game and they're a damn good time—by yourself or with friends. You’ll get performance data related to each swing, so you can work on improving your technique, all while virtually playing some of the best courses in the world. And it's always there, in your home golf simulator setup. Maybe you can't get to the course after work, but you can squeeze in a round or two with your simulator. And forget about getting rusty through the winter months. Got some PTO built up? How about a day spent at home, alone, just you and your golf simulator?

At the PlayBetter Golf Store, we offer four of the best launch monitors with simulation—with the option to purchase a simualtor package along with it. Go ahead, have a look at the possibilites:

• The Garmin Approach R10 Golf Launch Monitor & Simulator
  • PlayBetter SIG8 Approach R10 Golf Simulator Package
  • PlayBetter SIG10 Approach R10 Golf Simulator Package
  • PlayBetter SIG12 Approach R10 Golf Simulator Package
• The FlightScope Mevo Plus Launch Monitor & Simulator
  • PlayBetter SIG8 FlightScope Mevo+ Golf Simulator Package
  • PlayBetter SIG10 FlightScope Mevo+ Golf Simulator Package
  • PlayBetter SIG12 FlightScope Mevo+ Golf Simulator Package
• The SkyTrak Golf Launch Monitor & Simulator
  • PlayBetter SIG8 SkyTrak Golf Simulator Package
  • PlayBetter SIG10 SkyTrak Golf Simulator Package
  • PlayBetter SIG12 SkyTrak Golf Simulator Package
• The Bushnell Launch Pro Launch Monitor & Simulator