Behind the Golfer

How to choose a portable launch monitor

Most indoor rooms should start with a unit that sits beside the ball. Floor-standing camera units are the friendliest option for a low ceiling, which is why so many of them end up in basements. If your room is deep, or you want a unit that also goes to the range, look at the units that sit behind the ball.

Start with your room, not the unit. Our guide on how to measure your space for a golf simulator walks through ceiling height, width and depth.

Beside the ball

These units sit on the floor next to the hitting position and read the ball at impact. Most of them are camera units.

• Less depth. Side-of-ball units like the Foresight GC3 and Square Golf Home have no minimum room depth behind the ball.
• Low ceilings are fine. Nothing hangs from the ceiling, so you only need enough height to swing your longest club.
• Examples in our lineup: SkyTrak ST Max, Foresight GC3, GCQuad and QuadMAX, Uneekor EYE MINI, Bushnell LPi, Square Golf Omni and the Garmin Approach R50.

Behind the ball

These units sit behind you and track the ball as it leaves the club. Most are radar units, and radar needs room behind you to work. In a shallow room, a radar is the wrong tool no matter how good it is.

• Check the depth for each unit. The Trackman 4 lists 18 ft of room depth, the FlightScope Mevo Gen2 lists 16 ft (8 ft from sensor to tee plus 8 ft of ball flight) and the Garmin R10 needs at least 14 ft.
• Some sit close to the ball. The PRGR, Swing Caddie SC4 PRO and Shot Scope LM1 sit about 4 to 6 ft behind the ball.
• Examples in our lineup: Trackman 4, FlightScope Mevo Gen2 and X3C, Full Swing KIT, Garmin R10 and Rapsodo MLM2PRO.

Plan the room around it

The core room numbers are the same whichever unit you pick. Plan on about 1 ft of space behind the screen and 10 to 12 ft from the ball to the screen. Fifteen feet of room depth is the floor, and 18 ft is what we recommend. A behind-the-ball unit adds its own placement needs, so check its listing before you buy. For the full breakdown, read what size room you need for a golf simulator.

Portable or overhead?

Portable is the easy call if you want to move the unit between rooms or take it outside, and many units here are listed for both indoor and outdoor use. If you would rather have nothing on the floor and your ceiling allows it, compare overhead launch monitors. They want roughly 9 to 10 ft above the hitting surface and sit about 3.5 ft off the ball.

To see every unit we carry side by side, browse all golf launch monitors.

Software and a PC

A launch monitor needs software to turn shot data into golf you can play. Some units run their own app on a phone or tablet, while platforms like GSPro and E6 Connect run on a Windows PC. On the Garmin Approach R50, for example, E6, GSPro and TGC need a separate gaming PC. Match the two in golf simulator PCs and software.

Build the whole setup

Want the screen, mat and projector picked to match your launch monitor? Start in the Sim Builder, or see the full technology lineup on our equipment page.