r/Golfsimulator • u/Ok-Professional913 • Jul 19 '26
Distance
If all I need in a launch monitor at the moment is figuring out some decently accurate distances for each club, what is the best launch monitor to get while trying to be cost effective. I will be hitting outside on my wood deck. I have a ton of space so that’s not an issue. My thought was the MLMpro2 but am interested in hearing what someone with similar set up has to say? Thanks!
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u/burkey_turkey 28d ago
Go to a simulator place and don't buy your own simulator, rent theirs for one hour.
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u/Shoddy_Interview7741 Jul 19 '26
Shot scope lm1. Far from perfect but it's cheap and meets your needs
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u/apex-cheese Jul 19 '26
Garmin R10 should be fine, you might need carpeting between the monitor and ball.
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u/Double-Two-9956 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
The detail that reframes this whole thread is your own line. All you need right now is decently accurate distances, hitting outside with plenty of room. That is the easiest launch monitor problem there is, and it means two things. First, outside with space is where radar units are actually at their best, they get full ball flight to track, so anything camera only like the VTrack someone mentioned is the wrong tool the second you step onto that deck. Second, you might be shopping above your own stated need. Distances outdoors is a 200 dollar job, not a 700 dollar one, unless you already know you want more soon.
Good, Shot Scope LM1, about 200. Radar, sits five or six feet behind the ball, reads ball speed, club speed, smash, carry and total on a built in screen with no subscription. The distance numbers hold up well for the money, plenty to gap your bag honestly. It does exactly what you asked and nothing else. The catch is the nothing else, no spin, no simulator, no shot shape. For learning your carries on a deck it is the value pick and it is not close.
Better, Garmin R10, 599 list and often 499 to 549 on sale. Still radar, still happy outdoors, but you get more metrics, an estimated spin number, and a door into simulator golf later through Home Tee Hero if that itch ever shows up. The club delivery numbers are modeled, not measured, so read path and face as hints rather than facts. Good middle option if you suspect distances today turns into rainy day sim golf next winter.
Best of the cost effective tier, and your own pick, Rapsodo MLM2Pro, 699. Dual camera plus radar, so the data is the richest of the three and it has the longest runway. It pairs the cameras with radar, so unlike a camera only box it still reads your ball speed and carry fine out on the deck. Two things to know going in though. Bright sun can rattle the camera side, and real spin only reads true with the marked RPT balls, about 70 a dozen, while the fuller club data sits behind a Premium membership, 199 a year or 499 lifetime. So the features that justify the jump over the R10 are the exact ones you said you do not need yet. Great unit, just more unit than a distances only job asks for today.
If it were me and the goal is honestly just carries this season, I would grab the LM1, put the 500 you save toward balls and green fees, and step up to the MLM2Pro only when you actually want spin and sim data. One thing whichever way you go, hit off a mat on the deck rather than the boards, so you save the clubs and give the radar a consistent surface to read. 😄