And at the intersection of golf and stay-at-home technology is the launch monitor and simulator segment - particularly the products geared towards personal use.
If you haven't been paying attention to the golf technology boom I'll clue you in to a "not so secret" trend. The gap between entry level launch monitors and their five-figure big brothers is closing fast.
Our favorite is the Mevo+, from Flightscope.
If you're interested in purchasing a Mevo+ please follow
this link to our friends at Ace Indoor Golf, and while you are their check out their complete line of nets, screens, accessories, while taking advantage of their free setup advice.
We use one at the AmateurGolf.com's backyard studio to help with our own game and give us data for our equipment reviews. One of the most effective ways to use Mevo+ is to bring it to a local practice facility; doing so turns an ordinary session of "hitting balls" into a much more focused opportunity to get feedback, dial in distances, and test different club setups (for example changing the hosel settings on a driver).
Here is the review and video for this best-in-class product:
We would all love to own a $10-20,000 launch monitor like the game's top teachers and Tour players. Alas, that's not in the cards for most amateur players. But with the advent of "personal launch monitors" in the last year or so, we at AmateurGolf.com have taken a keen interest. After all, today's cell phones take better pictures and video than the digital cameras of a few years ago. So shouldn't launch monitors be packing more punch into a smaller and cheaper package?
At the end of the year, we tested several personal launch monitors in the $300-500 range and
declared the Flightscope Mevo to be the best of the bunch. But the gap in accuracy and features between the Mevo and its big brother the X3 is considerable. We love the value of the Mevo, and it has been hugely successful at retail.
So successful, in fact, that it proved the market exists for something heftier. Enter the Mevo+.
At $2199, golfers are going to demand much more from Mevo+ than the Mevo. And wow, does it ever deliver. Mevo+ provides twice as many data points as Mevo (16) including key information like total distance, roll distance, spin data, and horizontal launch angle. In short, you've got a more complete picture of what's happening to every shot you hit. And add on packages provide even more features that only the five-figure launch monitors offer.
Now comes the kicker. Mevo+ doubles as a game simulator -- it comes loaded E6 simulation software, which provides the ability to practice on 17 types of driving ranges, virtually play five different golf courses and various mini-games. You can play on an iPad or phone; with a projector or large monitor the experience turns into virtual golf (including putting and chipping).
I tried Mevo+ in a hitting bay - the course setup was Carlsbad's Aviara (one of the 5 preloaded courses). Since I'm very familiar with Aviara, I put it to the test on the par-3 3rd hole. The yardage, view of the hole, and shot data were extremely accurate and realistic.
Flightscope's founder, Henri Johnson, has been a pioneer in the business of tracking fast moving "stuff" since 1989 when his proprietary technology was originally used to track projectiles for the defense industry. Since then, his company has achieved many "firsts" in radar tracking in cricket, tennis, and golf.
"The Mevo+ is a game-changer for serious golfers who want to create efficient and enjoyable practice sessions," said Johnson. "It provides incredibly useful performance information and next level entertainment features."
If you're interested in purchasing a Mevo+ please follow this link
this link to our friends at Ace Indoor Golf. They sell a complete line of simulator technology and offer complimentary setup advice.