Top 7 of the Best Golf Launch Monitors of 2021

Whether you golf for fun or like to hit the course competitively, you know all about the importance of a golf launch monitor. This is one of the must-have items if you’re looking to improve your game, from putting to driving. While launch monitors are often a luxury item that are priced beyond the average golfer’s budget, you’d be surprised at some of the options on the market.

If you’re looking for a launch monitor that will allow you to make the progress you’ve dreamed of, we’ve got you covered. Check out these seven top golf monitor options, and then choose the one that’s right for you!

Entry Level – Under $500

A golf monitor priced under $500 doesn’t mean that you’re getting a cheap product. These monitors use a Doppler radar system that tracks the ball. These units also display a select group of data points so that you can get all of the details you need.

Swing Caddie SC200 – $350

• Extremely compact and will easily fit into your club bag
• Decent accuracy, especially for the price
• Operates best on mid-yardage strokes
• Offers metrics for club speed, ball speed, smash factor, and carry distance
• Fairly simple setup; includes a kickstand, though you’ll have to be precise with your placement behind the ball
• Best used outdoors or in a large room

FlightScope Mevo – $499

• Weighs just 8 oz
• Has a cool, futuristic design
• Also uses Doppler radar, but claims to have a great deal of accuracy
• Offers metrics for club speed, ball speed, carry, spin rate, and launch angle
• A small silver dot must be attached to each ball in order to track spin rate
• App-based that’s compatible with iOS and Android; you can view data and visualizations on your phone or tablet
• Ability to record your stroke with your phone’s camera and then sync it to the ball’s trajectory; this is a handy way to analyze your swing

Mid-Level – Above $500

If you have a little more wiggle room in your budget, the SkyTrak is a worthwhile golf monitor. Though not exactly cheap, this unit offers a mid-range price tag that’s suitable for players in the vast middle.

SkyTrak – $2,000

• Uses a single high-speed camera to record club and ball speed, as well as launch angle and spin rate
• Able to calculate the ball’s 3D trajectory
• Accuracy is on par with other high-end launch monitors
• Can be used indoors or outdoors, though primarily marketed as an indoor device; if used outdoors, avoid too much sunlight
• Wi-Fi capable and can easily be linked with a variety of golf simulators on PC and iOS, including World Golf Tour

High-End – $10,000 - $25,000

Last, but definitely not least, let’s cover four more golf monitors. These products are on the higher end of the market, and they range anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000. Though expensive, these monitors are designed to impress and to last for years to come.

TrackMan 4 – $19,000 - $25,000

• Latest unit available from TrackMan
• Extremely portable, weighing just 6 pounds
• Chargeable battery lasts around four hours
• Standard option is rated for indoor use only; outdoor option costs $6,000 more
• Uses two radars during swing analysis, which is a huge technological advance; one of the radars tracks clubhead and impact, while the second tracks the flight of the ball after impact
• Short-range radar detects angles, spin, and strike position at the club face
• Has a single built-in camera that captures swing and other club data

Foresight Sports GC2 – $9,500

• Best-selling model; uses stereoscopic cameras to capture 3D data of your swing
• Uses high-speed cameras and advanced algorithms to collect and calculate data with precision and reliability
• Unlike other launch monitors that sit behind the golfer, the GC2 is side-on; this enables the cameras to clearly see the club face and impact, resulting in more accurate data

Foresight Sports GCQuad – $14,000

• Great for junior golfers
• Won the Editor’s Choice Golf Digest award in 2018 and 2019
• First launch monitor to offer four ultra-high-speed cameras in a quadroscopic array; this offers exceptional insight and accuracy
• Offers more than 13 club and ball data points, including angle of attack, spin-tilt axis, azimuth, closure rate, and others
• Equipped with an infrared light source and a built-in barometer and thermometer
• Offers a self-leveling system that makes set-up and use a breeze
• No need to calibrate the unit; hit zone is six times larger than any other launch monitor on the market

Foresight Sports GCHawk – $16,000

• Uses the same four-camera tech as the GCQuad
• All-in-one mounted solution designed for fixed simulator setups
• Ideal for use in commercial installations
• Mounted in front of the golfer, which allows the unit to be switched between left- and right-handed players while still delivering precise results
• Bundled with a licenses for FSX, which is a highly detailed simulator software created by Foresight Sports
• View full GCHawk details

These are just seven of the top golf launch monitors on the market. No matter if you’re new to the sport or an avid enthusiast, there’s sure to be a unit that fits your needs. Use this list as a baseline for figuring out which golf launch monitor is best for you.