PRGR Pocket Launch Monitor

[My2Dogs]

Anyone tried one of these out yet? I was looking at getting a LM this Spring but didn’t want to spend too much, however I see this doesn’t come with spin and it’s making me think twice about it. Got some decent reviews on You Tube about distance but was wondering if anyone here has tried or purchased one and how it’s doing. Also durability wise how has it been.

looking at the next level up of cost for me would be the SC300 or maybe MEVO. I see a lot of discussions on those 2 but didn’t see anything on the PRGR.

thanks in advance.

[oscar10]

I noticed that Superspeed Golf is using these now. Also recommended on Clay Ballard’s site.

[bjpjjs]

I saw the same thing and watched Clays video and the one Mr short game and it got me to pull the trigger. (Couldn't post the link)

 

Seems to work quote well in Video he laser checks the reading s and they seem pretty accurate.

 

I like doing the over speed training and the swing speed radar unit is pretty wild with readings will be interested to see how this one compares.

 

[My2Dogs]

The only thing that was disappointing on the reviews of the PRGR was it didn’t do well with the higher lofted clubs (wedges). On short pitch shots don’t need it but do like to dial in 40-80 yard shots and usually like to hit my own good balls when practicing those. Only place is like a park or on the course itself for those shots. Just got a home practice net and a good device could help dial in those distances.

[My2Dogs]

please let me know your thoughts on wedge shots and if your experience is different than the you tube reviews.

[bjpjjs]

I will try my best once I get it and our range opens up between the virus and weather we probably 2-3 weeks out here WI.

[Gregor_Golf_Tesla]

It is a nice little gadget and perfectly OK for the price. But don't expect too much. One nice feature: it measures club-head speed (even without a ball) and from that calculates estimated carry and total distance according to the type of club that you need to set manually. The display is good enough and numbers are clearly visible even when standing / at a distance.

However, the black pocket launch monitor seems to display only mph/yard measurements, and not metric numbers. That reduces the usability for continental Europeans a bit. But if your goal is to know and improve on clubbed speed or consistency, it will do its job.

(See also the video review on my Golf&Tesla Youtube channel.)

[duffer18]

Picked one up to last week use with a new net I just put in the backyard to ride out this lockdown. As Gregor noted, it works best in terms of allowing comparisons between clubhead speeds of clubs, or to compare swing speeds. Also helps to give you a sense, for example, of what a 50 yard shot with a lofted club will feel like. Will miss some metrics on occasion, but for the money, it's a very handy and easy to use device.

[EdMarks]

I just got one of these and am trying to use it with my net in my yard. It always shows club head speed but it's only showing ball speed and distance for about 10% of shots, and when it does give distance it seems way too short (e.g. 7 iron that I know I hit about 160 yds shows as closer to 110 yds or less). I've tried to play around and hit further from the net to see if that helped, but it doesn't. I'm wondering if I got a bad unit since the reviews seemed much more positive. Any advise from users as to what works best for them?

[DJQwrx]

I just got mine and put it to the test in my backyard net. I had very good success with it; most shots registered and fairly accurately based on how I felt I hit it. Only 4-5 (of about 90 balls) didn't register.

You have to input the club you're using, presumably to let the unit know where to look for the ball. The one problem with that is that there is no 2iron or 2 hybrid. It goes up to 9wood, though.

I happened to use the total distance function at first, but then switched it to carry only for the rest and I felt like that was a better use of the device. There is smash factor, too, which I use when flipping through past shots. The display is very clear from where I was standing. I had no trouble making out the numbers. There was a very light beep to let you know that the shot registered.

The display is very rudimentary. Think 1990s radio shack gadget with analog display. There is no option to pair it with a phone or anything like that. It is very simple, which to be honest- for what I want to do with it, is perfectly fine for me. I had a mevo and found it to be so incredibly annoying to set up that I sold it over a year ago. The PRGR is so much simpler to use and gives you enough of what you need.

I'll do a fuller review after a few more backyard net sessions. Our range open in a week, so I hope to bring it there and get an idea of how it looks with real (range) balls.

For the price, my initial review is very positive.

[EdMarks]

Hi DJQwrx, sounds like yours is working well with your net. Can you give me some idea how much distance between the PRGR, your ball on the mat, and from the ball to your net? I've been putting my PRGR between the 3.5 to 5 feet behind the ball that they state in the small manual that comes with it, with about 6 feet to the net. It always registers the club head speed but rarely picks up the balls speed and therefore I get no other readings like distance. And as I said in my post, when I do get a distance reading it seems way off from what I know I normally hit the ball on a course. I do have the device set for the appropriate club, and had read that you might need to play with that a bit to match your own club loft, but that doesn't improve anything for me.

Thanks for whatever you can share,

Ed

[jsn]

i've got one too and it works well with my net. i think i'm closer to the 3-4' range from unit to ball. from ball to net is maybe 6', i think it is less because i'm paranoid about skying one over the top and into my neighbors backyard. one caveat is i have only tried it outside, nothing indoors.

FWIW the only times i have had i trouble getting readings is hitting full wedges out at the driving range. i get a swing speed but very rarely get carry / ball speed. i've tried moving the unit around but it didn't seem to help too much.

[EdMarks]

I saw a review on Amazon where someone had put the monitor on top of a mini camera tripod. I figured I had nothing to lose so I tried it, and now I'm consistently getting readings of ball speed and distance when I was only getting them 10% of the time when the monitor was on the ground. I don't know why that should make a difference but it is. The only possibility is that I'm hitting balls off of an turf mat into a net in a concrete area of my yard, so I don't know if the hard surface causes any issues with the radar in the unit working properly.

[DJQwrx]

My backyard setup is fairly straightforward. It’s a driving range mat reclaimed from a local club that’s mounted on one of those interlocking hard plastic mesh bases, so it’s perhaps 1.5-2” above the ground. I place the prgr on the target line about a hybrid’s length away. My net is maybe 8-9’ in front of me. I never measured; but it’s not far.

I do not get every reading with my 53* sand wedge. I hardly ever try my lob wedge because I don’t want to sky it over the net and into my neighbor’s yard. Pitching wedge (47*) picks up almost every time.

I will take it to the range for the first time tomorrow where I know my typical distances with range balls. I am hitting shagged ProV’s and TP5’s in my backyard. I might even drop it down behind me on real shots when I play this weekend. The review I saw the guy did that with reasonable success. We will see how that goes for me with game balls and real situations on an actual course.

What I have noticed that’s useful is the swing speed and ball speed reading as you go up and down the bag. I have heard of the idea behind fitting your gaps to ballspeeds instead of lofts. This is a good way to begin to self-fit and get an idea of the carry numbers club to club. I pulled up the trackman chart that came out a couple years ago of the PGA and LPGA launch data. Let’s just say I’m way closer to the LPGA averages than PGA, which is fine and if anything more helpful learning better what my true distances are.

Anyway, for $200 I’m keeping it and will continue to use as long as it continues to be easy to setup and use. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is compared to the mevo where I couldn’t get it to read properly and needed my phone hooked up blah blah. And no need for metallic dots either.

[DJQwrx]

 

I didn’t put the prgr down for this photo but it’s usually just a foot or two off the back edge of the mat down the target line.

[EdMarks]

DJQwrx, thanks for showing your setup. Mine is fairly similar hitting from a mat into a net about 8 feet away. I'm using the monitor about 4 feet behind the ball.

I got in touch with AMH Sports (who sells the PRGR in the US) and asked them about it. They said that the monitor was not seeing the ball and recommended putting the monitor off to the side of the line of flight by a few inches or up to a foot. I tried that and it definitely helped get more consistent readings, although it's contrary to the instructions that came with the monitor. I get the best readings (i.e., most consistent in terms showing ball speed and distance) with my monitor on the small tripod a few inches off to the side. I'm now quite happy with it now that it's showing ball speed and distance, and it's really helping me develop my ball striking ability, club speed, and distance.

I hope that's helpful to anyone who gets this monitor and has trouble getting it to pick up ball speed.

[brewer2125]

My experience has not been positive in the two times using it so far. I've taken it out to hit in an open area where I can swing full up to 125 yards. The PRGR has been terrible picking up my 60, 56 and 52 degree wedges for carry distance. Clubhead speed apparently is reading fine. I have messed around with all kinds of things to put it on the groun, on another mat, distance from the ball, angles, etc. and it is reading only about 1 in 10. I am going to try to mini tripod next,

[EdMarks]

I've read that it's not the greatest for high lofted clubs but maybe putting it on a tripod so it can see more of the ball flight will help. Please let us know if that makes a difference.

[pozzit]

Thanks all for your input I'm debating on be getting one to track my superspeed training and dial in my distances. I've got a garage setup for hitting but only use foam balls since I'm afraid of bouncing one off and hitting a car. Has anyone tried foam balls?

[Frankensteins Monster]

Don't hit foam balls. It will suck when you go and try to hit real balls. It will be like hitting boulders. Just move the car out of the garage when you want to hit?

[Rodhammo]

Does anyone know how to turn this from yards to meters? Somewhere i saw someone say press enter and the down arrow but it didn’t work for me

[pozzit]

I have hit foam balls all winter and it doesn't bother me once I start playing. I'm sure it would affect the readings but just curious if anyone tried.

[brewer2125]

 

Well, not o good news to report based on my experience with the unit. I've taken it out two times since my post last week and performance (actually, the lack thereof), did not change. I re-read the manual, rewatched YouTube videos on it, including Clay Ballard's channel on it. No matter what I do, it will not pick up more than an occasional wedge shot less than 75 yards. I've tried 3 feet back, 4 feet, 5 feet, 3.5 feet, 4.5 feet. I've tried directly behind the ball, just left, just right. I've tried a mini tripod at just above ground level all the way to about 7 inches off the ground. Nothing made a difference - it only showed clubhead speead and showed nothing for carry distance. Between 75 yards and 120 yards, the unit provided all the readings it was supposed to provide, but only provided those readings about 50% of the time (and again, I tried every which way to get this thing to work by moving it all over and on and off the mini tripod. I would be OK with some missed shots here and there, but this thing on shots short of 120 yards was, for me, a complete failure. I requested a return and now have a shipping label and will be sending it back for a refund tomorrow. Waste of time and money. Will be trying the Mevo next instead. Saving $300 bucks isn't saving if it doesn't perform and cant be trusted for data.

[Paxroman]

I am also returning my unit. I get zero results on distance for PW, GW and SW either into net or at a driving range. I manipulated unit all over the place as well as height and I just don’t get distance readings with wedges. Very disappointed.

[My2Dogs]

After these comments I’m glad I ended up getting a Mevo. Has been flawless and easy to use.

[Paxroman]

Has anyone used Mevo successfully hitting into net with wedges? If so, what are the distances needed from device to ball and ball to net?

[EdMarks]

I hit some balls yesterday into a net and here's what I found. I got very reliable readings with the monitor on a small tripod, including my pitching wedge. Then I tried my sand wedge and lob wedge and only got swing speed and no ball speed or distance. I aimed the monitor in a number of directions but couldn't get it to register.

After my session I sent an email to the company that distributes the monitor in the US, and this is what they wrote back to me:

I'm sorry to hear about the issues with the sand and lob wedge. Unfortunately, for the higher lofted wedges the launch monitor has some trouble catching the ball readings. Making sure you are on the SW setting and elevating the launch monitor a few inches to a foot could possibly help, but in general some shots just have too high of a loft for the launch monitor to catch the reading.  I know that some other brands' launch monitors have a similar problem as well. I think for the type of radar, it is just difficult to track higher lofted shots. 

So if getting distances on your highest lofted clubs is a make or break issue, this probably isn't the right monitor for you. In general I'm still happy with it and glad to get club head speed for all clubs and full readings for my PW and lower clubs.

 

[My2Dogs]

Yes. 6 feet behind. I use the box it came with (well the top half) and put the Mevo on top of it. Use it this way for both the net in the backyard and the driving range. Haven’t had any problems.

[rosco1963]

I have a PRGR ordered. There are limitations of radar from a small non-rotating antenna. If you do not keep your ball within that field of view, the antenna will not see it. This is probably why wedges are lost, as will be anything pulled or pushed outside the FOV. Hopefully I can experiment with height and direction of unit to see if it can track my balls. They don't always go where I want them too.

[phatcatkev]

How did you think it compared to the Swing Speed Radar?

thinking of picking one of the two up just for SuperSpeed training but can’t decide which to go with.

Anyone else tried them both with super speed?