MEMBER REVIEWS: Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor! See What Members Are Saying!

[GolfWRX_Official]

We have four members testing out the Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor. The members listed below will be reporting back to the community on the MLM's performance and what they are seeing while testing out this product. Please feel free to ask any questions that you might have, as the testers will be happy to answer them! The testers are:
 

@DaRiz

@mp33er

@Jeffyr11

@TNTlefty

Special thank you to Rapsodo for putting on this testing event for our members!

[DaRiz]

Alright everyone. Super honored to finally be chosen for such a nice giveaway, I'm actually glad I lost all those other ones because it was worth the wait! Thanks to WRX and Rapsodo for the opportunity. 

 

About me:

 

35, took up golf mid 20's, play to about a 5 cap, I am a member of George Gankas's online membership so I am pretty technical, also do analytics for a living so this product was right up my alley. I practice 3-4 times a month outside, mostly on swing mechanics and ball flight, never really yardages except wedges, so I was excited to see how accurate this thing was for yardage purposes. I also have an indoor setup that I use probably every day so was really hoping to get accurate indoor yardages to fine tune my game. 

 

Set up:

Out of the box: felt really premium, sort of like opening a new phone, solid case, solid power button, felt like a $500 product

Calibrating: not sure if this was mandatory because I think it comes pre-calibrated but I went through the process anyways. It took about 5 minutes of moving my phone camera around to line up dots on the base of the monitor holding it at different angles, not too difficult.

Connecting to a phone: super easy, don't even remember the process, I think I just clicked a button and it paired perfectly

 

Features:

There is a lot of stuff in this app. Coaches, coaching packaging (some paid, some free), CTP and LD contests, sharing swing videos, and obviously all the stuff that comes with practicing: tracking/saving yardages for for all your sessions (with video - which is very cool - you can go back and look at any swing from any session), see your shot grouping on a gps map, ball speed, launch angle, apex, etc. 

 

General usage:

It is a breeze to use. You just put your body in one area, and the ball in another, and swing away. Once you swing it plays back your swing with pro tracer and stats immediately, and then it is ready for the next shot. You can just swing away, or you can just tap one button to replay your last swing. Can tap another button to change clubs. I did find that the club selection didn't really change any of the data points, I think that feature is just so you can log a shot with a club and track your average yardages.

 

Outdoor usage:

I tried in both super sunny weather with chewed up range balls and a night range with dim lighting with limited flight range balls and it was really quite accurate in both environments. I was very impressed because I am always super skeptical about all launch monitors in general, especially when I am carrying 310 in the bay, and 280 on the course. I have a few videos of me hitting a 9 iron at different speeds, and you can see that I flighted the ball down 145 / 125 / 100 and it captured it all pretty accurately. The pro tracer is pretty good for decent swings, but if you block one or get a little too close to the heel with the driver the pro tracer can do funny things (not horrible, but obviously not exact). Also, when there is not great contact (at least with metal woods), the ball speed takes a massive dive. I have a couple videos of me hitting 2h and driver so you can see the accurate ball speed of the 2h, and a squirrely pro tracer on a driver I blocked (which pro tracer logged as a slice)

 

Indoor usage:

OK so here is where I was really disappointed. Rapsodo recommends having 6 feet of space between the MLM and the ball, and 8 feet of space for ball flight, and a well lit area. I will post some pictures below of my setup (very well lit), which juuuuuust squeezes into the recommended dimensions. However, the ball just does not get captured accurately and was probably only 80% of what it should have been. I was getting frustrated swinging a 9 iron out of my shoes and smashing it, and I couldn't get yardage over 125 (stock 9 for me is 150+). I also tried moving the monitor closer and further away to see if I could capture some better speed, but both closer and further just lost even more ball speed. So I am not sure what the minimum recommendation should be, but the stated recommendation did not work for me.

 

Overall:

 

Pros: easy to use, outdoor yardage is quite accurate, pro tracer is cool, shot grouping on gps is cool

Cons: indoor use did not work for me, I have a pretty decent sized room and unfortunate that it was not big enough

 

Conclusion: I will definitely use this for range sessions to dial in my 175-225 yardages. Those are the hardest to see when you are working at the range, it is very hard to see the difference between 180 and 190 if you only have a flag at 200, so this is really an immense benefit for that specific task. I will also use the shot grouping on gps as a way to keep my dispersion down (and not lie to myself that I can throw a towel over my grouping). I don't see myself using any of the coaching stuff, only because I am already in an online program (the best one there is IMO) and I know what I am doing and not doing in that regard. Probably won't do anything with the MLM community like share videos or participate in CTP or LD contests either. I am more interested in the raw tracking ability of the monitor than any of those features. I would have traded all the coaching videos, community stuff, shot grouping on gps, and pro tracer for the ability to use this indoors within the space that I have. I am sure the tech will get there very soon (it has come a really long way). 

 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2021 by DaRiz

[mp33er]

(Since another tester DaRiz provided so much in great details, I'd like to state my experience and suggestions here.)

 

First of all, I would like to say a big “Thank You” to Rapsodo for allowing GolfWRX users to review their product. I have been on GolfWRX for over 15 years but was never selected for any giveaway or a review item until this year! Needless to say, I was super excited about having this great opportunity.
 
**About me and my game:** I have been playing golf for about 25 years and my handicap has been around 7 this season at my home course of about 6,400 yards. At the age of 60, I cannot hit 300-yard drives as everyone does on this site anymore, but my short games, especially, wedge shots got much better as my distances got shrunken. So, when I was signing up for this Rapsodo review contest, I put down the wedge gapping as my major usage for the device.
 **First Impression:** The product build is very solid! Some heft of the MLM and the cable and case were felt good in my hands. Per instruction, I charged it up fully for 3 hours or so and downloaded the MLM app from the App Store. The initial Bluetooth pairing was pretty straightforward compared to some other ones.  Considering the features the MLM provides, I believe the user manual is way too simple. MLM says it is automatically calibrated but I am not sure it is done either properly or even done at all. I tried to do the manual calibration but had a hard time completing it. At least, the prep was done quickly and I headed out to the range.

 

**At the Driving Range** Since I have no indoor space or facility, I had to go to a driving range to test it out. I started with my trusty PW and the distances were about 10% or more less than my on-course distances. The great thing was the device did not miss any readings of my shots, which was pretty impressive as I heard some do miss shots. Also, for comparison purposes, I borrowed a Voice Caddie Swing Caddie 200 Plus and checked the numbers on both. They were reasonably close within a few yards for my iron shots, SC 200+ reading a few yards shorter on the average. Due to the distance gaps, I contacted Rapsodo Customer Support over e-mail and got a prompt response explaining they assume as follows: 1) All the iron distances are carries-only, (you can set up to include the roll-outs for wood shots, and 2) We will use “premium” balls for the initial ball velocity, launch, and initial trajectory. Well, premium balls for outdoor range do not sound too realistic but they said the ball-type selection is in the future updates. So, I dug out all my practice premium balls and compared them to the range ball results – there were around 7-8 yard differences between the premium and range balls, even though they were all kinds of range balls hit in the process. As my typical shot trajectories are relatively low due to my swing and “aging”, I guess I am losing out a bit more in the calculation processes. One thing I’ve found very impressive was the readings were very consistent with a couple of yards for my good shots. I have not thought about this aspect but this could be a great practice tool, not just for the gapping but for checking and trying all different set-ups and mechanics.

 

**Thoughts and Recommendation/Plans**  Again, as I very rarely practice, this idea never dawn on me, but once you find the distances between your range balls and on-course ones, this can be a valuable device that you can experiment on 1) Adjustable club configuration test including weight positions and adding/removing weights, 2) Set-up/grip change effects, 3) Different shafts, and 4) Partial shot distances. Unlike other personal launch monitors, Rapodo has more advanced features in saving swing videos, shot tracers, including all other data points. I still would like to recommend Rapsodo to provide a bit more information, i.e., the effects of 8-foot distance, the height level of the device, how to use the club identification, etc. Overall, this is a well-built little device and there is great potential for improving any levels of players in various aspects of the game. I am planning to replace my iron set with graphite shafts (finally!) and see how close the results match with the device. Will be back with more updates later. Thank you for reading this review and ask away if you have any questions.

Edited August 31, 2021 by mp33er

[Jeffyr11]

Thanks to GolfWrx and Rapsodo for this opportunity.  

 

A little about me

I am 38 years old, been playing for 32 of them.  I was a golf pro at a country club for 12 years and finally realized that trying to raise a family in golf was not going to work.  I am a +2 handicap.  Driver is what separates me from everyone, as I am usually 330-340 yards on average.  I know many may call BS but mind you, I am in Colorado, which we will get to in a minute.  Wedge gapping was the main reason that I had interest in the product, as most of my approach shots are 150 yards and in.  Dialing yardages in with ½, ¾ and full shots can really take me to the next level in consistency with my game.  I really do not do much practicing outdoors, lucky to hit balls in my basement once a week and play every other week.

 

Disclaimer

I was very excited to test the product for distance accuracy but unfortunately being in Colorado at elevation, I was not able to do so.  Rapsodo uses normalized data, which means it does not take wind, weather, slope, or elevation into consideration.  Settings are locked with assumption of a premium ball, 70 degrees, no humidity and at sea level.   They are working to make enhancements to this and excited to test more once they do but, the actual yardages did not work for me out of the box, which is why you will see me not get into specifics on actual yardages.  

 

Rapsodo Customer Service

With the troubles I had with reading and setup early on, I was reaching out to them frequently working to get answers to my questions about elevation and setup indoors.  They were able to see exactly what I was seeing on my phone and what we needed to do to get the indoor setup to work.  As for the elevation, though not getting the answers that I wanted to gear for using the product, I did get quick responses that resulted in all my questions being answered.

 

Indoor Testing

Setup was a little tricky at first to get MLM to work.  You must make sure lighting in the room is very bright.  I was getting the same images that DaRiz was getting initially.  Luckily for me, I had track lighting laying around in my basement and was able to put 4 spotlights behind me, facing the net and was able to get it to work. (Tried to picture the differences in light needed). When I was able to test during the daytime with light coming in from the windows, I had to troubles at all getting it to pick up and work.

Readings were very consistent all the way up to my hybrid, don’t have the ceiling height to hit anything longer.  I was able to hit ½, ¾ and full shots and feel that the gaps between the 3 shots were fairly accurate from what I have outdoors.

 

Outdoor Testing

Again, setup was very easy to pace off and for the MLM to start reading, had no issues whatsoever.  I went through every club, all swings, and felt very confident with the numbers that I was seeing appear (Distance appearing between clubs, not actual yardages) The shot tracking was an area that was not always the shot that I hit.  My tendency is to hit a baby draw, if not straight and did have some that came across being cuts, when dead straight, as well has baby draws that came across as hooks.  Now this maybe happened 1 out of 10 shots, so not a big deal for me.  The time that I saw this happen more was when you are hitting directly into the sun.  When cloudy or sun above, I did not have as many issues with the shot tracking.

 

Conclusion

It is hard for me to give a truly accurate assessment of the product as I do not play at sea level enough to know if the yardages are coming through accurately.  From what I was able to piece together from the data received, I do feel confident that this can be a very useful product.  The gaps on the different type shots do seem to be accurate, regarding my gaps.  

Talking with Customer Care, they are working on an enhancement that will enable me to test at elevation in the coming months.  I am very excited for this to be released and once it does, I will be posting my full review of the product.  

Edited September 11, 2021 by Jeffyr11

[getair23]

Congrats to the three of you.  Very much looking forward to your reviews.  The Rapsodo has been on my radar for a while now.  Mostly curious how this device can benefit club gapping and data like spin and launch for testing different shafts.  

[lbsc1985]

It is a great product...for the 10-15 minutes you can actually use it outdoors if it's over 80 degrees. It absolutely crushes iphones with overheating...

Edited August 20, 2021 by lbsc1985

[mp33er]

On 8/20/2021 at 5:58 AM, lbsc1985 said:

It is a great product...for the 10-15 minutes you can actually use it outdoors if it's over 80 degrees. It absolutely crushes iphones with overheating...

At least, during my testing it at around 80 degrees here in the dry CA weather, it did get pretty hot but it was still working OK without crashes.

I could use it for 2 hours whenever I was at the range.

Edited September 1, 2021 by mp33er

[DaRiz]

On 8/31/2021 at 5:22 PM, mp33er said:

At least, during my testing it at around 80 degrees here in the dry CA weather, it did get pretty hot but it was still working OK without crashes.

I could use it for 2 hours whenever I was at the range.

 

Strategically placed under the stand bag for shade seemed to work pretty well for me in 85+

[mp33er]

13 hours ago, DaRiz said:

 

Strategically placed under the stand bag for shade seemed to work pretty well for me in 85+

Absolutely, yes, while proving a shade, it can also protect the MLM.

Due to the 8-foot distance requirement, it sticks out a bit closer to the foot traffic.

So, I did leave the MLM under my bag to keep it safe.

[Drumdog]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the MLM. Am looking forward to your continued testing and posts.

[TNTlefty]

Thank you to GolfWRX and Rapsodo for the chance to review the MLM. 
 

GETTING STARTED

The carrying case includes the MLM, USB charging cable, and quick start guide. All you need to do is charge the MLM, download the Rapsodo app, and create an account.
 

ON THE RANGE

The MLM carrying case is 6” long, 4” wide and 2” thick - it easily fit into my golf bag. Setup was easy - turn on the MLM, open the app, connect, and you’re ready to pull a club and get to work. I added a few clubs in the app for tracking purposes - the app is loaded with a variety of fairway woods, hybrids, irons, and wedges. 
 

The MLM picked up my shots outdoors without issue, but I did get an alert that my device was getting hot which disabled the live video (snapshot below - it was a sunny afternoon in the mid-80s). This wasn’t an issue for me as I wasn’t checking the video between shots and the video was still captured/stored in the app to view later. Most importantly, shot data remained available in real-time. I really liked the option to hear the shot data so I didn’t even have to look back at my phone. 

 

My first impression of the MLM after a brief range session was very good overall. It was easy to use and the data added a new dimension to my practice.  I’m looking forward to a full bag gapping, working on partial wedge shots, and hitting a few drivers with the MLM too!  

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by TNTlefty

[TNTlefty]

UPDATE

Although wet weather has limited my practice time; I’ve used the MLM a handful more times outdoors, including today where I also arranged for a Trackman set up for comparison. 
 

I have to admit, I initially questioned some of the data from the MLM due to occasional shot tracers starting behind the ball (see below). Today’s session has removed any data concerns I had - club speed, launch angle, ball speed, and carry yardage data from the MLM were all consistent with the Trackman data. 
 

LIKES

Size - highly portable design 

Usability - sets up in seconds and switching clubs during a session is simple with two taps or automatically with club recognition for irons

Speed - shot data is consistently captured and available very quickly with a glance back or from the audio feedback

Video / Shot Tracer - video and shot tracer add a cool factor, but the angle isn’t ideal

 

OPPORTUNITIES

Data - the obvious addition of spin rate 

Data - offer apex data without subscription 

Usability - addition of an option to configure the audio feedback by specific data element

Usability - enhance club recognition to better handle wedges / hybrids / woods by loft

 

FEEDBACK

After using the MLM and comparing data alongside Trackman, I can confidently say that I will include it in my practice routine. MLM will allow me to target hitting specific yardages and optimize my bag with gapping analysis based on accurate distance and dispersion data.
 

Thanks again to GolfWRX and Rapsodo for the opportunity to review the MLM. 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by TNTlefty