At some point in your development as a golfer, you realized that your skills and your lower scores all boil down to one ingredient - precision. This can be quickly achieved by using a golf monitor.

The details of your approach, your swing and your follow-through are all precisely determined over time. Those thousands of practice swings and practice rounds proved to you that you are best when you are locked in.

When you are in your golfing environment, you are likely surrounded by a variety of equipment and tools you have employed in order to determine your best path to success. One tool you should not do without is a golf launch monitor.  It can record and correct numerous selected adjustments in your performance.

What a golf launch monitor does

You have perhaps seen someone at a driving range with a small electronic device sitting upon a tripod with the device’s registering face aimed at the golfer. That is the golf monitor. 

A golf launch monitor can measure:

1. Carry distance and total distance on your woods and irons - Most of today’s courses offer distance data on golf carts, so you know how far you are from the pin or other measurable points. A golf launch monitor can help you determine which club will get you where you want to go based on your personal golf swing history.
2. Measure your swing speed - Assuming you want to hit your shots farther than you currently do, a golf launch monitor can measure your current swing speed. That information is useful when researching ways to increase your swing speed. The golf launch monitor can give you the baseline of your current speed from which to measure your improvements.
3. Spin rate calculation - You are talented enough now to concern yourself with the spin rate of your shots. Your woods require less spin than your irons, which you use in those situations when you are spotting your shot and want it to land and stop. A launch monitor can check your spin rate, which will help you determine if you are using the proper clubs for the level of your game.
4. Launch angle - The hottest topic in golf today is launch angle, and some launch monitors measure launch angle with descriptions on how your launch angle can be improved based on your swing speed and resulting distance.

Selecting the proper golf monitor

There are few sports where proper equipment plays such a vital role as it does in golf. Often, your ability level determines the grade of equipment you should be using.

The same is true for golf launch monitors. There are levels of sophistication in the devices, and you will determine the best device for your needs based on your own level of swing sophistication.

At the same time, price is an object to consider. Pros spend thousands of dollars on their golf launch monitors, and you may not want to do that, or actually need to do that. 

And with launch monitors, it is not the size that matters. They are all effectively the size of a large face smartphone. What matters is the information the monitor offers and the ease of accessing that information.

At www.thegadgetowl.com, we offer reviews of all types of golf monitors, with functionality, sophistication and price as review points.

Some launch monitors come with apps which allow you to access the launch information on your smartphone. You measure your launch data at home, take your smartphone on the course with you, and you can monitor your changes in action without having two devices to carry (you aren’t going anywhere without your smartphone, correct?)

However, some launch monitors also include distance information on thousands of golf courses around the country. The combination of launch data and accurate distance data is certain to improve your score on your favorite course and make new courses easier to traverse and succeed upon.