👋 Hey,

Do Launch Monitors Belong in the Bag Now?

Is 2026 the year personal launch monitors become normal in golf bags, the same way rangefinders did? 👇

I’m talking about the basics.

Simple, accurate enough feedback for the range and for real golf.

As a newer golfer, you don’t need 47 data points.
You need a couple of numbers you can trust, and you need them fast.

For real practice, the wins are simple.

That’s it.

Everything else is nice, but it’s not where your score drops first.

This isn’t theory for me.

I’ve owned and used the Garmin Approach G80.
I’ve also spent a lot of time with the Swing Caddie SC4 Pro.

Two different devices, same effect.

They didn’t magically make me better ✨
They just stopped me guessing 🤷‍♂️

Once I knew my real carry distances, things got easier. Club choice made more sense. Par threes stopped feeling like a lottery. A lot of bad decisions just quietly went away.

And that’s why the timing right now feels interesting.

I use Arccos to track every shot and see where I’m really losing strokes. Right now they’re giving away 16 free Smart Sensors plus a free swing lesson when you join.

Check it out here!

The main reason I’m writing this email is the Shot Scope LM1 at $199.

That price really caught my attention.

📺 Built in screen.
📵 No phone needed.
🚫 No subscription.
🎯 And it focuses on the exact metrics most golfers actually use, ball speed, club speed, smash factor, carry, total.

💸 It’s cheap enough to feel normal.
🧠 Simple enough to actually use.
✅ And focused on what matters.

I could be wrong but i’m guessing that’s exactly how rangefinders/GPS’s slowly ended up in everyone’s bag.

Is it just a PRGR with a nicer display? Maybe. But at around $200, if it’s even accurate enough just for carry distances, that alone could be enough.

For beginners, this could genuinely be the best first device, if it’s consistent.

🚫 I’m not talking about the Full Swing KIT, even though yeah, I’d love one. That’s a totally different category.

For my golf, the SC4 Pro (~$599) is already more than enough. And the reason is pretty boring.

📵 No phone.
📱 No apps required.
👀 It has a screen.
🙅‍♂️ No messing about.

Turn it on, pick a club, hit the ball, see the number.

I don’t really care about games or simulator modes on the range either. Fun, sure, but that’s not why I’m there.

Devices like the Rapsodo MLM2PRO or the Garmin R10 are genuinely good, and I get why people like them. But they pull you into your phone or ipad, and sometimes you’re paying ongoing fees just to unlock features the hardware already has.

I even have free courses and simulator modes in the SC4 Pro app with way more data, and if I’m honest, I rarely use them. That stuff feels more like a lesson environment where a coach breaks things down.

When I’m practicing on my own, I’m focused on simple things.
Mostly carry.

I’ve also been keeping an eye on the Garmin G82 (~$599)and the Square Golf Omni (excepted ~$1,600). Both look promising if they really nail simple, screen first feedback. But for now, they feel like wait and see.

So where I’ve landed is this.

Launch monitors definitely won’t replace rangefinders.
But I can see them sitting right next to them.

💰 At the $200 mark, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t wasted way more money than that on random golf gear I barely use anymore.

😌 Not essential.
✨ Not magic.
🙂 Just a nice to have.

Screen = actually practicing
Phone = fiddling, distraction, less reps

These are becoming the real dealbreaker for many.

No subscription = value
Subscription later = hidden cost

• Cheap distance feedback tools
• Mid price practice devices with screens
• Hybrid GPS + launch monitor devices
• Full indoor simulator ecosystems

More data is always a selling point but where does the limits or numbers stop mattering for average golfers. Its good to know but being able to understand and then implemented changes based on these. I think that more for professionals and coaches.

🤔 How much data beginners actually use after 3 months?
🤔 How often launch monitors end up in the cupboard?
🤔 Whether range balls break distance accuracy anyway?
🤔 If chasing spin numbers helps a 20 handicap at all?

When more data actually makes you worse.

In 2026, will you be carrying a launch monitor, or do these stay niche?

Hit reply and tell me. And if you already use one, I’d love to know which model and why you actually like it.

No egos, no experts — just golfers like us sharing what actually works.

👉 Join The Roundtable Golf Club

📸 Follow along: @RookieSwingGolf

P.S. Know someone fighting the same battle? Forward this to them — we’re all in this together.

Too long? Too short? Boring?

Hit reply and tell me what you think — your feedback helps me make these more useful for everyone.

Catch you next round,
Matt
Rookie Swing Golf

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