Imagine a world where all the people who make personal launch monitors will actually give you what you want.
You would, without a doubt, have launch monitors that will work at home and away with any golf ball. They would automatically, without the user doing a damn thing, adjust for altitude, wind, type of golf ball and the color of the golfer’s hair and eyes. We will have endless metrics, including spin, spin axis, sidespin, backspin, topspin, Spin and Marty and Spinning Wheel sung by Blood, Sweat and Tears.
The unit would also give us the angle of launch, the angle of descent, the angle of attack and an isosceles triangle. You will also have the path to the club, the path to the target, the face to the path, the path to glory and the glory, the glory hallelujah.
And, dear friends, you’ll get all this, plus golf sim capabilities and a heart cure for psoriasis, for the low, low price of $199.
No subscriptions.
Hey, you have your fantasies. I have mine.
It is against this background that Rapsodo launches its new personal launch monitor today. The Rapsodo MLM2X Pro looks a lot like its predecessor, the MLM2 Pro, and its basic functionality remains largely the same.
There are, however, enough updates and improvements to make it worthy of a little more investigation. Is the launch monitor “perfect”? According to the standards described above, certainly not.
But again, as we will see, it should not be.
What’s new in the new Rapsodo MLM2X Pro?
I’m not sure if we can definitively say that Rapsodo started the personal launch monitor movement. We can, however, say that the company definitely gave a kick in the pants when it launched the original MLM (Mobile Launch Monitor) in 2019.
“It was revolutionary for its time,” Rapsodo Marketing Manager Andy Ireton tells MyGolfSpy. “Great tool but the category has evolved and now it’s more about numbers and golf simulation.”
Rapsodo introduced the MLM2 Pro three years ago, so the new MLM2X Pro update seems to be right on schedule.
“We’ve integrated a lot of consumer feedback into the MLM2X Pro,” says Ireton. “First, it comes with the ability to perform simulated putting. You can play simulated golf on the MLM2 Pro but you can’t putt.”
In addition, the new MLM2X Pro comes with faster processing power to speed up response time (and keep it competitive).
“Within a second of hitting a golf shot, you have your numbers,” explains Ireton. “This improves the rhythm of the stroke and makes the practice more efficient.”
Like its predecessor, the Rapsodo MLM2X Pro combines Doppler radar with two high-speed cameras that can capture up to 240 frames per second. When used in practice mode, it provides you with 11, 13 or 15 metrics (more on that in a bit) and automatically captures a video of your swing. You can view the video at ¼, ½ or full speed with the ability to annotate. You can also share the video with your coach.
11, 13 or 15? It’s a spin thing (and a subscription thing)
On the range, the MLM2X Pro, like its predecessor, gives you 13 out of 15 possible metrics (11 without subscription – let’s get to it). The 13 includes total carry and distance, launch angle and direction, ball speed, apex, drop angle, side carry (yards offline), club speed, smash factor, angle of attack, club path and tip type. Don’t you both?
Spin and spin axis.
Before you start howling, there is a warning. It is not that the MLM2X Pro he can’t gives you spin numbers. That’s right no, unless you use an RPT (Radar Performance Tracking) golf ball specially marked by Callaway or Titleist.
“For us, accuracy is the table,” explains Ireton. “We don’t want people to feel like they can’t trust what they’re seeing. If we can’t deliver within one percent of Trackman or Foresight, we’re not going to do it. We want to make sure people understand that up front.”
With RPT balls (inside or outside with a net), you get all the spin numbers you want. Therefore, the MLM2X Pro comes with a dozen RPT balls from your choice of Callaway or Titleist.
“We have partnerships with both,” says Ireton. “Each ball has 27 markings and allows the MLM2X Pro to accurately measure spin speed and spin axis. This helps the indoor experience immensely, as there is only limited space for the ball to really travel.”
For outdoor practice, the back should not be a problem. Smash factor, carry and total distance can tell you how you hit. Yours eyes can tell you spine axis.
If you are a fitter or an instructor or if you are evaluating clubs to make a purchase decision, we have a different conversation. But practice outside? 13 out of 15 should do just fine.
Simulation is a different story
Spin is even more important if you’re looking for a realistic simulator experience. Rapsodo says it’s taking several steps forward with the new MLM2X Pro via the company’s first PC app, as well as the new Rapsodo Studios featuring 4K graphics software and 30 high-level golf courses to boot.
“Quail Hollow, Bethpage Black, Sea Island, we scanned all these courses to make them as detailed as possible,” Ireton says. “We’ve gone through all the physics so we have spins, kicks, bounces and greens all laid out accurately.
“When you walk into a Rapsodo Studios course, you’ll feel like you’ve actually stepped into Bethpage Black.”
Ireton says Rapsodo Studios courses are accurate to within a centimeter, less than half an inch. It sounds a little strange, but video game technology is more elaborate than you think today.
“They have a device that includes a bunch of cameras,” Ireton explains. “Someone walks the course first thing in the morning and the device takes images in depth of each hole. The amount of data absorbed by these cameras is remarkable.”
Rapsodo’s design team then takes all this information to create a detailed simulation, down to every bunker, every break on the green and every blade of grass.
“Our product team then goes to great lengths to make sure the physics feel accurate. When a shot toward a bunker looks like it’s going to hit left, it should hit left. We take this seriously because the closer we can get to realism, the more it feels like you’re actually playing the course.”
4K graphics will only be available through Rapsodo’s new PC app. The company also suggests a gaming computer because of the high level of graphic detail.
What about subscriptions?
Subscriptions are everyone’s favorite topic, so let’s get right to it.
The new Rapsodo MLM2X Pro runs $899.99. You can use it without an additional subscription. Out of the box, it gives you 11 basic metrics: ball speed, club speed, total distance and carry, smash factor, launch angle, launch direction, apex, design angle, side carry and tip type. You also have access to the cloud to store your photo library but you are limited to 100 saved photos.
To get the most out of MLM2X Pro, you’ll want the Core subscription at $199.99 per year. This gives you access to all 15 metrics as well as Rapsodo’s full suite of practice tools, including a target range, pocket mapping and a wedge matrix.
Core membership also gives you access to Rapsodo’s library of 30,000 courses for basic simulation, as well as the new simulated power feature. If you want the full experience of the Rapsodo Studios 4K simulator, that will run you $399.99 a year. Includes everything in the Core membership plus access to high-resolution courses.
We understand that some of you may be morally opposed to subscriptions, but it remains a fact of life in today’s personal launch monitor world. Perhaps the best way to look at subscriptions is to think of the $899.99 purchase price as an “initiation fee.” It puts you in the club. After that, you have to decide if you will get $200 of benefit from your annual subscription.
Hey, it may work for some. Can’t for others.
Rapsodo MLM2X Pro: Final Thoughts
As we stated above, the Rapsodo MLM2X Pro may not be the perfect personal launch monitor. However, at its price point, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It manages to be pretty good. Ireton stated that Rapsodo wanted to clean up and speed up connectivity and data processing. We can say without hesitation that they both nailed it.
The first setup is always the hardest, but after that it’s quick and seamless. The processing speed is equally impressive. You can see your results on your phone or tablet almost instantly. Also, Rapsodo’s updated mobile app is intuitive. Features like pocket map, target practice and wedge matrix are robust and offer actionable metrics.
We have not tested the basic simulation program of the unit or Rapsodo Studios. History, however, tells us that both functions should operate as intended.
In the final analysis, we can give the new Rapsodo one thumb for ease of use and another for feature set. Depending on how you view subscriptions, we can give another thumbs up for value. If you consider the cost of ownership over, say, five years, the MLM2X Pro plus the Core membership will cost about $2,100.
At that point, it will be 2031 and the launch monitor industry has evolved again. Maybe by then we’ll have that $199 launch monitor that does everything we described above.
Maybe, maybe, that psoriasis breakout. That might be too much to ask.
The new Rapsodo MLM2X Pro is available now online and retail for $899.99. For more information, visit the Rapsodo website.
The place The new Rapsodo MLM2X Pro Launch Monitor isn’t perfect, but at $899 it doesn’t have to be appeared first MyGolfSpy.