Unlocking Your Launch Monitor: 4 Tips For Better Golf Practice

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the data your launch monitor provides? You’re not alone. Our favorite piece of golf technology can capture more data than NASA during a rocket launch (that might be an exaggeration) but are you actually using it to improve?

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with hitting balls to warm up or even to stay loose over the long winter months but ideally your practice sessions need focus. Putting these tips into practice can turn your data into actionable intelligence that’ll have you dropping strokes faster than Tiger Woods used to drop birdies on Sunday.

And the best part is these tips apply to nearly every launch monitor … GC3, Mevo, Rapsodo or anything else. It doesn’t matter.

Work on one thing at a time

Most launch monitor software, including the new Foresight App, allow you to focus on a single metric.

Launch monitors give us a plethora of data and because of that it can be tempting to try and bite off several things at once. For example, when practicing your driver, you might be trying to optimize launch and spin while also trying to swing faster and hit every fairway.

Bruh, chill.

When you’re trying to do too much at once, it’s easy to lose track of the thing that’s creating improvement or causing failure. It’s like trying to fix your slice, your grip and your posture all while calculating the wind speed and contemplating whether your golf shoes match your glove.

Common to the methods of the best golf coaches I’ve spent time with over the years is this: Work on one thing at a time. As Yoda might say, “Focus on one task, you must. Only then, improve you will.”

If, for example, you’re working on your attack angle with a driver, don’t concern yourself with ball speed or spin rates or anything else.

If you’re working on gaining club or ball speed, don’t worry about your accuracy metrics. I promise you, it will all come together … eventually (maybe).

Once you’ve got your target metric reliably within normal limits (a vague description of what’s acceptable for any given golfer), move on to the next thing.

Quick Tip: Some launch monitor software allows you to select which data is displayed on the screen. If it’s available on your system, limit what you see to only the thing you’re working on. It can help you avoid distractions and stay focused on the task at hand. Think of it as Marie Kondo-ing your golf data – if it doesn’t spark joy (or improvement), don’t let it clutter your screen.

Set goals

It’s true that most launch monitor software has features that turn practice into a game. I’m all for that (to an extent – see below) but you should also set goals outside the skills challenge/combine environment.

For example, your goal might be to have 15 of 20 shots with your 7-iron above 100 mph ball speed or 90 percent of your swings have a path from in to out.

Start at an achievable level and increase the difficulty as you improve.

Diagnose, adapt, resolve

Sometimes you may be struggling to make progress with the thing you’re working on. Accept that on some days it may not come together but it’s also important to realize that the issue you’re trying to improve or resolve may not be a cause but rather a symptom.

Case in point: I sometimes struggle to hit the ball as high as I want to. My target height with my irons and wedges is 100 feet. If I can get to at least 95 (within normal limits), I’m happy.

If I’m not hitting my window, my peak height (or lack thereof) numbers serve as foundational benchmark. If the ball is flying too low, it’s an indicator that something isn’t working with my swing.

Not long ago, I was struggling to reach 85 feet. I was also consistently missing my target left. A quick review of the data showed that I was starting the ball well left of the target line.

I didn’t have Foresight markers on my club at the time but a reasonable assumption was that I was swinging out to in and likely closing the face a bit. I do that from time to time, especially over the winter months.

Instead of banging away on my height challenge, I pivoted to starting the ball on or right of the target line.

As my starting line shifted to what’s best described as neutral, my peak height increased and I found myself consistently above 105 feet (and on the target green).

Bottom line: If what you’re doing isn’t working, don’t get frustrated. Work on something else. Sometimes fixing one aspect of your game mysteriously fixes another.

Take the challenge

Just about every piece of launch monitor software has some sort of skills challenge as part of the package. These can be absolutely awesome for establishing a performance baseline as well as tracking improvement.

They’re also kinda fun.

That said, the challenge itself shouldn’t be the central piece of your practice sessions. Repeating the skills challenge over and over again without targeting specific areas for improvement isn’t a recipe for success. It’s more akin to banging your head against a wall repeatedly and hoping for a different result. Einstein called that insanity and he was pretty smart (although I don’t know much about his golf game).

Instead, use whatever challenge-like tools your launch monitor has to establish a baseline and track improvement. Maybe that’s taking the challenge after every practice session or maybe it’s a weekly checkup to see how well your work is improving. Think of it as your golf report card – informative but not the education itself.

You got this

Remember what Bob Rotella says: “Golf is not a game of perfect.” Your launch monitor practice won’t be, either. But with these four tips, you’ll be making meaningful improvements faster than my buddy Ando screams “Fore!”

Just don’t let all those numbers distract you from the ultimate goal: enjoying the game and hitting shots that make your playing partners wonder if you’ve secretly been taking lessons from Butch Harmon.

Now plug in that launch monitor (or at least connect it to your phone via Bluetooth), pick ONE thing to work on today and swing away with purpose. Your future self with the lower handicap will thank you.

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