At the 2021 Masters, the GCQuad launch monitor was used by more than 40 professional golfers in the field. This included 10 past champions, 18 major championship winners and 9 of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Rankings. These top Tour golfers used the Foresight Sports launch monitor system on the driving range and out on the Augusta National tee boxes and fairways during the practice sessions.
Launch monitors have been commonplace in the golf industry for years. The general consensus has been that the GCQuad is the gold-standard for indoor golf, while doppler radar technology units are preferred outdoors (for ‘full flight’ set-ups). However, if that is the case, then why are so many Tour Players using the GCQuad outside?
In order to understand some of the potential reasons why, it’s important to understand more about the GCQuad.
The GCQuad launch monitor from Foresight Sports was launched over 4 years ago. Since then, it has become one of the best-selling and most used launch monitors ever.
It uses four ultra-high-speed cameras to directly measure the golf ball and golf club with microscopic precision. The launch of the golf ball is directly measured with up to 200 images through the first 30cm of flight. This allows the GCQuad to provide exact information about how the golfer caused the ball to fly, without any interference from down-range conditions.
Combining that ball data with measured club-face data gives the user the most comprehensive overview of ball and club performance. Every session is therefore fact-based using the most accurate data possible.
Using this measurement process is why the GCQuad is widely regarded as the gold-standard for indoor golf environments. Unlike other systems, it doesn’t rely on tracking flight to calculate the launch conditions or club face data.
Launch monitor misconceptions
The GCQuad is widely acknowledged to be the superior launch monitor indoors. The common misconception is that other ‘flight tracking’ launch monitors are therefore the better option outdoors. This is simply not the case – it depends on what data the user is looking for.
The fact is that the GCQuad never changes the way it measures the ball or club, regardless of the environment. It simply measures the launch conditions, no matter whether inside or outside.
Of course, there is no question that the major strength of the radar launch monitors is that they can track the flight of the golf ball and report where/how far it went. That flight tracking includes the affect the weather had on the landing point.
An important difference between those two measurement methods is the data that the player, fitter or coach is actually looking for. For example, during a fitting or coaching session, it is far more valuable to be able to isolate what the player is doing rather than the affect wind is having on the ball flight (unless specifically working on play in wind).
Otherwise, how could you ever make a definite decision about why the ball moved a certain way?
The GCQuad provides ‘pure’ data, showing exactly what the golfer caused the ball to do, without the influence of downrange conditions such as wind. This provides huge advantages when looking to isolate a swing fault or comparing data from one session to the next.
This directly measured ball and club data is why we now see so many major golf manufacturers using the GCQuad for testing new equipment. There is also a clear trend of top tour players trusting the GCQuad. They know that it provides them with pure, measured data that remains consistent on the driving range, at home, and on the golf course.
You can learn more about the data points measured by Foresight Sports launch monitors on our What We Measure page. This provides a detailed, visual breakdown of the club data and golf ball data that our launch monitors capture.
The next time you’re using a launch monitor in a simulator or at a club fitting, think about the data. Is it representative of what you are doing to the golf ball, or simply of how the ball is being impacted by factors out of your control?
To learn more about Foresight Sports golf ball and club data, we recommend our PEAK online education platform. The training will help you understand how to read and interpret launch monitor data and let you hone in on target areas to improve your golf.
Learn more about how Foresight Sports’ PEAK education programme can improve your golf here.
