Record Your Swing With a Golf Launch Monitor: Why Swing Video Could Be the Missing Link in Your Golf Practice

For golfers chasing consistency, precision, or that elusive perfect swing, modern golf launch monitors have become indispensable. These devices deliver essential metrics like distance, ball speed, launch angle, and spin rates to help players make sense of what’s happening at and after impact.

But even the most detailed data can only tell part of the story.

Swing video is the one tool that can give us a true visual of what caused our data numbers. And with it, you can pinpoint the key swing components—things like when your hips stalled, or when your clubface opened—that are causing your shot results, good and bad.

Pairing visual feedback with golf launch monitor data bridges the gap between what’s happening and why it’s happening. The one-two punch of a launch monitor and video can be the most effective tool for improving your game.

But not all golf launch monitors include swing video.

Which Golf Launch Monitors and Simulators Have Swing Cameras?

For as powerful of a selling point as swing video can be, there are a lot of launch monitors that don’t include it. Cost, the engineering involved, and the pairing with an app experience are roadblocks for several brands. So the ones that do come with a swing video replay feature immediately become standouts.

Here are some of the best golf launch monitors with swing video.

• Full Swing KIT: The name says it all. Not only does this golf launch monitor record your full swing, it does so with a beautiful, vivid, crystal-clear 4K camera. It’s the best swing video quality on the launch monitor market. And the Full Swing KIT includes the option to easily share your videos and draw lines and angles to further analyze what’s going on; a great tool to help teachers and students communicate.
• FlightScope Mevo+: The Mevo+ has got a lot going for it with its huge menu of data points and incredibly reliable accuracy. But don’t sleep on the swing video. It’s a very cool feature. You can record down-the-line video with the Mevo Plus built-in camera. But you can also add up to three external cameras to capture multiple angles. Plus, an editing tool in the app makes drawing lines and circles very easy.
• Rapsodo MLM2PRO: For only $699.99, the MLM2PRO has two built-in cameras! One that records your full swing and another close-up slow-mo of impact. It’s one of the key distinguishing features of the MLM2PRO. And in fact it’s the only golf launch monitor anywhere near this price point with swing cameras. With the MLM2PRO being so portable, it makes for a great option to grab swing videos out at the range or even on the golf course.
• Garmin Approach R50: The new R50, the most exciting piece of golf technology in 2024, is another device that includes automatic slow-motion impact video replays. But unlike with the MLM2PRO, on the R50, you can see the impact videos right on the device’s built-in 10-inch display. It’s just one of the many amazing features that have catapulted the R50 to the top of so many best golf launch monitor lists.

Additionally, some golf launch monitors and their related software work with external cameras. This means that, while you can’t use the golf launch monitor itself to record swing videos, you can still get the benefit of pairing video with the golf launch monitor data if you set up an external camera.

Here are some of the best options:

• Garmin Approach R10: While it does not include a built-in camera, you can use your smartphone to record swing videos that are then viewable in Garmin’s app. And the R10 comes with a very useful phone mount clip that makes the job of setting up an external camera that much easier.
• Foresight Sports Golf Launch Monitors: Like with the R10, the Foresight launch monitors don’t have built-in swing video capabilities, but you can record swing videos with external cameras that you can pair with additional software to match shot data with your videos. It’s a feature that’s available on products like the GC3, GCQuad, QuadMAX, and Bushnell Launch Pro.
• SkyTrak+: Just like with the Foresight Sports products, the SkyTrak+ also works with third-party software that allows you to pair your external-camera videos to the data you’re capturing with your SkyTrak+ golf launch monitor.

Full Swing vs. Impact: What’s More Important for Swing Video?

Recording your swing provides two main perspectives: The full swing and a close-up of when the club impacts the ball. Both are valuable. Which perspective is most useful for you likely depends on what you’re working on in your golf swing.

Full Swing Analysis

For golfers working on mechanics like tempo, sequencing, or swing plane, full-swing analysis is essential.

Devices like the FlightScope Mevo+ excel here, especially when paired with additional cameras to capture multiple angles.

The Full Swing KIT also shines, offering 4K-quality swing videos that reveal key movements in stunning detail and with the ability to control the speed of the playback so that you can really isolate the parts of your swing you want to review.

Impact Analysis

What good is anything else in your golf swing if you’re not making proper contact with the ball?

Seeing the “moment of truth” can be very revealing. Maybe you’ll notice that you’re hitting the ground just a fraction of an inch before the ball. Or that your clubface is ever-so-slightly closed at impact.

All of these pieces of impact information can help you better understand why you’re getting the shot shapes, distances, and trajectories that you’re seeing. With a clearer picture, adjustments can become easier.

When you combine the accuracy of the data of a golf launch monitor like the Garmin Approach R50 with the close-up impact videos that are displayed right on the device itself, you can’t help but understand how this product can aid your improvement.

The Value of Golf Launch Monitor Swing Videos: Why Visual Feedback Is a Game-Changer

Adding swing video to your practice isn’t just a luxury; it’s a transformative tool that accelerates improvement and builds confidence.

Here are four ways you can use a golf launch monitor with swing video to improve:

1. Turn numbers into insights. Metrics like club path, face angle, and spin axis are invaluable, but without visual context, they can feel abstract. Seeing your swing alongside the data helps explain why your ball hooks or slices, making the numbers far more actionable.
   
   
2. Empower self-coaching. Not everyone has access to a coach 24/7. Swing video allows you to take charge of your improvement by identifying patterns, experimenting with adjustments, and tracking progress over time. Some golf launch monitors even let you send swing videos to a coach remotely.
   
   
3. Build muscle memory. Reinforcing the right movements is crucial in golf. Watching video of your swing—especially your best ones—helps create a mental and physical model of what you should replicate.
   
   
4. Build confidence. Knowing exactly what your swing looks like on your best shots builds trust in your mechanics. This is particularly helpful under pressure.

Swing Video + Data = Game Improvement Gold

If you’re serious about improving your game, pairing swing video with golf launch monitor data presents one of your best opportunities.

It’s one thing to know your numbers. But if you can combine that data with the visuals that either full-swing or impact video provides, you can really start to understand how your swing is working to create the shots you’re seeing. That’s a huge key to expediting improvement.

Just remember that not all golf launch monitors give you this kind of opportunity.

And don’t be confused by the terms “photometric” or “camera-based” golf launch monitors. Those terms refer to the way that the golf launch monitor captures data, which will be via either camera or radar. That has nothing to do with swing video. Both camera-based and radar golf launch monitors are capable of recording swing video, but not all of them do.

So when you’re shopping, be sure you understand what features you’re getting.

If you think you can benefit from swing or impact video (you can), consider the recommendations included in this post. They aren’t the only ones, but they are some of the best golf launch monitors with swing video on the market.

About PlayBetter Golf Reviewer Marc Sheforgen

Marc Sheforgen is a golf writer whose passion for the game far exceeds his ability to play it well. Marc covers all things golf, from product reviews and equipment recommendations to event coverage and tournament analysis. When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about golf, he enjoys traveling (often golf-related), youth sports coaching, volunteering, and record collecting.