Cheapest Launch Monitor That Works Indoors and Outdoors (UK)

The lowest-priced launch monitor we sell that works indoors and outdoors is the Garmin Approach R10, a radar that sits 1.8 to 2.4 m behind the tee. The FlightScope Mevo Gen2 costs more but adds spin accuracy and a no-subscription simulator. Square Golf is the cheapest full-room unit, but it is indoor only. Which to pick depends on your space.

Why "indoors and outdoors" is a harder ask than it sounds

A launch monitor is a sensor that measures the ball as it leaves the club. There are two kinds. Radar units sit behind you and track the ball flying away, so they need a run of space behind the ball and a run in front of it. Camera units sit beside the ball and photograph it at impact, so they need almost no space, but they are built for controlled light and most of them do not like direct sun.

That split is the whole answer to this question. If you want one unit for the garden net in summer and the garage in winter, you are choosing a radar, and you are choosing to give it the room it asks for. If you only ever hit indoors, a camera unit will be cheaper for the room and simpler to live with. Our Sim Buyer Docs page on radar vs camera launch monitors goes deeper; here I'll keep to the three units in the entry lane.

I don't quote prices in guides because they change. The launch monitors collection shows today's price for every unit, in order.

Garmin Approach R10: the entry point for both

The Garmin Approach R10 is a pocket-sized Doppler radar on a small tripod. Garmin's owner's manual is specific about indoor use: the tee must be at least 2.4 m (8 ft) from the net, the unit goes on the ground between 1.8 m and 2.4 m (6 to 8 ft) behind the tee, and if you use a mat the bottom edge of the launch monitor must sit above it. The hitting area is a 0.6 m square that begins 1.8 m from the unit, and the manual notes that ball and club angles are measured parallel to the target line, so alignment matters.

Garmin does not ask for stickers or special balls with the R10, indoors or out. It runs for up to 10 hours on a charge and works from -10°C to 55°C, which covers a UK garage in January. Shot data shows in the free Garmin Golf app, and course play in Home Tee Hero runs on your phone with a Garmin Golf membership. It also connects to third-party software such as E6 Connect and Awesome Golf, each on their own licence. Garmin's product page is at garmin.com.

Room length indoors works out at 4.5 m to 5.1 m: 1.8 to 2.4 m of radar distance, 2.4 m of ball flight, and 30 cm behind the net. Outdoors in a garden cage the R10 sits behind the golfer at the open end of the cage, so the cage itself can be a standard 3 m bay.

The trade-off: the R10 reads the core numbers well for the money, but its club data is thinner than the other two, and indoors it has the least ball flight to work with. It is the right pick if the budget is tight and you want one unit for the range and the garage.

FlightScope Mevo Gen2: the one I'd pick for both

The FlightScope Mevo Gen2 is also radar, so it also sits behind you. FlightScope's manual places it 2.4 m (8 ft) behind the ball with at least 2.4 m of ball flight in front, which gives a 5.2 m room indoors. It has a built-in camera for swing video, a 10,500 mAh battery, and it works from 0°C to 40°C.

The indoor rule that catches people out is the sticker. FlightScope's manual says aluminium stickers or RCT balls are required in its limited-flight (indoor) mode for accurate spin, the sticker must face the target, directly away from the Mevo and the club face, and they should not be used when putting. Outdoors, with unrestricted ball flight, no sticker is needed. A set of stickers is in the box, and FlightScope sells more. The manual also says to keep noisy electronics such as fans, heaters, fluorescent lights and TVs behind the unit indoors, because in front of it they interfere with tracking.

What you get for the extra money is a better indoor simulator. A new Mevo Gen2 comes with 8 E6 courses you own for life and there is no FlightScope subscription. It runs from the FS Golf app on a phone or tablet, or from a Windows PC with E6 or GSPro on a projector. Club path and face angle are not in the base unit; they need FlightScope's paid Pro Package. Everything else, 16 data points including spin rate, launch angle, attack angle and apex, is included. FlightScope's European product page is at flightscope.eu.

I recommend the Mevo Gen2 over the R10 if you can stretch to it and your room is 5.2 m or longer. The spin measurement with the sticker is the difference between a simulator that feels right and one that feels approximate, and the included courses mean you are not paying a plan every year to play.

Square Golf: cheapest for the room, but indoors only

Square Golf is a camera unit, and it changes the room maths. It sits beside the ball, with the centre of the hitting zone 42 cm in front of the unit and 23 cm to the right, so it fits our 4.2 m minimum room where a radar cannot. It reads swing path, face angle, dynamic loft and angle of attack as standard, with no subscription; course play uses credits and 1,000 come free. It connects over Bluetooth to a phone, tablet, laptop or PC.

The catch for this article is in Square Golf's own manual: the unit uses high-speed cameras with built-in infrared lighting, it should be set up in a room with little to no sunlight, and the front of it should not face sunlight. Square Golf's page for this model describes it as for indoor use only. So it is not the cheapest unit that works indoors and outdoors; it is the cheapest route to a proper indoor room. Its product page is at squaregolf.co.uk.

If your garden practice is in a cage and your indoor space is a short garage, the sensible answer may be two cheaper things rather than one: a Square Golf for the garage and no monitor at all in the garden, or an R10 that does both less well. In our experience most people who ask this question end up happier with the room that works every day than with the unit that travels.

The three side by side

Software plans and the figures behind them are on our Sim Buyer Docs page on golf simulator software costs, kept current so this article does not have to be.

Outdoors: what the garden setup looks like

Both radars are at their best outdoors, because the ball flies and they can watch it. In a garden you need a net or cage that stops a driver and a flat spot behind the tee for the unit. Our Pro cage and mat bundle is a 3 m by 3 m by 3 m bay in 42 mm galvanised steel with a 2.3 mm knotless net, and the radar sits 1.8 to 2.4 m behind the golfer at the open end of the cage, on the grass or a paving slab. Keep the line from the unit to the ball clear, and don't stand between them.

Light is not a problem for radar; clutter is. FlightScope's manual asks for the area between the unit and the ball to be kept clear of objects and people, and Garmin's asks for the R10's alignment line to run through the tee to the target. Set the unit square behind the tee, not off to one side where it looks through a steel upright.

Indoors: what each needs on a winter evening

Indoors the order reverses. The camera unit is easiest: Square Golf wants a dark-ish room and a clean white ball, and it reads club data without a paid add-on. The Mevo Gen2 needs its 2.4 m behind the ball, its 2.4 m of flight and a sticker on the ball for spin. The R10 needs the same kind of space with a little less flight, and the tee at least 2.4 m from the net.

Whatever you choose, use a real golf ball on a mat of a different colour to the ball, and give the unit a firm, level spot. In our experience those two habits remove most of the missed shots people write to me about. Our Sim Buyer Docs page on the UK launch monitor ladder lines up every unit we sell by room length, data and running cost if you want the full picture above this entry lane.

Which to pick

I recommend it this way. Budget band under £3k for the monitor and a net, one unit for garden and garage, room at least 4.5 m long: the Garmin R10. Same brief but you can go to the Mevo Gen2 and your room is 5.2 m or longer: the Mevo Gen2, every time, for the spin and the included courses. Indoors only, or a room shorter than 4.5 m: Square Golf, and accept that the garden net is just a net.

If you later want a unit that fits a short room and plays courses on its own screen with no PC, that is the Garmin R50, a different budget band and a different article.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need stickers for the Garmin R10 indoors?

No. Garmin's R10 manual asks for the tee to be at least 2.4 m from the net and the unit 1.8 to 2.4 m behind the tee, but does not call for stickers or special balls. The Mevo Gen2 is the one that needs an aluminium sticker or RCT ball indoors for spin.

Can I use Square Golf in the garden on a cloudy day?

Square Golf's manual says the unit is for a room with little to no sunlight and that the front should not face sunlight, and its page describes the model as indoor only. I would not plan on outdoor use with it.

Which is the cheapest overall once software is counted?

Often the Mevo Gen2, because its 8 E6 courses are included and there is no FlightScope plan. The R10 needs a Garmin Golf membership for Home Tee Hero, and Square Golf uses credits after the free 1,000. Check the software costs page for today's figures before deciding on the unit price alone.

How much room does a radar need behind me in a garage?

1.8 to 2.4 m for the R10 and 2.4 m for the Mevo Gen2, measured from the tee to the unit, plus 2.4 m of ball flight in front. If your garage is under 4.5 m long, choose a camera unit instead and don't try to squeeze the radar in; it will miss shots.

The R10 is the cheapest unit that does both, the Mevo Gen2 is the one I'd buy for both if the room allows it, and Square Golf is the cheapest way to a proper indoor room. Measure your length, then look at the live prices. The glossary covers any term I've used.

Not sure which option fits your space or budget? Message Tom on WhatsApp for a free consultation — no obligation.