In this article, I will compare five launch monitors: Garmin Approach G80, Swing Caddie SC300, Swing Caddie SC300i, Flightscope Mevo and Rapsodo. Of these five devices, only the Garmin G80 comes with a golf GPS that will display the distances to the pins, hazards, doglegs, or any other targets on the golf course. The predecessor to the Garmin G80 was the G8 and it did not come with a launch monitor.
All five devices can be used to determine the yardages for all of the clubs in your bag and they all work the same way. You set the launch monitor behind the ball and then you select the club you want to use. After you take your shot, the device will display the shot distance, swing speed, ball speed, and smash factor. Smash factor is the ratio of ball speed to swing speed which is known as your swing’s efficiency.
Some of these devices will also display your launch angle and maximum height. Each of these devices also comes with a target mode. In this mode, you can test your ability to consistently hit a shot at a certain distance. You can use the remote to increase or decrease your target distance and then select a club. After the shot, the shot (carry) distance will be displayed, in place of the target distance, along with the swing speed, ball speed and smash factor. Also you will be given a score based on how close your shot is to the target distance.
The biggest difference between these devices is that only the Swing Caddie SC300i, Flightscope Mevo, and Rapsodo launch radars have apps that will use the camera on your mobile device to record a video clip of your golf swing and overlay ball flight and club data on top of the recorded video. The Swing Caddie SC300i, Flightscope Mevo, and Rapsodo do not come with a built-in camera.
Comparison Chart – Garmin G80 vs Swing Caddie SC300 vs Mevo vs Rapsodo
| Features and Specifications |  Learn More |  Learn More |  Learn More |  Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | January 2019 | March 2021 | January 2019 | July 2019 |
| Radar-based Launch Monitor - tracks club head speed, ball speed, smash factor, swing tempo and estimated shot distance |  | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Carry distance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Club head speed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ball speed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Smash factor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Spin rate | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Launch angle | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apex height | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Flight time | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Video replays of your golf swing | No | Yes | Yes (from any angle) | Yes (only from behind the ball) |
| Shot tracer | No | No | No | Yes |
| Target practice |  | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual tournament | Yes | No | No | No |
| Compatible with iPhone and iPad models | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible with Android devices | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| GPS Satellite View - Use your phone's GPS to see where all of your shots land on your course or range | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Dimensions (Width x Height x Depth) | 2.3” x 4.5” x 0.6” (58.7 x 114.2 x 16.1 mm) | 8 x 6 x 4 inches | 3.5 x 1.5 x 2.4 inches | 6.85 x 4.72 x 2.28 inches |
| Display resolution (Width x Height) | 282 x 470 pixels | 240 x 400 pixels | 200 x 265 pixels | 128 x 128 pixels |
| Weight (in ounces) | 4.2 oz (119 g) | 1.63 Pounds | 8.01 Ounces | 15.52 Ounces |
| Display Size (Width x Height in inches) | 1.8” x 3.0” (45.7 x 76.1 mm) | |||
| Screen Diagonal | 3.5” diag (88.9 mm) | |||
| Battery Life | up to 15 hours (GPS mode) | |||
| Green View with manual pin position - displays shape and layout of green |  | No | No | No |
| Main screen in golf mode - displays Current hole number; Par for the hole; Distances to the front, center and back of the green | Yes | No | No | No |
| Hazard, layup and dogleg distances | Yes | No | No | No |
| Touch Targeting - touch target on display to measure the distance to any point on the map | Yes | No | No | No |
| Save Locations of Missing Hazards - You can save the locations of missing hazards (including sand bunkers and water hazards) and obstacles for each hole | Yes | No | No | No |
| PinPointer blindshot assistance - compass helps you line up a shot when you are unable to see the green | Yes | No | No | No |
| Club Recommendations | No | No | No | No |
| Shot Distance Measurement | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Big Numbers Mode | Yes | No | No | No |
| Smartphone Notifications - receive emails, texts, and alerts right on your handheld | Yes | No | No | No |
| TruSwing compatible: TruSwing Features Swing Tempo, Swing Speed, Face to Target, Dynamic Loft, Shaft Angle, Club Path, Club Path Coordinates, Shaft Lean | Yes | No | No | No |
| Digital scorecard - Allows you to keep track of your score hole-by-hole. | Yes | No | No | No |
| View previously saved rounds, player statistics and shots on the device | Yes | No | No | No |
| USB Interface | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Legal for Tournament Play (complies with USGA rule 14-3/.05) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Display type technology | Transflective color TFT touchscreen | Transflective color TFT touchscreen | Transflective color TFT touchscreen | sunlight-readable, high-resolution, monochrome |
| Automatic course and hole recognition | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Color display | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Yardage to front, middle and back of green | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Computer scorecard review (save and review scores on computer) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Round timer/odometer | Yes | No | No | No |
| Save locations (mark course points of interest for future reference) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Preloaded Golf Course Maps | 41,000+ worldwide golf courses | No | No | No |
| Water Proof | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Course preview (see detailed, hole-by-hole preview) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Memory/history | 512 MB | 512 MB | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Free Lifetime Course Updates | Yes | No | No | No |
| Annual Fees Or Subscriptions | None | None | None | None |
| Battery Type | 1 Lithium ion battery required (included) | 1 Lithium Polymer battery required (included) | 1 Lithium Polymer battery required (included) | 1 Lithium Polymer battery required (included) |
Garmin Approach G80 vs Swing Caddie SC300 vs SC300i
The main difference among the Garmin G80, Swing Caddie SC300, and SC300i is that the G80 comes with both a launch monitor and golf GPS while the SC300 and SC300i only come with a launch monitor.
Also the Garmin G80, Swing Caddie SC300, and SC300i can calculate swing speed, ball speed, smash factor, swing tempo, and carry distance while only the SC300 and SC300i can calculate the launch angle, maximum height, and spin rate.
Another difference is that the G80 comes with both virtual tournament and target practice modes while the SC300 and SC300i only come with a target practice mode.
More information about the differences and similarities among the Garmin Approach G80, Swing Caddie SC300, and SC300i is listed below:
1. The Garmin Approach G80 and Swing Caddie SC300 and SC300i will calculate many swing and ball flight metrics such as swing speed, ball speed, smash factor, swing tempo, and carry/total distance. However, only the SC300 and SC300i will calculate launch angle, apex (maximum height) and spin rate. Launch angle and apex are important because optimizing both will maximize the carry distance and lower your scores.
2. The Garmin Approach G80 and Swing Caddie SC300 and SC300i will store the stats for each club. You will be able to view the average shot distance, swing speed, ball speed, and smash factor for each club.
Features only found in the Swing Caddie SC300 and SC300i
1. Only the Swing Caddie SC300 and SC300i come with a barometric pressure sensor to calibrate themselves in order to improve the accuracy of the readings.
2. Only the Swing Caddie SC300 and SC300i come with a loft angle button that allows you to adjust the loft angle to match the desired club.
3. Only the Swing Caddie SC300 and SC300i come with a remote control and voice output of the shot distance. The Voice Output Distance feature will tell you the shot distance right after each shot which means you won’t have to take the time to bend over and look at your distance on the display of the launch monitor.
Features only found in the Swing Caddie SC300i
1. Improved Accuracy – +/- 3% (ball speed); +/- 3 yards (carry distance in target mode); +/- 5% yards (carry distance in practice mode) accuracy
2. Longer 20 hour battery life
3. The new MySwingCaddie App 2.0 comes with swing video recording with data overlay, swing tracing, social login, new modes of practice, target mode and detailed shot stats by dates, clubs, and targets.
Garmin Approach G80 vs Flightscope Mevo
The Flightscope Mevo has a much better launch monitor than the Garmin G80 because it calculates more ball flight and club data. One difference between the Garmin G80 and Flightscope Mevo is that the G80 will only calculate swing speed, ball speed, smash factor, swing tempo, and carry distance while the Mevo will calculate these metrics as well as spin rate, flight time, launch angle, and maximum height.
However, the biggest difference between the Garmin G80 and Flightscope Mevo is that only the Flightscope Mevo has an app that automatically records and clips videos of your entire swing and its corresponding data 1 to 5 seconds before and after impact. The app gives you the option to adjust the clipping time so that you can clip the video several seconds before and several seconds after impact.
Another difference is that the Garmin G80 comes with both a launch monitor and golf GPS while the Flightscope Mevo only comes with a launch monitor.
Also both the Garmin G80 and Flightscope Mevo have a target practice mode but only the G80 comes with a virtual tournament mode.
Features only found in the Flightscope Mevo
Action video clips of your swing with data overlay
Only the Flightscope Mevo has an app for your phone or tablet that will automatically record, clip, and create videos of your entire swing and its corresponding data overlaid on top. The Mevo app will automatically record and clip each video before storing the video in the app along with the relevant data. This will give you the ability to review each session and compare it to your other sessions so that you can analyze your progress over time.
What Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson think
“I use FlightScope because I trust the data and it never misses a shot”
– Bryson DeChambeau
” Golf is fun for me and the Mevo is an incredible product that makes the game fun for everyone from professionals to someone holding the club for the first time”
– Bubba Watson
Flightscope Mevo vs Rapsodo
Common Features found in the Flightscope Mevo and Rapsodo
1. Both the Flightscope Mevo and Rapsodo launch radars are synchronized with your smartphone or tablet to automatically record and clip a video of your golf swing with data overlay.
Features only found in the Rapsodo
1. Shot tracer feature that uses a red line to mark the flight path of the ball.
2. Overhead GPS maps on your phone indicate where all of your shots landed on the golf course.
3. Multi-colored distance map can help with club gapping because it will help you see your ball distance for each club. This will make it easier to figure out which club to use for each shot.
4. Compete in virtual golf matches or share your best shots with your golfing buddies.
5. Smart club recognition will enable your smartphone camera to recognize your club so that you do not have to manually enter that information.
6. The Rapsodo will let you store 100 golf swing video replays on their cloud service for free while the Flightscope Mevo will store all of the swing replays directly on your smartphone. A premium subscription to the Rapsodo cloud service for $99.99 per year will allow you to store up to 10K videos and give you access to slow motion replays of your golf swing videos.
Problems with the Rapsodo
1. The Rapsodo will only record videos of your swing from behind the ball while the Flightscope Mevo will record videos from any angle. This is because you have to place your smartphone right on top of the Rapsodo lunch monitor before you use it.
2. The Rapsodo only works with Apple devices (iPhone and iPad) but not any Android devices while the Flightscope Mevo works with both iOS and Android compatible devices.
3. The Rapsoda does not have slow motion swing video replays unless you have a premium subscription whereas the Flightscope Mevo comes with slow motion video replays without the purchase of an additional subscription if your smartphone has the capability.
