Rapsodo MLM2Pro (2 Month) review

[Brdgolf]

Hello All,

       This is my first review of a product here, so bear with me as I get started.  Yes, this is a review of the MLM2Pro, but I need to provide some context for how I got here.  For the past two years, I have owned the Flightscope Mevo+.  I combined the Mevo+ with GSPro.  That is a great combination.  I have a setup in my garage where I have a good hitting mat (Sigpro Softy) that has 7’ behind it and 8.5’ to a net that I have hanging from the ceiling.  The setup works really well, but the problem I was seeing is that my driver and 3 wood hits would always go off to the right with right spin.  It was really confusing because that was not my shot shape for those clubs (usually a draw).  This was crazy and once I started trying to compete in the SGT Tour, it started to become a problem for me.  So I reached out to Flightscope and they verified that what I was seeing was because I didn’t have enough space behind the ball I was hitting.  They said that I would exactly see that result based on 7’ behind.  Ugghhh.  So I sold the Mevo+ and went out looking for a new LM.

 

      I didn’t want to invest a lot at this time (summer time) and thought why not try one of the lower cost devices.  I came across the MLM2Pro and based on reviews from this site I pulled the trigger on that.  That was 2 months ago.  It comes with a great carrying case and 3 of the RPT Callaway balls.  Before purchasing, I contacted Rapsodo tech support to explain my setup and to see if they thought the MLM2Pro would work out there.  They indicated that actually 6.5’ is the optimal distance behind the ball.  So all was good there.  Setup is easy, just set the thing down behind it at the right distance and you are good to go.  The connectivity to it works out great using a wifi connection I setup in the garage (I’m a network engineer, so that was the easy part).  Using the RPT balls along with the Target range running on my iPad, the feedback that I get from this unit is spot on.  I have a string that goes down the middle of my net showing the center point and when I hit a ball to the right of that string it goes to the right on the app.  Same for left.  When I feel that I left the club face open, the ball spins right on the screen, and same for a draw.  This unit works soooo well, I would contend that it gives me the same performance as the Mevo+ minus a few club measurements.  If there is one issue, I would say its the RPT balls,

 

      The RPT golf balls work great at the beginning.  I have had 3 balls that came with it that I used solid for the two months.  And after about 6 weeks I started to see a lot of wear and tear on the balls.  They have lost compression and the markings are all scratched up.  Now in a session I get about 5-7 no-reads per session, whereas in the beginning I wouldn’t ever get any no-reads.  So I went to get some more of the RPT golf balls.  Turns out they are quite expensive.  That led me down the rabbit hole of getting the RTP ball template that lets you paint the dots on some regular balls.  All this does is to end up transferring the marking ink to your clubs.  Not ideal for me.  Then I got the RTP Ball marker dots from some place that I found online.  That doesn’t work either.  The ball dots just end up getting scratched off and yielding bad results.

 

      My advice to anyone looking at the MLM2Pro:  Its a great device at a great price.  You really can’t go wrong and you can trust the data.  Being an engineer, I love to tinker with things and my swing is a result of that going through an ever changing mode.  To do this I need a good device that gives me good data.  Mevo+ does that, I just didn’t have the right space for it.  MLM2Pro does that just fine as well.  Please do factor in the cost of getting a new box (1 dozen) of RPT golf balls about every 4 months or so (at least that is what my testing has shown).   I am on the hunt also to try out one of the optical based units like Skytrak+ or Uneekor Eye Mini or Bushnell Launch Pro.  If those can do what the MLM can do but do not require an RPT ball, then that would be ideal.   Stay tuned, I will probably be posting a new review at the 6 month mark as well.

[cksurfdude]

Good info! Good stuff to know when looking at these types of home units.

[Beakbryce]

Great review. Informative. What would be your opinion on the overall accuracy of just using regular balls?

The RPT balls as far as I can tell are only required for definitive spin data. Is this correct? Without RPT, I gather that it still can get some spin numbers off any ball. In reading other reviews, the other metrics ie, ball speed, direction, etc, don't need RPT to be accurate. Would it be possible to use whatever ball you play most of the time while using MLM Pro and use the RPT balls once a week to check your swing for consistent spin numbers or maybe just when you are comparing clubs? 

If you have time, could you check the validity of other balls, maybe whatever you actually use on the course, for shot shape, distance etc even though the MLM isn't seeing definitive spin? In other words, for accuracy, how much do the final numbers for a shot rely on the most accurate spin measurement possible vs somewhat less accurate spin numbers with all the other data points the MLM gathers taken into consideration. Would it still mimic what you hit on the course?

Thank you for your time.

[vandyland]

@Brdgolf One tip on the RPT balls (and you may already do this) is to always position them at setup so that the clubface is not going to directly hit the black dots. Basically your impact point on the ball should be the biggest white space you can find. That saves some wear and tear on the dots. The net and your club still do plenty of damage but this has kind of extended the life of mine. I also generally use the same one ball every session until it isn't reading anymore or has some significant damage to it and then I move to the next ball. 

[Brdgolf]

@Beakbryce With my testing, the RPT balls are definitely needed to measure and show spin on while playing simulation golf.  If you don’t use an RPT ball when playing simulation golf it will only send the ball out in the direction you hit it with the launch angle you hit it with but there will be no curve on the ball.  If you only want to use this for indoor range purposes, and don’t care about spin, then no need for RPT balls.  For me though, I try to hit a draw and play the ball aimed out to the right a little so that it draws back in.  Without spin, it just looks like I pushed it.  I went ahead bit the bullet and got the RPT balls.  

[Brdgolf]

@vandyland   Thanks for the feedback.  I typically rotate through a pack of three balls during a session.  I got about 7 weeks use out of the first three balls.  Will be interesting to see how long I go on the second sleeve.  I still have the original three and I use those for chipping (still work fine for that).  

[Beakbryce]

21 hours ago, Brdgolf said:

@Beakbryce With my testing, the RPT balls are definitely needed to measure and show spin on while playing simulation golf.  If you don’t use an RPT ball when playing simulation golf it will only send the ball out in the direction you hit it with the launch angle you hit it with but there will be no curve on the ball.  If you only want to use this for indoor range purposes, and don’t care about spin, then no need for RPT balls.  For me though, I try to hit a draw and play the ball aimed out to the right a little so that it draws back in.  Without spin, it just looks like I pushed it.  I went ahead bit the bullet and got the RPT balls.  

Thank you for the response and the info. Sounds like if you try to hit a straight ball in the sim, you could game the system! That's kind of funny and misleading.

Have fun with your new toy.

[GolferZak]

How do you like the MLM2pro as a simulator as well?  I live in CO and I really want something to be able to continue to play in the off season. 

[Brdgolf]

17 hours ago, GolferZak said:

How do you like the MLM2pro as a simulator as well?  I live in CO and I really want something to be able to continue to play in the off season. 

@GolferZak     When you pair up the MLM2Pro with GSPro (using a 3rd party software connector that adapts the output of the MLM2Pro so that GSPro can read it) it works great.  It does not support putting, so I use the NoPutt option on GSPro (An inner ring for all 1 putts and an outer ring for all two putts and anything else on the green is a 3 putt).  The courses on GSPro are amazingly realistic.  When you hit in the rough it gives you 90% of your theoretical distance.  if you hit it in deep rough it give you <80%.  If you try to hit a 3 wood out of the deep rough, ie. launch angle is down, it takes even more off.  There are well over 400+ golf courses to choose from on GSPro.  You will need a decent PC with a good Graphics card (3060 or better) to see the detail of the course.  Ball flight on there shows slices, and hooks, fades and draws.  Overall its a great experience