The Mevo+ has become one of the most popular portable launch monitors on the market due to its compatibility with GSPro simulation software and the fact that Flightscope does not charge an annual subscription like so many other launch monitor companies.
The big question is: How accurate is the Mevo+?
I attempted to answer that question by comparing the Mevo+ vs GCQuad.
The Foresight GCQuad is the best camera-based launch monitor on the market and trusted by numerous PGA Tour Players as well as professional club fitters.
There is no question that the GCQuad is accurate, and it should be with it’s $14,000 starting price tag. The Mevo+ 2023 edition starts at $2,199 so I wouldn’t expect it to be as accurate as the GCQuad but I did want to find out if I should trust the Mevo+ at all.
Keep reading to find out how I tested it and what I found out!
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Accuracy Test Setup
I decided I would hit 8 balls with 3 different clubs: gap wedge, 7 iron, and driver. Each shot would be compared by both the Mevo+ using the FS Golf app on my ipad and the GCQuad using the FSX Pro on my laptop.
Since the Mevo+ uses radar it sits behind me to track the limited ball flight in my garage golf simulator. The GCQuad uses 4 high-speed cameras to capture what happens at the impact of the golf swing so it sits facing me about 18” from the ball.
The Mevo+ has 8ft to the ball and then 11.5ft of flight until it hits my impact screen. I set the tilt to 12 degrees (recommended for simulator use) and I used a laser to project down my target line. I’ve found that using a laser is the best way to align the Mevo+ as it’s very hard to get the angle correct just using your eyes.
What I’m Looking For
I’ve seen many people only consider carry distance when they refer to the accuracy of a launch monitor but there’s a lot more to golf than just distance.
I’ll be focusing on the distance offline and the side spin / spin axis of the ball.
The side spin and/or spin axis is what determines the shape of the shot. For a right-handed golfer, negative side spin or spin axis would result in a draw and positive would result in a fade.
The distance offline is the distance left or right of the target line. Mevo+ refers to this as “Lateral” in their data.
So in other words, I want to see if the Mevo+ shows the ball flying the right distance, with the right shape, and lands in the right spot. I’d be very happy if it’s in the ballpark of what the GCQuad shows.
I’ll also point out that I’m not expecting all of the numbers to match exactly as this varies between the different launch monitors. There is no single correct way to measure something like vertical launch angle so different launch monitors might go about it in different ways.
I do expect them to be consistent though.
Mevo+ vs GCQuad Accuracy Test Results
All of the data can be downloaded here if you want to compare for yourself. Here are my thoughts:
Carry Distance
Carry distance seemed to be spot on with my gap wedge and 7 iron but pretty consistently short with my driver.
I have heard of this from many Mevo+ owners and the thought is that the distances are short on longer clubs with higher ball speeds.
As you can see in the video, my top ball speed with the driver is around 150mph so if you are a long-hitter you may see shorter distances even down to your long irons.
I’ve seen some discussion that suggests a longer distance between the ball and impact screen or net might help with this. 8ft is the minimum recommended by Flightscope but my setup has about 11.5ft of ball flight so I’m not sure that there is a solution for these shorter distances at higher speeds.
Shot Shape and Distance Offline
The shot shape and distance offline seemed to be pretty consistent with my gap wedge and 7 iron but the Mevo+ seemed consistently “less extreme”. In other words, Mevo+ showed me missing in the same direction as GCQuad but almost always by less.
Driver was a slightly different story as there were multiple shots that showed a complete opposite shot shape as the GCQuad.
GCQuad showed a hook and Mevo+ showed a fade or vice versa.
The explanation could be that I hit those shots on the heel or toe of the club face and the resulting gear effect gives the Mevo+ some trouble with reads.
Gear effect is a term that refers to the spin that’s created when the golf ball hits the club face farther away from the center of gravity. The ball will spin towards the club head’s center of gravity and can cause an opposite shot shape than you would expect.
Typically that means if the ball is struck by the heel it will spin right and if struck by the toe end it will spin left.
The GCQuad’s cameras literally track the spin as the ball leaves the club face so it does not have any trouble with gear effect but since Mevo+ uses radar it’s relying on capturing a very tiny amount of high speed ball flight.
Unfortunately I don’t have any definite answers on why I saw these strange shots with the driver and I can only share what I saw myself with this little experiment.
Conclusion
If you look at all the data as a whole the Mevo+ seems to be fairly accurate in an indoor simulator most of the time.
My concern would be that the dispersion seems consistently tighter which may make me feel like I’m a better golfer than I really am.
Of course I’m also concerned about those opposite shots with the driver. The last thing I would want is to be putting in hours practicing at home and seeing results that are going to confuse me when I go to the golf course in real life.
The GCQuad’s price tag makes it unattainable for most amateur golfers but from my experience you can get the same accuracy from the Foresight GC3 or Bushnell Launch Pro (U.S. only) which are the same exact unit under different pricing models.
The GC3 / BLP uses the same technology from Foresight only with 3 cameras instead of 4 and less provided club data. This makes it the launch monitor I recommend most for home golf simulators.
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