Overhead vs Floor Launch Monitors

What an overhead launch monitor gets you

An overhead launch monitor reads the shot the way a camera unit on the floor does: high-speed cameras photograph the ball and the club at impact (the Trackman iO adds radar). The difference is where the cameras sit, angled down at the hitting area from the ceiling, and that placement gives you three things:

• Left- and right-handed golfers: they take turns without moving anything, say three owners on r/Golfsimulator, because the hitting area is wide. Eleven of the 12 overhead units in our list read left- and right-handed golfers from the same spot, and the Trackman iO does in its iO DUO version.
• Out of the way: the unit sits above your swing, out of reach of shanks, and stays set up between sessions.
• A view of impact from above: owners value the top-down image or video of the club meeting the ball on every shot (four on r/Golfsimulator). Floor-unit owners who want that view film impact on a phone (three owners).

What a floor launch monitor gets you

Most floor units cost less: 36 of the 44 in our list cost less than the cheapest overhead unit. And a floor unit goes where you go: 40 of the 44 are rated for outdoor use and most run on a battery, so the same unit works at the range, in the backyard and in the simulator.

Where a floor unit sits decides what your room needs:

• Behind the ball: radar units, some with a camera added, that sit 3 ft 6 in to 12 ft behind the ball depending on the unit, so the room needs that depth on top of your swing and the ball's flight to the screen. The makers of 12 of the 24 say their unit reads left- and right-handed golfers from the same spot.
• Beside the ball: camera units, plus one radar unit, the Garmin G82. All of the room's depth goes to your swing and the ball's flight, and 17 of the 20 move to the other side of the ball for a left-handed golfer, their makers say.

Moving a unit beside the ball is manageable, say three owners on r/Golfsimulator, with a wireless unit on a battery and marks on the floor for each side; in GSPro, a Windows simulator program, each golfer can finish a hole before the switch. A unit on mains power, such as the Uneekor Eye Mini Lite, is harder to move.

Our picks of the best launch monitors for a room with limited depth include units on the ceiling and beside the ball.

How much ceiling an overhead launch monitor needs

Most overhead units need a ceiling 9 to 10 ft above the hitting surface, and each maker gives a minimum and a maximum. Outside that range, Uneekor and ProTee warn the readings suffer; above it, ProTee and Uneekor hang the unit from a drop-down mount. The GolfIn IDRA II goes lowest, to a ceiling of 8 ft 3 in. Trackman gives only a minimum for the iO, 9 ft 4 in.

With a floor unit, the ceiling only has to clear your swing.

Our guide to golf simulator ceiling height and room size shows how to measure your swing against your ceiling.

In a garage, the open door and its opener rail take ceiling space too; our guide to setting up a golf simulator in your garage covers where the launch monitor goes.

What installing an overhead launch monitor involves

An overhead unit is a fixed install:

• Mounting: the unit hangs from a bracket screwed into the ceiling. Foresight recommends a licensed contractor to install the Falcon; ProTee recommends a certified installer for the VX but says many owners install it themselves.
• Power and cable: every overhead unit in our list runs on wired power, and 11 of the 12 connect to the PC by Ethernet (the GolfIn IDRA II by USB).
• A Windows PC: most overhead units play simulator courses only on one (9 of the 12), and the Foresight Falcon plays them on a PC, or on a phone or tablet.

Our guide to whether you need a PC for a golf simulator covers which launch monitors need one and what PC to buy.

What overhead and floor launch monitors cost

Most floor units cost less than half what the cheapest overhead unit does. Prices for the launch monitors in our list run:

• Overhead: $4,995 to $16,999
• On the floor beside the ball: $600 to $19,999
• On the floor behind the ball: $180 to $25,995

Six overhead units connect to GSPro with no membership from their maker: the GolfIn IDRA II, GolfJoy Rigel 2, GolfJoy Rigel 3, GolfJoy Rigel 3 Pro, NVISAGE N1 and ProTee VX. GSPro itself is a yearly license, $250. The Uneekor Eye XO, Eye XO2 and Eye XR need Uneekor’s Pro membership, at $199 a year, and the Foresight Falcon needs Foresight+ Gold, at $599 a year. GSPro doesn’t list the Trackman iO or TruGolf APOGEE as supported.

Our GSPro guide lists every launch monitor GSPro supports.

Shiny clubs and lights can cause misreads on overhead units

On overhead units with infrared cameras, such as the Uneekor Eye XO2, chrome wedges and glossy drivers can cause misreads and a light’s reflection can register as a shot, say three owners on r/Golfsimulator. Their fixes are black wedges in the simulator, black tape on top of the club head, which Uneekor’s support suggested, and moving or angling the lights.

Which launch monitors mount overhead and which sit on the floor