When it comes to improving your scores on the course, there are few things that are going to help more than gapping your clubs using a launch monitor. Knowing your yardages with each club allows you to make confident decisions on the course and hit it closer to your targets.

This is the reason you see professionals at the highest level on the range every week dialing in their distances using launch monitors.

Now, up until recently, access to a launch monitor has required you to book time at a coaching or club fitting facility with the right equipment, or in extreme cases, investing thousands of dollars into a high-end photo or doppler radar system that costs about the same as a new mid-range 4-door car.

These systems are great but certainly don’t fit the mold of something affordable and portable for personal use—this is where the Rapsodo MLM comes in.

What is the Rapsodo MLM?

The Rapsodo MLM (mobile launch monitor) is a personal launch monitor device that utilizes the camera in your phone or tablet in conjunction with an internal radar to track your golf ball after impact.

The resulting culmination of data gives you ball speed, clubhead speed, smash factor, launch direction, launch angle, and most importantly in the discussion of gapping: distance.

Beyond the provided ball data, the Rapsodo MLM’s app offers a shot tracing function and video capture of each swing, and when sharing your GPS location, also provides an overhead shot map of your dispersion—an endlessly useful tool to have at your disposal on the range. The best part is for those looking to get into the personal launch monitor market, the Rapasodo MLM is only $499.

How to best use your Rapsodo MLM to gap your clubs

You should think about your set of clubs is like a toolbox with each club serving a function and having a purpose in your bag. The more often you are able to test, the more knowledgeable you are going to be, and the quicker you are going to improve.

Here is a quick guide on how to gap your clubs.

1. Go through the whole bag – Once you have taken the time to warm up, start with the highest-lofted club, and work your way up to the longest. You want to hit at least 7-10 shots with each club to build an average. A cool feature of the MLM app is it not only gives you your averages but creates an easy-to-understand graphic that also showcases your minimum and maximum ranges.
   
2. Pay attention to any overlap – As mentioned off the top, you want each club within your set to serve a purpose and when two clubs are overlapping in distance you need to make adjustments. On a basic level, bringing this data to a club-fitter can make getting your lie and loft angle adjusted easily and with a purpose, or on a more advanced level it could demonstrate the need to change up some of the clubs in your bag.
3. Put your new knowledge into action – Now that you are armed with this newfound information and confidence in your clubs take it to the course to see how it can be put into play. Need to stay short of a dogleg? Making the right choice off the tee has never been easier. Have to carry a hazard? Play the club you know will cover the carry distance.

One of the greatest skills better players have is knowledge in their game and no matter how much you play – the more good choices you make on the course when it comes to club selection the better you are going to play.