The world of launch monitors and home golf simulators is growing by the day, and that means more options are becoming available to the average consumer looking to either start a full simulator setup or simply have a tool at their side when making a regular trip to the driving range. From $500 options to $25,000 beasts, there’s a little something for everyone in the market.
But there are two current launch monitors that share a lot in common – including their price tags – and that similarity can cause a bit of buying confusion. The two devices in question are the Bushnell Launch Pro and the newer Uneekor Eye Mini. These two optical launch monitors both have their strong suits and provide a very similar take on the golf launch monitor/simulator offering; but we have one we’re going with for a few key reasons.
Bushnell Launch Pro vs. Uneekor EYE MINI
For right now, I’m not going to get into specs and numbers – trust me when I tell you that both of them are highly accurate, easy to use, and trustworthy indoors and out. Both units operate in much the same way (high-speed IR cameras) and the benefit of optical launch monitors shines in both, meaning you can get great results without needing tons of space or particular equipment setups. With the ability to judge your ball flight (speed, launch, spin, etc.) within just a few feet of the hitting area, optical launch monitors are the best option indoor and don’t require you to have any certain amount of space in front or behind you.
And both of these devices work well with a ton of software, too. We’ve been playing both TGC 2019 and GS Pro regularly for nearly a year at this point with the Bushnell Launch Pro and have had only a few hiccups here and there with the software bridges (3rd-party workarounds built by the community) required to play most games. The Bushnell lets us putt with ease, sets up in a flash, and basically does its job without much fuss.
But all that is true of the new Uneekor EYE MINI we now have, too, and this device (on sale for $3500 through September) has built-in software bridges for working with any game you want: be it GS Pro, TGC 2019, E6, or quite a few others. And with the Uneekor, the yearly subscription model is far more approachable, giving you upgraded Uneekor Pro Package software and 3rd-party simulator connections for just $199/year. For what it is worth, the first 3 months are free.
GS Pro and Bushnell are coming together
And that is a big deal at this point as it looks quite clear GS Pro and Bushnell/Foresight are about to ink a deal for full, 1st-party simulator connection. While that sounds great on the surface, the fact is we’ve been able to use the Basic Bushnell subscription up until now with the (3rd-party, community developed) Game Changer workaround. That will likely go away the minute this deal goes through and Bushnell becomes an official partner with GS Pro. The only subscription that Bushnell offers that allows 3rd-party software runs $750/year, so you quickly see where the problem lies.
And while I’ve not messed with it just yet, the EYE MINI comes with the amazing-looking slow-motion impact camera as well to show you what your club is actually doing as it strikes the ball, giving users a valuable extra tool in a device that costs just about the same as the Bushnell Launch Pro.
Finally, if you want to be done with the entire simulator experience, you could stop your yearly payment to Uneekor and still have the full complement of features that the unit provides with the Pro Package. For the Bushnell Launch Pro, that simply isn’t the case. With that device, you are locked into the $250/year subscription for as long as you own it. Period.
For us, it was a no-brainer to make the switch with the sale going on over at Uneekor. For $3500, this device is already set up and doing all the same stuff we were doing with the Bushnell Launch Pro and then some. And we don’t have to worry about 3rd-party connections being undone with a firmware update any longer, either. For us, this is a switch worth making, and while you can still get a decent chunk of change reselling the Bushnell Launch Pro to those still looking for one, the time is now to make the swap if you are considering it.
