How often do you find an optical launch monitor under $1,000 that actually reads putts, works great indoors, and doesn't lock you behind a subscription paywall?
Never, right?
That's exactly why everyone's talking about the Square.
At $699, this thing brings camera accuracy to a price range that's always been stuck with radar-only options. Here's the thing - it keeps setup simple, lets you practice putting, and you can even play golf without hitting a real ball. Think about that for a second - you can work on your swing in your living room without worrying about breaking a window!
Now, let's be real - no launch monitor is perfect, and the Square has its quirks. You can only use it indoors, which means no backyard sessions on sunny days. It's missing a couple of data points that serious players might want, like spin axis or face-to-path measurements. And the build quality? Well, it's not as tank-like as some competitors that cost twice as much.
But here's what matters - if you're a casual golfer or just starting out, the Square delivers the features you actually need. When you're shopping for launch monitors, you've got to think about what matters most to you. Do you need tour-level data, or do you want something that helps you groove a better swing? What's your budget looking like? The Square hits that sweet spot for beginners, while scratch golfers might want something with more bells and whistles.
If you're looking for something that balances accuracy, fun, and affordability though, you need to check this out.
So let me break it down - here are five reasons the Square Launch Monitor deserves your attention.
Here's the thing about radar launch monitors—they're space hogs. If you've looked at the Garmin R10, the Mevo+, or the MLM2PRO, you already know they need tons of room to function properly. We're talking several feet behind the ball, plus even more space in front for the ball to fly. Without that room, their accuracy goes out the window.
For many golfers, that's a complete dealbreaker. Think about your garage, basement, or that spare bedroom you've been eyeing. Most of these spaces just don't have 16 feet of depth to spare, right?
The Square changes the game completely. Instead of sitting behind the ball like radar units do, this camera-based system mounts to the side. What does that mean for you? You don't need that massive stretch of space anymore. You won't have to knock down walls or rearrange your entire garage just to fit a launch monitor!
Camera-based tracking (also called photometric tracking) has always been the go-to technology for home golf studios. Why? Because it doesn't need as much space to work accurately. The problem, until now, was that these systems cost a fortune—we're talking $2,000 minimum, often much more.
The Square breaks that barrier at $699. You're getting the same type of technology that the expensive units use, but at a price that won't destroy your bank account. If you're planning to practice indoors or want to build your own simulator, this might just be the smartest choice you can make.
Here's the thing about budget launch monitors—most of them completely fall apart when you try to putt or chip. They either skip the shot entirely, give you wildly wrong numbers, or work so badly that you just turn the feature off. It's frustrating, right?
Think about it this way: you're building a simulator to play full rounds, but your device can't read half your shots. You end up having to auto-putt through every hole or just guess what your wedge did. That's not practice—that's make-believe.
The Square takes a different approach, and once you know the backstory, it makes total sense. The same company that makes the Square also created the Exputt putting simulator—a device that only tracks putting. They took all that putting expertise and packed it into the Square.
So what does this mean for you? Your pitches, chips, and putts actually register correctly. Even those soft, high flop shots that other monitors miss completely? The Square catches them. When you're putting, it tracks your launch direction within a degree or two, and it measures your speed just as accurately.
Now, let me be clear—simulator putting never feels exactly like real putting, no matter how much you spend. But here's what matters: the Square makes short game practice actually useful. You can work on your 30-yard pitch shots, practice those tricky chips around the green, and roll putts that give you real feedback.
Consider this: more than half of your golf shots happen inside 100 yards. If your launch monitor ignores chips and putts, you're basically practicing only your long game—that's like going to the gym and only working out one arm! The Square is one of the first devices under $1,000 that lets you play a complete round, from tee to green.
This changes everything about simulator practice. Instead of just bombing drives for an hour, you can actually work on scoring shots. You know, the ones that save your round when your driver decides to take a vacation.
Here's the thing about the Square—it's not just another launch monitor with a basic range mode. You actually get a bunch of different ways to use this device, which makes it way more versatile than you'd expect.
Let me break down what you get inside the app. First, there are two different driving ranges to choose from. Then you've got a closest-to-the-pin game where you can customize your targets and adjust the rollout settings. Want to work on your putting? There's a mode for that too, where you set your own distances and speeds. And if you want to play actual golf, you get 12 fictional courses that honestly look and play better than you'd think!
But wait, there's something no other competitor gives you—the Swing Stick.
This is basically a short training club with sensors built into it. Here's how it works: you place a ball in the hitting zone, swing the stick like a regular club, and the Square turns your motion into a simulated shot on screen. Now, I'll be straight with you—it's not exactly the same as hitting a real golf ball, and the accuracy won't be perfect. But think about what this opens up for you. Kids can use it safely, you can practice your swing in rooms where a full club wouldn't even fit, and you can work on your game when hitting real balls isn't an option.
Look, I'm not saying you should buy the Square just for the Swing Stick. But for some people, this extra feature is actually pretty cool. It makes the Square less one-dimensional compared to other launch monitors out there.
The Swing Stick is practical in ways you might not think about at first. Sure, some people won't need it at all. But if you live in an apartment, work in a small office, or just don't have space for a full swing, this might be your only way to practice. That means more people can actually use this device, even if their situation isn't ideal for traditional golf practice.
Here's the thing about modern golf launch monitors—they love making you pay over and over again. You buy the device, then surprise! You need to pay an annual fee just to see which club you're hitting. Want to connect it to your favorite golf software? That'll be another monthly charge, thank you very much.
The Square takes a different approach, and honestly, it's refreshing.
Right out of the box, this thing connects to all the popular simulator software—GSPro, E6 Connect, Awesome Golf—without asking for your credit card again. There's no sneaky "basic" version that barely works, forcing you to upgrade to "premium" just to use features the hardware already has. If you've got a GSPro subscription already, you just connect the Square and start playing. Simple as that.
Now, let me explain how the Square's own simulator software works, because it's pretty clever. Instead of charging you every month whether you play or not, they use a credit system. Every hole you play uses one credit—think of it like tokens at an arcade, but way cheaper. The unit comes loaded with 1,000 credits, which means you can play more than 50 full rounds before you need to buy more. When you do need credits, we're talking just a couple pennies per hole.
Think about that for a second. If you're someone who mainly plays sim golf during winter, or maybe just a couple times a month, you're saving serious money compared to those $20 or $30 monthly subscriptions that other companies charge.
The math works out nicely for casual players. Let's say you play twice a month during the four-month winter season—that's about 144 holes total. With the Square, you'd still have 856 credits left from what came in the box! Meanwhile, your buddy with that other launch monitor just paid $120 for his annual subscription, whether he played once or a hundred times.
This whole approach just makes sense, you know? You control when and how much you spend, and there's no frustration from seeing that monthly charge hit your credit card during the summer when your clubs are collecting dust in the garage.
Here's the thing about launch monitors—you can have all the fancy features you want, but if the numbers don't add up, you've basically bought an expensive paperweight. The Square actually delivers where it counts.
Let's talk accuracy. The Square nails your ball speed and carry distances, which means you're getting real feedback on your shots. Even spin rates come out surprisingly good, and trust me, that's not easy for a device at this price point. Spin is one of those measurements that usually separates the cheap stuff from the good stuff—it's like trying to count how many times a baseball rotates while it's flying through the air!
Now, when you pull out your driver or fairway woods, you'll notice the numbers bounce around a bit more. That's totally normal for any launch monitor under $1,000. You might see the Square miss a shot here and there, or your distances might vary by five to ten yards between similar swings. Think of it this way—professional tour players use systems that cost as much as a new car, so we're playing in a different league here.
There's one catch you should know about. To get the best accuracy, you need to use the special marked balls that come with it, plus stick these little markers on your club shafts. I know, it sounds like a hassle, but that's how the camera system figures out what's happening with your swing. Most photo-based launch monitors work this way, and honestly, it's a small price to pay for getting good data at this price.
Look, nobody's saying the Square can replace those $15,000 systems the pros use—that would be crazy! But for practicing in your garage, playing simulator golf, or just figuring out why your shots keep slicing, this $699 device works way better than you'd expect. It gives you numbers you can actually trust, and that's what really matters.
Let me be straight with you—the Square isn't perfect. First off, you can only use it indoors, which might be a dealbreaker for some. It also skips a few club metrics that golf nerds love, like smash factor and clubhead speed. When you pick it up, it feels lighter than those fancy $3,000 models, and here's the thing: the app doesn't save your shot history or practice sessions yet.
But wait, there's more to this story.
If you're hunting for an indoor launch monitor that uses camera technology, stays accurate, and doesn't cost a fortune, you won't find anything else like the Square. Trust me, I've looked!
Here's where it gets interesting. Got a small space for your golf simulator? Working with a tight budget? The Square changes everything for you. And if you actually care about practicing your putting and short game—you know, the shots that really lower your scores—this thing stands alone. Plus, you're not stuck paying monthly subscriptions just to use what you already bought. How refreshing is that?
The bigger picture matters here. The Square shows us what affordable golf tech can actually do now. By smashing through that $1,000 price barrier for camera-based accuracy, it proves something important: short game and putting practice can actually work well on a budget monitor. That's huge! This completely resets what we should expect from affordable launch monitors.
At $699, the Square is hands-down the most interesting product you'll find in the affordable launch monitor market. Not because it's flawless—it's not. But because it finally puts camera-based performance and useful short-game feedback within reach of regular golfers like you and me.
This innovative little device lets you analyze your swings with real precision, making it way easier to spot what needs work. You get benefits like accurate shot tracking and detailed feedback on your short game, which means you can actually improve the parts of your game that matter most. Whether you're just starting out or you've been playing for years, you can level up your skills without emptying your bank account.
If that sounds like what you need, give the Square a serious look.
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Have a great day, and I'll see you out on the course.
