50 Words or Less
The Golfzon Wave launch monitor pairs a traditional launch monitor with putting measurement for a more realistic golf simulation experience. Very solid app. Simulation on PC only.
Introduction
Anyone who has ever played golf on a simulator can tell you that the biggest weakness is putting. For poor putters that might be a benefit, but golfers who want the full golf experience aren’t satisfied with taking an automatic two putt.
The solution is the new Golfzon Wave launch monitor and golf simulator. Pairing a conventional launch monitor with a one-of-a-kind putting monitor, the Wave gives you a total golf experience like nothing else.
Set Up & Ease of Use
When you unbox the Golfzon Wave launch monitor, you’ll find the launch monitor inside a case, the putting monitor hidden underneath, and an array of cables and instructions. As with most tech, your first steps will be downloading the appropriate app and charging the launch monitor.
The first time you connect your Wave to your device, it will take a few minutes to get everything ironed out. You’ll likely need to download firmware updates. Don’t be discouraged: subsequent connections take only a minute. Also, the connection from Wave to device is very strong. In all my testing, the device never dropped the signal.
Setting up the Golfzon Wave launch monitor to hit, you will place the unit between 6.5 and 8.2 feet behind the hitting area. The radar cannot be lower than the hitting area, which is why Golfzon includes the small tripod which raises the unit about 1.5″. Per Golfzon, the radar should not be higher than the hitting area by more than 7.9″. For those using the Wave indoors, a recent update has shrunk the required ball flight to just 8 feet, which is on par with most other launch monitors. One final number before your eyes glaze over: the Wave produces a sizable hitting area, roughly 10″ to either side of the target line.
Using the Wave Putt is a bit unusual in that it requires a separate power source and does not have a built-in battery. I used a portable battery meant for charging cell phones, but you can also use a wall outlet with a USB adapter. Connecting to the Wave Putt happens in the app and is quick and easy.
Accuracy
The Golfzon Wave launch monitor tracks a wide array of metrics. The full list of ball metrics includes: ball speed, carry distance, roll, total distance, launch angle, launch direction, spin rate, spin axis, back spin, side spin, height, deviation distance, curve, landing angle, flight time, and shot type. Wave Radar also reports numerous data points for the club: club speed, smash factor, club path, face angle, face to path, attack angle, dynamic loft, spin loft, swing plane, and swing direction.
Wave Putt measures a more manageable number of data points: total distance, launch direction, club speed, ball speed, impact ratio, backswing speed, tempo, and total putting time.
I tested the Wave launch monitor in two indoor settings: one with the minimum amount of ball flight and one with approximately thirty yards of ball flight. I did not test with full outdoor ball flight because it’s winter in Chicago. In both my indoor tests, I ran the Wave head-to-head with my Foresight GCQuad [review HERE].
Overall, I found the Wave to have good accuracy, but it was short of elite or professional grade. Throughout the bag and in both settings, the Wave was consistently accurate with ball speed. I regard this as the most important single metric, so that’s a good start. Moving to launch angle, the Wave was generally good but could be off by as much as 2.5 degrees. The spin numbers were the most problematic, especially toward the ends of the bag. It seemed as if the Wave was guessing the spin based on club selection and ball flight more than it was measuring. The combination of launch and spin errors did lead to some distance misses that were quite large.
Turning to the club data, I found that the Golfzon Wave launch monitor tended to report a higher club speed than my Foresight. This is not necessarily an inaccuracy as different launch monitors can measure the club at slightly different points; it’s just something to keep in mind. For the other club numbers, I found the Wave to be generally accurate, but not reliably precise. As an example, if it reported a 3.3 degree upward angle of attack, I can trust that the AoA was positive, but it could be 2 degrees, it could be 5.
In summary, I would use the Wave for playing simulated golf, I would teach a lesson on it, I would practice with it, but I would not use it for club fitting. The Golfzon Wave launch monitor does a good job reporting the type of shot that was hit and how well the ball was struck, but there are times when some of the data needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
Finally, I found the Wave Putt to be quite good. It worked quickly and consistently, not missing a single putt in my testing. The numbers it produced were accurate in comparison to Foresight and internally consistent. Whether for simulation or practice and game improvement, I think this is a very strong addition.
Wave Skills App
If you want to use your Golfzon Wave launch monitor with a phone or tablet, you’ll use the Wave Skills App (available for iOS and Android). While it doesn’t offer much gamification, the app is responsive, intuitive, and does everything you need for basic driving range functionality.
When you’re hitting shots, there are numerous views available. In the app, you can also add notes to any shot. Additionally, you can film your swing through the Wave’s onboard camera. Finally, as you can see above right, the app uses the onboard camera to make alignment easy.
There’s also a data layout with the option of club or ball visualization. What I like about the data layout in the Wave Skills app is that it’s fully customizable. You can turn every individual parameter on or off to allow you to focus on the things that matter in that session.
Last of all, there’s the putting functionality. This is very straightforward in the Wave Skills app, allowing measurement of straight putts. You can customize the target distance and green speed. My opinion is that the virtual green is slower than the stated pace, but once you calibrate to it, you’re good to go.
Golf Simulation
The Golfzon Wave launch monitor powers golf simulation through the proprietary Golfzon Vision Wave software. This is PC only, requiring Windows 10 or 11 64-bit with 70GB of installation space. There are over 140 courses (with annual fees), which really sets Vision Wave apart. Another notable feature is the ability to play against other Wave users online.
Value
The Golfzon Wave launch monitor retails for $4,000. Please consider supporting Plugged In Golf by buying it HERE.
With purchase, you get access to the Wave Skills and three golf courses in the Vision Wave software. Upgrading to the Basic membership costs $99/year or $199 for 3 years. This gives you access to eighteen courses on Vision Wave. To get access to all 148 courses on Vision Wave, you need to Premium membership at a cost of $199/year or $399 for 3 years.
As to the overall value, I think the Golfzon Wave is a strong choice for those that are primarily interested in golf simulation. Adding putting to simulated golf is a significant upgrade. For players more interested in working on their swing and dialing in their numbers, there are better launch monitors available.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for the most complete golf simulation experience, the Golfzon Wave launch monitor must be on your short list. The inclusion of the Wave Putt brings the flat stick into play on the 140+ golf courses, something you won’t find on many other simulators.
Buy Golfzon Wave Launch Monitor HERE
Visit Golfzon HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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6 Comments
Quick question,
How to do a hard reset on a SC4 I can’t seem find out how?
Art,
Are you referring to the Swing Caddie SC4? Just clarifying as this is a review of a different device.
-Matt
Yes, sorry I should have clarified that .
Art,
Have you contacted Swing Caddie? I can make an educated guess, but I think your best bet is contacting them so that you don’t do anything that unintentionally voids the warranty or creates new problems.
-Matt
Kеep up the great spirit.
Nice review, Matt. I’ve tried another Golfzon product at a local simulator bar. Not sure if they were using a Wave or another product, but my experience was much as you state: fun for “playing” golf indoors, but disappointing if you were expecting even Skytrak-level ball and club measurements.
Accordingly, and while everything does cost a lot more now, I’m not sure I’d spend 4 grand for this particular monitor.