• I believe the greatest value of these devices is for golfers who want to see if they are increasing the swing speed of their driving.  Used this way, the personal launch monitors can show relative swing speed improvements that may come from improved fitness, swing changes, etc.

• The present state of technology of these devices is actually pretty accurate for carry distance, but not very accurate for things like ball spin and launch angle. 

• No data comparisons were shown for iron shots or fairway wood shots, so no conclusions can be made on how valuable the monitors are for these type of shots.

• The personal launch monitor that I wish could be invented is one that can measure the club face angle and swing path at impact.  THIS data is so important for golfing performance, but unfortunately is not at all easy to measure.

So, in my view, the day where you can get a reliable personal launch monitor is not here yet. BUT - if you want a device that you can use to measure your swing speed, particularly with your driver - consider one not reviewed - the Sport Sensor Swing Speed Radar.  It has been around for a number of years, it works, and it is reasonably priced.  See below for a short video on how this device is set up to work.

      Swing Speed Radar YouTube Video

• First of all, the best of the best hit their 50 - 125 yard wedge shots to, on average, within 14 to 16 feet of the hole.  The Best!  Note that the putting make percentage from 10 feet on the PGA Tour is about 33% (they make one out of every three 10 foot putts).  SO - unless you can hit these shots better than the best wedge players on the Tour, you should not expect to achieve better results than they do.

• Maybe more interesting is the wedge setups for these Top 10 Tour wedge players.  5 of the top 10 wedge players play with 3 wedges, the other 5 play with 4 wedges.  Surprise To Me!!  AND none of them play with consistent loft gaps between their wedges.  Why these results - well, because These Guys Are Good!  My take is that they have such good touch and feel that they can - and have practiced - different distance shots with different wedges - and so can play well with either 3 wedges or with loft gaps that are not consistent.

Like I said, these results were quite a surprise to me.  What do I think they mean for you and optimizing your game?

• First - because most of us mortal golfers will not take the time to really dial in our wedge distance numbers - and because even the best do not typically hit their 50 to 125 yard wedge shots to closer than 14 feet - playing with 4 wedges with consistent loft gaps is still a good approach for wedge makeup.

• BUT - if you have the touch and feel, and the dedication, to learn to hit different distance wedge shots with the same club - you might consider playing with 3 wedges in your bag.  A big benefit of considering this is it will allow you to add another longer club to your bag - like an additional hybrid or higher lofted fairway wood - to help you hit more greens in regulation.  Hitting more GIRs is a BIG Key to shooting lower scores!