Radar vs High-Speed Camera Tech: What Golf Clubs and Home Simulator Buyers Really Need to Know

If you’re planning the next stage of your club’s or home simulator setup, the launch monitor you choose will quietly decide everything: How accurate your data is. How practical your setup feels day-to-day. How many members actually use it.

Most buyers quickly bump into the same question:

Do we go radar-based, or high-speed camera-based?

Both technologies are brilliant when used in the right environment. Radar has become synonymous with outdoor tour-level ranges, while modern high-speed camera systems (like Uneekor) now underpin many of the best indoor simulators, coaching studios, covered-bays and premium residential builds worldwide.

This guide breaks down how each works, where they shine and why camera-based systems are increasingly becoming the smarter, more flexible choice for golf clubs, driving ranges and high-end home installations.

The Basics: What a Launch Monitor Is Actually Doing

Whether radar or camera-based, every launch monitor is trying to do the same thing:

• Measure what the club is doing into impact

• Measure what the ball does off the face

• Use that data to calculate a realistic ball flight

  
  

The difference is how they see that information:

• Radar: tracks the ball through space as it flies

• High-speed cameras (photometric): capture impact and early ball flight in incredible detail, then model the rest of the shot with physics-based algorithms.

  
  

Both approaches can be extremely accurate - but the environment (indoor bay, covered range, open range, shared space) heavily favours one or the other.

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How High-Speed Camera (Photometric) Systems Work

High-speed camera systems capture thousands of frames per second at impact, using advanced computer vision to measure:

• Club path and speed

• Face angle

• Dynamic loft and lie

• Strike location

• Ball speed, launch and spin

  
  

Modern solutions like Uneekor’s EYE Series are specifically engineered for indoor and covered environments, delivering:

• Unmatched impact and club data

• Crystal-clear high-speed video

• Overhead mounting for the cleanest footprint

• Consistent performance in controlled lighting

Indoor vs Outdoor: Which Tech Wins in Which Environment?

Indoors & Enclosed Bays

In simulator rooms, coaching studios or indoor performance labs, camera-based systems are almost always the better choice:

• Don’t require 2-3 m behind the golfer

• Overhead mounting = no floor clutter

• Superior face/path/impact data

• Better consistency in limited ball-flight windows

  
  

Radar can be used indoors, but the space and environmental requirements make it a compromise in most club settings.

Outdoor Ranges & Covered Bays

Radar can be effective outdoors when conditions are ideal - wide open space, stable lighting and minimal wind interference.

However, many clubs and driving ranges aren’t operating in those perfect conditions.

Key context often misunderstood:

Radar measures the true ball flight - meaning wind, temperature and elevation affect the resulting data. That may be beneficial for research or understanding weather-impacted performance, but it can introduce inconsistency for lessons, fittings and structured practice.

Meanwhile, Uneekor’s camera-based systems still perform extremely well outdoors when installed in covered or semi-controlled environments - providing consistent feedback unaffected by changing weather or wind gusts.

Radar is best when a user wants to measure weather-affected ball behaviour.

Camera-based systems are best when users want repeatable, clean, controlled feedback - indoors or outdoors under cover.

Book in for a consultation to determine the best solution for your club

Space, Workflow & Member Experience

Space & Installation

Radar

• Needs depth behind the tee

• Sensitive to room geometry

• Not ideal for multi-bay indoor designs

  
  

High-Speed Camera Systems

• Mount overhead (EYE XO / EYE XO2, ProTee, EYEXR)

• Clean, safe, minimal footprint

• Perfect for high-traffic club environments

  
  

Coaching, Fitting & Simulator Play

For coaches, fitters and home golfers focused on improving mechanics, camera-based tech offers:

• High-speed impact footage

• Strike mapping

• Full club delivery data

• Repeatability regardless of weather or background movement

Uneekor: The High-Speed Camera Tech

At Golfsim Australia, we exclusively build our premium club installations around Uneekor’s and ProTee's camera-based systems because they deliver:

• Elite-level club + ball data

• Ultra-fast overhead tracking

• Industry-leading indoor performance

• Clean, commercial-ready installation

• Consistency across all spaces - indoor bays, covered ranges, coaching studios and simulator lounges

  
  

See Uneekor in action inside a Golfsim installation

Market Comparison Snapshot

Technology Type	Examples	Best Use	Notes
Radar (Doppler)	Example Trackman, FlightScope	Large outdoor ranges	Real ball flight influenced by wind and weather
High-Speed Camera + Infrared	Example Uneekor EYEXO / EYEXO2 / ProTeeVX, EYEXR, EYEMini	Indoor bays, covered ranges, coaching studios, premium home simulators	Most consistent and flexible across environments
Hybrid	Example Foresight QuadMAX	Indoor/outdoor adjustable setups	Still requires depth to optimise radar function

Chat with our team about what’s right for your simulator setup

So, Which System Should You Choose?

If you're building:

• A wide-open grass range

• A research/testing environment

• A facility where weather-impacted ball behaviour is required data

…radar can be a valuable tool.

But if you're building:

• An indoor studio

• A hybrid indoor/outdoor bay

• Covered coaching or member practice space

• A simulator room for coaching, lessons or revenue

• A high-end home installation

  
  

A camera-based system will deliver more accurate, consistent and flexible performance across every use case.

The Golfsim Perspective

We work with clubs, driving ranges and residential clients across Australia who want year-round performance, reliable data and a seamless experience.

Our experience is clear:

Radar has its place outdoors in testing environments, but camera-based systems like Uneekor deliver consistent, accurate, weather-proof performance across the widest range of layouts.

For clubs, coaches and homeowners wanting one system that works reliably in all conditions, Uneekor is the platform we back and install daily.

Book your private consultation with Golfsim Australia

FAQs

Can camera-based launch monitors work outdoors?

Yes, especially in covered bays or indoor–outdoor hybrid studios. With controlled lighting, Uneekor overhead systems perform extremely well outside.

Is radar more accurate than camera tech?

Outdoors over full flight, radar is superb. Indoors or in semi-enclosed spaces, camera-based systems are typically more reliable, consistent and flexible.

Which is better for coaching and fitting?

Camera-based tech delivers deeper club and impact data, making it the preferred choice for coaches and fitters operating in enclosed or hybrid spaces.

Does radar need more room?

Generally, yes. Most radar systems need several feet behind the golfer and a longer ball-flight window.

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