Why do people think using a launch monitor is expensive?

[harpo_72]

I know the equipment is expensive, but why is it perceived to be an expensive thing to do? I mean its there, it should be set up and ready to go, why should it be more than a couple of quid to have 30 minutes of use ? You don't have to be assisted all the way through.

 

[Stuey01]

Because you generally can't just pay a couple of quid and have at it.
The only place round here that I know has one available only let's you use it if you pay for a club fitting at £20 for 30 mins.
Tbf I got an hour on there when I did it for no extra charge so it wasn't unreasonable, wouldn't do it all the time though.

 

[fundy]

so where do you use one for a couple of quid for half an hour then? pray tell so we can all have a go!

I think the sensible answer is that there is very few around and hence some places can get away with charging a decent amount to use them (assuming they allow use alone and not as part of a lesson)

 

[Birchy]

The technology is still fairly new and there isnt that many around so the ones that do have it can dictate prices. Prices will drop once they become cheaper to buy and when almost every pro has one etc.

 

[duncan mackie]

why is it perceived to be an expensive thing to do?

why do you think this is only a perception, and flawed?

can you give examples to illustrate the flaw in this perception please.

 

[3offTheTee]

why do you think this is only a perception, and flawed?

can you give examples to illustrate the flaw in this perception please.

Great open questions like it!

Would someone advise how much it costs please? I was lead to believe about 4.5 k initially and with add ons could reach 8k tops

 

[Jay Gee]

My guess is that anyone investing £10,000 - £30,000 on a LM would want a return on that investment in a reasonable timespan. £2 for 30 min would get them £32 a day providing it's in use for a solid 8 hours each day. Assuming a 6 day week, that's £192/week, £825/month or £9,900/year. It would probably be half that with quiet periods taken into account.

There are all the additional costs of premises, rates, insurance and staff too as they have to be on hand even if they're not with you the whole time.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I know the equipment is expensive, but why is it perceived to be an expensive thing to do? I mean its there, it should be set up and ready to go, why should it be more than a couple of quid to have 30 minutes of use ? You don't have to be assisted all the way through.

I agree. I mean it makes great business sense to invest a large amount of money in an asset and then, seeing as 'it's there' only charge a minimal amount of money for your customers to use it. Golf pros eh, what a bunch of rob dogs.......

 

[CMAC]

Why do people think using a launch monitor is expensive?.

because it is......considering you know its expensive it's quite a naive post to make.

 

[harpo_72]

The question is the cost your charged justified? At the moment for me it's too expensive to use frequently and honestly speaking getting people in at a low cost and then flogging them something off the back of it would not be bad business. Everyone is talking about swing speeds and spin rates .. On this forum and other forums, imagine if you have a few lessons then go back to it etc..
At the moment in my opinion it's too much money ... Simples. You can talk about the cost of the equipment etc but its the sensor which will cost the most and not the building, laptop or screen .. It still doesn't justify some of the charges that are being charged.

 

[Stuey01]

To be fair you asked why people think I is expensive, to which the answer is "because it is".
You didn't ask whether it should be expensive...

My view on that is that at the moment it is too expensive but I wouldn't expect it to drop to just a couple of quid per 30mins. Maybe somewhere around £10-£15 per half hour would seem to be reasonable.
Of course the information is worth much more if you are hitting real balls, so to do that the range would have to provide them and pick them up and sort them out from the range balls, all that would cost too.

 

[fundy]

so because you think its too costly it is? You dont care that it costs the pro a lot to offer it to you, you want him to offer it to you much cheaper, even if totally uneconomic for him to do so

Ill have a pint of what hes drinking plse landlord

 

[Jay Gee]

The question is the cost your charged justified? At the moment for me it's too expensive to use frequently . . .

The charges are justified by the costs incurred. Whether you think it provides good value relative to what you get out of it, is another matter altogether.

At the moment in my opinion it's too much money ... Simples. You can talk about the cost of the equipment etc but its the sensor which will cost the most and not the building, laptop or screen .. It still doesn't justify some of the charges that are being charged.

You seem to be trying to dismiss perfectly valid reasons (ie. costs) to support your opinion. You think it's expensive. Fine, but the charges simply reflect the costs. Buildings cost more than sensors, plus the sensor doesn't work without a laptop. A big screen might not be essential, but adds to the experience and usability.Ultimately, you could buy a LM and a laptop and offer a mobile service at driving ranges or into nets, but you would need to advertise, travel, be on hand etc. on top of your initial outlay. Even then, at a couple of quid per 30 minutes you would be lucky to clear £5,000 per year. £10 per 30 minutes might generate £25,000 gross. After expenditure, you would still be better of working in a fast food restaurant.

 

[pbrown7582]

Would you spend 25k on a car and let anybody use it for £2 a half hour?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

They are expensive to buy and so any pro or range getting one is making a huge investment and so needs to recoup their outlay as soon as they can. Is there really that big a demand? Yes I like to use it in my lessons to see my figures before during and after the changes but to be honest I'm not sure I'd hire one out on a regular basis for a normal practice session. I doubt I'm alone in that and hence the problem the pro has. How do they recover their money?

 

[Ian_S]

As I always say when people complain about the cost of something, if it can be done profitably at your price why don't you start up a business and undercut the competition? You'll make a killing.