Rapsodo has partnered with Titleist to introduce an RPT version of the Pro V1 golf ball.
The Pro V1 joins Callaway’s Chrome Soft X in the Rapsodo RPT ball catalog. An RPT version of the Pro V1x will be available in 2025.
What is RPT?
For those unfamiliar with the Rapsodo ecosystem, RPT is short for Rapsodo Precision Technology. RPT-enabled golf balls feature a collection of markings (spots, really) on the cover that allow the MLM2PRO launch monitor to accurately capture spin and spin axis measurements.
Why RPT matters
The MLM2PRO is what you might consider a hybrid launch monitor design. Like FlightScope MEVO, Full Swing KIT and the Garmin R10, the MLM2PRO uses Doppler radar to measure things like ball speed, launch angle and launch direction.
Most radar-based device are reasonably good with those basic metrics.
Where the MLM2PRO differs is that instead of attempting to capture spin data with radar, it leverages an on-board camera system and RPT golf balls to capture spin rate and spin axis.
We’ve discussed the challenges and limitations of relying on radar-based devices to capture spin in limited-flight environments. Glossing over the technical bits, the general takeaway is that it doesn’t work particularly well.
Radar’s inherent struggles to accurately capture spin rates (emphasis on accurately) is why, prior to MLM2PRO, Rapsodo didn’t include spin rates in its list of metrics.
Unfortunately for data-hungry golfers, many of Rapsodo’s competitors were happy to include spin rates in their datasets, even when they knew they weren’t entirely reliable.
It’s the reason Titleist and Trackman partnered to create RCT (radar capture technology) golf balls. RCT-enabled golf balls significantly improve Doppler radar’s ability to accurately measure spin rates but capturing spin axis tilt and ultimately the curvature of the golf ball remains problematic.
This is where Rapsodo differentiates itself from other radar-based launch monitors.
When RPT balls are used, MLM2PRO leverages an integrated camera system to capture spin rate and spin axis.
It’s a better approach.
Can I make my own RPT balls?
Looking at the apparently simple pattern found on RPT golf balls, you may be wondering if you can take a DIY approach to RPT.
Yes, you can*.
There are third-party jigs out there. Golfers are definitely doing it. The caveat is that they’re not nearly as precise and some have gone so far as to alter the pattern to work around Rapsodo’s patents.
The DIY approach will likely give you spin data but whether that data is accurate (it probably isn’t) is a different conversation.
To validate genuine RPT balls, Rapsodo uses a quality control platform called AQUTEST360. AQUTEST360 uses six cameras to ensure that each of the 27 marks found on an RPT golf ball are precisely where they need to be for accurate spin capture.
To put a few numbers on it, Titleist and Rapsodo hit between 10 thousand and 12 thousand shots to ensure the RPT pattern was working properly on the Pro V1. Placement of each of those 27 dots is precise to within .5mm.
You won’t find tolerances that tight on Etsy.
How accurate is MLM2PRO spin data with RPT golf balls?
According to Rapsodo, in testing side by side with the Foresight GC Quad (the gold standard in camera-based launch monitors), it found just a 50 rpm difference in spin measurements and .75 degrees difference in spin axis.
Perfect? No, but significantly better than most any radar-based consumer launch monitor on the market and when you consider that the MLM2PRO sells for less than $700, for budget-conscious golfers placing a premium on accuracy (as opposed to gamification), the combination of MLM2PRO and RPT balls seems like a no-brainer.
The point is that you could spend significantly more money for significantly less accuracy. Plenty already have.
CODB
If there’s a caveat in all of this, it’s that at US$69.99 a dozen, Titleist Pro V1 with RPT golf balls don’t come cheap but I’m not going to sugarcoat this for you. If accurate spin data is important, that is to say that if understanding the true flight of a golf ball which means reliable offline and dispersion data is important to you, $69.99 per dozen is just the cost of doing business.
When you consider the generally affordable price of the MLM2PRO to begin with, it’s not an unbearable additional expense. Besides, you’re going to be hitting them into a screen or net, which means a dozen should last significantly longer than they do on the golf course.
Titleist Pro V1 with RPT Golf Balls are sold exclusively through Rapsodo.
For more information or to order yours, visit Rapsodo.com.
Dave Fro
2 months ago
Anyone scoffing at the price, just think of them as a training aid, and not balls to be used on the course. They’re going to last a lot longer that way.