The FlightScope Story: Tracking the History of Flight in Golf
A company that started by tracking bullets now sets the standard for tracking golf balls. FlightScope’s journey spans continents and decades, built on a commitment to precision that began in South African defense labs and evolved into technology used by golfers worldwide. From measuring muzzle velocities to calculating launch angles and spin rates, radar technology has transformed how we understand and play golf. Here’s how it works.
From Defense to Drives: The Unlikely Beginning
In 1989, Henri Johnson founded EDH (Electronic Development House) in Stellenbosch, South Africa. His vision had nothing to do with golf. Johnson wanted to develop Doppler radar technology to measure the speed of projectiles leaving gun barrels. Defense contractors and forensics teams needed this kind of precision to understand ballistics with pinpoint accuracy.
EDH delivered its first defense radar to a South African customer in 1991. That technology eventually reached more than 40 countries and remains in use today. But Johnson recognized something beyond the immediate applications. Those radar waves bouncing back with precise measurements could do more.
FlightScope entered the sports industry in 1995 with the Speedball system for cricket bowling. Tracking a cricket ball was a natural extension of the technology. If you can track a bullet, you can track a cricket ball. The real transformation came two years later.
In 1997, FlightScope began developing the first golf tracking technology. Before then, golfers could see where their ball landed, but understanding the flight itself was mostly guesswork and feel. FlightScope changed that.
The Tournament System: A New Era Begins
By 1999, FlightScope produced the world’s first launch monitor for golf. They called it the Tournament System. It provided only three data parameters by today’s standards, but golfers could finally see objective data about their shots. Club head speed and ball velocity were no longer matters of debate. The numbers were there.
The company filed a patent for innovative phased array technology in 2002, specifically developed to track golf balls. FlightScope didn’t aggressively pursue patent approval, and within a year, competitors entered the market. The company had the technology and expertise to stay ahead regardless.
In 2003, FlightScope launched “The Game” at driving ranges around Japan. This driving range solution provided users with real-time ball-flight data, along with resources to improve their game. The technology was decades ahead of its time. What we take for granted now was revolutionary in 2003.
Going Live: FlightScope Hits the Airwaves
In 2004, FlightScope became the first 3D Doppler radar technology system used for a live TV broadcast during the Battle of the Bridges and the Nedbank Challenge. Viewers at home could now see more than just golf. They could understand the physics and precision that separate good shots from great ones.
The International Tennis Federation certified FlightScope’s tennis serve speed accuracy in 2005, proving the technology’s versatility and precision across sports. Golf remained the primary focus, and the company made a move that positioned it at the heart of the industry.
In 2008, FlightScope moved its headquarters from Stellenbosch to Orlando, Florida. South Africa remained the home of research, development, and most manufacturing, but Orlando placed FlightScope in the center of the golf world. The company eventually expanded to offices in the United Kingdom, Poland, Japan, and South Korea, establishing its presence on four continents.
The Portable Revolution
The FlightScope Prime arrived in 2009 as the first truly portable tracking unit with Bluetooth technology and battery operation. Launch monitors had been stationary equipment until then. Coaches could now take precise measurements anywhere. Fitting sessions moved to the range. Players practiced with data in real conditions.
The X series launched in 2011 with Wi-Fi capability and the debut of mobile apps. Technology was shrinking and becoming more accessible, but FlightScope maintained its accuracy standards. The company has always refused to compromise on precision for the sake of convenience.
In 2014, FlightScope introduced the Xi, its smallest unit to date for golf consumers, along with the FlightScope Skills App featuring various challenges for practice and benchmarking against tour players. That same year, FlightScope won the Stevie Award for New Consumer Product of the Year. The industry recognized what the company had accomplished.
The Tracer and the Big Stage
Anyone who has watched golf on TV in the last decade has seen FlightScope’s work, whether they knew it or not. The FlightScope Tracer launched in 2015 and made its television debut at the US Open at Chambers Bay. Those shot traces arcing across the screen show exactly where the ball is going. FlightScope technology has made the game more engaging for millions of viewers.
The company expanded beyond golf in 2016 with FlightScope Strike, the first multifrequency radar to provide comprehensive data for baseball and softball, including pitching, hitting, and ball flight parameters. The technology that started with bullets and moved to golf balls was now tracking fastballs and home runs.
Fusion Tracking: The Next Level
In 2017, FlightScope released the X3 with Fusion Tracking technology. This patented system combines 3D Doppler radar tracking with synchronized high-speed image processing. The radar tracks ball-flight data, while the camera captures club data and impact details that radar alone cannot measure.
Fusion Tracking delivers accuracy by using both technologies simultaneously. The X3 also included short game and putting performance data for the first time, making it a comprehensive tool for analyzing all aspects of the game.
FlightScope launched the Athletics Coaching System in 2018 for tracking shot put, discus, hammer throw, and javelin. It remains the only launch monitor in athletics that can simultaneously track release data and record video. But the biggest news that year was the Mevo.
The Mevo Moment
The Mevo, introduced in 2018, brought professional-grade launch monitor technology to a much wider audience. As the smallest and most affordable Doppler radar launch monitor available, it puts tools previously limited to tour players, elite coaches, and well-funded facilities into the hands of everyday golfers. FlightScope received a Stevie Award for Best New Consumer Product that year.
FlightScope also released its patented Environmental Optimizer feature for all X3 users in 2018. Players could input predicted weather conditions and see projected effects on ball flight, adding another layer of preparation for tournament play.
The Mevo+ arrived in 2020 with expanded performance data and simulation capabilities. It has become the best-selling launch monitor in the company’s history. In a competitive market with multiple manufacturers, the Mevo+ has captured the largest market share.
Recent Innovations and the Road Ahead
FlightScope introduced the X3B for baseball and softball in 2022, the only portable in-game data tracking system that measures both pitching and hitting data. That same year, they launched the Mevo+ Pro Package, using Fusion Tracking technology to provide customers with all club and ball flight data parameters at a lower price than competing systems.
The Face Impact Location add-on for Mevo+ was released in 2023, allowing users to view and analyze the precise ball impact location on the clubface. FlightScope has consistently worked to make professional-grade technology more accessible to a broader range of golfers.
2024 brought the FlightScope Tracer feature in Multicam. Using the FlightScope Multicam app, all Mevo+ and X3 users can record video of their shots with an overlay showing the 3D shot trace and data parameters. The visual feedback helps golfers see exactly what their swing produces.
Badger AI connects with FlightScope session data and pulls from multiple knowledge bases to help golf teachers, club fitters, and players interpret their numbers. The system can recommend educational courses, link to relevant YouTube videos, explain the meaning of specific data parameters, and pull up PGA and LPGA Tour averages for comparison — the software updates regularly with new capabilities.
The Current Lineup: Something for Everyone
FlightScope currently offers four main products for golfers. The Mevo Gen2 uses Fusion Tracking technology and provides 20 data parameters. Available with the Pro Package and the Face Impact Location add-on, it runs for 6 hours on battery power and works indoors and outdoors. There are no subscription fees.
The Mevo+ includes Fusion Tracking, 20 data parameters, 12 E6 Connect golf courses, video recording with data overlay, and customizable practice challenges. This model has sold more units than any other launch monitor on the market.
The X3C is FlightScope’s most advanced launch monitor. Tour players, coaches, and club fitters use it when they need the most comprehensive data available.
FlightScope also makes the i4 rangefinder, which goes beyond distance measurement. The device uses AI and environmental data to calculate how conditions will affect each shot, applying the same measurement expertise FlightScope developed for launch monitors.
The Philosophy Behind the Technology
FlightScope has built its reputation on two principles: accuracy and accessibility. The company’s tagline, “For the accuracy you demand, FlightScope gives you performance data you can trust,” reflects decades of radar expertise that began with defense applications.
While FlightScope produces high-end professional equipment, the company has consistently worked to make that same technology available to everyday golfers. The progression from the Tournament System to the Mevo demonstrates this commitment.
FlightScope partners with the AJGA, GCAA, Titleist, Bridgestone Golf, and World Long Drive. These organizations require precision and reliability, which is why they choose FlightScope.
The Impact on Golf
FlightScope has fundamentally changed how golf is taught, fitted, and played. Club fitting used to rely on experience and educated guesses. Launch monitors turned it into a data-driven process. Coaches once depended primarily on visual observation and feel. They now have objective measurements to guide their instruction. Players who practiced without clear feedback can now track specific metrics and measure their progress.
The technology also transformed golf broadcasting. Shot tracers on television help casual viewers follow the ball flight while giving dedicated fans detailed information about each shot. A drive that carries 320 yards with a controlled draw tells a complete story through the data overlay.
Looking Forward
After more than three decades, FlightScope continues to develop new technology. Badger AI combines artificial intelligence with radar and camera systems to analyze golf data in ways that weren’t possible before.
The company continues to add features while maintaining the accuracy standards that established its reputation. From defense radars in 1989 to AI-powered golf tools in 2024, FlightScope has consistently adapted its core technology to new applications.
For golfers, FlightScope provides access to professional-level data and analysis. Launch monitors make practice more focused and improvement easier to measure. They remove uncertainty from equipment fitting and provide clear explanations of ball flight.
When Henri Johnson founded EDH in Stellenbosch in 1989, he was focused on measuring projectile velocities for defense applications. The company he built on precision and accuracy has since brought that same approach to golf courses and practice facilities worldwide.
FlightScope’s technology appears in tour-level competition, broadcast coverage, and local fitting studios. The company that started by tracking bullets now helps golfers at every level understand and improve their game.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
