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I purchased my Rapsodo MLM2 Pro a little over a year ago. Overall, I have been satisfied with its performance, and any complaints I have are similar to those shared by other people on various platforms (missed shots, glitchy chipping, connection issues, etc.) However, many of those issues could be dismissed as the trade-off of a cheaper product.
My bigger concern with Rapsodo is not their product, but with the company itself.
A little backstory… When I purchased the MLM2 Pro, I tested the simulator capabilities of the Rapsodo Premium because a one-year subscription is included, but I found that it did not meet minimum expectations (lacked graphics, unrealistic physics, and laggy). Instead, I chose to purchase a lifetime membership to Awesome Golf because it met more of my expectations. My frustration began when I attempted to access Awesome Golf after my Rapsodo Premium trial concluded; I was no longer able to authenticate the 3rd party app, and, therefore, was unable to operate Awesome Golf. For those unfamiliar with how Rapsodo interacts with 3rd party apps, every 24 hours it is required to connect your MLM2 Pro to the Rapsodo app to authenticate the usage of another app. In other words, I have to log into Rapsodo to communicate that I do not wish to use Rapsodo. The inability to access Awesome Golf without a premium membership came as a surprise to me.
I reached out to Rapsodo because this initially seemed like a mistake. Through email correspondence (you cannot reach them by phone), I discovered this was not a mistake. Instead, it is part of their business model. Rapsodo explained to me that a premium membership is required to access these apps because the membership provides spin rate, spin axis, and other measured stats that are necessary for these softwares. I was unaware of this information at the time of purchase, so I backtracked to check the Rapsodo website for this information. It is difficult and arguably impossible to determine whether a premium membership is required to use other programs, and I do not believe this is an intuitive notion that consumers should expect. After further discussion with Rapsodo, they believe they’ve made it clear to the consumer by implying that a membership is required to use 3rd party software because they label them “Premium” partners, even though they never explicitly say anywhere on their website or during the purchase process that an annual Rapsodo Premium membership is required to access 3rd party products.
With that being said, what are the repercussions of not knowing this information?
Rapsodo Premium costs $200/year or $500 for a lifetime license. So bare minimum, it will cost you $1,200 for ANY simulator capabilities ($700 for the unit and $500 for the lifetime license). At that rate, if you find Rapsodo Premium is not to your liking, you will need to purchase a subscription to an additional service, which is similar to other products. However, Rapsodo Premium will gatekeep the ability to access those softwares, which effectively raises the cost of the product. In summary, if you find Rapsodo Premium satisfactory, this is by far the best bang for your buck option, but if you do not, the cost to operate is $1,200.
The deciding factor for me in purchasing the MLM2 Pro was the relatively low cost compared to other simulators; however, had I known an additional $500 would be required for continue use, I would’ve chosen a superior simulator. For example, the Flightscope Mevo+, which, at the time of writing, is on sale for $1,839 INCLUDING a lifetime E6, 12 course bundle with no annual fees for using 3rd party software. So, for a marginally larger investment, you can have a superior product with a larger catalog of courses.
The really frustrating part is that Rapsodo seems to know this, which is why they conceal this information on their website. How many people would upgrade to the next tier of simulators had they known the true sale price of the MLM 2 Pro was $1,200? Even if I didn’t upgrade, at least I would know the actual cost and not have the bitter taste of feeling like I bought a $700 simulator for $1,200. I think the MLM2 Pro can be removed from the “budget friendly” category, and moved into a market in which it cannot compete.
The intent of this review is not meant to discuss the product itself because that is well documented and well represented; it is a quality product with many positive features. The intent rather is to share with the rest of the golf community the information that Rapsodo doesn’t want you to know. I hope that prospective consumers will make a more informed decision when considering purchasing a Rapsodo MLM2 Pro. This is a luxury that I wish I had because I would NOT have bought it had I known the true price.
My bigger concern with Rapsodo is not their product, but with the company itself.
A little backstory… When I purchased the MLM2 Pro, I tested the simulator capabilities of the Rapsodo Premium because a one-year subscription is included, but I found that it did not meet minimum expectations (lacked graphics, unrealistic physics, and laggy). Instead, I chose to purchase a lifetime membership to Awesome Golf because it met more of my expectations. My frustration began when I attempted to access Awesome Golf after my Rapsodo Premium trial concluded; I was no longer able to authenticate the 3rd party app, and, therefore, was unable to operate Awesome Golf. For those unfamiliar with how Rapsodo interacts with 3rd party apps, every 24 hours it is required to connect your MLM2 Pro to the Rapsodo app to authenticate the usage of another app. In other words, I have to log into Rapsodo to communicate that I do not wish to use Rapsodo. The inability to access Awesome Golf without a premium membership came as a surprise to me.
I reached out to Rapsodo because this initially seemed like a mistake. Through email correspondence (you cannot reach them by phone), I discovered this was not a mistake. Instead, it is part of their business model. Rapsodo explained to me that a premium membership is required to access these apps because the membership provides spin rate, spin axis, and other measured stats that are necessary for these softwares. I was unaware of this information at the time of purchase, so I backtracked to check the Rapsodo website for this information. It is difficult and arguably impossible to determine whether a premium membership is required to use other programs, and I do not believe this is an intuitive notion that consumers should expect. After further discussion with Rapsodo, they believe they’ve made it clear to the consumer by implying that a membership is required to use 3rd party software because they label them “Premium” partners, even though they never explicitly say anywhere on their website or during the purchase process that an annual Rapsodo Premium membership is required to access 3rd party products.
With that being said, what are the repercussions of not knowing this information?
Rapsodo Premium costs $200/year or $500 for a lifetime license. So bare minimum, it will cost you $1,200 for ANY simulator capabilities ($700 for the unit and $500 for the lifetime license). At that rate, if you find Rapsodo Premium is not to your liking, you will need to purchase a subscription to an additional service, which is similar to other products. However, Rapsodo Premium will gatekeep the ability to access those softwares, which effectively raises the cost of the product. In summary, if you find Rapsodo Premium satisfactory, this is by far the best bang for your buck option, but if you do not, the cost to operate is $1,200.
The deciding factor for me in purchasing the MLM2 Pro was the relatively low cost compared to other simulators; however, had I known an additional $500 would be required for continue use, I would’ve chosen a superior simulator. For example, the Flightscope Mevo+, which, at the time of writing, is on sale for $1,839 INCLUDING a lifetime E6, 12 course bundle with no annual fees for using 3rd party software. So, for a marginally larger investment, you can have a superior product with a larger catalog of courses.
The really frustrating part is that Rapsodo seems to know this, which is why they conceal this information on their website. How many people would upgrade to the next tier of simulators had they known the true sale price of the MLM 2 Pro was $1,200? Even if I didn’t upgrade, at least I would know the actual cost and not have the bitter taste of feeling like I bought a $700 simulator for $1,200. I think the MLM2 Pro can be removed from the “budget friendly” category, and moved into a market in which it cannot compete.
The intent of this review is not meant to discuss the product itself because that is well documented and well represented; it is a quality product with many positive features. The intent rather is to share with the rest of the golf community the information that Rapsodo doesn’t want you to know. I hope that prospective consumers will make a more informed decision when considering purchasing a Rapsodo MLM2 Pro. This is a luxury that I wish I had because I would NOT have bought it had I known the true price.
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