Golf Balls for Simulators: RCT, RPT and Which Ball Each Launch Monitor Needs

Which golf ball you hit into a simulator depends on the launch monitor. Indoors the ball flies only a few feet before the screen, and some launch monitors need a marked ball to read its spin in that space: Titleist RCT balls for radar units such as the Garmin R10, Rapsodo RPT balls for the MLM2PRO and MLM2XPRO, aluminum stickers or RCT balls for the FlightScope Mevo Gen 2. Camera units such as Foresight, Uneekor, the Garmin R50, the ProTee VX and the Trackman iO read any ball. Jay Lasco, host of Golf Simulator Videos, has tested RCT balls against a stick-on metal dot on the Garmin R10 and hit RPT balls with both Rapsodo units. Below: the ball each launch monitor wants, what RCT and RPT balls cost, range balls against premium balls, foam balls, and where to buy them.

Codes first, for the launch monitor itself: GSV5OFF takes 5% off a first order at Shop Indoor Golf (the Garmin R10, the MLM2PRO and the MLM2XPRO among them), GSVMEVO takes 5% off the Mevo Gen 2 at FlightScope, and GSVSQUARE saves at Square Golf. Every code is on GSV's discount codes page.

Buying through GSV's links and codes helps support the channel: GSV earns a small commission at no extra cost to you, and you still get every saving available. As an Amazon Associate, GSV earns from qualifying purchases.

Titleist RCT balls on Amazon RPT balls at Rapsodo

• $70 a dozenTitleist Pro V1 RCT, Titleist's list price
• $69.99 a dozenRapsodo RPT balls, sold only by Rapsodo
• 100 to 200 rpmHow close the R10 read spin with RCT balls in Jay's 2022 test

On this page: the short answer, the ball for each launch monitor, Titleist RCT, Rapsodo RPT, stickers and patterned balls, units that read any ball, range balls or premium, foam and limited-flight balls, outdoors, which to buy, free consultation and questions.

The short answer

• A radar unit behind the ball (Garmin R10, FlightScope Mevo Gen 2, Trackman 4): Titleist RCT balls indoors, or the Mevo Gen 2's aluminum stickers.
• A Rapsodo MLM2PRO or MLM2XPRO: Rapsodo RPT balls indoors, for measured spin.
• A camera unit (Foresight, Bushnell Launch Pro, Uneekor, Garmin R50, ProTee VX, Trackman iO): no marked ball. Hit the same model of good ball every time.
• Square Golf: the Home Edition wants its patterned balls for its full data; the OMNI reads unmarked balls.

The ball for each launch monitor indoors

Launch monitor	Ball indoors	Why
Garmin Approach R10	Titleist RCT	Recommended, not required: Garmin says up to 30 times more accurate spin
FlightScope Mevo Gen 2	Aluminum stickers or Titleist RCT	FlightScope says one is required for accurate spin
Trackman 4	Titleist RCT	Validated by Titleist for indoor radar
Rapsodo MLM2PRO	Rapsodo RPT	Required to show spin rate and spin axis
Rapsodo MLM2XPRO	Rapsodo RPT	For measured spin rate and spin axis
Square Golf Home Edition	Its patterned balls	For its full spin and club data
Square Golf OMNI	Any ball	Reads unmarked balls
Garmin Approach R50	Any ball, logo toward the unit	Cameras beside the ball
Foresight and Bushnell	Any ball	Cameras beside the ball
Uneekor	Any ball	Cameras read the ball as it is
Trackman iO	Any ball	Overhead, no marked balls
ProTee VX	Any plain white ball	ProTee suggests no striped or glittery covers

From the makers' pages as GSV's launch monitor pages quote them, and Titleist's RCT page, read October 19, 2026.

Titleist RCT: for radar launch monitors

Indoors a radar unit sees too little of the flight to measure spin well from an ordinary ball. Titleist says they are "engineered for radar-based launch monitors to provide the most accurate golf ball data on these devices". Titleist validates them indoors with the Trackman 4, the Garmin Approach R10, the FlightScope X3 and the Rapsodo MLM, and says those units need current firmware for accurate spin. They come as Pro V1 RCT and Pro V1x RCT, and Titleist lists the Pro V1 RCT at $70 a dozen, now sold through retailers.

On the Garmin R10: Garmin says RCT balls give the R10 up to a 30 times more accurate reading of spin rate and up to a 50 percent increase in carry distance accuracy. In 2022 Jay tested RCT balls against a stick-on metal dot, hitting 8-irons with a Uneekor as the reference. With RCT, spin was mostly within 100 to 200 rpm of the Uneekor, 6,246 against 6,442 rpm on one shot; the metal dot had some large misses. The R10 read total spin, not spin axis, indoors. RCT balls are not required, but indoors they are the better choice. More in the Garmin R10 review, and what spin and spin axis mean in launch monitor numbers explained.

On the Mevo Gen 2: RCT balls are one of FlightScope's two ways to read spin indoors, and Jay hits RCT balls with it in the GSV studio. More in the Mevo Gen 2 review.

Titleist Pro V1 RCT on Amazon Pro V1x RCT on Amazon

Rapsodo RPT: for the MLM2PRO and MLM2XPRO

Rapsodo's units read spin from a pattern on the ball, photographed by the impact camera. Rapsodo says RPT balls give "spin measurements within 1% of the accuracy of high-priced launch monitors". With any other ball, both units still give ball speed, launch and carry, but not measured spin.

• MLM2PRO: Rapsodo says a Titleist or Callaway RPT ball is required to show spin rate and spin axis. Three come in the box. More in the MLM2PRO review.
• MLM2XPRO: "for measured spin rate and spin axis, use an RPT ball indoors", by Rapsodo. A dozen come in the box, Titleist Pro V1 or Callaway Chrome Tour. In Jay's review the RPT balls read about 9,500 rpm on a soft 54 degree wedge, with less spin on a draw than a fade. More in the MLM2XPRO review.

More RPT balls are $69.99 a dozen, sold only by Rapsodo.

RPT balls at Rapsodo Rapsodo discount code

Stickers and patterned balls

• FlightScope Mevo Gen 2: "Aluminum stickers or Titleist RCT balls required for accurate spin measurements", by FlightScope. 100 aluminum stickers come in the box, and more are $45 from FlightScope. See the Mevo Gen 2 discount code.
• Square Golf Home Edition: it uses its patterned balls and a club marker for its full spin and club data. Jay's tip from testing the Home Edition: Titleist TP5x balls gave the most consistent readings in GSV's indoor testing. The OMNI reads unmarked balls. More in Square Golf Home Edition vs OMNI and the Square Golf discount code.

Launch monitors that read any ball

Camera units photograph the ball at impact, so no marked ball is needed:

• Foresight GC2, GC3, GCQuad and QuadMAX, and the Bushnell Launch Pro: any ball. In GSV's GC2 review, ordinary balls were hit and no marked ball was needed. See the Foresight guide.
• Uneekor: every current Uneekor reads the ball as it is. Small reflective stickers on the club face give club data on the EYE XO2, EYE XO, EYE MINI and EYE MINI LITE; the EYE XR needs none. See the Uneekor guide.
• Garmin Approach R50: any golf ball, and Garmin suggests turning the logo toward the unit. One sticker on the club face gives club data. See the Garmin R50 review.
• ProTee VX: any standard white ball. ProTee suggests avoiding striped balls and glittery covers such as the Srixon Z-Star. See the ProTee VX review.
• Trackman iO: no marked balls and no club stickers. See the Trackman guide.

Range balls or premium balls

A launch monitor measures how the ball you hit leaves the club, then the software flies it. So the ball changes the numbers: a hard range ball and a soft premium ball launch and spin differently off the same swing. For numbers you can compare from one session to the next, hit one model of good ball every time, and keep it clean.

• Indoors with a camera unit: one model of premium ball. Jay found the Titleist TP5x the most consistent on the Square Golf Home Edition, and ProTee asks for plain white covers.
• Indoors with a radar unit or a Rapsodo: the marked ball the maker names, as above.
• At the range: range balls work, and the numbers are for that ball. On the SkyTrak+ in full sun in 2023, wedge carries matched where the balls landed at a 35 yd flag, even with old range balls.

Foam and limited-flight balls

The balls launch monitor makers name for indoor use are full golf balls: RCT, RPT or any regular ball. None of the makers' pages GSV read lists foam or limited-flight practice balls, and a launch monitor flies every shot as a regular ball, so numbers from them are not real distances. For chipping practice into a net they are fine; for a simulator round, use real balls into an impact screen.

Outdoors

Outdoors a radar follows far more of the flight, so the marked balls matter less. The Garmin R10 needs no RCT ball at the range, and Jay says the MLM2PRO really thrives outdoors with ordinary range balls. The Mevo Gen 2 needs no stickers outdoors either.

Which balls to buy

• Garmin R10 or Trackman 4: a dozen Titleist RCT, Pro V1 or Pro V1x.
• Mevo Gen 2: the stickers in the box, or a dozen RCT.
• MLM2PRO or MLM2XPRO: RPT balls from Rapsodo, more of them for the MLM2PRO, which comes with three.
• Square Golf Home Edition: its patterned balls.
• Any camera unit: one model of premium ball you like, kept clean.

Titleist RCT on Amazon RPT balls at Rapsodo Titleist TP5x on Amazon

Choosing the launch monitor too? See the best golf launch monitors, the best launch monitors under $1,000 and Garmin R10 vs Rapsodo MLM2PRO.

The launch monitors that use RCT and RPT balls

• Garmin Approach R105% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF.First-time buyers only, one use. Not valid on a standalone Trackman, the Square Golf launch monitor or the ProTee VX.
  See it at Shop Indoor GolfCopy GSV5OFF
• Rapsodo MLM2XPRO5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
  See it at Shop Indoor GolfCopy GSV5OFF
• Rapsodo MLM2PRO5% off at Shop Indoor Golf with code GSV5OFF, first-time buyers.
  See it at Shop Indoor GolfCopy GSV5OFF

Will it fit? See each in your room in the free GSV Sim Builder, in 3D: Garmin R10, MLM2XPRO, MLM2PRO.

Free consultation with GSV's partner builders

Still deciding on the launch monitor or the build? Jay works with official partners: master builders he hand-picked, who get on a call quickly and make sure the launch monitor, the room and the screen fit before you buy anything. They offer package deals on the whole build, DIY packages, full installation, and more. The consultation is free.

Get a free consultation

Golf balls for simulators: questions

What golf balls should you use in a golf simulator?

It depends on the launch monitor. Radar units behind the ball, such as the Garmin R10 and Trackman 4, read spin best indoors with Titleist RCT balls; the FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 wants its aluminum stickers or RCT balls; the Rapsodo MLM2PRO and MLM2XPRO want Rapsodo RPT balls. Camera units such as Foresight, Uneekor, the Garmin R50, the ProTee VX and the Trackman iO read any ball: hit one model of good ball every time.

Do you need Titleist RCT balls for the Garmin R10?

Not required, but recommended indoors. Garmin says RCT balls give the R10 up to a 30 times more accurate spin reading. In Jay's 2022 test, spin with RCT stayed mostly within 100 to 200 rpm of a Uneekor, while a stick-on metal dot had some large misses. At the range the R10 needs no RCT ball.

How much do RCT and RPT balls cost?

Titleist lists the Pro V1 RCT at $70 a dozen. Rapsodo RPT balls are $69.99 a dozen, sold only by Rapsodo. The MLM2PRO comes with three RPT balls and the MLM2XPRO with twelve.

Do you need RPT balls for the Rapsodo MLM2PRO or MLM2XPRO?

Indoors, for spin. Rapsodo says an RPT ball is required for the MLM2PRO to show spin rate and spin axis, and the MLM2XPRO needs one for measured spin. With any other ball both still give ball speed, launch and carry.

Which launch monitors work with any golf ball?

Camera units: Foresight's GC2, GC3, GCQuad and QuadMAX, the Bushnell Launch Pro, every current Uneekor, the Garmin R50, the ProTee VX, the Trackman iO and the Square Golf OMNI. ProTee suggests a plain white ball, with no stripes or glittery cover.

Can you use range balls with a launch monitor?

Yes, but the numbers are for that ball. A hard range ball and a soft premium ball launch and spin differently off the same swing, so for numbers you can compare, hit one model of good ball every time. Outdoors, radar units need no marked balls.

Can you use foam or limited-flight balls with a golf simulator?

Not for real numbers. The balls launch monitor makers name for indoor use are full golf balls, and none of the makers' pages GSV read lists foam or limited-flight balls. They are fine for chipping practice into a net.

Does the Mevo Gen 2 need special balls?

Indoors, for spin. FlightScope says aluminum stickers or Titleist RCT balls are required for accurate spin measurements. 100 stickers come in the box, and more are $45 from FlightScope. Outdoors it needs neither.

Is there free help choosing a launch monitor and the balls for it?

Yes. GSV's partner builders, master builders Jay hand-picked, offer a free consultation: they check that the launch monitor, the room and the screen fit before you buy, and offer package deals, DIY packages and full installation.