About this episode
Guest: Coleman RollinsInstagram: @colemangolfsIn this episode of Linked By Golf, Ross chats with Coleman Rollins, a software engineer and golfer documenting his journey building a DIY open-source golf launch monitor from scratch.Coleman shares how curiosity about expensive commercial launch monitors turned into a hands-on engineering project combining radar technology, Raspberry Pi computing, and open-source software — all documented publicly on Instagram so others can learn alongside him.The conversation covers everything from caddying in Minnesota to testing radar data in a garage in Seattle, plus what it takes to turn raw motion data into meaningful golf metrics like clubhead speed, ball speed, launch angle, and spin.At its core, the project is about making golf technology more accessible and showing that innovation in golf doesn’t always have to come from big companies.Coleman’s tagline says it best:“I built a launch monitor at home so you can too.”Growing up in Minnesota golf cultureMoving from curiosity to building a launch monitorRadar vs camera launch monitor technologyUsing a Raspberry Pi as the “brain” of the systemTrial-and-error testing at the driving rangeBuilding a custom enclosure for the deviceMaking the project open sourceThe role of community learning in golf technologyWhat comes next: simulator integration and data analysis toolsPuetz GolfGerry Gubash — Radar engineering guidancePeter Michels — Enclosure design and fabricationOpenFlight GitHub RepositoryOpen-source project:https://github.com/jewbetcha/openflightFollow Coleman’s build journey:Instagram — @colemangolfsFollow the podcast:@linkedbygolf2024In this episodePeople and projects supporting Coleman’s journeyLinks
