Garmin Approach R10 Portable Golf Launch Monitor

[mgoblue83]

12 hours ago, cometravi said:

Will remove it and try …

 

I was reading the Garmin forum on the same topic and apparently the distances went wonky after the latest update.. Anyone else experienced this?

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your results have nothing to do with firmware or setup.

 

This unit is VERY accurate with ball speed and your ball speed of 92mph simply cannot carry farther than 110-120 yards.

 

Here are the two most likely things that are actually happening. It could be a combination of both.

1.) You don't swing as fast or hit the ball as far as you think and the 150 yard 9i number is aided by firm ground and lots of roll.

2.) You swing differently/slower indoors.

 

To test this you need to see how the results are outdoors AND see how the results compare to a higher quality launch monitor indoors.

 

Good luck!

 

[blues72]

On 8/23/2021 at 9:44 AM, Murdock said:

 

I remember the Mevo needed to be set on top of it's box or a carrying case in order to get the best numbers (or to not miss shots).  This unit could be similar? 

 I have a PRGR and it is the same issue.  In order to get the best readings, I place the unit on top of the box.  It only has to be relatively close on alignment, but height is a significant factor.

[Murdock]

I had a chance to hit some chip shots, as well as around 20 7iron shots outdoors, and I was super impressed at the unit compared to my old Mevo.  Can't comment on the accuracy of the precision numbers, such as face path, AOA or spin because I don't have a high end unit to check against.  But carry numbers and overall shape were spot on for all shots. 

 

I didn't have anyone else on the range though, which seemed to be an issue with Mevo (got confused with other people's balls if struck around same time...or so it seemed).  Also the R10 was WAY quicker in reading the shot/data and initializing the next shot, compared to the Mevo.  I had a Gen1 Mevo that may have been wonky anyway, so take that for what it's worth

 

Everyone who has issues seems to be using it as an indoor unit.  I could see a variety of things that would interfere with the radar readings in an indoor environment.  As others have said, go outside and double check things, if it checks out for you, then its simply a matter of process of elimination for potential issues with your indoor setup 

Edited August 25, 2021 by Murdock

[jeg208]

On 8/20/2021 at 5:59 PM, jeg208 said:

 

After some further testing, this doesn't appear to be the issue.  The issue appears to be the launch angle issue others are seeing.  To be fair though, I've only tried it in deep grass below the mat height (not okay according to manual) and on the box on the grass (lol).  I should have some time to set this up in a permanent location this weekend, so withholding judgement until then.

 

Not sure about the club speed either, seems 5+mph low, which results in inflated smash numbers.

 

More testing tonight and I am super happy.  Setup is a Rukket net 9 feet away from mat, chain link fence at 10 feet away.  Set up Garmin about 6 feet behind a fiberbuilt flight deck.

 

R10 is updated to firmware 3.30

 

130-135 yard PW shots, baby draw as I generally hit.  Ball speed looks good (100+mph), launch angle looks good (28-30* as I am just a tad flippy still, trying to get this down to 25-26ish), and height looks bang on as well (100-105ft, again want to bring this down a hair with my delivery).  I don't know my spin numbers enough to know how well that is doing, as it just really isn't ever a thing I worry about as long as I am striking the ball well.  The clubhead speed is WAAAAAY off though as I believed earlier, which makes smash factor silly.  Got a couple 1.40 smash factors on those really pure shots, but was averaging in the 1.35 range.  Again, this is with a PW lol (45* jpx 921 forged).

 

All in all, completely blown away for $600.

Edited August 25, 2021 by jeg208

[wolfyand1]

27 minutes ago, jeg208 said:

 

More testing tonight and I am super happy.  Setup is a Rukket net 9 feet away from mat, chain link fence at 10 feet away.  Set up Garmin about 6 feet behind a fiberbuilt flight deck.

 

R10 is updated to firmware 3.30

 

130-135 yard PW shots, baby draw as I generally hit.  Ball speed looks good (100+mph), launch angle looks good (28-30* as I am just a tad flippy still, trying to get this down to 25-26ish), and height looks bang on as well (100-105ft, again want to bring this down a hair with my delivery).  I don't know my spin numbers enough to know how well that is doing, as it just really isn't ever a thing I worry about as long as I am striking the ball well.  The clubhead speed is WAAAAAY off though as I believed earlier, which makes smash factor silly.  Got a couple 1.40 smash factors on those really pure shots, but was averaging in the 1.35 range.  Again, this is with a PW lol (45* jpx 921 forged).

 

All in all, completely blown away for $600.

 

really promising that sounds pretty awsome. I am seriously considering it.

[dpvu]

1 hour ago, jeg208 said:

 

More testing tonight and I am super happy.  Setup is a Rukket net 9 feet away from mat, chain link fence at 10 feet away.  Set up Garmin about 6 feet behind a fiberbuilt flight deck.

 

R10 is updated to firmware 3.30

 

130-135 yard PW shots, baby draw as I generally hit.  Ball speed looks good (100+mph), launch angle looks good (28-30* as I am just a tad flippy still, trying to get this down to 25-26ish), and height looks bang on as well (100-105ft, again want to bring this down a hair with my delivery).  I don't know my spin numbers enough to know how well that is doing, as it just really isn't ever a thing I worry about as long as I am striking the ball well.  The clubhead speed is WAAAAAY off though as I believed earlier, which makes smash factor silly.  Got a couple 1.40 smash factors on those really pure shots, but was averaging in the 1.35 range.  Again, this is with a PW lol (45* jpx 921 forged).

 

All in all, completely blown away for $600.

 

I have had issues with club speed as well. Some are dead on and other times you get weird club speeds resulting in impossible smash factors. It's a bit odd because the G80 was so good with club speed so this is a bit of a regression there but maybe because it's behind and father from the club. In any case, ball speed is the truly important thing and that is bang on as you've seen.

[Junior1988]

1 hour ago, jeg208 said:

 

More testing tonight and I am super happy.  Setup is a Rukket net 9 feet away from mat, chain link fence at 10 feet away.  Set up Garmin about 6 feet behind a fiberbuilt flight deck.

 

R10 is updated to firmware 3.30

 

130-135 yard PW shots, baby draw as I generally hit.  Ball speed looks good (100+mph), launch angle looks good (28-30* as I am just a tad flippy still, trying to get this down to 25-26ish), and height looks bang on as well (100-105ft, again want to bring this down a hair with my delivery).  I don't know my spin numbers enough to know how well that is doing, as it just really isn't ever a thing I worry about as long as I am striking the ball well.  The clubhead speed is WAAAAAY off though as I believed earlier, which makes smash factor silly.  Got a couple 1.40 smash factors on those really pure shots, but was averaging in the 1.35 range.  Again, this is with a PW lol (45* jpx 921 forged).

 

All in all, completely blown away for $600.

Tested indoors first time tonight. Comparable to the range numbers I was seeing. 

 

Firmware 3.30

 

11 feet from screen. 6 feet to unit. Unit was on cement floor behind rawhide mat. I lined up with a tape measure.

 

Accuracy and distance were pretty much spot on. Shot shape seemed to be correct as well. No major misreads, bad shots were reflected as were good shots. Can't speak to spin as I have nothing to compare numbers to. Dispersion did seem a tad tighter with E6 over the Garmin app.

 

I'm not looking for perfect data, but it's way more than I could have expected for $600. Great device to to get some feedback hitting balls and have fun with family/friends. 

 

Also, didn't have any issues with the four 8' flourescent lights above the unit. 

[Dan13]

So based on the feedback received so far it would seem the R10 is one of the best PLM's in the $500 - 600 price point.  Equivalent or better than Mevo, Rapsodo, SC300i, etc... with all the same data including a very accurate horizontal launch angle. Spin isn't great but it's not great on the other PLMs either.

 

The simulation software is a fun bonus but with the inaccuracies with AoA, face,  spin axis and path reported so far it cannot be taken that seriously compared to Mevo Plus or Skytrak. 

[jeg208]

4 hours ago, Dan13 said:

So based on the feedback received so far it would seem the R10 is one of the best PLM's in the $500 - 600 price point.  Equivalent or better than Mevo, Rapsodo, SC300i, etc... with all the same data including a very accurate horizontal launch angle. Spin isn't great but it's not great on the other PLMs either.

 

The simulation software is a fun bonus but with the inaccuracies with AoA, face,  spin axis and path reported so far it cannot be taken that seriously compared to Mevo Plus or Skytrak. 

 

 

Yup that's my take.  If you wanted to save a few bucks and only wanted what the SC300i had to offer, I think that is probably still a fine choice.  I wouldn't use the R10 for fittings or paid lessons, but it seems to be a great value for dipping your toe into launch monitors or home sims.

[mmcelroy]

As someone who upgraded to the R10 from the Rapsodo MLM and isn't obsessed with the accuracy of the data (I'm not a great golfer) I can say this thing is awesome!

 

No data here and so take this with a grain of salt but my qualitative opinion is that it is much more accurate indoors than the Rapsodo.  Further it actually shows you your shot shape and not just final landing point which makes it much more useful.  I've probably hit 200 balls with the Garmin and it missed tracking maybe 2.  I would suspect with the same volume of shots on the Rapsodo it would miss 10.

 

I spent maybe $1200 total (cheap projector, bought an "imperfect" impact screen, built a hitting mat, etc) and now have a poor mans simulator in my basement.

 

I only have a couple gripes coming from the Rapsodo:

• If you waggle the club or bring the club to 1/4 position as part of your preshot routine it starts to "monitor" and so you have to wait a second for it to reset
• Connecting this to my phone has just been a little buggier than the Rapsodo.  Basically turning it on, the lights/colors and the whole bit just isn't as smooth and fool-proof.  It's not hard but it is something I have to get used to.
• For me I can't wait until they make Home Tee Hero Landscape mode... E6 is totally free so I'll wait to pay for HTH once it works in landscape mode.  The E6 driving range and 5 courses is absolutely awesome.

[rlefig]

Has anybody heard from PlayBetter recently, I ordered my on 7/14 and it has been dead quiet from them as of late

[Oh Hi Carl]

24 minutes ago, mmcelroy said:

As someone who upgraded to the R10 from the Rapsodo MLM and isn't obsessed with the accuracy of the data (I'm not a great golfer) I can say this thing is awesome!

 

No data here and so take this with a grain of salt but my qualitative opinion is that it is much more accurate indoors than the Rapsodo.  Further it actually shows you your shot shape and not just final landing point which makes it much more useful.  I've probably hit 200 balls with the Garmin and it missed tracking maybe 2.  I would suspect with the same volume of shots on the Rapsodo it would miss 10.

 

I spent maybe $1200 total (cheap projector, bought an "imperfect" impact screen, built a hitting mat, etc) and now have a poor mans simulator in my basement.

 

I only have a couple gripes coming from the Rapsodo:

• If you waggle the club or bring the club to 1/4 position as part of your preshot routine it starts to "monitor" and so you have to wait a second for it to reset
• Connecting this to my phone has just been a little buggier than the Rapsodo.  Basically turning it on, the lights/colors and the whole bit just isn't as smooth and fool-proof.  It's not hard but it is something I have to get used to.
• For me I can't wait until they make Home Tee Hero Landscape mode... E6 is totally free so I'll wait to pay for HTH once it works in landscape mode.  The E6 driving range and 5 courses is absolutely awesome.

Excellent feedback.  Thank you!  

[Red4282]

2 hours ago, rlefig said:

Has anybody heard from PlayBetter recently, I ordered my on 7/14 and it has been dead quiet from them as of late

I ordered from them on 7/13 and havent hesrd anything. But their site said mid to late september on shipping date when i made purchase. 

[Kirios]

I've used this for half a dozen range sessions and a few times indoors now that my more...permanent garage setup is complete.  I'm still tremendously impressed by this thing for 600 dollars - even had someone that brought their Mevo + to the range and we compared our numbers.  They were extremely similar - honestly I see this thing more of a 600 dollar Mevo + than anything else.

 

Regardless, it's easily the new market setter in the sub 1000 dollar range, and punches well above its weight class even, comparing favorably to things like Skytrak and Mevo +.  It's going to definitely corner that market too...very difficult to justify those purchases when the R10's right there.  You're gonna need to go to something like the upcoming Bushnell device or a GC2 to really get that next step up.  Ultimately, it's a wonderful thing for us golfers to see devices like this comes out - it allows the simulator market to be even more affordable by establishing a new entry level point (Sub 1000 dollars to get a legit setup off the ground!).  It's going to bring a ton of more people into the field which encourages more R&D and better prices from manufacturers while they try to get their own piece of a growing pie.  

[Cardi]

I'm going to make a base plate out of 13mm wood and fix the attached to it which should sort all the alignment/levelling problems out. all available cheap on Amazon. Just waiting for a delivery date from Hotgolf in the UK, ordered 18th July but no expected date yet.

[ADAbsolutNDN]

Used mine for about a week now, pretty content so far. Set it up in the basement hitting into a net. Anyone have an idea on how important lighting is with this type of device? Would overhead lighting help - like directly above the unit versus directly above the ball?

[Spells]

5 hours ago, rlefig said:

Has anybody heard from PlayBetter recently, I ordered my on 7/14 and it has been dead quiet from them as of late

I ordered from Maple Hill Golf on 8/13 and had a unit in hand 6 days later. You may be better ordering from a large regional player than the one place everybody is ordering from.

[RainingBogeys]

4 hours ago, Red4282 said:

I ordered from them on 7/13 and havent hesrd anything. But their site said mid to late september on shipping date when i made purchase. 

I ordered 7/16 from Rain or Shine and was #115 as of last Friday.

They've received 50 total units. I bet the smaller online companies are getting the same amounts.

 

Edited August 25, 2021 by RainingBogeys

[Oh Hi Carl]

According to Garmin's website, if you order from them today you get to wait 5-8 weeks.  

[psu517]

Hi All - got my unit Monday and initial thoughts are below.  
 

- unit seems accurate enough on carry distance and shot shape.  It took me a bit to align properly, but I got it to a point that seemed consistent and drew little lines around the tripod so it is easier to realign going forward.  Has worked well since then 
 

- carry yardages seem long for me.  It may be because I play most of my golf at sea level, which doesn’t carry as much, but am hitting 7I consistently 175-180 and usually hit it 165-170.  Carry yardages seem longer on e6 connect.  They do seem very consistent. 
 

- The only other PLM I’ve used is the Mevo, so have no idea what spin numbers should be,  but club path seems accurate enough for me.  When I try focusing on not dropping the club inside on the downswing, it reflects that.  Very beneficial for me.
 

- I use it in my garage with 8.5’ ceilings, so max I can swing is 7I.  That being said, I love the home tee hero more than I thought I would.  Have played Augusta National short course a few times and it is really fun.  
 

- For the price, definitely happy I got it.  Will use it almost exclusively indoors, as I do think it would get frustrating to align outside, but I am impressed early on.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2021 by psu517

[psu517]

4 hours ago, ADAbsolutNDN said:

Used mine for about a week now, pretty content so far. Set it up in the basement hitting into a net. Anyone have an idea on how important lighting is with this type of device? Would overhead lighting help - like directly above the unit versus directly above the ball?

As a radar-based system, I don’t think lighting matters much. 

[ADAbsolutNDN]

1 hour ago, psu517 said:

As a radar-based system, I don’t think lighting matters much. 

That's useful. Thx

[Nevek]

10 hours ago, psu517 said:

As a radar-based system, I don’t think lighting matters much. 

 

That is not completely true, fluorescent lighting is know to interfere with the radar based LMs.

[cometravi]

On 8/24/2021 at 8:28 PM, mgoblue83 said:

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your results have nothing to do with firmware or setup.

 

This unit is VERY accurate with ball speed and your ball speed of 92mph simply cannot carry farther than 110-120 yards.

 

Here are the two most likely things that are actually happening. It could be a combination of both.

1.) You don't swing as fast or hit the ball as far as you think and the 150 yard 9i number is aided by firm ground and lots of roll.

2.) You swing differently/slower indoors.

 

To test this you need to see how the results are outdoors AND see how the results compare to a higher quality launch monitor indoors.

 

Good luck!

 

I will try but I played a round on the course and the carry distances on my irons were same. 9i was 145-150 yards . I use that club the most for my approach shots hence know it intimately. R10 still gives the same 110 yds. Have done 100’s of shots !  I have another sim so have a reference point for the ball speed as well. People are having different experiences as per this thread. Garmin has opened a top priority ticket to check the carry distances  based on feedback they got. Let’s see what they come up with. Hope I didnt get a a lemon!!

 

maybe your swing type affects what it reads ??

Edited August 26, 2021 by cometravi

[willbones]

1 hour ago, cometravi said:

I will try but I played a round on the course and the carry distances on my irons were same. 9i was 145-150 yards . I use that club the most for my approach shots hence know it intimately. R10 still gives the same 110 yds. Have done 100’s of shots !  I have another sim so have a reference point for the ball speed as well. People are having different experiences as per this thread. Garmin has opened a top priority ticket to check the carry distances  based on feedback they got. Let’s see what they come up with. Hope I didnt get a a lemon!!

 

maybe your swing type affects what it reads ??

Hmmmm, isn't ball speed one of its 'measured' parameters.....  if its getting that wrong, it would seem the unit isn't measuring correctly. 

[Simpsonia]

Something isn't adding up here. Are you saying that ball speed measured by the R10 is too low or that it is accurate based on your other sim? Either way, as @mgoblue83 said, a ball with 92mph ball speed isn't going to carry 145yards. Even if you blade it and hit a super low spin knuckle-ball, it's not going to carry 145 yards with 92mph. You can double-check the numbers on Flightscope's trajectory optimizer https://flightscope.com/products/trajectory-optimizer/. 

 

Just as a test, I plugged in a Denver-like 5k ft altitude, with a 4k RPM backspin knuckleball at 92mph, you'd still only get ~130y carry. At standard 9-iron backspins you're much closer to ~120y carry with that ball speed. And if you don't live in Denver, it's closer to ~112-114y carry which is pretty close to what you're seeing on the R10. 

 

So either you hit it harder/faster outside on the golf course (in which case we're back to indoor swing syndrome), or you don't carry it as far as you think you do. Because unless you're on the moon, physics does not allow a 92mph ball to carry 145-150y. 

 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2021 by Simpsonia

[Red4282]

1 hour ago, cometravi said:

I will try but I played a round on the course and the carry distances on my irons were same. 9i was 145-150 yards . I use that club the most for my approach shots hence know it intimately. R10 still gives the same 110 yds. Have done 100’s of shots !  I have another sim so have a reference point for the ball speed as well. People are having different experiences as per this thread. Garmin has opened a top priority ticket to check the carry distances  based on feedback they got. Let’s see what they come up with. Hope I didnt get a a lemon!!

 

maybe your swing type affects what it reads ??

What are your ball speeds with other launch monitors? 

[Murdock]

1 hour ago, cometravi said:

I will try but I played a round on the course and the carry distances on my irons were same. 9i was 145-150 yards . I use that club the most for my approach shots hence know it intimately. R10 still gives the same 110 yds. Have done 100’s of shots !  I have another sim so have a reference point for the ball speed as well. People are having different experiences as per this thread. Garmin has opened a top priority ticket to check the carry distances  based on feedback they got. Let’s see what they come up with. Hope I didnt get a a lemon!!

 

maybe your swing type affects what it reads ??

 

An easy way to see if it's something impacting your indoor setup or if your unit is buggy, is to take it with you to your local course next time you play.  Easy enough to setup/initialize and I don't think you need to meticulously align it for what you're doing.  Find the distance you're looking to test and measure on R10 and you'll obviously be able to compare the R10 to your actual real-life ball distance as well.

 

Better yet, go for a Twilight round and play 9 and just exclusively test the unit.  

 

I personally used this approach when trying to calibrate a Mevo.  Pretty labor intensive but better to get real world feedback than to guess.

[Dwchung6]

it looks like the garmin forum has this long thread regarding how the distance is way off when hitting the ball into a net, regardless of whether you are inside or outside. The difference people report in carry distance almost makes it sound like R10 is not compatible with a hitting net at this point. Is this what everyone is experiencing?

[Oh Hi Carl]

17 minutes ago, Dwchung6 said:

it looks like the garmin forum has this long thread regarding how the distance is way off when hitting the ball into a net, regardless of whether you are inside or outside. The difference people report in carry distance almost makes it sound like R10 is not compatible with a hitting net at this point. Is this what everyone is experiencing?

That sucks because that's the main way I intend to use it -- with an outdoor net.  I've often wondered when people say it is quirky indoors whether that would also mean that it is quirky outdoors into a net.