Garmin Approach R10 Portable Golf Launch Monitor

[Red4282]

I ordered in august, got in december. Seems like a couple of months is the norm, until supply issues get resolved

[jjschafe]

13 hours ago, lekimann said:

how would it know?

It needs to see at least 20m of ball flight and 90mph of ball speed to measure spin directly.  So it doesn't technically NEED to be outside, it just needs those parameters to be met.

[Red4282]

13 hours ago, lekimann said:

how would it know?

Im guessing it needs a certain amount of ball flight. If it tracks the ball for lets say 20 feet, its measurement will be reported. Less than, it may measure but be less accurate. Im not sure. Just the messenger lol

[PoeKingShankspeare]

UPDATE: First unit I got didn't track. Called Garmin, returned the unit, and received the replacement in less than 3 weeks. (expected delivery was 01/28/2022 but it arrived about two weeks ago. Original order was Sept 16. 2021 and received the unit on Dec. 8th. I then returned the unit the following week - the week of Christmas. I got the replacement on Jan 12.)

 

- I put several rounds and range sessions on the unit and it works perfectly, and doesn't go to sleep quick - I don't know if that's good for battery life. 

 

- I compared the unit to my SC300 and numbers are pretty close most of the time. The smash, swing speed, and ball speed are very close. The swing speed was spot on. The distances are off. Carry can be +/- 6 yards on average and the SC300 gives me longer total distances every time.  But, I only compared it with my driver and with less than 30 swings.

 

- The LANDSCAPE mode is perfect on the TV now with the new update.

 

- question..... how far off is the spin rate on your GAR10 with the driver?  I normally have 2400-2800 with my driver (last I checked), but I'm getting over 3K spin constantly. 

Edited January 28, 2022 by PoeKingShankspeare

[Red4282]

1 hour ago, PoeKingShankspeare said:

UPDATE: First unit I got didn't track. Called Garmin, returned the unit, and received the replacement in less than 3 weeks. (expected delivery was 01/28/2022 but it arrived about two weeks ago. Original order was Sept 16. 2021 and received the unit on Dec. 8th. I then returned the unit the following week - the week of Christmas. I got the replacement on Jan 12.)

 

- I put several rounds and range sessions on the unit and it works perfectly, and doesn't go to sleep quick - I don't know if that's good for battery life. 

 

- I compared the unit to my SC300 and numbers are pretty close most of the time. The smash, swing speed, and ball speed are very close. The swing speed was spot on. The distances are off. Carry can be +/- 6 yards on average and the SC300 gives me longer total distances every time.  But, I only compared it with my driver and with less than 30 swings.

 

- The LANDSCAPE mode is perfect on the TV now with the new update.

 

- question..... how far off is the spin rate on your GAR10 with the driver?  I normally have 2400-2800 with my driver (last I checked), but I'm getting over 3K spin constantly. 

You may need to do a firmware update to get better spinrates. Interesting tidbit on the swingspeed. I have been speed training with it and been hitting personal bests of 120-122 but thought maybe it was inflated. As far as the distances go, in e6, you can set altitude. Im at 1300 ft, and set it on 1500 and it seemed close enough.

Edited January 28, 2022 by Red4282

[Vater]

Made a serious effort to read through this, but I'm pretty sure I'm asking a question that's been asked in here at least once...

 

I'm hitting into an open mesh net in the middle of my basement with a bunch of junk behind it - toys, tools, furniture... Anyone successfully using this device in a similar environment?

 

I'm not trying to post a pic of my basement, so here's an example of what I'm talking about. Open net, mine doesn't even have that little bit of a target in the middle, just mesh. And it's about in the middle of the room, not up against the end wall. And therefore it has a bunch of stuff behind the net.

[this_is_golf]

I received the Crutchfield email saying it’s not shipping until May...ugh. I really want the R10 because of the sim capability but I also want a PLM to practice before late spring. Not sure what to do. 

[Brian_Mc]

Wow! I got this email yesterday from Play Better… I hope their dates are real!

[nbar]

R10 works with GSPro it's great. Also announced R10 works on TGC 2019. I really like GSPro in my opinion it's as good or better than TCG 2019.   

[Murdock]

I didn't see this posted in here, but I also didn't go back past beginning of 2022, nor did I find a keyword search

 

As of a few weeks ago, Garmin is now offering the green contours with several of their models, if you pay for the membership.  Here is where I read it:

 

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220125005228/en/See-the-greens-like-never-before-with-the-introduction-of-Green-Contour-data-to-the-Garmin-Golf-app-and-compatible-devices

 

What caught my eye, was in the article they mention:  "In addition, Garmin Golf members that purchase an Approach R10 will receive the entertaining Home Tee Hero golf simulator for free and Green Contour data at no extra cost."

 

Has anyone heard of this?  I really had no use for the Garmin subscription, as I don't have a simulator setup (and live steps away from the driving range, so sold my old mat/net setup), and $100 a year to have the contours seems a bit pricy, especially for someone who only logs 20-30 rounds per year.  But, I did find it interesting that they are offering the contours for the Z82 rangefinder (which I also have), along with the R10, S60, S62 and G80.

 

I've got a forum question posted on the Garmin site, so we'll see what they say.  The more I read it, the more I think it may be referring to if you have a subscription that has HTH, the HTH courses will have the contour data added for free.  But then the sentence also says "will receive the entertaining Home Town Hero for free".    

Edited February 15, 2022 by Murdock

[Skhacker]

Ended up selling mine. Just couldn’t get close to the quality of the Skytrak (not that I really expected it). Was a nice unit to take to the range, but just didn’t find myself using it much anymore as the data wasn’t as reliable. 

[Wolfhammer]

On 2/11/2022 at 10:28 PM, Brian_Mc said:

Wow! I got this email yesterday from Play Better… I hope their dates are real!

 

Have you heard anything else from Play Better?

[Brian_Mc]

Nothing other than a “no new info” email.

[amace04]

I got an email from Amazon last week with an update on my order. (ordered early nov)

 

The update is that they have no shipping date (which was already the case)

Edited February 20, 2022 by amace04

[Brian_Mc]

Got this update this morning…

 

[Kenbone]

I just ended up just buying a Rapsodo. I am 56 years old and as impatient as I was at 10 😜

 

Seriously though I don't have the time or inclination to wait around like a rube until Garmin gets their supply chain issues sorted out. 

[Bigjim1022]

23 hours ago, Kenbone said:

I just ended up just buying a Rapsodo. I am 56 years old and as impatient as I was at 10 😜

 

Seriously though I don't have the time or inclination to wait around like a rube until Garmin gets their supply chain issues sorted out. 

Agreed, my wife ordered me one for Christmas...she placed the order in October.  With no real ETA we cancelled the order in January and ordered a Mevo-which I had in 3 days.   I get supply chain issues so I'm not mad at Garmin and I'm not pitching a fit....

 

I really wanted the Garmin but at this point, the Mevo will hold me over until Garmin figures out their issues.  Maybe I'll consider one later but honestly, the Mevo gives me enough info to stay somewhat in tune over the winter.  

 

[Cliffy2020]

On 2/10/2022 at 8:04 PM, Vater said:

Made a serious effort to read through this, but I'm pretty sure I'm asking a question that's been asked in here at least once...

 

I'm hitting into an open mesh net in the middle of my basement with a bunch of junk behind it - toys, tools, furniture... Anyone successfully using this device in a similar environment?

 

I'm not trying to post a pic of my basement, so here's an example of what I'm talking about. Open net, mine doesn't even have that little bit of a target in the middle, just mesh. And it's about in the middle of the room, not up against the end wall. And therefore it has a bunch of stuff behind the net.

Yes - ish

 

[rowersk]

now that we have the option to link tgc 2019 i was about to decide whether to use r10 for sim play as well. by now i only used it on net practicing outside and got mixed results comparing to my skytrak mostly due to spin reads/calculations. honestly i like using r10 more than ST as it is much more compact and better integrated with data reporting in apps and provides easier to use sim play options (ST locks you into buying its own sim licences of 3rd party apps). 

 

however, after spending whole winter with net practice i took r10 to the driving range and was expecting to get more reliable data due to longer ball flight time for the radar to capture and calculate data. i was wrong as the r10 results differed more from reality than ever before… the flight paths were mostly incorrectly projected as the sidespin miscalculations on my “power fades” eg. resulted in direct shots to the left and thus the distance was off, too (see enclosed). now that i saw the real shots i produced im doubtful about r10s ability to report representative data.

 

can r10 be trusted for real sim play on top sim software like tgc?

[Simpsonia]

Have you updated the firmware on your R10? The latest updates allows the R10 to actually measure (rather than calculate) ball flight and spin when given enough ball-flight distance, such as at the range. If the R10 was giving results that were completely inconsistent or at odds with observed ball-flight at the range, I'd say that there's something else wrong here like an old firmware version or incorrect setup/alignment. 

[rowersk]

thank you simpsonia, always latest firmware, 3.90 at the moment, alignement vertical/horizontal and distance always checked. the major issue is with kinda “shaped” shots with some side spin. when hitting straight resp. without sidespin, the shot projection seems much better. the pic should show fade that landed straight…

[amace04]

5 hours ago, rowersk said:

now that we have the option to link tgc 2019 i was about to decide whether to use r10 for sim play as well. by now i only used it on net practicing outside and got mixed results comparing to my skytrak mostly due to spin reads/calculations. honestly i like using r10 more than ST as it is much more compact and better integrated with data reporting in apps and provides easier to use sim play options (ST locks you into buying its own sim licences of 3rd party apps). 

 

however, after spending whole winter with net practice i took r10 to the driving range and was expecting to get more reliable data due to longer ball flight time for the radar to capture and calculate data. i was wrong as the r10 results differed more from reality than ever before… the flight paths were mostly incorrectly projected as the sidespin miscalculations on my “power fades” eg. resulted in direct shots to the left and thus the distance was off, too (see enclosed). now that i saw the real shots i produced im doubtful about r10s ability to report representative data.

 

can r10 be trusted for real sim play on top sim software like tgc?

 

Do you have a way to ensure the R10 is level?

Since you've got it on a patio, any properly installed patio will slope off so rainwater doesn't pool.  It looks like the patio is sloping to the right, which would mean the R10 is out of level.  If it's tilted right, a straight shot will register as a pull, as you're seeing in the screenshot above.

 

 

Also, it looks like the R10 may be slightly lower than your hitting turf.  It needs to be higher if anything.  Try prop it up a few more inches, and ensure that's actually level.

[rowersk]

sorry for misleading pic, its for illustration only to share the setup with my friends - not using r10 in that photo. i really do care to have the unit aligned and leveled properly everytime i go practice so i can provide relevant data when asking questions eventually.

[dodint]

The outdoor self-serve driving range opens tomorrow, and the R10 appears to be 2+ months away from being available, still. I think I'm just going to buy an SC300i and either sell it off when the R10 comes around, or if I end up really liking it just sticking with that. 

[Simpsonia]

5 hours ago, rowersk said:

thank you simpsonia, always latest firmware, 3.90 at the moment, alignement vertical/horizontal and distance always checked. the major issue is with kinda “shaped” shots with some side spin. when hitting straight resp. without sidespin, the shot projection seems much better. the pic should show fade that landed straight…

 

Given the extreme left start on that picture, I'm guessing that the ball exited the R10's radar window before it was able to fully measure spin, so it defaulted back to calculated spin. Since you did mention a "power fade" I'm guessing there was an exaggerated curvature to the observed ball flight. My only hypothesis left is that the R10 is probably just going to always struggle with calculating ball data for such strongly shaped shots given the departure from the path vs HLaunch angle (tough for it to tell a strong pull from a strong power fade just through calculations alone). 

[DontPanic42]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:49 PM, James1984 said:

Do you mind me asking what store? I'm in Parry Sound, On. I've been trawling the internet for one and have one on back order with second swing in the US

It was at riverside golf in Vancouver.

[rowersk]

8 hours ago, Simpsonia said:

 

Given the extreme left start on that picture, I'm guessing that the ball exited the R10's radar window before it was able to fully measure spin, so it defaulted back to calculated spin. Since you did mention a "power fade" I'm guessing there was an exaggerated curvature to the observed ball flight. My only hypothesis left is that the R10 is probably just going to always struggle with calculating ball data for such strongly shaped shots given the departure from the path vs HLaunch angle (tough for it to tell a strong pull from a strong power fade just through calculations alone). 

this. this is what i think is going on. anyway the fact as of 3.9 the unit measures spins when at range gives me hope it gets even better with future updates. for such a small compact unit for few hundreds its an amazing performance. thanks for your insights, simpsonia 👍

[hammersia]

11 hours ago, Simpsonia said:

 

Given the extreme left start on that picture, I'm guessing that the ball exited the R10's radar window before it was able to fully measure spin, so it defaulted back to calculated spin. Since you did mention a "power fade" I'm guessing there was an exaggerated curvature to the observed ball flight. My only hypothesis left is that the R10 is probably just going to always struggle with calculating ball data for such strongly shaped shots given the departure from the path vs HLaunch angle (tough for it to tell a strong pull from a strong power fade just through calculations alone). 

Clever answer that 

[nbar]

I have the R10 with GSPro and love it. I only use it indoors and find it pretty accurate. My only problem is with my space I can't  hit anything longer than a 7 wood. So I just move up to the forward tees and play. Really enjoy playing Pebble, Augusta, St Andrews, ect. New courses coming out almost daily. To me it's better than TGC 2019 which I have on my xbox. Better graphics and options. Really cool you can play any of the courses as a par 3.

[Tdougs]

What's everyones go to software with the R10?