Garmin Approach R10 Portable Golf Launch Monitor

[kiwihacker]

23 hours ago, kjhawkm said:

I bought a dozen ProV1x RCT balls today and had my first range session with them today.  In the past I have been consistently shorter distance numbers to the point where it wasn't that fun to play a virtual round because everything seemed to be 1 to 2 clubs short.  I experimented with adjusting the elevation to 4000ft which seemed to help get numbers closer to what I see on course.   This afternoon I adjusted the elevation back down to 500ft which is close to what my actual elevation is in Dallas.  The RCT balls were much more accurate on carry and total distance.   I was so enthused that this will make we want to use the Garmin R10 a lot more going forward.   

That's great news. I've been considering getting the RCT balls but I'm really not that concerned about spin numbers so wasn't sure it was worth it given how pricey they are. As long as I'm getting good distance numbers I'm pretty happy. Having said that I mainly use Awesome Golf and occasionally E6 for the Virtual golf. Whenever I try the Garmin HTH the distances are so awful I usually give up in frustration. 

[kiwihacker]

Just a question for those using RCT balls. How many decent range sessions do you get out of one ball? 

[JackGatling]

1 minute ago, kiwihacker said:

That's great news. I've been considering getting the RCT balls but I'm really not that concerned about spin numbers so wasn't sure it was worth it given how pricey they are. As long as I'm getting good distance numbers I'm pretty happy. Having said that I mainly use Awesome Golf and occasionally E6 for the Virtual golf. Whenever I try the Garmin HTH the distances are so awful I usually give up in frustration. 

If I’m not mistaken, spin numbers have a decent impact on distance, especially with the longer clubs

[Carolina Golfer 2]

On 2/27/2023 at 8:20 PM, kiwihacker said:

Just a question for those using RCT balls. How many decent range sessions do you get out of one ball? 

Tough to say per ball.  As I took the first two sleeves down and have easily 400 or more shots with those first 6 balls just rotating through and only one of them shows any wear.  And that's probably due more to my set up having some concrete in front of the net where balls may bounce back onto from some of the higher speed shots. 
 

Getting some more mats for the area. 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Carolina Golfer 2

[kiwihacker]

Sounds like they're worth it then. Pro V1 balls are really expensive in NZ and the RCT balls are $115 NZD per dozen. They sell sleeves of 3 for $32 so I was considering getting those to start with to see if they made a noticeable difference to my R10 experience. I'm enjoying the device with cheap Callaway balls I get for $25 a dozen so the RCT needs to be a significant step up to make that sort of outlay worthwhile. At least in the net I don't have to worry about losing a $10 ball which is my main worry when I play a premium ball in the real world! 🤣

[kiwihacker]

4 hours ago, Carolina Golfer 2 said:

Tough to say per ball.  As I took the first two sleeves down and have easily 400 or more shots with those first 6 balls just rotating through and only one of them shows any wear.  And that's probably due more to my set up having some concrete in front of the net where balls may bounce back onto from some of the higher speed shots. 
 

Getting some more mats for the area. 

 

With that net can you hit full sand/lob wedge shots? I'm using a net at the club that has a rectangular cage with a net above me and I sometimes hit the overhead net. If I had a net like that at home I'd be scared of sending a ball over the net into the neighbor's house! Lol 

 

Great setup BTW. 👍

[tezzlacoil]

2 hours ago, kiwihacker said:

With that net can you hit full sand/lob wedge shots? I'm using a net at the club that has a rectangular cage with a net above me and I sometimes hit the overhead net. If I had a net like that at home I'd be scared of sending a ball over the net into the neighbor's house! Lol 

 

Great setup BTW. 👍

 

Ive got the same net and would not hit full lob wedge shots unless I was standing almost right next to the net. Note there is an extension that fits on the top which extends the top of the net to catch stray sky shots but even then...

 

I will hit punch/half 56° but really at normal distance say 3m from the middle of the net, I feel comfortable with PW and on. Gap wedge I usually get closer to the net as some shots feel a bit suss if I add dynamic loft.

 

Btw wish I had a setup like Carolina golfer2's!!! The space he's got...man 😍 my net and r10 operate in a claustrophobic garage complete with metal roller door 🤣

[Carolina Golfer 2]

4 hours ago, kiwihacker said:

With that net can you hit full sand/lob wedge shots? I'm using a net at the club that has a rectangular cage with a net above me and I sometimes hit the overhead net. If I had a net like that at home I'd be scared of sending a ball over the net into the neighbor's house! Lol 

 

Great setup BTW. 👍

Thank s Tezz’s answer below iis spot on.  I don’t use the top extension.  The few times k have hit 54 wedges I move it a bit closer to the mat and practice knock down wedges. 

 

2 hours ago, tezzlacoil said:

 

Ive got the same net and would not hit full lob wedge shots unless I was standing almost right next to the net. Note there is an extension that fits on the top which extends the top of the net to catch stray sky shots but even then...

 

I will hit punch/half 56° but really at normal distance say 3m from the middle of the net, I feel comfortable with PW and on. Gap wedge I usually get closer to the net as some shots feel a bit suss if I add dynamic loft.

 

Btw wish I had a setup like Carolina golfer2's!!! The space he's got...man 😍 my net and r10 operate in a claustrophobic garage complete with metal roller door 🤣

Thanks. Advantage of working at a course and using our outing tends when not in use.  
 

now if I could only get them to install a giant heater😬

 

Just to the right out of view is a 50” TV to display the shots.  It’s pretty cool 

[Nahmeanz]

A friend's villa compound has this private short driving range and putting green in it. Thinking about getting an R10 to use here. Would I need to use RCT balls to get the most out of the R10 in this setting or regular balls are ok? Should I look into a stand and alignment tool also?

 

Thank you.

[LeftDot]

5 hours ago, Nahmeanz said:

A friend's villa compound has this private short driving range and putting green in it. Thinking about getting an R10 to use here. Would I need to use RCT balls to get the most out of the R10 in this setting or regular balls are ok? Should I look into a stand and alignment tool also?

 

Thank you.

 

 

What a setup!

 

I would say yes to RCT balls as the mesh over top will prevent true extended ball flight. Absolutely grab a stand and alignment tool.

[this_is_golf]

I’m selling my R10. If anyone’s interested, send me a PM. 

[golfun]

Wondered: Does selecting the club in the app on your phone have any effect on the ball flight calculations? Didn’t know if it uses it at all to help with spin or other. 

[LeftDot]

13 hours ago, golfun said:

Wondered: Does selecting the club in the app on your phone have any effect on the ball flight calculations? Didn’t know if it uses it at all to help with spin or other. 

 

As someone who chronically forgets to change the club, there's no impact as far as I can tell. It makes for great GolfWRX bragging "proof": Yes, I really did carry my 8 iron 280, here's a screenshot to prove it!

[golfun]

Ok that’s interesting. So the Swing Caddie SC4 that is coming out shouldn’t need to input club then if it “reads” spin and others?

[LeftDot]

That sounds like a SC4 question and not an R10 question, honestly. I have no idea if Swing Caddie uses club selection in their calculations.

[golfun]

How far does the R10 track a ball on the range if it's clear out? If it can track it most of the way(?) can it then or shouldn't it be able to tell spin axis by the shot shape?

[Bubbtubbs]

11 hours ago, golfun said:

How far does the R10 track a ball on the range if it's clear out? If it can track it most of the way(?) can it then or shouldn't it be able to tell spin axis by the shot shape?

I don't know the precise distance but it's limited. Something around 80-100y like Mevo+ but not full flight.

[golfun]

6 hours ago, Bubbtubbs said:

I don't know the precise distance but it's limited. Something around 80-100y like Mevo+ but not full flight.

That’s interesting. Probably enough to detect spin axis on shorter shots but long drives with late lateral shift would be off. 

[PuttingOnAirs]

What are the odds as soon as I buy the R10 they come out with a second model? The discount on this now is suspicious

[edwelly]

4 hours ago, PuttingOnAirs said:

What are the odds as soon as I buy the R10 they come out with a second model? The discount on this now is suspicious

I have only seen the R10. What is the second model?

-Erik

[PuttingOnAirs]

33 minutes ago, edwelly said:

I have only seen the R10. What is the second model?

-Erik

There is none that I know of, but more so asking if anyone has heard anything through the grapevine. Just my luck I know as soon as I purchase the R10 they will come out with a newer version haha

[Bubbtubbs]

1 hour ago, PuttingOnAirs said:

There is none that I know of, but more so asking if anyone has heard anything through the grapevine. Just my luck I know as soon as I purchase the R10 they will come out with a newer version haha

I think the likelihood of anything before Q3/Q4 is very low - probably non-existent, considering there were no announcements at the PGA show in January.

[tezzlacoil]

3 hours ago, Bubbtubbs said:

I think the likelihood of anything before Q3/Q4 is very low - probably non-existent, considering there were no announcements at the PGA show in January.

 

Yeah I'd imagine its more likely a response to new external competition than the release of an upcoming model espec when there's been none of the usual marketing hype. Also the product lifecycle for these launch monitors looks to be a lot longer than a year.

[nbar]

I think it depends on how good the MLM 2 pro is. It is within $100 of the R10 and looks to be a lot better. It will be released March 31. Time will tell if it is that much better. If so, R10 sale will plummet.

[Bubbtubbs]

1 hour ago, nbar said:

I think it depends on how good the MLM 2 pro is. It is within $100 of the R10 and looks to be a lot better. It will be released March 31. Time will tell if it is that much better. If so, R10 sale will plummet.

Depends on what niche you're talking about. MLM2 is going to be s*** at the range so anybody buying an R10 for that is still going to get one. It also costs $200/yr if you want spin metrics.

 

Personally, if I were just getting into the launch monitor scene and wanted cheap, photometric spin, I'd get a used Skytrak with GS Pro - they occasionally come up for $1100 and the GS Pro interface bypasses the need for a Skytrak sub.

[prusd]

22 hours ago, PuttingOnAirs said:

What are the odds as soon as I buy the R10 they come out with a second model? The discount on this now is suspicious

I stumbled across this post on reddit several nights ago.  If the guy is being honest, its very interesting news---read through the whole thread.  Although, I'm not sure if its related to the price cut.  My gut is telling me the cut is related to the release of the rapsodo device.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Golfsimulator/comments/xckmu1/garmin_r50_eta/

 

 

[PuttingOnAirs]

6 hours ago, Bubbtubbs said:

Depends on what niche you're talking about. MLM2 is going to be s*** at the range so anybody buying an R10 for that is still going to get one. It also costs $200/yr if you want spin metrics.

 

Personally, if I were just getting into the launch monitor scene and wanted cheap, photometric spin, I'd get a used Skytrak with GS Pro - they occasionally come up for $1100 and the GS Pro interface bypasses the need for a Skytrak sub.

Why will it be s*** at the range?

[PuttingOnAirs]

42 minutes ago, prusd said:

I stumbled across this post on reddit several nights ago.  If the guy is being honest, its very interesting news---read through the whole thread.  Although, I'm not sure if its related to the price cut.  My gut is telling me the cut is related to the release of the rapsodo device.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Golfsimulator/comments/xckmu1/garmin_r50_eta/

 

 

Super interesting thanks!!

[Bubbtubbs]

2 hours ago, PuttingOnAirs said:

Why will it be s*** at the range?

No spin data unless you use the RPT ball, unless I'm mistaken.

 

If all you're after is ball speed, launch angles and carry, there's cheaper options.

Edited March 26, 2023 by Bubbtubbs

[golfun]

Waiting for Swing Caddie SC4 to drop. Still want to see a comparison of all three on range.