Description
Introducing GARMIN APPROACH R10 - Is it worth buying for $599.99?
The most expected Garmin Approach R10 Golf Launch Monitor has recently hit the market. That’s great. But what’s the big deal? Because countless Golf Launch monitors are sporting each other today.
Spending $2000 bucks on a golf launch monitor always comes with a question, is the product worth the spending? Sometimes, it’s a yes.
But do you know, you don’t have to spend that much on a launch monitor. Of course, there are low budget launch monitors in the market, but except for a few, most are dummies. But it’s a different story with Garmin Approach R10.
This article reviews the Gaming Approach R10, a new tiny golf launch monitor with complete course simulation capability. The outcomes of this article are a “complete know about of Garmin Approach R10” and an in-depth understanding of how it works and how it differs from other highly-priced launch monitors.
Overview of Gaming Approach R10:
Garmin is not a random brand. On the contrary, it’s a popular and most trusted American brand that is trusted for its wide range of technical gadgets, that ranges from aviation to sports and outdoor activity.
Garmin has already produced some digital gadgets for golf such as GPS trackers, integrated club and ball tracking clip-on devices, tiny club trackers and GPS golfers smartwatches. However, most of the gadgets for golfers are introduced by Gaming only from its Approach series that includes all the gadgets above, including the Approach Z82 laser range finder.
Previously, from the Approach series, Gaming had introduced a couple of handheld on course ball tackers, Approach G80 and Approach G30, which acted more of a GPS to understand each par. Garmin has rolled its dice with its Approach R10, a complete dedicated radar system to track golf shot and simulate it on the screen.
Key-features of Gaming Approach R10:
- Portability: The portability of Approach R10 is at its best. The device is small and lightweight. It comes with you wherever you go, either it’s a course, back yard or basement; it doesn’t matter.
- Driving Range Mode: It comes with an in-built driving range mode to practice your golf shot effectively.
- Home Tee Hero: Approach R10 comes with about 42,000 virtual courses to keep you entertained.
- Video Recording: Though its a radar-based tracking unit, it can see and capture your swing and play it with shot metrics on your mobile screen.
- Battery life: Approach R10 has the longest battery life of upto 10 hours.
- Data collection: It collects over 12 shot metrics.
- Club performance: This feature helps in finding out how you perform with each club in your bag. For that, you need to hit at least ten shots with each of your clubs.
How does the Gaming Approach R10 Works?
Gaming Approach R10 is a portable unit with an adjustable tripod—download Gaming Golf App on your mobile from playstore. The R10 has been programmed to enter paring instantly after pushing the power button. So keep your mobile and device close, so they can be paired quickly.
Once the pairing is done, place the device straight about 6-8 feet behind the target/hitting area.
This device cannot be placed parallel to the ball like SkyTrak and Foresight Sport’s GC series launch monitors. It would be better to keep your mobile phone beside the device as it would be easier for you to interact.
Place the ball facing the device and hit. You can use your club for accuracy or alignment stick to perfect the ball and the device alignment.
Of course, you need to wait till the LED flashes a green light to hit the ball. So this device, with the help of its professional radar, this device analyses your shot and collects some crucial shot metrics.
Shot Parameters:
Garmin Approach R10 is a petty priced launch monitor but the shot parameters it collects from a shot induces a doubt. Here are the shot metrics it collects,
- The total speed of the ball following the impact – Ball speed.
- The angle at which the ball starts flying – The launch angle.
- The speed of the club during the point of impact – Clubhead speed.
- the verticle angle of the clubhead before impact- Angle of attack.
- How the ball moves concerning the target- Launch direction.
- What path does the club took before the impact – club path.
- How many times does the ball spin during its flight – Spin rate
- On which axis does the ball spinning – Spin axis.
- The face angle of the club during the impact, such as square, open and closed – Clubface angle
- The total distance the ball travels from the point of impact- Total distance.
- The total distance the ball traveled in the air before dropping to the ground and start rolling – Carry distance.
Hold up!, the Gaming Approach R10 is capable of collecting finding more data with the help of the Gaming Golf App.
- Swing Tempo
- Apex height
- Smash factor
- Observed ball flight range
- Backswing and Downswing
It is rare to find this many shot metrics in a low-budget launch monitor as those metrics are typically offered by some launch monitors that cost more than $2000.
The Accuracy:
Of course, the shot parameters of this launch monitor is certainly amazing. But without accuracy, what is the point of all of these data collection abilities?
But R10 sounds like not giving a chance to troll. The accuracy is similar to some popular professional launch monitors such as Flightscope, SkyTrak and more. Moreover, Garmin Approach R10 is capable of collecting both club and ball data simultaneously. Such practice is entirely fresh from launching monitors at this price range.
Here's the accuracy chart of Approach R10:
- Ball speed: +/- 1-degree accuracy
- Clubhead speed: +/- 3 mph accuracy
- Ball launch angle: +/- 1-degree accuracy
- Clubface angle: +/- 2-degree accuracy
- Ball launch direction: +/- 1 degree accuracy
- Club Path: +/- 4 degree accuracy
- Ball carry distance: +/- 5 yards accuracy
- Ball apex height: +/- 5 feet accuracy
- Club angle of attack: +/- 3-degree accuracy
The Simulation:
What is the point of buying a golf launch monitor without a simulation feature? Gaming Approach R10 is the first dedicated launch monitor at this price range to simulate a shot.
It can simulate three types of games
- The Home Tee Hero
- The Driving Range
- The Swing Capture
The Home Tee Hero:
Displays the distance to the hole.
Displays the distance to the shot target.
Displays the elevation difference between the location of the ball and the shot target.
Displays the wind speed and direction.
Displays the shot target. TIP: You can move the shot target by dragging it to the desired location on the course.
Select to open the menu.
Displays the current hole number.
Displays the par for the current hole.
Select to toggle to an overhead camera view.
Displays the scorecard for the current player.
The Home Tee Hero is a complete course simulation feature you get from the Gaming Golf App that works perfectly with the Approach R10. It comes with 42,000 virtual courses that include both famous courses and local courses. Moreover, you can take part in a weekly tournament on this Home Tee Here conducted online.
Driving Range:
Displays swing metrics for the selected shot.
TIP: You can change the swing metrics that are displayed by selecting the swing metric fields.
Select to toggle to an overhead camera view with distance markers.
Displays the trajectory of the shot.
Select to open the menu.
Select to enable the Swing Capture feature.
Select to enable spoken audio metrics and to choose the metric that is spoken after each shot.
Select to tag the shot and write a note about it.
Displays the shot number.
Displays the club for the shot.
If your primary aim for buying a golf launch monitor is intensive practising, the driving range mode of Approach R10 has you back. It virtually animates your shot on an animated driving range.
The Swing Capture:
Though swing capture is not a simulation, it works similar to a simulation. You can mount your phone beside the device by facing its front camera to the hitting zone. Then, start the camera and hit the ball; your shot will be recorded and then played with shot metric on the top.
With a premium subscription to the Garmin Golf App, you can save each video in cloud storage and access it whenever you want to.
The E6 connects:
Garmin Approach R10 can connect with almost any smartphone or tablet with an Android or iOS operation system. But it can also connect with PC and play the famous E6 Connect Golf Simulation Software. Though it requires a premium subscription to harness the entire power of the E6, R10 comes with a basic subscription plan for the software that includes five courses in virtually realistic graphics.
Pricing
You can get this Approach R10 with its lowest cost of $599.00. Of course, there are packages available with vendors such as RainorShineGolf, ShopIndoorGolf and TopShelfGolf which may cost a little more, but still, the packages would be budget-friendly.
Learn more about your game and improve your shot consistency with data-rich metrics including: club face angle, club path angle, carry distance, total distance and spin rate. 20 KEY METRICS.
THE GARMIN GOLF APP
Two modes designed to sharpen your golf game: Driving Range and Simulator – the Garmin Golf App records your swing and displays data to better understand your strengths and areas for improvement.
