What you need to know about the Garmin Approach R10:
In this article you will learn everything about Garmin's very first golf simulator, the Approach R10. From an explanation of how to configure it, how to use it, to statistics and a comparison with current competitors.
After opening the box you will find the following: the Garmin Approach R10 Launch Monitor, tripod, phone holder, carrying case, micro USB cable and documentation. The phone holder in particular comes in handy when you want to record your swing at the same time as your statistics, so that both the data and the video can be viewed in the Garmin App. This is what it looks like:
After unpacking the Garmin Approach R10, position the tripod between 180-240cm behind the ball . When practicing with a net, position the ball at least 240cm away from the net. In addition, when teeing off from a driving range mat, it is important that the tripod is level with the mat . After this, connect the Garmin simulator to the tripod, which is easily done via a magnet.
Then make sure the Garmin App is downloaded ( iOS / Android ). After which you connect it to your phone via Bluetooth. The battery life of the Approach R10 is 10 hours and via the Garmin App you can see how much battery life is left.
Practice with the Garmin Approach R10
After connecting to the golf simulator, placing it with the correct distance behind the ball, you can start teeing off after the green light is on. The Garmin Approach 10 is then in Driving Range mode.
You will then see swing statistics at the top. In this picture you will see the total distance, the deviation to the right, and the flight distance. However, this can be adjusted to taste and you have a choice of even more options:
- Club speed
- Club face (angle)
- Club path (towards club magazine)
- Angle of attack
- Ball speed
- Launch angle
- Launch direction
- Spin speed
- Height of ball
- Smash factor (ball speed / club speed)
Want to learn more about these terms and what they do? Then read this handy blog: the most important golf terms explained .
In addition, you can record your golf swing with the Driving Range mode. A phone holder is included as standard and it is very handy! After you have clicked the phone holder onto your golf bag, almost any phone can use it as long as the width of the phone is at least 58mm and not wider than 90mm.
Another nice feature during Driving Range mode is the sound function. If your screen is hard to read due to the sun or size, you can have the most important statistics spoken out loud. Finally, you can add notes to shots and see which club you have selected to hit with.
Features that competitors do not have
When it comes to Golf Backyard, the best feature is the ability to simulate the golf shot. Golf simulators that can do this either cost upwards of $2,000 or don't have nearly the same amount of features.
In addition, with the Garmin Golf subscription you can compete against other golfers on no less than 42,000 virtual golf courses with the so-called Home Tee Hero. A subscription is required for this and costs ten euros per month. After purchase, there is a free month available to try out this functionality. Furthermore, the Garmin Golf subscription contains many other useful options, such as:
- Loading scorecards
- Comparing shots from the past
- Multiple performance statistics
- Participate in weekly leaderboards
- Create tournaments to challenge your friends
- Saving Driving Range sessions
- The ability to save swing recordings to the cloud
Finally, even the Garmin Approach R10 can be used in combination with the (expensive) E6 Connect software . E6 is very similar to Home Tee Hero, but here you are virtually on the golf course and see the entire environment, while Home Tee simulates course data from above. With E6, you could really create a simulator feeling. Where Home Tee mainly introduces you to the distances and obstacles of each course. With iOS, for example, you can easily stream to your television or second screen, which is currently not possible with Android. Although there is already talk about adding Chromecast functionality.
Other important points
Now that you know how to get started with the Garmin Approach R10 and hitting shots, there are a few more topics that might come in handy!
- For example, can this golf simulator be used in combination with a golf net? Yes!
- But can you still see where the ball has been hit? Yes! This last feature is something that all affordable competitors do not have.
- Can you also use the Garmin Approach R10 with air balls / soft balls? No. Normal golf balls are required.
Now it is known with many golf simulators that a metal sticker or markings can improve the accuracy, however this is not the case with Garmin. The Garmin works with radar technology, which tries to follow the ball in the air and thus measure data. However, there are also photometric simulators that report the data based on high-speed cameras. The advantage of radar technology is that it usually has a higher accuracy outside on driving ranges compared to photometric devices. Photometric does it slightly better indoors and requires less distance behind the ball.
Finally, it has not yet been mentioned that the Garmin Approach R10 can be used by both left-handed and right-handed people. That is also due to the radar technology. Finally, you do not have to worry about having to learn miles or yards by heart, the settings can be changed to kilometers per hour and meters!
Competition and price
Garmin's golf simulator falls into the low category in terms of price, but Golf Backyard compares it in terms of features with the middle class. Think of the SkyTrak or Flightscope Mevo+. Simply because of the simulator options, more than enough statistics (especially the most important ones), long battery life and incredibly easy to use.
The only thing the Approach R10 performs less on compared to the middle class models is the accuracy. However, Garmin itself indicates that the club speed deviates on average only +/- 3 mph, the ball speed +/- 1 mph, the launch angle & launch direction +/- 1 degree and the total distance on average +/- 5 yards from the actual ball. These are absolutely good results, also a real addition for the low handicapper. Also, since the most recent upgrade there are numerous possibilities to adjust the Garmin in terms of distances so that you really can't complain with such a device!
The competitors in the current price range, including the ESB1, Rapsodo or Flightscope Mevo do not come close in terms of accuracy. Furthermore, the Garmin Approach R10 wins mainly on the number of different statistics, battery life and ease of use. Finally, it is a simulator that is completely built from software, which means that, just like with Rapsodo, regular simple updates are implemented. Bugs will be fixed and accuracy will continue to improve.
Conclusion
All in all, we at Golf Backyard are full of praise for the Garmin Approach R10 and we absolutely believe that you get value for your money! The many statistics, seeing the ball flight both on the driving range and with a golf net, the ease of use and the battery life are unique. Finally, the constant updates will be experienced as very pleasant. In other words, time to digitize and trust your data while golfing, Golf Backyard now knows from experience that it benefits your game!
Are you now convinced of the quality of the Garmin Approach R10 and do you want to order one? Then visit the product page and use the discount code: " GARMINR10 ", so we know that reading this blog came in handy!
