Garmin Approach R50. All-in-one optical LM @ $5K.

[Streuner]

34 minutes ago, drbonesvt said:

Thank you , I’m considering this vs the mevo+ with the pro package , i basically want a practice unit 

The R50 is nothing I will bring with me to the range frequently. Maybe to collect some data once or twice a year. But overall it is to big and to heavy .   The MEVO + was great to use outdoor because of the size of the unit and the case that comes with. 

[Muffy]

36 minutes ago, Streuner said:

The R50 is nothing I will bring with me to the range frequently. Maybe to collect some data once or twice a year. But overall it is to big and to heavy .   The MEVO + was great to use outdoor because of the size of the unit and the case that comes with. 

I'm just coming from the Mevo+ plus pro package to R50.    There's lots of considerations on your own particular application, including set up (down the line with Mevo+, to face on with R50; long ball flight required with Mevo+,  indoors better to use RCT balls with Mevo+), and display.   I will say Mevo+ has many more data points, and features (like Multicam for video, being able to highlight whenever a data parameter in a swing falls out of a certain range, voice call out of a certain data, better display of each swing and deviation from a target).......that I haven't seen on the R50.    No doubt the R50 is more accurate with 3 high speed cameras compared to radar plus a camera; an ipad sized display, an intuitive gui interface; hopefully Garmin will develop their data and display platform more.   The R50 has a small readable club-data hitting area (3.75x8").     Frankly I'm somewhat disappointed in data parameters and the views the R50 has in practice display compared to Mevo+, but I'm still exploring options with the R50.   

[iacas]

Two things…

 

QuadMAX Comparison

I conducted a test with the R50 against a QuadMAX. I just did ball data, as getting club data on both simultaneously proved difficult. But, I was able to work around the conflicting IR signals or whatever others were experiencing. I'll make a video eventually, but the short-term info is that the R50 was really, really close in VLA, ball speed, total spin, carry, peak height (the last two are just algorithms of course). It was decent at HLA and spin axis.

 

R50 Club Impact Video

Is anyone else as annoyed as I am that the video includes like one or two frames of impact and after, with like six frames before impact? The before impact stuff isn't all that useful - and the after impact stuff isn't enough to see the club twisting much except on egregious heel or toe mishits.

[Wanny]

Potentially a silly question. Do you have to use the stickers when you play home tee hero? Say I have a party of four, does everyone need to put the stickers on every club?

[Carolina Golfer 2]

1 hour ago, Wanny said:

Potentially a silly question. Do you have to use the stickers when you play home tee hero? Say I have a party of four, does everyone need to put the stickers on every club?

You only need those to get club data such as path and CHS. You don’t need those to play the sim.  Only ball data is used. 
 

if someone has used it and I’m wrong, feel free to correct me. 

[JCP22]

Mine just arrived. I sold my GC3 for this and have zero regrets. To be able to fire it up and take some quick shots without waiting for the computer to load FSX software is game changing at least for me. Ball data appears pretty dead on for me. Haven’t used stickers yet to comment on club data. But overall, I highly recommend this LM. 

[Streuner]

Stickers are helpfull, but not needed. If I play with friends and not all clubs are with stickers, we sometimes have „no Reads“ this never happen to me with my clubs with stickers. But overall this case is rare, maybe one out of 100. 

[JCP22]

On 11/21/2024 at 4:18 PM, iacas said:

 

The R50 is a smaller area than the GC3 and much smaller than the GCQ/MAX.

I am coming from the GC3 and I find this much easier to get into the hitting area than the GC3

[iacas]

1 minute ago, JCP22 said:

I am coming from the GC3 and I find this much easier to get into the hitting area than the GC3

 

That may be true, but with club data turned on, it's a smaller area on the R50.

[Streuner]

11 hours ago, iacas said:

 

That may be true, but with club data turned on, it's a smaller area on the R50.

That is true, the hitting area is long but small. If your hitting mat is large, this is not a problem.
But the hitting area was larger at the first units that went out to YT influencers, you can see in their Videos much larger areas. I guess they made an update to get more precise data. 

[JCP22]

On 1/5/2025 at 5:20 AM, Streuner said:

That is true, the hitting area is long but small. If your hitting mat is large, this is not a problem.
But the hitting area was larger at the first units that went out to YT influencers, you can see in their Videos much larger areas. I guess they made an update to get more precise data. 

Just put on club data and wow definitely small. I have a fiberbuilt mat so not a huge problem but wow. Maybe a fw update will correct this. I am sure their cameras are just as good (or better considering it came out recently) as the GC3 and there are three of them. Not sure why it would get so small. 

[iacas]

I put some numbers up comparing the ball launch/spin/carry/etc. numbers on the R50 against a GCQuadMAX.

 

https://x.com/iacas/status/1879337085150323168

 

Images are in the posts.

 

Closest data: VLA nearly identical.

Next closest: total spin was awfully close.

Worst stat: spin axis, but still not too far off.

[vanderputts]

All of the goods for my garage golf simulator have finally arrived so I'll be able to test the R50 fairly soon. Just need to inset the screen rollers into the ceiling which should take a few days then get everything dialed in. Will post an update soon. 

 

Have taken the R50 to a few range sessions and it works really well in that capacity. Bonus was grabbing a beer with a buddy and playing a few holes on the range which was both fun to play and gamble on. 

[Birdiemaker2020]

 

22 hours ago, vanderputts said:

All of the goods for my garage golf simulator have finally arrived so I'll be able to test the R50 fairly soon. Just need to inset the screen rollers into the ceiling which should take a few days then get everything dialed in. Will post an update soon. 

 

Have taken the R50 to a few range sessions and it works really well in that capacity. Bonus was grabbing a beer with a buddy and playing a few holes on the range which was both fun to play and gamble on. 

 Did you get accurate data with rangeballs?
 

do the R50 have a „premium ball“ feature?

 

Kind regards

[leegee38]

R50 doesn't require any specific ball.  There is no setting for range ball or premium ball like there is with the Rapsodo MLM2Pro.

[PV_5]

Has anyone done a direct comparison to the GCQuad? Or has anyone used both and can comment on the accuracy differences?

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, PV_5 said:

Has anyone done a direct comparison to the GCQuad? Or has anyone used both and can comment on the accuracy differences?

 

Scroll up a few posts?

 

[VinnyG41]

On 1/14/2025 at 7:56 PM, iacas said:

I put some numbers up comparing the ball launch/spin/carry/etc. numbers on the R50 against a GCQuadMAX.

Thanks for this! I thought I noticed the carry distance was calculated a little shorter than other LMs and what I would expect from measured variables, so it was cool to see this data corroborate that. 

 

Also, totally agree that the impact video is a great idea but would be much better executed by adding a few extra frames post-impact.

Edited January 23 by VinnyG41

[Streuner]

a new software update out, version 3.70

any noticable changes? I could not see any?

Edited February 2 by Streuner

[iacas]

12 hours ago, Streuner said:

a new software update out, version 3.70

any noticable changes? I could not see any?

 

https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/golf/f/approach-r50/401759/approach-r50-system-software-3-70

 

Change Log

- Added Up-Next panel for Home Tee Hero (HTH) multiplayer rounds.
- Added skip button for HTH hole intro animation.
- Added a top-down map re-center button.
- Fixed an issue where the golf ball sometimes would not properly sink due to the flagpole.
- Fixed an issue where the Impact Video sometimes went missing.
- Fixed wakeup from sleep screen lock up.
- Fixed Awesome Golf handedness change.
- Fixed issues with Device registration.
- Fixed an issue where shot detection occasionally stops working in putting mode.
- In-game sound/volume updates.
- Improvements to top-down map touch gestures.
- Improved stability in 3rd party sims.
- Improved camera subsystem stability.
- Improved detection of slow putts.
- Putting metrics accuracy improvements.

[Streuner]

thanks for this link, very helpfull also some other toppics.

 

[vanderputts]

Sending a quick update now that I've been using the R50 for a few weeks - thousands of balls and with various players.

 

This thing is amazing. I don't really have much else to say.

 

Game Modes / Common Use Cases:

 

1. My kids love smashing buildings and boats with Awesome Golf. I already had an ipad and picked up this floor stand which the kids use to setup the game and aim. I take the same HDMI I have running from the projector to the R50 and simply plug it into an iPad adapter - simple setup. We threw a Super Bowl party and a bunch of friends brought their kids over who immediately went to the golf sim and played for hours. 

 

2. GS Pro works great. I've now played a ton of rounds with friends. There's no lag, no issues. Its been a lot of fun.

 

3. Home Tee Hero - great for just firing it up and hitting the range or playing local courses. One of the biggest reasons to get this thing is to solve for the absence of most of my local PNW courses on GS Pro. They're all there through the Garmin software and can be downloaded quickly.

 

Accuracy:

 

I think this has been beaten to death enough times already above - its extremely accurate. Drives, irons, chips, etc. I haven't had any issues. The quick alignment with two balls has really helped with larger groups so that we can get the read direction accurate in only a few seconds if the R50 gets moved for whatever reason. If your hitting space is offset or you need to switch from RH to LH hitters between shots this is probably the fastest and easiest setup possible thanks to the large screen and calibration method.

 

Seriously, the large screen makes alignment so easy - my 5 year old likes to see the ball on the screen and knows where to move it to get the light to go green. Its KISS.

 

Reliability:

 

The only time we've ever had a missed shot is when the ball is not in the hitting zone. The HZ get quite a bit larger when you turn on Ball Only vs Ball/Club. My hitting strip is 12" x 36" - if my young kids and others can use this repeatedly without issues you can too.

 

Speed:

 

Through all of the game modes (GS/HTH/AG) it reads very quickly. There's no lag even over the wireless connection to my Gaming PC with GS Pro.

 

Club Data:

 

The stickers work fine just like any other. I've customized the onboard screen to give me the details I want AoA/Face/etc and its helped me compare loft/lie/shafts etc already. I just tested 5 different shafts side by side for my driver and was able to essentially give myself a complete fitting - at 10pm, in my garage. No complaints and its now showing in my scores on the course (I'm on vacation atm).

 

Putting: 

 

I leveled out my entire hitting space 13' deep x 11' wide just for this. It works fine and isn't really any different than other LMs (GC/etc). I put a lot on my own and typically set the gimme/2-putt range to as large as possible because I don't really see virtual putting helping my game as much.

 

Overall:

 

I couldn't be more happy with it and we've done a ton of testing.

 

My friends with their own sim setups or in the process of building theirs are more than likely going to make the switch to the R50 too because its just so easy to use. My kids love it and we play every day now which has been awesome. My scoring is getting better already - most notably with my driving and surprisingly with my short game/chipping. 

[iacas]

23 minutes ago, vanderputts said:

Club Data:

 

The stickers work fine just like any other. I've customized the onboard screen to give me the details I want AoA/Face/etc and its helped me compare loft/lie/shafts etc already. I just tested 5 different shafts side by side for my driver and was able to essentially give myself a complete fitting - at 10pm, in my garage. No complaints and its now showing in my scores on the course (I'm on vacation atm).

 

Putting: 

 

I leveled out my entire hitting space 13' deep x 11' wide just for this. It works fine and isn't really any different than other LMs (GC/etc). I put a lot on my own and typically set the gimme/2-putt range to as large as possible because I don't really see virtual putting helping my game as much.

 

Though I'm in agreement on most other things (I find the ball alignment to be annoying - Foresight models you put a stick down, that's easier and more accurate), I disagree with those: putting isn't great (Triple Bogey or someone on YouTube has detailed this) and the club data is… not great. I've seen too many "-12.4° AoA" and too many "16.7° R" paths than I care for. I don't trust the club data much at all at this point.

[vanderputts]

2 minutes ago, iacas said:

 

Though I'm in agreement on most other things (I find the ball alignment to be annoying - Foresight models you put a stick down, that's easier and more accurate), I disagree with those: putting isn't great (Triple Bogey or someone on YouTube has detailed this) and the club data is… not great. I've seen too many "-12.4° AoA" and too many "16.7° R" paths than I care for. I don't trust the club data much at all at this point.

 

I actually use a stick with the two balls to get the alignment right. With the kids playing the monitor sometimes gets moved a lot so after some trial and error I was able to get this down to only a moment, its not hard and pretty quick.

 

My expectations were already pretty low with any LM on putting so maybe thats why its not really an issue on my side. I don't really use it as I don't think any virtual putting on most LMs is really going to help anyone's game much outside one of the dedicated putting setups. I hit enough putts on my own. 

 

On the club data, its worked for me but you're not the only one that has had some issues with theres. Mine actually has been pretty accurate and reliable using stickers on the clubs in my signature plus a few others (my wifes TM clubs as well as other guest's clubs). I just re-shafted both my driver and irons after thoroughly testing with it which I'll be doing again throughout the season - and done a few quicker tests/fittings with friends that wanted to try some different head/shaft combos.

[iacas]

18 minutes ago, vanderputts said:

I actually use a stick with the two balls to get the alignment right.

 

Which is more complicated/annoying than using just the stick. 😄

 

18 minutes ago, vanderputts said:

I don't really use it as I don't think any virtual putting on most LMs is really going to help anyone's game much outside one of the dedicated putting setups. I hit enough putts on my own.

 

I give putting lessons using the Quad/QuadMAX. It's quite good. It should be better IMO for a camera based system.

[JCP22]

The GC Quad max is 20 thousand dollars. This is 5000. Plus, over time, I am sure the putting will improve with updates. 

[iacas]

1 hour ago, JCP22 said:

The GC Quad max is 20 thousand dollars. This is 5000. Plus, over time, I am sure the putting will improve with updates. 

 

 

I know what they cost. The R50 is not nearly as good at putting as the GCQuad/MAX.

 

[vanderputts]

I’m not sure that’s very useful for many, at-least not for myself who was never in the market to spend $20k on an LM alone and don’t really need any of the additional features beyond what the R50 does well.

 

The Putting Analysis features on the higher end LMs looks great - I don’t think I’d ever use it for that and not sure it would work well on my sim surface, MoneyPutt turf.

 

After the past few weeks and thousands of shots, the R50 really is pretty exceptional. I’ve hosted parties, had plenty of friends and their kids come over, fitted a few close buddies for various clubs/shafts, etc. I think I’ve hit well over 100 shots per day for the past week not including others and it’s showing in my swing and training.

 

I couldn’t be happier and a few friends are going to start building their setups soon and will be using my setup as a template including the R50. Some with existing sim rooms are even selling their current GCQuads/Other LMs as their primary use case matches my own. The R50 is quick, accurate, provides more than enough data and is simple enough for anyone to use. They’d rather put the money into other projects.

 

The R50 does everything I need it to very well. Wife approved too

[Streuner]

I am fully agree with @vanderputts

 

there is one thing in discussion at the Garmin User Forum at the moment.

there are existing differences in the graphic details of some golf courses. At most of them the graphic looks very similar, same trees ect. But for example the Kapalua Golf HI Looks different. The animation looks more detailed and more accurate. 
 

has anybody else seen different graphic quiality builds on one of the 40k+ courses? 

[JCP22]

3 hours ago, Streuner said:

I am fully agree with @vanderputts

 

there is one thing in discussion at the Garmin User Forum at the moment.

there are existing differences in the graphic details of some golf courses. At most of them the graphic looks very similar, same trees ect. But for example the Kapalua Golf HI Looks different. The animation looks more detailed and more accurate. 
 

has anybody else seen different graphic quiality builds on one of the 40k+ courses? 

Just took a look and yes much more detailed. Maybe they can upgrade all the courses to look like that in the future.