Garmin have made serious waves in the golf equipment game in recent years, producing some of the best golf watches, best launch monitors and other gadgets and gizmos for the golf nerd to feast on. However, their latest eye-catching product may be about to make the biggest splash yet!
Released in early November, the new Garmin Approach R50 is a world-first combination between a launch monitor and a simulator. It's 10-inch screen displays all the information you need and more - metrics, video of club impact and even the simulation graphics of your shot.
It has caused quite a stir in both the launch monitor and simulator industries, sitting at a price point right in between the two - so here is all you need to know about the product itself and how to buy.
Can you use the Garmin R50 as a golf simulator?
Approach R50 has a range of features to give us golfers the luxury of teeing it up 365 days a year, whatever the weather, thanks to its simulation capabilities.
Using the 10” built-in, color touchscreen display, players can virtually tee it up on preloaded golf courses worldwide on an improved version of Home Tee Hero which now allows up to four players to play together.
You can play these courses whilst analyzing your swing data thanks to the three built-in, high speed cameras that capture more than 15 ball and club metrics. What's more, the R50 can be connected to a monitor or projector for the ultimate simulator experience in addition to simply using the R50 on its own.
A training mode simulation is another in-built option, with sessions and specific statistics for each club being saved and allowing players to see and understand improvements over time.
Can you play golf courses on the Garmin R50?
Yes... Lots of them!
In fact, you have over 43,000 preloaded golf courses to choose from and no, that wasn't a typo.
We don't think the biggest golf addict in the world could play every course on the R50, but we would like to see them try!
How much room does a Garmin R50 need?
Another impressive feature of the R50 is how easy it is to setup.
In terms of space, it's no different than any other launch monitor of simulator - as long as you have the room to swing and hit the ball a few feet in front of you into a net for example, you're good to go.
The R50 can be used both inside and outside, so you can turn your basement or garage into your own little practice range. It's a breeze to set up, features up to four hours of battery life and includes a handy carrying case if you're taking it out of the house.
How much is the Garmin R50?
The Approach R50 premium launch monitor has a suggested retail price starting at $4,999.99 or £4,299.
Although it sounds expensive, when the price is put up against competitors, it is more than reasonable for a really impressive piece of technological kit.
Of course, the R50 will be more expensive than some of the best golf launch monitors due to its simulator capabilities, so it is more wise to compare it with the leading models in that category.
Picking out three of our favorite launch monitors, the Trackman iO indoor simulator ($13,995), Trackman 4 (starting from $21,995) and the Foresight GC Quad ($13,995), you will notice that all come in at much steeper price points.
It's also worth considering that some of these simulators will need to be connected to a gaming laptop, app or smartphone, whilst the R50 does not. The R50 also works both outside and inside unlike other simulators.
How does the Garmin R50 compare to competitors?
We would consider the R50 around the 'mid-price' range of launch monitors and simulators, so how does it compare against options around this price point?
We've reviewed plenty of them and have picked out some of our favorites for this exercise - the Full Swing Kit launch monitor (from $4999), Foresight GC3 (starting from $5999) Golfzon Wave launch monitor and simulator ($3995) and Uneekor Eye Mini ($4500).
The R50 blows the Full Swing out of the water immediately in terms of functionality, with no shot tracer available on the Full Swing, for example.
The GC3 is arguably the leader of this price point, but the R50 comes in at a cheaper price and it would be fairer to compare the R50 to products north of $10,000, given it's performance. We're still trying to wrap our head around how good a deal Garmin have provided here!
For even more detail on how the R50 compares to other market rivals, our very own Dan Parker has you covered in his extensive R50 comparison piece.
Where can I buy the Garmin R50?
We are yet to confirm whether the R50 will go on sale at wider golf retailers, but you can buy it directly from Garmin right now.
