Latest / PlayBetter's Golf Tech Weekly / Garmin Approach R50 Deep Dive: Is It Worth $5,000?
Transcript
- speaker-0: Back at it with another edition of Golf Tech Weekly, and today we're shining the magnifying glass on a topic that was suggested to us in the comments after last week's episode. We're talking everything garment approach R50. We're going deep, so stick around. This is Golf Tech Weekly presented by PlayBetter. Alright, a reminder to everyone to subscribe to the channel if you haven't already, to use promo code GTW for exclusive savings, and to use the features on PlayBetter's website, like the Golf Simulator Advisor, which is going to recommend the best build for your individual setup and budget, and our Learn tab, where you'll find the most in-depth golf tech coverage on the entire internet. Okay, Daniel, ⁓ set the table for us. What is the Garmin Approach R50? Why is it such a head turner and why should we be talking about it today? speaker-1: Certainly, Mark. So definitely one of the most, if not the most, unique launch monitor that's that's really out there in in today's world. You know, the the approach R fifty has now been out for a little bit of time at least, and has found its uniqueness in the fact that it has a a built-in display that doesn't require a computer or a tablet to be paired with it to run your software. So ⁓ now that's the native software, keep in mind, and and we'll get into the details of that later on. ⁓ but to have access to all your golf courses, your practice facility, ⁓ with just the ability to just hook it up via HDMI to your projector or maybe a different display, or even if you just want to use the display that's built into it, ⁓ you can just use it right there. So no additional devices needed and everything's built into the device itself, which is just so impressive and so unique. ⁓ that it's really set itself apart from every other launch monitor that's out there. speaker-0: Yeah, totally. I mean it is, right? It's the only standalone all-in-one golf simulator ⁓ that's on the market. So every other device that we talk about ⁓ requires interfacing with ⁓ some additional software or hardware if you want to play simulator golf. We've got launch monitors like like what we talked about last week, the Bushnell Launch Pro or the Foreside GC3 or the Unicore i Mini or the True Golf Launchbox or things like this that have built-in displays where maybe it shows you the data on the screen. but not the opportunity to play sim golf right on the device itself. ⁓ so let's kind of ⁓ we'll we'll kind of ⁓ wade into that and and uncover ⁓ some of these details, unpack any positives, ⁓ identify any negatives ⁓ as we go. But one thing I just wanted to kind of say at the outset, and we were talking before we went on air, I actually think that for for as successful as the R50 is, I feel like it's under discussed. ⁓ Because of what you said, Daniel, it it has no comparable product. ⁓ You know, most of the time on this show or in other content that we're doing, we're talking about products as they compare to other options on the market. We're trying to help a consumer identify you know, whether option A or option B or option C is best for their use case, ⁓ their individual situation. And the R50 is completely on an island. ⁓ there is nothing else like it. And for that reason, I actually feel as if it's a little bit underrepresented in our coverage. interestingly, ⁓ because ⁓ it is a it is a very popular product ⁓ just because it's such a head turner. So just throwing that out there that I'm I'm happy that we're doing this today. ⁓ appreciate the commenter that suggested this. ⁓ I think it's an overdue topic and a and a really, really good one to explore. ⁓ So okay, ⁓ Daniel, let's let's kind of talk through ⁓ some of those differentiators for the R fifty, ⁓ maybe starting with the the screen. ⁓ what what can you tell us about any of those details? speaker-1: Sure. So it's a it's a ten inch touch screen display ⁓ that's built right into the device. So it's it's nice and large. You can easily see it when you're using it. What even if you take it to the driving range, you can see it out in natural daylight really easily. but then in your sim space you can see it there too. And it has dual display options. So you can mirror the display as you see it ⁓ onto your projector, or you can kind of just show the data in front of you and then show the driving range or the golf course in front of you too. So It's kind of unique too that you can change and orient the displays how you how you want them. ⁓ which is nice to have that capability. ⁓ I mean, I remember the first time I saw this device and you know, you know, my my current background here, Mark, where you know, I I use a Garmin chart plotter on on boats and stuff like that for fishing and navigation on the water. Like the first time I saw the R fifty, I'm like, wow that It looks like their ten inch chart plotter was just slapped down on a launch monitor and you know they kind of made the best of two ⁓ two of their really good products that they already had kinda out there. They perfected into one really cool product. you know, and and I've always loved the the visual aspects of of Garmin's ⁓ displays and and how good the touch screen works on their products. And they've transitioned that right over in into this golf product, which has been wildly, wildly successful. And it's not just because there's a screen there, but it's because it's so user friendly. Like it it's so simple to navigate through everything and it just makes everything really, really, really easy for someone who might not be the most tech savvy to get into golf sim space. speaker-0: Yeah, totally. I mean that that screen is is like having a iPad directly attached to your launch monitor. Just as you said, a ten inch ⁓ full color HD display. It's gorgeous. It's far, far more impressive looking than any of these other built-in displays on some of th these other units. And that includes units that have really, really nice built-in screens. But there's nothing that even approaches the R fifty. ⁓ it is It is truly a head turner when you when you see it for the first time. And that's really an interesting insight to get ⁓ kind of the backstory on and what you've experienced on the ⁓ with a with a boat chart plotter. it it reminds me of what we're dealing with here, you know, Garmin being such a big company as golfers we're we're lucky that they've decided to pay some attention to golf. ⁓ you know, they're such innovators in things like GPS. that the fact that they're lending this technology to golf products is ⁓ really amazing for all of us. ⁓ and so I guess that's just another example of how they're kind of ⁓ combining maybe innovations that they've made in other areas and bringing it into golf and ⁓ so that's pretty awesome. ⁓ speaker-1: And one thing too with that, ⁓ Mark, sorry, I don't mean to interrupt you there. But one thing I've noticed testing with it and using it outdoors is is I think with that research and development that they've had in other areas, it's it's pretty good outdoors, not overheating in the sunlight or you know, being susceptible to weather, anything like that. Like that's one thing that I noticed, like, you know, that I I think that's where their history really allowed them to make this device almost bulletproof. Is that they had all of that development in other areas and they brought it over to us in golf. Like I I I felt really lucky when when I was kinda doing that testing process. I'm sure you kind of feel that. speaker-0: That's an awesome point. Great point. Certainly very, very well made products. This is a three camera unit. again, the display is touch screen. ⁓ as Daniel said, the display is also very customizable. So you have the option to choose what you want to see and how you wanna see it. ⁓ as you as you mentioned, if you if you want to mirror what you're seeing on the big screen, if you if you're using a projector, you can do that. Or if you want to use it as a second kind of auxiliary display. ⁓ so now you essentially have two. concurrent displays going, you can do that. ⁓ I think it has the best hitting area indicator of any of the optical devices in in my opinion. ⁓ I also like that it sits directly to the side of the ball as opposed to at a kind of a 45 degree angle in front of the ball. Makes it a little bit more shank proof, I feel like. You would really, really have to almost hit like a magic trick toe shot to to contact the unit, I feel like. Probably capable of that, but hopefully it doesn't happen. But The the software is another thing to dive into. Let's let's kind of talk about software, virtual courses, ⁓ and that's where we really start to get into kind of what differentiates the R fifty. speaker-1: Yeah, I mean, arguably the most valuable or or highest value subscription that's out there. I mean, at a hundred bucks a year, or maybe you only use it half the year, you can pay ten bucks a month and get access to Home T Hero, which has over forty-two thousand golf courses. They have an enhanced course list now, which is a select group of golf courses that they've even updated and and enhanced the graphics and the visual looks of every detail. Of the golf courses, which includes like Augusta, Pebble Beach, like name courses that you would just be on a bucket list to want to play them. Yep. And you get it at a really low subscription cost. And you don't need a gaming PC or any additional device to run that software. I mean, that's just on the standalone unit itself. So ⁓ you have the virtual driving range, you have on course practice, which I think is really cool, which they've brought forward recently. So like if I wanna go to Pebble Beach and just play number seven over and over and hit that wedge shot over and over, you can do that. If I wanna practice the first T shot at Augusta, like I found myself doing at the PGA show over and over and over again, you can do that. So it kinda allows you to do some gamified practice or some situational practice, which I really appreciate. ⁓ they could probably maybe add more to the practice features and training capabilities. That's maybe somewhere where the software is lacking a little bit. ⁓ but overall, a hundred bucks a year, ten bucks a month. I mean, if you're a person who just wants to play a ton of golf courses, this is like this is a home run. I mean, it's it's pretty cool. speaker-0: Very, very cool. And you know, it's it's one of the few softwares too where you can play your own course, most likely. You know, so most of us aren't, you know, fortunate enough to play a destination course ⁓ on a daily basis. And so oftentimes the software packages that we're we're buying with these launch monitors ⁓ don't include our own home course. ⁓ Home T Hero most likely does, and so that's cool as well. ⁓ It it's gone through a couple of iterations. Home T Hero was a a software product that rolled out along with the R ten when it was released. ⁓ and ⁓ initially it was very kind of cartoony in its graphics. So the shapes of the holes, the shapes of the greens, the length of the holes, those were all accurate, but all of the surrounding kind of details, the foliage, the the the trees, the topography, ⁓ those sorts of things ⁓ were not very distinctive. Well, then when they came out with the R50, they came out with an improved version of Home T Hero. And so while it's still not as graphically ⁓ advanced as as you know, something like FSX play or ⁓ course play from Skytrack or ⁓ GS Pro or or E6 Connect or things like that. ⁓ it did get a nice improvement. ⁓ also those things of course require ⁓ a lot more computing firepower to run than Home T Hero, but it got a big upgrade for the R50. They've since come out and given that improved version to our 10 users as well. But then in doing so, they also, just as you said, rolled out that enhanced courses list. And those courses have much better graphic detail. So, so more detail to the trees and little nuances and things that make the experience much more realistic. And then I love it, just like you said, I love the on-course practice feature. I think that's one of the coolest things going. used to be that you had to play the entire round of golf if you wanted to arrive at that one shot that maybe you wanted to practice. ⁓ now you can go and you know hit as many of those as you want ⁓ from wherever you want to play. and so and as we said, all without having to ⁓ even connect to another device if you if you don't want to. You can do all of this right on the R fifty itself. You don't even need an internet connection. I mean it's it's truly amazing. ⁓ then if you do want to use a projector and an impact screen, it's as simple as a single HDMI connection to that projector. ⁓ and so it just makes the convenience of of using this device ⁓ kind of unrivaled. ⁓ and then as long as we're on software, I'll mention too that this is one of those devices that does not require an additional subscription if you want to play third-party software. So if you did buy an R50 and you wanted to play GS Pro or E6. ⁓ you would not even have to pay the Garmin Golf membership if you didn't want to. ⁓ You could just go straight to using it with GS Pro. ⁓ So a lot of potential ⁓ really cool use cases. and ⁓ you know, I guess some of the things that this make this completely ⁓ one of a kind. ⁓ let's talk about ⁓ kind of some of the setup requirements. Anything jumped to mind ⁓ as far as setting this thing up? ⁓ pretty straightforward, yeah. speaker-1: Yeah, I mean, like like we mentioned, it's ⁓ it's a camera based launch monitor, uses three cameras for measurement. So it will sit beside the golf ball. ⁓ but I agree with you, Mark. I think the the ball detection is better than any other device on the market. And I love how, like you said, when you hit the ball, you hit straight away from the unit. It's not, you know, kind of up in front of you where, you know, the dreaded shank can certainly ruin the technology. Not saying it's not possible with the R fifty, it's just far less likely. ⁓ so that that's certainly some advantages with the setup of it. It does require that you use club stickers if you wanna get club data. If you didn't have them and you hit a shot, sure, it's gonna measure it and measure your ball data and everything, but it's it's not gonna be probably quite as accurate and it's not gonna give you any club metrics. So if you want even club head speed or ⁓ you know, if you want the the visual replay of the ball striking the club, you're gonna need that that type of club. sticker on each each and every club that's being used. ⁓ not not too difficult to put club stickers on. I know that's kind of a friction point with a lot of users when they hear club stickers, they think of the old like maybe club fitting impact stickers that go over the whole face of the golf club. They are they are relatively small. I mean some of them are different with each device to device. ⁓ but just more tedious than than annoyance, I think, ⁓ as far as using them. I think like you like you've experienced Mark like Once you get in and using a lot of these, like it just becomes kind of a normal thing to have to put a club sticker on if you're if you're gonna use the the best technology for indoor use. speaker-0: Yeah, absolutely. I think it's a fair trade-off and one that the consumer is at this point pretty well adapted to. ⁓ I will say the R fifty, ⁓ those club stickers with it are larger than what you get on something like the the Foresight ⁓ products. ⁓ and so, you know, it's it's a little less subtle. and I did note too in testing the R fifty directly against a GC three that the G C three would read the R fifty club stickers, but the R fifty would not read the smaller G C three club stickers. So you do need to use those specific Garmin issued club stickers. They do send two hundred and fifty of them with you in the box. So ⁓ you know, that's that's a nice a nice, nice starting point. ⁓ it should last you ⁓ quite a long while. ⁓ so yeah, ⁓ I don't think club stickers can be considered any kind of a a deal breaker. ⁓ at this point. ⁓ another nice thing too, I'll say too, is ⁓ I I really ⁓ appreciate that spin rate and spin access are are actually measured on the R fifty and and not calculated like they are with the R ten. ⁓ and so ⁓ accuracy on this we should note is another strong selling point as you would hope for and expect in a five thousand dollar device. ⁓ so yeah. ⁓ well let's talk about ⁓ some of the pros and the cons. Maybe we've identified some of the pros, but ⁓ other ones that that come to mind if th if there are any, ⁓ or cons that come to mind, Daniel. speaker-1: Yeah, I mean we talked about the seamless hookup to your to your setup at home with HDMI port built right into it. ⁓ it's like we've talked about probably the most user-friendly product in my opinion that's really out there. ⁓ there's customers that I talk to every day that say, Hey, I don't want to go through this tedious process to to hit balls. And it's like, okay, well, you know, if you have the budget for it, you know, you can get an R fifty and if you have a Sim Studio setup, you can literally push two buttons. and and choose your golf course or choose the driving range and go play golf. I mean you might have to choose the amount of players, but in reality it's the it's the fastest setup and selection of golf course that's probably out there. you know, some of the other ones, you know, almost every other launch monitor, I guess you should say, you have to connect it to a computer or an iPad. Then you have to connect that to your projector. Then you have to, you know, go through the the startup of the software and get, you know, depending what software you want to run. Maybe you have to run two softwares if you're doing G S Pro and the connection status. So you can just kind of see quickly the friction points that are there in comparison. And this is something I experienced firsthand when we were doing our product shoot ⁓ a couple weeks back in Baltimore. It was like we set down the R fifty and we connected the HDMI cord and it was like, Okay, what course we want to play? Like it was it was so fast and it was just like, Okay, you can see why it's probably labeled as the most user friendly device that's that's really out there. ⁓ So that that's I think is a huge pro for it. ⁓ I mean, even HDMI port wise, we, you know, with our complete packages and stuff, we include wireless HDMI transmitters. So if you don't want cords running through your space, you don't have to have that. ⁓ because it does have a four hour battery built into it, which does make it portable. ⁓ that might also be a con in the portability category, which we can talk about here in a few minutes. Sure. ⁓ but it is indoor outdoor capable, so you can take it to the driving range. ⁓ It includes a protective case and it is a photometric system. So when you're using it indoors or outdoors, you're going to get that same consistent data capture. whereas with other like radar products, you might see some inconsistencies ⁓ when you go indoor to outdoors. So yeah, I think you know, with the software subscription capability and the value there, and really just the user friendliest, ⁓ those are probably the two biggest pros that really make it tough to compete against any other launch monitor, honestly. Like there there's really no comparison in in some of the capabilities with this device. speaker-0: That's right. Exactly right. ⁓ any cons that jump to your mind? speaker-1: Yeah, I mean honestly the the five thousand dollar price tag isn't gonna be for everybody. So you have to kind of call it like it is, I think. ⁓ you know, in a world where launch monitors and technology is is constantly dropping in price and becoming more affordable. ⁓ you know, the five thousand dollar price point is tough ⁓ for a lot of users. Not for every user, but for a lot of users that's a tough entry point. ⁓ The other thing that I really run into a lot when I talk to customers is the way you have to control this device. Now, because it's you know got the built-in touch screen and it doesn't need a PC, when you're playing rounds of golf and you need to aim on the screen to aim your shot, you've got to do it on the screen in front of you. So for some people who can't bend over and constantly use the screen, that might be a limitation that that keeps them from buying the device altogether. you know now that is also a pro because you don't need a computer but It's it's a con for some people because it might be physically unable to do that. ⁓ I've even had people ask, hey, can I just connect an iPad and run the software on that and connect the two together? No, you can't, you know. You unfortunately you have to use the device, you know, in front of you. So that probably with the club sticker requirement is gonna be cons for for people. and then even so, if you want to play GS Pro, then you still gotta get that gaming PC. So The built in display and the capabilities with that, they're a pro, but for some people they're also a con just for the fact that it's gonna it's gonna handcuff you to only the home T hero software. So I think those are kind of the glaring the glaring cons. It's it's not many. I mean it's it's tough to list I think the biggest one is just the price at the end of the day. I think that's the biggest thing is it's tough to swallow that price for a lot of users. speaker-0: I would agree with you. ⁓ I would say that for some users, ⁓ potentially the size could be a con. It also could be a pro. ⁓ it comes, just as you said, with a really, really nice ⁓ carrying case. In fact, probably the nicest one ⁓ on the market. I mean, this thing is ⁓ our owner, ⁓ the playbatters owner Spiro, ⁓ when he got a sneak peek at this product and was kind of forwarding me on the information, kind of the preview information, he said the carrying case looked like a large Yeti cooler. ⁓ and it really does. It's it's like a a large Yeti cooler. I mean, its thing is massive ⁓ with a huge shoulder strap, ⁓ very, very nice, very well padded, very well protected. It's just that it's a nine pound device, it's huge, the carrying case is huge, and so if you do plan to drag this back and forth to the driving range, that potentially becomes a little bit impractical. And I think it's important to think through because When we think about kind of what makes this special, that built in display and that all in one SIM functionality, well those might be things that you think of as maybe ⁓ best used at the driving range where you don't have access to ⁓ a projector and a hitting screen and those kinds of things. ⁓ but if it's not that easy to transport or that practical to transport, ⁓ then you know, maybe that lessens that a little bit. ⁓ and then, you know, ⁓ along those same lines, if you were using it in a fixed situation where the size really didn't bother you at all, well at that point maybe you would have already wanted to use a ⁓ impact screen and a projector anyways and and and so maybe i that again would kind of lessen some of the advantage of having that that built-in display not to say that you still couldn't get advantage of having the built-in display while you concurrently used a projected image but anyways just things to think through I think size overall could potentially be a con, but again, we wouldn't want to sacrifice that 10 inch touchscreen. And so that's what it takes to to to house that thing. And so ⁓ you know, we're we're willing to accept it. ⁓ I I also would say that the overall insights, well while the data quality is very strong ⁓ and you do get good data and accurate data. ⁓ for a five thousand dollar device, the the depth of the insights when I think about something like the Flight Scope Mevo Gen two at like you know, almost a third of the price. ⁓ it it kind of blows it out of the water in terms of ⁓ for for data nerds or or people that really wanna ⁓ really dive into ⁓ analyze their their golf shots, ⁓ I don't know that this is the product that they choose. You know, the the the utmost ⁓ competitive player or ⁓ or coach, ⁓ I don't know that this is the right product for them, ⁓ for for for some of those kind of limitations. So ⁓ But I agree with you, Daniel. The the list of cons is is a pretty darn short one. ⁓ in absolutely the biggest con, if there is one, is it's a five thousand dollars. That's that's that's a bit of a an ask for a lot of people. However, ⁓ there's an opportunity to save some money there. ⁓ tell us about the ⁓ the certified pre-owned option. speaker-1: Certainly. Yeah. So certified pre-owned, I mean, yeah, if you're if you're maybe five thousand is a little too high priced. I mean this the certified pre-owned options is a great way to get some significant cost savings. I mean, we're talking ⁓ six hundred dollars you can save and get a certified pre-owned. Now, what's certified pre-owned? These are units that may have been used in the field, they've been returned. Garmin actually takes them back, they re-certify them, they inspect the absolute heck out of them, and then they say, Hey, these are fit for resale. It's just as good as a new product, and they slap a one-year warranty on it along with our 60-day return policy. So it's kind of like, you know, if you're if you're comparing apples to apples and you don't mind having a certified pre-owned, it's like, why, why wouldn't you go that route and maybe put that at set savings maybe into an upgraded projector or into an upgraded hitting mat or something like that where you can make your space even more valuable. ⁓ and like I said, I mean it's literally the same exact product. Yeah. ⁓ it's just been recertified by Garmin. So a great opportunity for those out there that are looking. Maybe you're saying, hey, you know, R fifty is awesome. It's just slightly too much for me. Yeah. You know, check out the CPOs. It's a great way to to get into the same product with saving some funds for sure. speaker-0: Yeah, I think that's a a sneaky good way to get into all of these sorts of products that that have that option available. As you said, Daniel, fully warranty backed and ⁓ and and certified by Garmin. And again, it's Garmin. We're not talking about a fly by night company here. We're talking about a major ⁓ a major corporation that ⁓ that makes products that they stand behind. ⁓ and in this case with a with a full one year warranty. So yeah, if you go to the deals tab ⁓ at playbetter.com, you'll find ⁓ the R50 certified pre-owned as well as other launch monitor certified pre-owned options. And ⁓ unless you just can't stand the idea of somebody else's fingers having at one point touched that touch screen, why wouldn't you choose the CPO option and save the six hundred dollars? I think that's a bit of a no brainer. So ⁓ glad you mentioned that. ⁓ well yeah. ⁓ who who do you see ⁓ the R fifty as as being a good fit for, Daniel? and anything else that that maybe we should cover? speaker-1: kinda mentioned it earlier, but I think those people out there who are looking for something most user friendly out there, maybe you're not too tech savvy and you want a golf sim, this is probably a really good product for you. but honestly like the the people out there who are like, I want to buy a golf sim to play virtual rounds of golf. I want to have a ton of golf courses to play and I I maybe I don't want an annual fee or if I if I have one I don't want it to be that expensive. Like this is the perfect product. I mean, you can you can add up to I think four people at a time to play around a golf. ⁓ but like tons of golf courses to play, minimal practice capabilities. Like you said, Mark, I think if you're someone out there who's like, I want to buy a device that's gonna make me a better golfer that can give me drills and things like that, maybe you look at Skytrack, maybe you look at Unicor. ⁓ you know, there's certainly better options out there for that specific purpose. ⁓ but if you're like I said, if you're a person who wants to play a ton of simulated rounds of golf, ⁓ th this is probably the best product out there for you. ⁓ without having to buy a gaming PC, no iPads, no additional devices. This ⁓ there there's a reason why this device has been insanely successful ⁓ you know, in the market since its inception. So ⁓ yeah, that that's my thoughts on it. I I think that's probably the best candidates and And like I said, I I think it's almost every day I talk to somebody who's like, I just want to be able to push two buttons and play golf. That that's the Garmin R fifty. speaker-0: Absolutely perfect summary. Perfect summary. Couldn't agree more. That is the ideal user. and I'm really glad that we talked about this one today. Another thank you to the commenter that suggested this episode and a reminder to anybody else to ⁓ please hit us up with comments, ⁓ other things you'd like for us to ⁓ discuss or explore. we're happy to take it into consideration. ⁓ you know, not every single suggestion ⁓ may align with ⁓ With what we have in mind, but ⁓ but very often they very well will. So ⁓ again, thank you for the comments, thank you for the support, thank you for your continued ⁓ watching and listening. And ⁓ just once again a reminder to you, the listener and viewer, ⁓ that you do have an exclusive discount code available to you. That is GTW to use over at playbetter.com. So until next week, ⁓ thank you again for tuning in.