The Garmin Approach R10 Review 2023 – What you Need to Know About this Launch Monitor

When Garmin releases a new product in the golf market, people tend to stand up and take notice and that is no different with the R10.

The R10 is a pocket sized launch monitor for use at home or on the range and packs a wealth of impressive features like training mode, swing analyzes, shot dispersion rates and performance with each club and access to the free Garmin golf app.

You can play the 42,000 courses virtually from the comfort of your home, the battery life is good and it pairs with your smart phone effortlessly.

When you’re shopping for a launch monitor you should keep a couple of things in mind.

Firstly, a good launch monitor will provide you with the metrics you need to actually adjust your swing and improve your game.

Secondly, it should be easy to use and from a trustworthy brand of which there is none better than Garmin.

We had the pleasure of testing the Garmin Approach R10 which is sold for a very reasonable price given the features. But is it the launch monitor for you? Find out in the following article.

Who Is The Garmin Approach R10 For?

Right off the bat, this would be a great launch monitor for any golfer looking to improve their game and have a bit of fun as well.

We’ll be getting into the specific features in just a moment but for now, you should no that the R10 isn’t wildly accurate but it’s certainly good enough for casual and amateur golfers.

Compact Design

The first thing we have to mention is the size of this launch monitor. It comes in 2 pieces (3 if you add the phone clip to it but we didn’t for our testing). The monitor itself is only 3.5” wide, 2.8” tall and an inch thick.

Then there is the tripod it stands on which props the device up about 9 inches.

You can literally have the launch monitor in your pocket and the tripod in your bag, backpack or even your laptop bag. This is an incredibly compact launch monitor for what it can do.

We should also mention that nothing is displayed on the actual launch monitor itself.

You have to download the Garmin app on your phone or device to see all the data, set it up and choose modes.

42,000 Courses Worldwide

The Garmin Approach R10 is pre-loaded with 42000 courses from a round the world; but if you are familiar with Garmin golf devices you know that this is nothing new.

What we really liked about this feature is that it uses GPS to put the course closest to you at the top of the list when you go into the “Home Tee Hero” function which is the function that lets you play virtual rounds of golf at almost any course in the world.

4 Amazing Functions

There are 4 main functions or modes in the Garmin Approach R10: Home Tee Hero, Driving Range, Weekly Tournament and TruGolf E6 connect.

Home Tee Hero and E6 Connect will require a subscription fee to use although, the Home Tee Hero is free to try for a week.

Physical Specs

The Garmin Approach R10 runs off of a rechargeable lithium ion battery and boasts a battery life of 10 hours.

When we first got the Garmin Approach R10 we were too excited to take it for a spin so we charged it for half an hour and that was enough to keep it working for 3 hours.

So pretty good battery life overall. The launch monitor comes in a handsome protective case which contains the launch monitor, the tripod, the phone clip and a USB charger.

The only complaint that we have about the physical design of this launch monitor is that it’s so small that it can be easily unseen underfoot at the range or even if you’re at home.

It only comes in black so we feel that a launch monitor of this size should have come in a brighter color so it’s more easily seen.

With the tripod this thing weighs just over 7 ounces so you would have no problem carrying this thing in your bag or even in your pocket.

Speaking of the tripod, it snaps into place viz a magnet which we thought was a very nice touch. This thing is super easy to set up.

Easy Setup

It probably took us about 4 minutes to get this thing set up (not including alignment).

It pairs to your phone via Bluetooth quickly and as long as you already have the Garmin app on your phone, it’s pretty much ready to go after it pairs.

The app is easy to navigate on your phone or tablet. You can set the phone in front of you any way you choose in order to see data.

The launch monitor itself has to be set 6-8 feet behind the ball and you have to make sure it’s perfectly perpendicular to it to get any kind of accuracy.

Metrics

We know you want to know what kind of data you get from the Garmin Approach R10 so here it is:

  • Club Head Speed
  • Club Face Angle
  • Club Path Angle
  • Angle of Attack
  • Ball Speed
  • Launch Angle
  • Launch Direction
  • Spin Axis
  • Spin Rate
  • Apex Height
  • Smash Factor
  • Carry Distance
  • Total Distance
  • Deviation Distance

As you can see, this is a ton of data for a launch monitor that retails for around $600. But what about accuracy?

How Accurate Is The Garmin Approach R10?

Garmin boasts that the R10 is accurate within 5 yards for carry distance, within 1mph for ball speed within 3mph for club head speed and 1 degree for launch direction. We would say that these numbers are exaggerated ever so slightly.

We really felt like it was reading our ball speeds and carry distances lower than what they actually were. Overall though the R10 is accurate enough for all but pro players who will probably be using the Track man anyway.

Pros

  • Excellent Features

  • Good Value

  • Links To The Smart Phone Incredibly Well

  • Free Garmin Golf App

  • Training Mode Provides Valuable Feedback

  • Well Priced

Cons

  • Faces Tough Competition From The Mevo Plus

  • Not As Accurate As It Says, Maybe Off By 5 Yards

  • Need To Pay Extra For Golf Games Potentially

Overall Score: 96/100

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Final Assessment – Should you Buy the Garmin Approach R10?

This thing has some very impressive features for a pretty decent price.

We really liked the Home Tee Hero function because it renders your favorite courses virtually and looks very accurate. Setting it up is a breeze and it’s also very compact.

We do wish it came in some other, more visible colors and it does seem a little less accurate than Garmin boasts, inline with competitors, but it could have also been that we didn’t align it perfectly. Still, this is on the affordable side for a launch monitor that gives you so much data.

At the end of the day, we think the Garmin Approach R10 would be a great buy for amateur and casual players.

It’s fun, easy to set up and provides crucial metrics so we definitely recommend checking it out.

Overall Score: 96/100

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