I Was Wrong About the Garmin R50 (Honest Review)
I was very skeptical about the Garmin R50 at first, but I’ll admit I underestimated it. My name’s Mitch, and since 2020, I’ve tested pretty much every launch monitor on the market. And I’m about to explain exactly why the Garmin R50 should be a serious contender for your golf simulator setup. Now, if you are considering buying the Gin R50, then viewers of this channel can save themselves hundreds of pounds using my links in the description below. Now, I’m about to explain why this gamechanging launch monitor is so good, but I’m also going to tell you why it might not be for everybody, which is why I was a little apprehensive at first, but I’ll tell you more about that later on. Now, the first reason you’re going to want to consider the Garmin R50 is because it is guaranteed to improve your golf game. Because it’s a camerabased launch monitor, it is highly accurate indoors. Now, I’ve put it to the test against Trackman, its IO launch monitor, and also the Trackman 4 launch monitor, and the Garmin has held its own in all aspects of the data that it provides. It tracks an advanced amount of data with all of the vital data metrics being measured and not calculated. Therefore, they’re guaranteed to be giving you numbers that you can work on to improve your game. Whether it’s ball data or club data, the Garmin R50 has got everything that you’re going to need to work on your golf game and make yourself better. It’s got arguably one of the best features out of all of the camerabased launch monitors. Garmin’s slow motion video impact replay is one of the best out of all of the launch monitors that sit to the side of your ball. So, you can basically watch back a slow motion replay of how your golf club contacts the ball, whether you’ve hit it fat, thin, or off the heel or off the toe. The quality is fantastic, and it’s definitely one of the best that I’ve seen, and it’s a feature that you don’t get in some launch monitors that are more expensive than the Garmin. Other launch monitors make indoor simulator golf complicated, but the R50 makes it really simple. It basically combines a extremely powerful launch monitor with an all-in-one in-built golf simulator that allows you to play virtual golf without the need of a computer or even a tablet. It’s got a direct HDMI output in the back of the launch monitor so that you can hook it up to a projector or even just a TV and straight away you can have a virtual driving range or a virtual golf course there for you to play on. This massively simplifies the home simulator setup and it’s something that other competitors in the launch monitor industry just don’t offer. The R50 is the first of its kind. It’s effectively a super quick portable plugandplay style setup that takes seconds to align and you’re off hitting golf balls and working on your game. Most golf simulators charge you big money to play virtual courses, but this one gives you thousands of options for a fraction of the price. With Garmin’s Home T her Hero software, you get access to more than 43,000 virtual recreations of golf courses. Now, that includes the likes of Augusta National and Pebble Beach or Bandon Dunes or all of these famous courses. But not only that, because the library of courses is so vast, it’s more than likely going to have your local golf course on the software as well. And I must admit, I played my local course on the Homet Hero software and it was an extremely accurate recreation of the course and I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was. Now, although the graphics are not as detailed as some of these other third-party golf simulator softwares, they were still very good and it is an amazing introduction to simulator golf. and all for the price of either $90 or $99 a year, which is insane. Finally, we have a launch monitor that feels like it belongs in 2025. The 10-in vibrant color touchscreen offers intuitive control, customizable data views, and built-in visual feedback, which eliminates the need for any secondary screens or tablets or devices. It looks like a gimmick, and it very much may be. However, when I used this touchscreen device, it was so sensitive, so responsive, and it was actually a pleasure to use. It wasn’t clunky, it wasn’t slow, there was no delays. It’s a really, really good piece of technology built into your launch monitor, and it blows other old-fashioned launch monitors out of the water when it comes to your visual experience on the launch monitor itself. So, if you’re interested in buying this launch monitor for game improvement or it’s an introduction to indoor simulator golf, then the Gin R50 is going to be a great choice for you. However, I did mention earlier that this launch monitor might not be for everybody. And here’s why. Now, if you’re somebody who really wants to get into indoor golf, then the Home Ty Hero software might not be the one for you. Now, whether you are already a launch monitor owner and you’re looking to upgrade or if you are somebody who really wants to get the best graphics and virtual golf course experience, then you might want to consider getting something else because the Garmin R50, like I say, is very much something that is an introduction into indoor golf. Now, the reason why I say this is because if you want to play the best virtual courses like Augugusta and Pebble Beach, then you’re going to need some much more powerful software that is going to require a gaming PC or a gaming laptop to be able to run. Now, let’s take GS Pro for example. In my opinion, the best third-party golf simulator software that’s out there. The Garmin R50 is compatible with GS Pro, which is amazing. However, if you want to play GS Pro and get these amazing graphics and superb recreations of bucket list courses, then you are still going to have to buy a gaming PC in order to run it, which kind of defeats the whole plugandplay aspect of the Garmin R50. Secondly, despite there being some amazingly accurate data that you get with the Garmin R50, you are very limited when it comes to game improvement features within the R50 software itself. You effectively just get a driving range and then you also get a separate driving range that you can hit to different greens or island greens or whatever, which is decent. But if you’re going to want to work on your golf game, then you’re going to really need to find some drills and practice exercises that you can work on as if you were just on a normal driving range. Whereas other launch monitors come with some game improvement software that is genuinely fantastic and it helps to structure your practice and ultimately helps you improve your game. Next up for me, which is why I was so apprehensive at first, and it’s the reason why I didn’t upgrade to the Garmin R50 and instead, personally, I upgraded to the Foresight GC3. And the reason is because of the size of the unit. It’s an absolute monster when you compare it to many of the other camerabased launch monitors that are out there on the market. Now, okay, in an indoor environment, it doesn’t particularly matter. It’s hefty. It’s not too heavy. Yes, it’s big in size, but at the end of the day, it’s serving a purpose. However, Garmin advertised this as a portable launch monitor as well that you can take with you to the driving range. And yes, you can you can take it with you to the driving range, whether it’s on grass or off a mat. You can plunk it down and you’re going to start getting some extremely accurate data to your practice session. However, personally, I wouldn’t feel very comfortable taking something that’s so big to my local driving range. I’d feel like a bit of a numpty, I think, to be honest. How would you feel? Let me know in the comments below. Would you take this Gin R50 with you to your local driving range, or would you be a little bit apprehensive of doing so? Like I say, personally for me, I’d keep it indoors, but oh well. Then we have the club stickers. In order to get some accurate club data, you need to put these metallic dots onto your golf club. But the difference with these is that they are quite a bit bigger than the ones that I’m used to putting on my Foresight GC3 or the ones that you might need to put on your Unicor launch monitors. Now, if I’m being honest, at first putting these club stickers on didn’t bother me. However, now when I take my golf clubs out onto the golf course and I’ll look down behind my ball, I must admit there’s a little niggle in there that wishes I didn’t have them on and I could just take them off. But I don’t take them off because I go and play outdoors and I know that I’m going to be wanting to get club data from my launch monitor when I’m next in the simulator. So, just for ease, I keep them on. But yeah, it’s just a slight niggle. If you really want to take them on and off and on and off, you can do. But yeah, it’s just a little bit of an extra faf when there are some launch monitors out there given that they are much more expensive. But you can get launch monitors out there where you can get club data without the need for any of these metallic stickers. If you’re sold and the Garmin R50 is the launch monitor for you, then don’t forget to use my discount links in the description below. And also, if you’re interested in building a complete home golf simulator setup, don’t forget to check out the links to my online course and downloadable ebook there as well. But if you’re still not convinced or you’re still a little bit undecided on the Garmin R50, then check out this video on the screen right now where I put it up against the elite level Trackman.
⛳️ How to build your DREAM home golf simulator Starter Pack https://mitch-s-site-003e.thinkific.com/courses/golfsim
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✉️ For brands partnerships contact Mitch: golferhandicap@gmail.com
#garminr50 #golfsimulator #golf
7 Comments
GET A 5% DISCOUNT ON THE GARMIN R50:
🇬🇧 🇪🇺 Use code HANDICAP5 at https://www.golfswingsystems.co.uk/product/garmin-approach-r50/
🇺🇸 Use code HCPGOLF5 at https://rainorshinegolf.com/products/garmin-r50-launch-monitor-and-golf-simulator?variant=41852128428105&sca_ref=8031664.dye6eEvHGfEZzxrV
I took mine to the driving range to test launch angles…I won’t be bringing it again 😂
How come know one talks about the app experience? I feel like it's terrible and a deal breaker..
Yes it’s HUGE and expensive… for me I don’t care for the built in screen. Why not make it smaller, and cheaper and have the user provide their own tablet like an iPad. That screen it comes with looks and acts like an iPad anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if under the hood it actually is an iPad… get rid of the screen and you can make it smaller and thus cheaper.
I’d still consider getting one though. Playing my local course would be cool especially since I left my home state
Hey mate, Love your Reviews.
Would be awesome if you got your hands on a Golfjoy Launch monitor to review also
People notice any extra launch monitor at the local range, in my experience. I tested a SkyTrak Plus, Mevo+, and Full Swing Kit at the range (on matts) when testing launch monitors. All attracted attention of most everyone who walked by. Big or not, it's "fancy" golf hardware that intrigues people in a positive way. So, I would have no issue with it at the range, but recommend going in with reasonable expectations.
So my question is
, if I have no interest in the software and only play Gspro and TGC, how much money do I have to pay extra ?