I have been using the R10 for a couple days now and my distances seems way off. Seems very club is approx 20yards short from the range? Is there anything that needs to be done with calibration?
I have been using the R10 for a couple days now and my distances seems way off. Seems very club is approx 20yards short from the range? Is there anything that needs to be done with calibration?
I'm a new owner couple days. Every club is ridiculously short. On real course I bomb 250 on bad hits....I struggle to get 180yds reading. All the irons seem like they are read like an 8I. Can't get…
Similiar problem for me, been using for a couple of days and all clubs are only recording 2/3 distance, checked the setup with a tape measure and spirit level and still the same problem. I have tried inside…
I want to love this thing had such high hopes and as is has become an enormous let down.
Garmin R10 journey so far:
Before I get started, I would like to point out that range balls generally fly 10% less than gamers. So, I was aware to use field markers and a range finder to gauge distance... and used a range finder (with slope function as well) to measure the field markers (I found two at one range that were off by at least 20 yards). I have worked in construction, so I know distances, and I know how to level and square something. I also followed Garmin's advice on placement distance and height in relation to the hitting area.
Unit 1 - bought at retail store (Roger Dunn), used at range with field markers & range finder to double check R10 measurements. Firmware is pre-3.40. Distances at higher speeds (driver & woods) were on average 20 yards short. Direction, shot shape, degrees off center were wrong 30% of the time from visually observed shots. Miss reads (were nothing was captured at all) was 46%. This level of performance was consistent across 3 outings at the range. The range was Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. They use yellow balls. Hitting surface is artificial turf on a concrete sidewalk-base. Range field is natural grass bordered on three sides (left, right, center-deep) with nylon netting and wood poles. Bays are spaced apart approximately 8-10 feet on center. On two outings the range was crowded, one time it wasn't... results were the same whether crowded or not.
Updated firmware to 3.40 - no improvement on performance, in fact, missed shots increased to 67%, same level accuracy on captured shots as before. Same outdoor range, same setup.
Unit 2 - per Garmin's advice, I received a replacement unit from Roger Dunn. I did not update the firmware, I left it as is. Same poor results at same outdoor range.
Updated firmware to 3.60 - Different range (Brookside is closed for a month): Range was DeBell in Burbank, hitting surface is artificial turf on asphalt hitting into a grass/dirt field that is sloped upwards (see photos). Bordered on one side, left, with nylon netting and wood poles. They use white balls. Also used a custom base made by a guy from Houston, TX (check ETSY) that helps to align and square the R10 to the target. FYI, that base fits nicely in the Garmin case, nice quality, I highly recommend. As you can see from the photo, I used a bathroom sign to raise the level of the unit to match the hitting mat. Not perfect, but I forgot leveling shims, but I was more concerned with shot capture and less with pinpoint accuracy on distance, shot shape, etc.
Results: 97% of shots were captured. Shot shape and distance, pretty close at all speeds with around 10% of the shots being slightly inaccurate (for example, a ball that landed 10 yards off center was recorded at 25 yards off center). Funny note: I did a practice swing close to the ball, did not touch the ball, and the R10 gave a reading of a 176 yard drive.
Difference between both ranges: Brookside uses yellow balls on concrete hitting area, DeBell uses white balls on asphalt hitting area. I will try another range near me that has different hitting parameters.
