R10 distances seem off.

6242659 said:

We need some input here from Garmin as to what they are doing to fix this indoor problem or at least if they are working on a solution that will be implemented?

Can anybody post any video of someone putting the R10 up against another launch monitor indoors and showing a large difference in carry distance, particularly on shots under 225 yards?

Here's a GC Quad comparison from today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld24gI3qLdU

Uneekor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDjxTYl2R-8

Trackman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gheSsg-ARKI

To my knowledge, since 3.60 came out, there's nobody documenting a comparison of the R10 to other launch monitors and finding it to be way short consistently, apart from woods shots that have gear effect.

I don't know why anybody who has a device where they think they're way short wouldn't return it or put it up against another monitor to make sure they aren't having difficulty hitting indoors, or into a net, or off  a mat.

FYI, I saw video of the Trackman comparison before.  The thing about the Trackman (at least the unit that was used in the video) uses both Radar and Optical tracking.  So it has an advantage over the R10 and even the GCQuad, SkyTrak.  I understand the Trackman costs $20,000 and it is used on the PGA tour, but has anyone really done live world testing for its accuracy (in the lab or on a range)?  My point is this, how are we to know if even the Trackman is 100% accurate? Has any lab used 5-6 high speed cameras with a marked up ball on a hit in conjunction with the Trackman being used to see if an indoor reading is true? I know this sounds like a digression, but my point is if we are using other launch monitors for comparison or consider one to be the benchmark, are we using bad data to judge the R10?

I guess I would settle for a comparison between the R10 3.60 firmware and any of the following:

GC Quad, GC2, Uneekor, Skytrack, Trackman, PRGR, SwingCaddie, Mevo+, or Rapsodo

where the R10 is showing a significant loss of distance on shots under 225 yards.

The longer this fails to appear, the more I think the R10 is fairly accurate for carry distance. I'm not validating sidespin, or club info, but it's so accurate with ball speed and launch angle that it doesn't make sense that the carry distance can be 1+ clubs off on irons and remain undocumented.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_SwIrvZGs4, I found this interesting, he tested out on the course  

Just got mine a few weeks back. I've used it indoor and in the backyard against a net. It has the 3.60 software update.

DISCLAIMER: The observations and results ahead are of my particular R10, my home set up and my swings on different days. 

Set up: In both places (Indoor and backyard with net in both places) I have 8 feet from ball to net and 6 feet from R10 to ball.

Alignment: It is a a PAIN to align. I use and old welcome matt that has lines in it to align it, and also works to protect from cement floor. I'm looking to get the 3d printed base a guy is selling on Etsy. The unit IS VERY FINICKY TO ALIGNMENT and if it's no aligned correctly you will see bad numbers, bad side to side deviations and bad start lines. Once it is correctly aligned it will capture the ball correctly even if it is to the left or the right of the aligned line.

Interference: The R10 gets interfere by any electronics around and starts actin up. If my wife comes near me while using her iphone and Airpods the unit starts acting up and sometimes it will even miss the shot. If it starts to rain a message on the screen will say that it has radio interference, it is a radar so it will pick up the rain and impossible to hit (no problem with that just letting you know). Any metal and/or any movement around the outskirts of the R10 location, the hitting area/mat and the net area will make it miss the shot or get strange readings.

Measurements: Distances with short irons are spot on. Backspin with short irons is way off and way too low. The unit tends to amplify left and right deviation. With long irons and woods the distances are almost correct but the backspin measurement is too high. I'm getting about 1000 to 1500 more rpm of backspin in my woods vs Trackman, more with the long irons. So, short irons reads lower spin, long irons and woods higher spin vs Trackman.  Also, the total distance calculation with long irons and woods is off because it doesn't give 20 to 30 yds of roll with your driver vs Trackman (could be because of high spin calculation with woods). Garmin needs to calibrate the spin calculations (higher spin for short irons lower spin for longer irons and woods. But let me be clear, with my particular R10 unit and set up if you make a good swing you will get good results in terms of carry distance and ball speed if you are not suffering from indoor golf swing syndrome (it happened to me the first few tries).

Garmin Golf App: I understand that with the phone you would prefer to use it in portrait. But most everybody is screen mirroring to another device so the landscape mode is a must and Garmin should update that ASAP. Because of that I mostly use the E6 range mode and have not upgraded the Home Tee Hero. Garmin is loosing money there because of a simple programing upgrade (landscape mode) in the App, before I pay for Home Tee Hero I'd rather pay for the E6 golf courses upgrade that I can play in landscape mode. GS Pro golf simulation software should be added to the app since E6 is for a trial period and would also give us more options in terms of choices and price.

Conclusions: I've never thought I could have a golf swing simulator at home for $600. In no way should you compare it to a GC Quad or Trackman but for me is more than enough. I have already improve my short irons carry by 5 yards and confirmed it on the golf course. As I said before it is a pain to align and find the perfect set up but once you do works pretty good. If Garmin with a software upgrade fixes the spin numbers (to be higher with short irons and lower with long irons and woods) side deviation numbers (tends to amplify side deviation) and that gives us more realistic numbers with woods and long irons I'll be ecstatic. Also the landscape mode for the App is a must and should be done ASAP.

Thanks,

JC

Thanks, I saw this yesterday, it was great.  But I think if I took the time to do this on the course, I would get hit into if I used it on some of the courses I play.  But thanks, it gives me the idea to perhaps do this with the Garmin range session on the course during a time there's very little people on the course.

Thanks JC, excellent research, and great points, especially with the GCQuad/Trackman expectations.  I generally love the unit primarily because it fits nicely in my bag and gives me a close enough read to help map my clubs (when there's no interference).  That said, I am generally annoyed and baffled as to why Garmin didn't factor in that some ranges use concrete flooring, nearby hitters swing metal clubs or are using iPhones with bluetooth & wifi, etc.

Hopefully, Garmin is working to address these issues.

Hey Everyone - just got back from the driving range and this performed like a beauty. If you don't have it aligned right, it will tell you that you are hitting right or left of center, but I was aiming for different targets out on the range and not just trying to hit it perfectly in line with where the R10 was pointed.

It also gave me confidence that my in door numbers where pretty freaking close. I was hitting a bit further on the range, but am very pleased.

It does do a better job with shot shape on the range, but it honestly wasn't very far off. Like others have said, the side spin is the biggest issue. I sliced a couple pretty bad with my driver and the R10 just showed the shot going left. Not slicing left (I am left handed). 

I definitely have some driver in door swing issues, but my driver and 3W numbers are a bit off in doors. Probably around 20-30 yards each. I don't really care about that though. I was registering swing speeds around 100 and ball speeds around 150. Never got close to that in doors with my driver.

Just found another video here: https://youtu.be/H9pjI--Yh9U

Garmin R10 vs GC Quad