Approach R50 - Recent Threads

Garmin R50 – Club Path Displayed as Right-Handed for Left-Handed Golfers

4674895 — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 11:27:13 GMT

Hi everyone,

I've noticed a potential issue with the Garmin Approach R50 when displaying club data on the built-in screen.

As a left-handed golfer, I've noticed that the club path graphic and club illustration appear to be displayed from a right-handed golfer's perspective, rather than being mirrored for a left-handed player.

This makes the visual representation of the club data confusing when reviewing shots.

Has anyone else who plays left-handed noticed this issue?

It would be great if Garmin could look into this and potentially introduce a software update that correctly displays the club path and club graphics according to the golfer's selected handedness.

Thanks!

RE: Garmin R50 – Club Path Displayed as Right-Handed for Left-Handed Golfers

Slu — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:03:14 GMT

I noticed this as well but I think that the graphic itself is the only thing incorrect. The data points should still match (the path should still correct display an out-in or in-out path. I think it would be a very simple and much appreciated fix to mirror the club image for left handed golfers as those little touches help our brain better process the data.

RE: Garmin R50 – Club Path Displayed as Right-Handed for Left-Handed Golfers

Atarikid — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 09:29:10 GMT

Yes, same here. Lefthanded players are left out in the cold, I’m afraid.
I do not think Garmin cares to fix this.

RE: Garmin Approach R50 – Ball Flight Not Matching Actual Shots at Driving Range

6008078 — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:48:14 GMT

I haven't had the opportunity to take mine to an outdoor range to test it, but I typically know what my ball flight is going to look like and I have noticed some issues recently where it's not capturing my spin rates or launch angles correctly on my hybrids, three woods, and driver, which are showing the ball to essentially knuckleball and dive straight to the ground but then get excessive roll out.

I had one yesterday where it said I only carried 115 yards, but it rolled out to 280.

Garmin Approach R50 – Ball Flight Not Matching Actual Shots at Driving Range

4674895 — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 20:22:56 GMT

Hi,

I've recently been using my Garmin Approach R50 at an outdoor driving range and noticed some inconsistencies between the actual ball flight and what the R50 displays.

On several occasions, the ball flight I could clearly see down the range didn't appear to match the simulated ball flight shown on the R50 screen.

This has raised some concerns about the accuracy of the shot shape and directional data, particularly when using the device outdoors where I can compare the readings against the actual ball flight.

I'm a left-handed golfer, although I'm not sure whether that has any relevance to the issue.

Has anyone else experienced similar discrepancies when using the R50 at an outdoor driving range?

I'd also be interested to know whether Garmin is aware of any potential issues with ball flight calculations or shot shape accuracy.

Thanks

Multiplayer

2666580 — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 10:40:40 GMT

Sìnce i see that the multiplayer mode hasent been set up .

i wanted to know of this is possible using gspro.?

i mean is it possible to play a match online Again another player ..

and if is it ..how it work..

thanks

Version 5.0 Broken

Etewa — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 15:32:32 GMT

The unit upgraded to version 5.0 and the ability to connect to 3rd party software does not display any options.

When the device is on, I navigate to Connect option and select. The screen does not show any options including GSPro, Awesome golf, etc ..

I tried restarting, shutting down and then starting. I reset my network connections and downloaded courses for Tee Hero. Same issue

RE: Version 5.0 Broken

Etewa — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:49:34 GMT

I found the support team to be very helpful. That being said, I am still having issues since the last update. The good news is that the screen does not toggle between landscape and portrait anymore, However, I get a "disconnecting" error periodically when using GSPro. I played a round with 3 friends and we had 15 - 20 shots that didn't register tat all. Almost every time we saw the disconnecting error on the Garmin device. Additionally, I get an occasional bad reading where the left spin is 10k or something crazy. All in all, the device is better, but still not performing anywhere near expectations

RE: Readings Are Way Off On Driver and 5w

Kolchak357 — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 15:12:36 GMT

I’ve noticed some crazy driver numbers as well recently. I’m in ball & club data mode with cub sticker on as always. But I occasionally now get a slice where I knew it was a draw or even a hook swing. In addition I also occasionally get super high club speed with my driver even though the ball speed seems accurate. I had a driver club head speeds of 162 mph this morning. I’m lucky to hit 95 at best, so I know this is wrong. I seem to have better luck if I have the ball logo pointed at the R50, but this was not an issue for me until recently.

Readings Are Way Off On Driver and 5w

Rydlock — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 05:50:14 GMT

Had a range session tonight and my driver numbers felt wrong, so I went through the CSV.

I'm a 13 HDCP and usually carry my driver between 270 and 290. Speeds and start direction look believable, but analyzing my driver shot data, there's really weird stuff happening

Club speed was all above 100 mph and ball speed up to 151 mph
launch direction mostly within about 2° of the target.
Backspin is far too low for a driver. The median on my full swings is about 900 rpm, and some shots were under 700. One shot at 144 mph ball speed showed only 346 rpm of total spin.
Spin axis is way off. Many full swings read between -50° and -81°, even though face-to-path was small on most of them. The shots don't look like that in real life.
Smash factor bounces between 1.33 and 1.44 on similar swings, and the low ones line up with the worst spin readings.
Carry comes out short as a result. The one swing with sane spin (about 1,600 rpm, axis -10°) showed a believable carry. This matches what I've seen other people describe with driver and 3 wood, where speed and direction look fine but spin, axis and carry go sideways.

My setup:

indoor, lights off with non flickering LED spotlights illuminating my playing surface.
white srixon z star balls
club data with stickers
taylormade stealth 5w and Ping G430 LST

firmware: Approach R50 5.0.0.

I'm attaching the CSV link Has anyone found a fix, or is this something Garmin is working on?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QoGSqi74cxgjEWZXaNw5qmlJpwNJkkWVLbAO2aWHzYc/edit?usp=sharing

Increasing missed shots after latest software update

5721802 — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:29:19 GMT

I purchased my R50 about four weeks ago and had no issues until the latest software update last week.

Over the past two days, the R50 has been missing more and more shots. The status LED is solid green and shows “Ready to hit,” and the ball is in the correct hitting zone. My setup, lighting, ball, and hitting location are all exactly the same as before.

It does not miss every shot, but the failure rate has become noticeably higher since the update.

Has anyone else experienced this after the latest update?

RE: Increasing missed shots after latest software update

5825678 — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:44:29 GMT

I wish a new update were the case, but I just updated today…in the middle of my practice session. I’m on 5.0 and 4.4.0

it went from accurate before the update to a mess immediately after

So frustrated.

RE: Increasing missed shots after latest software update

5721802 — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:30:24 GMT

They released another update a couple of days ago. I’ve been a Garmin user for over 25 years, and I trust the company to keep updating and improving its products. I’m confident this product won’t be abandoned, as some products from other companies have been.

RE: Increasing missed shots after latest software update

5825678 — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 20:12:37 GMT

That’s not the only issue with the new update - this is what I sent to Garmin in chat.

Since the recent Approach R50 update, the metrics are completely off. I’m getting driver backspin numbers around 500-900rpm when they used to be around 2200rpm. Also random hooks and slices. Launch angles around 11-12° yet height under 30 feet? As a 5 handicap, I know my contact and swing. The numbers I’m getting are physically impossible. The unit was always rather accurate except for the ball speed numbers which everyone knows are always around 10% less than real numbers. That part I could handle given all of the other numbers being so accurate. Now the unit is basically unusable. Lighting is good, premium balls are being used. This is unacceptable for a $5,000 unit!

RE: Readings Are Way Off On Driver and 5w

5825678 — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 20:07:08 GMT

I’m having the exact same issue. I just spent 20 minutes on a chat with someone at Garmin (who was completely useless). He wanted to see my setup (which I had already taken down) and I couldn’t get it through his head that I was using the unit, getting normal numbers, took a break, did the update, and then went back to using it and getting these obnoxious numbers.

RE: Feature request: Save/Resume unfinished rounds

1628703 — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:39:26 GMT

I submitted this to the ideas link you provided 4 months ago. Any update on whether this feature will come?

Feature request: Save/Resume unfinished rounds

1628703 — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:17:07 GMT

I would like the ability to Save an unfinished round and resume it later.

Importantly, I want to be able to switch the R50 to other modes, say Practice, or On Course Practice, or even play another course, and then be able to resume the unfinished round later.

I may have lots of unfinished rounds with say different user groups that I could choose to resume with; my kid, my buddies. There are many scenarios where this would be useful. Eighteen holes take a long time to finish and people don't always have the time. And before resuming the next day, you want to be able to track some practise shots first.

RE: Add favourite holes

1628703 — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:36:52 GMT

This would be great. Also, we need the ability to set Favourite courses. I currently have a list of courses I want to play on my phone but there should be a Favourites section with Holes and Courses.

In addition it would be great to have the ability to give a star rating to the course after you play it. With 42k courses, there's a lot to keep track of.

Add favourite holes

4240047 — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 17:11:51 GMT

For the Garmin Team, I am sure it is an easy upgrade to roll out, which I think would really improve the whole experience.

Is it possible to add in a feature that allows you to 'Add To My Favourite Holes' in Home Tee Hero, for example when you are playing different courses you have an option to save a fun hole that is available on your own 'favourites course'.

Rather than play 18 holes of a specific course I would much prefer to turn on the device and play a rotation of my favourite holes over multiple courses around the world in the time that I have available to practice. Also, this feature would be great for when friends come over to play.

Thanks for reading :-)

Feature request - Split screen on R50 while using GS Pro

bmcg80 — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 18:57:48 GMT

Can we get an option to split the screen on the R50 while playing gs pro? I’d love to be able to see the ‘ball impact’ and ‘impact video’ views at the same time on the built in screen.

I can only get one view currently, unless I’m missing something.

thanks

RE: Feature request - Split screen on R50 while using GS Pro

1628703 — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:15:33 GMT

This actually works and shows that it's technically possible. Please can the software be updated so we don't have to use this workaround.

RE: My Bag yardages all 3x vs Garmin Golf app

Garmin - AL — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 15:59:08 GMT

This has been resolved with the software update to 4.40, ensure your software is current and test. If you continue to see this behavior please create a new forums post.

My Bag yardages all 3x vs Garmin Golf app

3426311 — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 03:02:32 GMT

Just updated my r50 to 5.0 and it’s now showing all my club distances as 3x the value shown in my Garmin golf app. I wish I could hit my driver 711 yards on average but that’s not the case. Any fix for this?

Screen goes blackout when ball in the air on range

6261940 — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 12:52:53 GMT

Does anyone else’s screen blackout when hitting on the range, just after ball is hit? It stays blacked out for about 7 seconds (while ball is in the air and should be tracking) and then comes back on after ball stops rolling. It seems to occur only when the ball is going to come very close to the pin. It’s almost like the feature of pin lifting itself out of the hole on close shots is causing the blackout and lack of tracking. Garmin please look into software code—this only started after last two updates.

RE: Screen goes blackout when ball in the air on range

1402690 — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:22:26 GMT

I'm another owner experiencing the same issue. It's intermittent, but it happens.