Sports
This tiny launch monitor is perfect to take on the road
Welcome to I Tried It, a GOLF.com series about golf items — apparel, gear, accessories and more — that we’ve recently taken out for a spin. We’re here to give our honest, no-frills takes on the latest and greatest golf or golf-adjacent items. So, scroll down to read about what we love about golf’s newest (or new to us) products.
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With all the testing I’m doing right now as part of Fully Fit 2026, seeing ball flight and getting launch monitor data at the same time is rare.
Seeing data indoors while I wait out a brutal northeast winter is one thing, but it’s tough to get that data whenever I do get to travel and play somewhere warmer.
But as I just realized during a recent trip to South Carolina, the Garmin Approach R10 is the perfect companion to take with me.
Small and easy to move from home to the driving range, Approach R10 is the portable launch monitor that brings the course to you.
Garmin Approach R10 Portable Launch Monitor
What is the Garmin Approach R10
The Garmin Approach R10 has been out since 2021 and was the GPS and wearable giant’s first-ever launch monitor. Five years later, it’s still one of the best launch monitors at its price point.
What I think separates the R10 from some of its competitors in the sub-$500 market is its ability to capture spin data without radar-capture golf balls.
The unit itself has no data display, but all you need is a phone or iPad with the Garmin Golf app on it to take full advantage of the 14 different radar-captured metrics. My favorite use for it is taking it to the range just to check things when I’m trying a new club. I’m not trying to use it to fit myself, but what I can do is use it to confirm what I’m seeing with my ball flight matches what the numbers tell me.
Garmin Golf
During my last trip, I was testing out a new shaft in my mini driver, and while I could easily see which shaft was better, it was nice to have the confirmation from the launch monitor that I was going in the right direction. There are a number of different view options, but with just my iPhone, I like picking three data points to display in big numbers while my phone lays on the ground.
I also used it to help out a friend who wasn’t getting the most out of his driver. I thought his ball seemed a bit spinny in the air, so we put him on the R10 and saw his angle of attack severely down with his driver.
While I’m not a golf instructor, we made a couple of simple tweaks to his setup and driver and the before-and-after numbers were quite jarring. It was easy to see we were going in the right direction, thanks to the R10 having both spin and attack angle measurements.
Garmin Golf
Traveling with the Approach R10
Not only is the R10 significantly cheaper than many big-name units out there, but it’s also significantly more travel-friendly.
It includes a case that takes up about the same space as a box of golf balls (a little smaller, but deeper), which I can easily toss in my backpack.
In my experience going through TSA PreCheck, I didn’t have to take it out of my backpack. The same can’t be said for larger units.
Then once I actually get to my destination, all I need is six feet of flat space behind wherever I’m hitting balls to set it up, which I can do in seconds.
After that, I’m able to simply get numbers on the range, or if I wanted to, play a round of golf on the range through Garmin’s native Home Tee Hero app or any other compatible simulation app.
Bottom line
Garmin Approach R10 Portable Launch Monitor
Small and easy to move from home to the driving range, Approach R10 is the portable launch monitor that brings the course to you.
The Garmin Approach R10 fills a really nice hole in the market for an affordable and portable launch monitor that can measure spin and many other important data variables.
If you’ve been looking for a solid launch monitor that’s easy to use and won’t break the bank, it’s tough to go wrong with the R10.