If you’ve spent any time shopping for a golf launch monitor, you already know the Garmin R10. Back in 2021, this little black box changed everything.
For the first time, regular golfers could get something accurate, portable, and simulator-capable for under $1,000. The R10 kicked the door wide open and set off the affordable launch monitor craze we’re still riding today.
But here’s the thing: Golf tech doesn’t stand still. Since the R10 hit the market, we’ve seen the Rapsodo MLM2PRO, Swing Caddie SC4 Pro, Square, and now FlightScope Mevo Gen2 all enter the sub-$1,200 conversation. Suddenly, the R10 isn’t the only name in town.
So that raises a real question. Is the R10 still the right call in 2025? Or are there reasons to skip it for one of its newer competitors?
I’d argue there are at least five. Here’s my take on why you might want to at least hit pause before buying an R10 in 2025.
The R10 only directly measures four things: ball speed, club speed, launch angle, and launch direction. Everything else — spin, curvature, deviation, apex, face-to-path, attack angle — is generated by an algorithm.
That doesn’t mean the numbers are worthless. In fact, outdoors, distance and speed numbers with the R10 are very solid. But when you step indoors, the story changes. Unless you’re hitting Titleist RCT golf balls (which cost extra and aren’t included), spin numbers are unreliable. And if spin isn’t trustworthy, then ball flight and shot shape can be way off.
For casual practice, that may not matter. But if you’re buying a launch monitor to tighten dispersion or work on shaping shots, the R10’s limitations could lead to frustrations unless you use the special golf balls that are expensive and wear out quickly.
To be fair, any golf launch monitor is going to require either special golf balls or club stickers if you want to get all of the data accurately indoors. But, in my experience, those indoor limitations are a bit more magnified with the R10.
Another wrinkle here is shot length. The R10, like all radar-based units, needs to see a good stretch of ball flight to give accurate reads. Outdoors, that’s no problem. Indoors, though, if you’ve only got 8 or 9 feet of ball flight, you’ll start to see drop-offs in consistency.
That makes it less than ideal for garage setups or tighter sim spaces. Photometric systems like the Square thrive here because they only need a few feet to get all their readings.
It’s just a reality of radar tech. Guys, I tell people all the time: If you’re going to use your launch monitor just outdoors, I love going with radar. But indoors is a different animal, and optical systems have a big advantage over radar.
Behind these impressive specifications lies the beating heart of every Swing Caddie model: Doppler radar technology. This isn't just fancy marketing speak—it's the real deal that tracks your ball by measuring frequency changes in radar waves bouncing off your moving golf ball.
Here's what makes this technology shine: you'll get continuous tracking throughout your ball's entire flight, typically capturing about 6 seconds of data from impact to landing. Unlike camera-based systems that struggle with lighting changes, Doppler radar works consistently whether you're hitting indoors under fluorescent lights or outdoors in bright sunshine. While some premium devices like the Garmin R50 utilize photometric technology for enhanced accuracy, Doppler radar remains highly effective for most golfers' needs.
The system excels at measuring ball speed immediately after impact, which is essential for accurate distance calculations. However, proper alignment matters—positioning your Swing Caddie correctly guarantees the best radar signal reflection and reduces measurement errors. With more than 40 parameters being tracked on every shot, the system provides comprehensive data that helps identify both player strengths and specific areas needing improvement. The Fusion Tracking technology enhances this data accuracy through patented algorithms that optimize radar signal processing.
One of the reasons the R10 looked like such an incredible deal at launch was the $599.99 price tag. But here in 2025, that number doesn’t tell the whole story.
To unlock the best features, including Home Tee Hero’s 42,000-plus virtual courses and green contour data, you’ll need the Garmin Golf Membership at $99 per year (or $9.99 per month). That’s not insane, but it adds up quickly.
And it looks worse when you compare it to rivals:
So while the R10 looks cheapest on paper, over three or four years of ownership, it’s often more expensive than its competitors.
One last thing to consider is Garmin’s own roadmap. Since releasing the R10, Garmin has already launched the higher-end R50, a far more advanced (but much more expensive) all-in-one launch monitor and simulator. That tells us the R10 may not see much future development, at least not in terms of new features.
Firmware updates have definitely improved accuracy since launch, but if you’re hoping for any more big leaps at this point, I’m not sure they’re coming.
Don’t get me wrong. The R10’s simulator ecosystem is still pretty solid. It works with GSPro, E6 Connect, The Golf Club 2019, Creative Golf, and Awesome Golf. Plus you get five free E6 courses out of the box.
But here’s the rub:
The bottom line is that you absolutely can have a great time playing sim golf with the R10. But you’re working around its limitations in ways you don’t have to with newer units.
And it’s worth thinking about the long haul. If you’re planning a dedicated simulator setup that you want to keep for years, those limitations might eventually feel like a ceiling you can’t break through.
When you compare the overall sim experience side by side, the R10 feels more like a stopgap than a long-term centerpiece.
The R10 itself is tiny, which is awesome. But then Garmin went and stuck it in a carrying case that’s like 10 times larger than the device. It’s clunky, overkill, and makes it harder to just toss the thing in your bag.
Setup is mostly simple. Power on, align the red aim line, connect the app. But it’s not foolproof. Some launch monitors use built-in cameras to make precise alignment a lot smoother. With the R10, it’s a bit of an eyeball test. And if you misalign by even a few degrees, your data goes sideways.
Outdoors, the R10 is very reliable once it's set, but indoors, elevating it to match mat height or fussing with spacing can feel like a chore.
For a product Garmin markets as “grab and go,” the R10’s real-world portability and alignment quirks are definitely noticeable.
When the R10 launched, it was untouchable. Now? The field is stacked.
The Rapsodo MLM2PRO adds dual cameras for swing video and impact vision, plus now directly measures club path and angle of attack. It’s more expensive upfront, but its feature set is richer.
The Swing Caddie SC4 Pro includes a built-in display, remote control, new spin metrics, and no subscription. It’s arguably the easiest to use outdoors.
The Square Golf Launch Monitor is the first photometric unit under $1,000. It excels indoors, measures both ball and club data, supports putting, and offers a flexible pay-per-hole sim model.
At $1,199, the FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 is of course considerably more expensive than the $599 R10, but it brings pro-grade Fusion Tracking accuracy, video tracer overlays, and zero subscriptions to the person who’s willing to stretch just beyond that magic $1,000 barrier.
In 2021, choosing the R10 was a no-brainer. What else were you going to pick if you wanted a legitimate launch monitor and simulator and didn’t want to spend thousands?
But in 2025, it’s a tougher sell. If you’re not firmly planted in Garmin’s ecosystem, the competition gives you compelling reasons to look elsewhere.
So here’s the verdict: The R10 is not a bad launch monitor. In fact, it’s still one of the most popular devices in golf for a reason. It delivers a lot for the money, it works reliably outdoors, and it’s backed by Garmin’s name.
But — and this is the big but — in 2025, you can do better in certain areas for the same money. Indoors, the Square is stronger. For ease of use, the SC4 Pro wins. For data completeness and video feedback, the MLM2PRO leads. For accuracy, the Mevo Gen 2 is in another league.
If you already own an R10 and like it, keep using it. I’ve still got one, and I still find times when it’s exactly the right launch monitor for the situation.
But if you’re buying fresh in 2025, I’d think long and hard before locking into a device that now feels a step behind.
So my honest take is that the R10 is still good but it’s no longer the obvious choice.
What do you think? Are you still using the R10? Have you moved on to a competitor? Drop your experiences in the comments. I’d love to hear what’s working for you.
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