Garmin Approach R50 vs Full Swing Kit Launch Monitor: Read our head-to-head verdict

Garmin Approach R50 vs Full Swing Kit Launch Monitor: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict

Think the best golf launch monitors are only for golfers with deep pockets? Think again. While premium models like Trackman and Foresight Sports can cost a small fortune, relatively speaking there are more affordable options that still deliver impressive functionality.

The Full Swing Kit and Garmin Approach G50 are two excellent examples. Both use radar technology, pack in plenty of useful features, and come in at a far more accessible price point than the top-end devices.

We’ve put these two impressive launch monitors head-to-head to see which offers the best blend of performance, value, and features for your game.

Ease of use

The Full Swing Kit has earned serious credibility as the launch monitor trusted by Tiger Woods and Jon Rahm, an endorsement that speaks volumes. But beyond the star power, the unit itself impresses. Setup is refreshingly simple: download the app, sync it with the device and position the monitor about 10 feet behind the ball. From there, data streams directly to your smartphone or iPad.

The app is equally user-friendly. Its layout is intuitive, making it easy to dive into the numbers, track performance and compare club data. In testing a standout feature for us was the dynamic dispersion chart, which neatly colour-codes your shots by club. In our experience, it’s arguably one of the best apps paired with a launch monitor. The only drawback is that accessing its full range of features requires an annual subscription.

The Approach R50 is a fairly large unit, which has both advantages and drawbacks. Its size allows for an excellent display, but it can feel bulky. That said, it’s far from cumbersome and at just over 4kg it remains light enough to carry with ease. An ergonomic design means it can be lifted comfortably with one hand, while the sturdy carry case and shoulder strap make it highly portable and well protected on the move.

The standout feature is the 10-inch full-color touchscreen. Bright, sharp, and highly responsive, it makes setup quick and simple. Just adjust your settings, connect to your Garmin Golf account to sync club and session data, and you’re good to go.

To capture club data you will need to place a small sticker on the clubface, which is a minor inconvenience, but the process is quick and with 250 stickers supplied in the case, you’ll have more than enough to keep going for a long time. We did struggle to locate the setting that turned on club data initially as by default it won’t show - even if you’ve applied the sticker to the clubface - which was strange and took us a good 10 minutes to find.

Overall, the Full Swing Kit takes this one as there's slightly less effort involved to get up and running.

Accuracy

Much like other tech devices, the best golf rangefinders and best golf watches for example, accuracy is everything with a product such as this. Launch monitors have to be precise with data otherwise they serve little or no purpose, and the Full Swing Kit doesn’t disappoint. Equipped with a Doppler radar and in-built camera it didn’t miss a shot during our time with it, adjusting accurately to every change in distance and direction. With 16 different data points, which includes not only carry, distance, ball and club speed, but also spin rate, spin axis, face angle, attack angle and smash factor, Full Swing Kit provides a detailed analysis of every swing you make, removing the guesswork in the process. You can even pair it with your bluetooth headphones to hear the data after each shot.

The R50 relies on three cameras to record 15 club and ball data points, while also using the same system to fine-tune alignment, which is a quick setup step you complete by positioning two balls before starting your session. There was barely any delay from the ball hitting the screen to the ball flight appearing and while I experienced a couple of questionable ball flights, generally my sessions were seamless. The numbers lined up closely with what I’d expect from premium launch monitors such as the Foresight Sports GCQuad and GC3.

When it comes to accuracy, there's nothing to choose between these two excellent devices.

Features

The Kit monitor’s built-in camera means you can record your swing, playing it back in slow motion if required. Bring it indoors, pair it with the e6 Connect software and you’ve got a simulator with over 100 courses for you to play, as well as over 15 practice environments and mini games - you can even play online with your golfing friends.

Additional features include indoor and outdoor functionality, wireless connectivity, data export options, and a portable, lightweight design for use on the range, in practice studios, or on course.

When it comes to features the G50 knocks it out of the park, or over the driving range back fence if you prefer. The big difference here is that the R50 is a simulator as well as a launch monitor, meaning you have lots of cool things to keep you entertained, not least over 43,000 golf courses that you can play!

The 10 inch touchscreen is fantastic and means that you don't need to hook it up to a smartphone, tablet or a PC, but the experience is obviously enhanced if you hook the R50 up with a screen using a direct connection to a projector.

We loved how customizable the view of the data was, as you can drag up the metrics you are most interested in and see them alongside your ball flight, which isn't something all the best portable launch monitors offer. You can see all the numbers together or on a graphical representation of impact between club and ball.

We also loved watching the high speed impact playback, which provides a super slo-mo video of the moment of strike. This could be useful if trying to ascertain if a new swing move is leading to an improvement in ball striking, although the front angle arguably isn’t the one most people would choose to view it from.

All in all, the Garmin takes this one comfortably.

Versatility

A launch monitor's versatility can be measured both in its level of compatibility and also in its portability. And the Kit launch monitor scores highly in one, but not in the other. While it’s fairly lightweight (4lbs/1.8kg claimed) and comes with a nice carry case that makes it easily portable it’s currently only compatible with Apple devices running iOS 14 or higher. If you’re a PC or Android user, you’re currently out of luck.

The Kit can also be used as a simulator but it requires exsternal devices as well as additional software and subscriptions.

The Garmin is just the reverse. It's a little bulky but not only is it is compatible with a wider range of devices and operating systems, including PC, Android and iOS, it's also a self sustained unit that does not need to be synced with anything.

The fact it also doubles as a high quality simulator that offers so many course options merely adds to the versatility. Chalk up another win for the Garmin in this category.

Overall appeal

The Full Swing Kit is an impressive launch monitor. It's simple to use, highly accurate and packed with a wide range of data points. Its companion app is excellent too, though full access does require a subscription. The main drawback right now is the absence of a ball normalization feature, which would allow you to adjust for weather conditions or range balls. However, this functionality is expected to be added soon.

The Garmin Approach R50 is similarly priced and does a comparable job to the Full Swing Kit as a launch monitor. While the Full Swing Kit probably edges it on the range, the Garmin offers numerous other built in features, not least the fun aspect of playing some of the world's finest tracks (or even just your own local course) on a simulator. Once again though, the full suite of features does require a subscription ($9.99 a month or $99 for the year).

Which one should you choose?

Choose the Full Swing Kit if…
- You use iOS devices
- You want a wide range of data points
- You value ease-of-use

Choose the Garmin Approach G50 if…
- You use PC or Android devices
- You want access to a huge number of virtual courses
- You will also be using it indoors

For more golf technology buying advice, check out our guides on the best budget rangefinders, and the best cheap launch monitors.