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Comparison

KIT vs Approach R50

Short answer

Same $5,000 price point, different ideas of a home sim: the Garmin R50 is a camera-based all-in-one with its own 10-inch screen running Home Tee Hero; the Full Swing KIT is a radar-led portable with built-in swing video, and its course play is bought separately.

Full Swing KITFull SwingKIT
$4,999
Buy at Amazon · $3,996, KITCompare 5 retailers
vs
Garmin Approach R50GarminApproach R50
$5,000
Buy at Amazon · $5,000, Approach R50Compare 6 retailers

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By buyer

Which one for you

Want power-on-and-play with no PC
Garmin R50. Home Tee Hero runs on its own screen; budget $99.99 a year.
Practice at the range as well as at home
Full Swing KIT, for the swing video that comes with every shot. The R50 goes to the range too, on up to 4 hours of battery.
Room under 17 ft deep
Garmin R50. At Garmin's recommended 8 ft to the screen our room planner puts it at 16 ft; the KIT's radar sits 8 to 10 ft behind the ball.

Also worth a look

More comparisons with the KIT and Approach R50

Bottom line

The longer answer

The R50 is $4,999.99 and the KIT is $4,999 at most retailers — though the KIT goes on sale, most recently at $3,999 at Rain or Shine since October 6. At list there is no price argument on the hardware, so the choice is about how you will use it.

The R50 is self-contained. Three high-speed cameras feed a 10-inch touchscreen that runs Garmin's Home Tee Hero on the device — 43,000+ courses, a camera-based putting mode, and no PC. Home Tee Hero's full features come with a Garmin Golf membership at $99.99 a year, about $500 over five. It measures club speed, path, face angle and attack angle with the club-face sticker in the box, goes to the range on up to 4 hours of battery, and is on GSPro's official list if you later add a PC. Garmin suggests a 9 ft ceiling or more for most users.

The KIT is built for practice in more than one place. Radar plus one built-in camera, indoor and outdoor, ball data with spin rate and axis, club speed, smash factor, path, face angle and attack angle, and built-in swing video you review in the free Full Swing app. Nothing sits behind a membership for the data or the video, but no course play comes with it: GSPro, which lists the KIT, runs $250 a year on a Windows PC; E6 Connect for iPhone and iPad is sold separately; and Full Swing Golf for KIT is a subscription that comes with Full Swing's KIT Studio packages. As a radar unit it wants 8 to 10 ft behind the ball and 8 to 10 ft of flight indoors, 17 ft or more on our room planner. On either unit the swing sets the ceiling: Shop Indoor Golf's height table asks 10 ft for a golfer 5'10" to 6'2".

Over five years with course play, the R50 on Home Tee Hero comes to about $5,500, and the KIT on GSPro about $6,250 before the PC GSPro needs. If the sim lives in one room and the point is that anyone can switch it on and play, buy the R50. If swing video is how you practice, the KIT fits better — and at its sale price it is the cheaper of the two up front.

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Full specificationsEvery spec for both, line by line

Specifications

The numbers, lined up.

Hardware

  • Tracking Method
    KITRadar + built-in high-resolution camera (hybrid)
    Approach R50Photometric (3 high-speed cameras)
  • Indoor/Outdoor
    KITBoth
    Approach R50Both — home setup or driving range
  • Swing Video
    KITYes — built-in capture and review
    Approach R50—
  • Built-in Display
    KIT—
    Approach R5010" touchscreen with full Home Tee Hero on-device
  • Standalone Operation
    KIT—
    Approach R50Yes
  • Placement
    KIT—
    Approach R50About 1.5 ft to the side of the ball
  • Battery Life
    KIT—
    Approach R50Up to 4 hours
  • Putting Mode
    KIT—
    Approach R50Yes (camera-based)

Data

  • Ball Data
    KITBall speed, launch angle, horizontal angle, spin rate, spin axis, apex, carry, total, side carry, side total
    Approach R50Speed, launch angle and direction, spin rate and axis, apex, carry, total
  • Club Data
    KITClub speed, smash factor, club path, face angle, face to path, attack angle
    Approach R50Speed, path, face angle, AoA (with the included club-face sticker)

Requirements

  • Room Depth
    KITIndoors 8–10 ft behind the ball plus 8–10 ft of ball flight to the screen
    Approach R50—

Software

  • App
    KITFull Swing app (free, iOS and Android)
    Approach R50—
  • Subscription
    KITNone for data and video; course play is GSPro or E6 Connect (sold separately) or Full Swing Golf for KIT (subscription, with KIT Studio packages)
    Approach R50—
  • Course Library
    KIT—
    Approach R5043,000+ via Home Tee Hero

Pedigree

  • Used By
    KITTiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson
    Approach R50—

Accuracy

  • MyGolfSpy 2024
    KIT—
    Approach R50"Best Overall" personal launch monitor 2024

Room planner

See each one in your sim room.

The planner draws each unit to scale with your room and your swing: where it sits, and whether your swing clears the ceiling, walls and screen. Put in your room once, then switch units in the planner to compare.

See the KIT in your sim room →See the Approach R50 in your sim room →
Persona fitWho each one is better for

Who each one is better for

Honest persona fit, side by side.

Better for Approach R50

  • Showroom

    Premium build quality with the touchscreen as a genuine 'wow' feature when guests visit. The all-in-one design suits showcase rooms.

Both fit

  • Recreational Player
  • Family Setup

Build your simulator in two minutes

Five questions. One tailored build with retailer links.

We ask about your budget, your room, and how you’ll use it. We return a complete build — launch monitor, mat, enclosure, projector, software, PC — with the reasoning behind every pick and the alternatives we considered.

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