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Comparison

Approach R50 vs SkyTrak+

Short answer

The Garmin R50 is a complete simulator in one box — its own 10-inch screen runs Home Tee Hero with no PC; the SkyTrak+ is SkyTrak's discontinued previous generation, a closeout sensor that needs an M1-or-newer iPad or Mac, or a Windows PC, and costs about $3,900 less at $1,095 new while stock lasts.

Garmin Approach R50GarminApproach R50
$5,000
Buy at Amazon · $5,000, Approach R50Compare 6 retailers
vs
SkyTrak+SkyTrakSkyTrak+
$1,095
Buy at Amazon · $995, SkyTrak+Compare 2 retailers

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By buyer

Which one for you

Want a simulator with no PC, tablet or setup
Garmin R50. Home Tee Hero runs on its own screen; budget $99.99 a year for course play.
Already own an M1-or-newer iPad or Mac, or a Windows PC
SkyTrak+, at $1,095 new while closeout stock lasts. Course play is $299.99 a year on Core: Foresight.
Planning to run GSPro
Garmin R50. It's on GSPro's official list; a new SkyTrak+ can't run GSPro at all.

Also worth a look

More comparisons with the Approach R50 and SkyTrak+

Bottom line

The longer answer

Both measure the ball at the strike rather than out in its flight, work indoors and out, and sit beside the ball. Garmin says the R50 uses three high-speed cameras; the SkyTrak+ pairs a photometric camera with Doppler radar. The R50 is $4,999.99 at most retailers we track. The SkyTrak+ is the previous generation, discontinued by SkyTrak and sold only as closeout stock: Amazon has it at $1,095, Rain or Shine still lists $1,995, and SkyTrak's own store shows it as no longer available.

The R50's money buys everything after the sensor. Its 10-inch touchscreen runs Garmin's Home Tee Hero on the device, with 43,000+ courses and HDMI out to a TV or projector. Course play needs a Garmin Golf membership at $99.99 a year; there is a 30-day trial and no free course tier. The SkyTrak+ needs a host: SkyTrak's app requires an M1-or-newer iPad or Mac, or a Windows PC. Its course play starts at Core: Foresight, $299.99 a year for 50 courses, or Core: Trackman at $349.99 for 52. On club data the R50 reads attack angle, with the club-face sticker in the box, which the SkyTrak+ doesn't.

Third-party software splits them further. The R50 is on GSPro's official list, and it also works with E6 Connect (including the buy-once $1,000 E6 Connect Home licence), E6 (2026) and Awesome Golf. No SkyTrak model is on GSPro's list, and a new SkyTrak+ buyer can't reach GSPro: the free community plugin owners used, OpenSkyPlus 2, supports SkyTrak app 5.4–5.8, and SkyTrak now offers only 6.2, which also updates the unit's firmware. Owners still on 5.8 can keep using it. E6 and Awesome Golf don't support the SkyTrak+ at all. GSPro itself is $250 a year and needs a Windows PC with at least a discrete RTX 3060.

On each maker's own course software, five years comes to about $5,500 for the R50 ($4,999.99 plus $99.99 a year) and about $2,595 for the SkyTrak+ at $1,095 with Core: Foresight, before the iPad, Mac or PC it needs. If you want a sim anyone in the house can switch on, buy the R50. If you already own a capable device and want the money for the rest of the room, the SkyTrak+ closeout is the value, with the usual caveat that the stock is finite; SkyTrak's current ST MAX, at $1,695, is the same camera-plus-radar approach with a larger hitting zone.

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Full specificationsEvery spec for both, line by line

Specifications

The numbers, lined up.

Hardware

  • Tracking Method
    Approach R50Photometric (3 high-speed cameras)
    SkyTrak+Hybrid (Photometric + Radar)
  • Built-in Display
    Approach R5010" touchscreen with full Home Tee Hero on-device
    SkyTrak+—
  • Standalone Operation
    Approach R50Yes
    SkyTrak+—
  • Indoor/Outdoor
    Approach R50Both — home setup or driving range
    SkyTrak+Both
  • Placement
    Approach R50About 1.5 ft to the side of the ball
    SkyTrak+—
  • Battery Life
    Approach R50Up to 4 hours
    SkyTrak+—
  • Putting Mode
    Approach R50Yes (camera-based)
    SkyTrak+—
  • Hitting Zone
    Approach R50—
    SkyTrak+~2 × 2 in
  • Warranty
    Approach R50—
    SkyTrak+6 months or 25,000 shots, whichever comes first

Data

  • Ball Data
    Approach R50Speed, launch angle and direction, spin rate and axis, apex, carry, total
    SkyTrak+Speed, launch, spin direct, carry
  • Club Data
    Approach R50Speed, path, face angle, AoA (with the included club-face sticker)
    SkyTrak+Speed, smash factor, path, face angle, face-to-path (no AoA)

Software

  • Course Library
    Approach R5043,000+ via Home Tee Hero
    SkyTrak+—
  • Mac Support
    Approach R50—
    SkyTrak+Native (M1 or newer)
  • iOS Support
    Approach R50—
    SkyTrak+Native (M-series iPad, M1 or newer)
  • Subscription
    Approach R50—
    SkyTrak+None required; Essential $99.99/yr (no course play), Core: Foresight $299.99/yr, Core: Trackman $349.99/yr, Elite $599.99/yr
  • Course Play
    Approach R50—
    SkyTrak+Native SkyTrak app; WGT on iOS only. GSPro: no path for a new buyer — no SkyTrak model is on GSPro's official list, and the free community plugin (OpenSkyPlus 2) supports SkyTrak app 5.4–5.8 while SkyTrak now offers only 6.2, which also updates the unit's firmware; owners still on 5.8 can keep using it. E6: no SkyTrak model is on TruGolf's current device list

Accuracy

  • MyGolfSpy 2024
    Approach R50"Best Overall" personal launch monitor 2024
    SkyTrak+—
  • Independent Testing
    Approach R50—
    SkyTrak+MyGolfSpy 2024 — within 1% of GCQuad on ball speed indoors

Practical

  • Availability
    Approach R50—
    SkyTrak+Previous generation — discontinued by SkyTrak and replaced by the ST MAX; closeout stock at retailers only (October 2026)

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 Approach R50 in your sim room →See the SkyTrak+ 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.

Better for SkyTrak+

  • Cost-Effective Buyer

    The cheapest new camera-plus-radar SkyTrak while closeout stock lasts: $1,095, about $600 under the current ST MAX at $1,695. What the saving costs you is a hitting zone about a quarter the area, a discontinued model's support runway, and limited stock.

  • Space-Constrained

    Sits beside the ball, so it needs no ball-flight depth the way radar does. SkyTrak's room guide asks for at least 12 ft of length and 10 ft of width, and recommends 15 ft each way; its FAQ says 10 ft and its Studio 10 enclosure diagram 17. Our room planner plans on 18 ft: a foot behind the screen, the ball at SkyTrak's recommended 10 ft from it, and the 7 ft behind the tee Shop Indoor Golf and Carl's Place advise.

Both fit

  • Recreational Player
  • Family Setup

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