3 Popular Garmin Watches for Golf and Fitness

Garmin Approach S42, GPS Golf Smartwatch, Lightweight with...
Editor's Choice
Garmin 010-02200-00 Approach S62, Premium Golf GPS Watch,...
Budget Choice
Garmin Approach S12, Easy-to-Use GPS Golf Watch, 42k+...
Garmin Approach S42, GPS Golf Smartwatch, Lightweight with...
Garmin 010-02200-00 Approach S62, Premium Golf GPS Watch,...
Garmin Approach S12, Easy-to-Use GPS Golf Watch, 42k+...
$199.99
$399.98
$169.00
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Garmin Approach S42, GPS Golf Smartwatch, Lightweight with...
Garmin Approach S42, GPS Golf Smartwatch, Lightweight with...
$199.99
-
-
Editor's Choice
Garmin 010-02200-00 Approach S62, Premium Golf GPS Watch,...
Garmin 010-02200-00 Approach S62, Premium Golf GPS Watch,...
$399.98
-
-
Budget Choice
Garmin Approach S12, Easy-to-Use GPS Golf Watch, 42k+...
Garmin Approach S12, Easy-to-Use GPS Golf Watch, 42k+...
$169.00
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-
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Last update on 2024-03-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Wearing Garmin sports watches while playing is becoming more popular among golfers. This growing popularity is mostly due to improved GPS and sensor accuracy, enabling golf players to track their performance. 

Choosing the best golf tracking watch can be confusing. That’s why we’re here to explore the most popular Garmin watches for golf and fitness and help you make up your mind. Read on to learn more. 

Does Garmin Support Golf?

Garmin’s wide range of GPS golf watches fall into two general categories: models made specifically for golf tracking and models for fitness tracking that also offer golf tracking features. 

The Approach Series are designed specifically to help golfers track their performance, while some fitness tracking models like Fenix 6 Pro Solar come with sport apps for dedicated golf performance metrics.  

How Garmin Helps You Golf?

Garmin golf GPS watches offer lots of features and data, helping professional or amateur golf players see how well they’re doing. 

They have colored readable-in-sunlight displays with great graphics and thousands of preloaded courses and maps.

This feature gives you a schematic picture of every course, its hazards, and the pin locations on your wrist. This way, you’ll know what to avoid and how to get better scores.

Plus, Garmin’s high-sensitivity GPS provides yardage (front, back, and middle) from the green and hazards, making it easy for you to choose the right club and hit the ball with the right speed. And if you connect to the Garmin app, you’ll find more stats about your performance. 

Using a golf GPS watch, you won’t need to write every score down because it automatically tracks your scores. 

Besides, most golf GPS watches come with health and fitness tracking features to measure your heart rate, the number of steps you take, the calories you burn, and the distance you travel. 

What to Look for When Buying a Watch for Golf?

Distance Information

The most vital feature you should look for is accurate distance information. The watch’s GPS should indicate yardages to the front, back, and middle of the green as precisely as possible. Some also show hazards and doglegs distances.   

Preloaded Courses

Preloaded courses are another must-have. Fortunately, most golf watches on the market have 30,000 to 45,000 preloaded golf courses from around the world. These watches will automatically update their course information when Wi-Fi is available. 

Green Mapping

Green mapping is also essential. It gives you a picture of the actual shape of the green and lets you know its width and depth. So, you can play smarter and know where to land the ball. 

Touch to Target

The Touch to Target feature lets you calculate the distance to a certain location on the course by locating it on the touchscreen. This feature usually exists in higher-end devices, and it helps check the distance to particular hazards or a layup zone. 

Scorecards 

Scorecards on golf watches are a good substitute for more traditional paper ones or even mobile apps. Using this feature, you can easily track and record your scores and see your progress over many golf rounds. 

Manual Pin Location

Manual Pin Location is also a great feature for golf watches. It allows you to manually set the pin’s location and see the distance information on your watch. This way, you’ll gain more accurate information plus the usual yardages it provides. 

Battery Life

A worthy golf watch should also have good battery life. Playing golf is time-consuming, and your watch’s battery should last during one or a few rounds. Most smartwatches for golf have a battery life between 10 to 18 hours.

Swing Analysis

Swing Analysis is another cool feature that analyzes your swings and gives information like swing path, speed, launch angle, ball speed, and other metrics. It can help find your faults and improve your swings. 

Water Resistance 

Being waterproof is a must, as golf is an outdoor sport, and it may rain during the play. It also protects your watch against dropping in water or sweating. 

Touch Screen

Having a touch screen is also a bonus. It makes navigating through different screens much more convenient.

3 Best Garmin Watches for Golf and Fitness 

Garmin Approach S42

Sale
Garmin Approach S42, GPS Golf Smartwatch, Lightweight with...
  • 1.2” easy-to-read color touchscreen display with interchangeable quick release bands.Control Method:Touch,Application.Special Feature:Color Touchscreen; Quick...
  • Battery life: up to 15 hours in GPS mode, and up to 10 days in smartwatch mode
  • Green View feature allows manual pin positioning; quickly reference distances to the front, middle and back of the green as well as hazards and doglegs

Last update on 2024-03-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Approach S42 is an affordable but highly stylish golf watch with features more than enough for an average golfer. 

The first outstanding thing about this watch is the simple but chic look that makes it suitable for everyday use. It has a color touchscreen that’s easy to read, plus interchangeable quick release bands. 

Pressing the button on the side changes the analog display and activates golf mode. Then you can scroll through all of its brilliant features.

In addition to providing yardages to hazards, S42 AutoShot round analyzer gauges the shots’ distance, and once paired with the Garmin Golf app, gives you more stats and scorecards. 

Green View, more than 42,000 preloaded courses, Smart Notification, and fitness tracking capabilities are some of the other features of this brilliant watch.

The battery life is up to 15 hours in GPS mode and up to 10 days in smartwatch mode. 

Pros

  • Stylish and perfect for everyday use.
  • Affordable.
  • Fitness and Sleep Tracking.
  • Smart Phone Connection.
  • Connects with Garmin’s golf club trackers, CT10s.

Cons

  • It takes a few rounds to get the grips with all its features.

What the Reviews Say

Based on the reviews, customers enjoy the device’s great look, efficiency, and accuracy in finding distance and showing hazards. 

Although a few have pointed to small-sized bands and say it doesn’t auto transfer to the next hole, comments are generally positive and people are satisfied with its golf functions. 

Garmin Approach S62 GPS Watch

Sale
Garmin 010-02200-00 Approach S62, Premium Golf GPS Watch,...
  • Large 1. 3” easy-to-read color touchscreen display (18% larger than Approach S60) with scratch-resistant ceramic bezel and interchangeable QuickFit bands
  • Battery life: up to 20 hours in GPS mode, 14 days in smartwatch mode
  • Virtual Caddie suggests club based on typical distance the golfer hits that club, factors in wind speed and direction, and indicates where the golfer should aim...

Last update on 2024-03-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Garmin Approach S62 is one of the most popular golf watches that you can wear everywhere. 

It’s both stylish and functional. It has a large, easy-to-read touch screen, which is also scratch-resistant and waterproof. Even in bright sunlight, you can read numbers without problem. 

Garmin S62 has more than 40,000 full-color preloaded courses, and the virtual caddie gives helpful suggestions for choosing the right club based on the distance you usually hit and the wind’s speed.

The PinPointer shows the direction to a pin and helps you score better even on blind shots. Hazards are visible on the map, and the Plays Like distance feature accounts for elevation. Plus, you can pair the device with the Garmin Golf app to gain a more detailed analysis of your performance. 

Graphics are superb, and the battery life in GPS mode is up to 20 hours and 14 days in smartwatch mode. 

Besides all the above, it can function as an activity tracking watch. And thanks to its Smart Notifications, you’ll never miss a message in the absence of your phone. 

Pros

  • Large touch screen with big numbers. 
  • Interchangeable QuickFit bands. 
  • PinPointer compass.
  • Manual Pin location.
  • Virtual Caddie.

Cons

  • A bit expensive. 

What the Reviews Say

Most of those who have bought this golf watch are extremely happy with their deal. These customers point to the great look, cool backlight and visibility in sunlight, big display, caddie performance, and accuracy. Battery life is also fantastic. 

Yet, a few customers have complained about entering scores, screen freezing, or automatic restarts. 

Garmin Approach S12

Sale
Garmin Approach S12, Easy-to-Use GPS Golf Watch, 42k+...
  • New round watch design with a high-resolution sunlight-readable display
  • Battery life: up to 30 hours in GPS Mode
  • More than 42,000 courses preloaded from around the world

Last update on 2024-03-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Approach S12 is another affordable golf watch by Garmin, with a minimal design but almost all the functionality as the previous two models. It has the same mapping, score tracking, hazards view, swing analysis, yardage, and preloaded courses.

The display is sunlight-readable with big numbers making it easier to read. It’s not a touchscreen, which is great for playing with gloves or on rainy days. 

In addition, working with Approach S12 and taking advantage of all its features isn’t complicated. But note that there’s no extra sports mode for other types of fitness tracking. 

Its silicone strap is very comfy and super light. It also has a battery life of up to 30 hours in GPS mode—thanks to the monochrome screen. 

Pros

  • Easy to use.
  • Big numbers mode.
  • Long-lasting battery.
  • Score tracking.
  • High accuracy.
  • Affordable.

Cons

  • Monochrome display.

What the Reviews Say 

Most of the customers enjoy the watch’s simplicity and ease of use. Besides, most people are happy with its GPS accuracy and speed, as well as the light and readable display and long battery life. 

Some fashion-sensitive customers seem to be concerned with the device’s appearance, saying it doesn’t match all styles and outfits. And there’s no light for seeing numbers at night, which is a bit of an inconvenience for some users. 

Best Pick

Considering all we mentioned above, our best pic for golf players is the Garmin Approach S62, which offers the most needed functions at a fairly reasonable price. 

If you play golf and love to track your performance and progress over time, the S62 could be an invaluable investment. 

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