Ever since the introduction of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to the public in the early 80s, humans have been coming up with advancements and more use cases for it. So much so that in just over two decades, you can now use the incredible technology on a modern wristwatch.
In a Hurry? Here are the Best Golf GPS Watches
A golf GPS watch on your wrist is a high-tech piece of equipment that is very useful on the golf course, especially if the golf course is new to you. The GPS technology on these wrist watches identifies and uses your exact location to provide you valuable information on golf courses.
Some of the best golf GPS watches can give you useful information on:
- Yardages
- Distance to bunkers and water hazards
- Distance to the greens
- Navigation around doglegs
- Statistical game tracking
- Health tracking (heart rate, steps, etc)
These features make it very easy for golfers to golf on courses around the world that are new to them without needing a local caddy to guide them. The best part is, they can easily guide you in situations where you may not necessarily be able to see hazards on the golf course.
Whether you are an expert or a beginner, GPS watches enable you to navigate the course and your game with ease.
The 3 Best Golf GPS Watches
Since there are plenty of options in the market, investing in the right one can become tricky. We have done the research for you and come up with our selection of the best golf GPS watches to pick a winner. Here are the finalists.
1. Garmin Approach S10 Watch
Formerly known as ProNav, Garmin was founded in 1989 in Kansas and has been dabbling in GPS technology for decades now. They are an industry giant in sports tech, and they have been making some of the best golf GPS watches for many years.
The Garmin Approach S10 watch is no exception. It is their entry-level golf GPS watch that comes in at a relatively low price point from the premium brand. It is an easy-to-use, lightweight wristwatch that provides great value for money.
Its 1.3-inch high-resolution display is sunlight-readable and its sleek design features 4 functional buttons for tactical input. The watch comes with over 41,000 pre-loaded golf courses from around the world and includes free updates on these courses.
The rechargeable battery can run for up to 12 hours in GPS mode, making sure that you can get a full day of golf out of the watch. It can automatically shift from your current hole to the next when you walk from the green to the tee box.
It displays local time, date, sunrise and sunset times, yardages to the front, back and middle of greens, hazards and doglegs. You can track your score with a summary of your round, total time and total distance played. It even has a water rating of 5 ATM, which means it is swim friendly.
The Approach S10 allows you to upload your scorecards via Garmin Express to keep track of your scores throughout the season. You can even use the free Garmin Golf app to take part in weekly tournaments and leaderboards with other Garmin users.
All in all, this is one of the best golf GPS watches if you want the quality design and useful features of a premium brand without spending a fortune.
2. SkyGolf SkyCaddie LX5
The SkyCaddie LX5 from SkyGolf is an excellent golf watch, which features as both, a golf GPS and a typical everyday use wristwatch. It promises extreme accuracy of positioning, thanks to its multi-core processor and HoleVue and IntelliGreen technologies.
They provide you the entire hole layout with distances to layups, bunkers, and hazards and rotation of view according to your approach orientation. The LX5 comes with more than 35,000 pre-loaded golf courses from around the world and digital scorecards for easy scorekeeping.
Apart from the highly accurate and convenient golf GPS features, this premium watch from SkyGolf also features some great everyday features like alarms, step counter(odometer), timers and a heart rate monitor to track your health.
This is one of the best golf GPS watches for those who want accurate golf features with premium everyday features as well. While the LX5 is very stylish and pricey on its own, there is also a Ceramic Bezel variant that is slightly more expensive because of the premium bezel that brings added style.
3. Garmin Approach S62 Watch
Another Garmin product, the Approach S63 Watch is the top-of-the-line premium option from Garmin that packs plenty of features and style. It has a 1.3-inch full color touchscreen display, which is 17 percent larger than the previous S60 model.
Its ceramic bezel is scratch-resistant, and the watch offers interchangeable QuickFit bands for a different style on and off the golf course. It even allows you to download custom watch faces, apps and widgets and you can also customize your watch face with any photo from your smart phone.
With over 41,000 pre-loaded full-color CourseView maps of golf courses, you can easily navigate your game in golf courses from around the world.
The Hazard View feature lets you quickly scroll through every hazard on the map and PlaysLike Distance lets you adjust yardages to account for uphill and downhill shots. The Virtual Caddie feature suggests clubs based on your typical distance and swing with your particular golf clubs, factoring in things such as wind speed and direction.
A PinPointer feature gives the direction to the pin even if it is not visible to you. The 20-hour battery life on GPS mode and 14-days on smartwatch mode are more than capable to last a full golf day and a full non-golf evening on the same day.
Sync your scores with the Garmin App and participate in tournaments and leaderboards. Additionally, you can also utilize preloaded activity profiles for running, cycling, swimming and more. This is an excellent premium product that charges a premium price, which we think is well worth it.
Our Final Thoughts
All the mentioned watches are great on their own but the title for the best golf GPS watch clearly goes to the Garmin Approach S62 Watch. It has the style and practicality of a premium watch and all the necessary features of an excellent golf GPS watch from a leading brand.
While the Approach S62 is the best golf GPS watch available today, it charges a premium price. Which is why for beginners and those golfers who do not want to spend a fortune, yet want all the necessary features to improve their game, the Garmin Approach S10 Watch is the best alternative option.
