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Choosing The Best Golf GPS Watch – GolfLover Reviews 2019

Choosing The Best Golf GPS Watch - GolfLover Reviews 2019
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  • Choosing The Best Golf GPS Watch - GolfLover Reviews 2019
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  • Last modified: September 24, 2019

Review Summary:

Golf GPS watches are the latest innovation in the sport of Golf which effectively combines technology and convenience to provide a much easy Golfing experience in style. These are basically field measurement devices which will map out the course for you, give you accurate directions and distances and at the same time keep a track of your scoring. The life of a Golfer used to be much harder earlier where one they had to refer to books, maps and markers to prepare for a play. The new range of Golf GPS watches now allow faster and more efficient plays and eliminate time consuming course research activities all at the touch of a button. It is great help for Golf starters who are looking to improve their game play. With the market flooded with such devices and a range of features we hope the below article will be of help to amateurs looking to get their hands on the latest Golf accessory.

Here Are The Best Golf GPS Watch 2019:

Top 5 Best Golf GPS Watch On The Market

Garmin Approach S2 GPS Golf Watch
  • Garmin Approach S2
  • Watch Mode: 3 weeks
    GPS Mode: 8 hours
  • Mono-LCD
  • 40,000 Coursemaps
  • Features: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Editor rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Garmin Approach S20 Golf Watch
  • Garmin Approach S20
  • Watch Mode: 8 Weeks
    GPS Mode: 15 hours
  • High-Resolution Display
  • +40,000 Coursemaps
  • Features: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Editor rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Garmin Approach S4
  • Garmin Approach S4
  • Watch Mode: 6 weeks
    GPS Mode: 10 hours
  • High-res touchscreen
  • 38,000 Coursemaps
  • Features: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Editor rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Garmin Approach X40 GPS Golf Band
  • Garmin Approach X40
  • Watch Mode: 5 days
    GPS Mode: 10 hours
  • Crisp Touchscreen
  • +40,000 Coursemaps
  • Features: 3.8 out of 5 stars
  • Editor rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
Garmin Approach S6 GPS Golf Watch
  • Bushnell Neo iON
  • GPS Mode: 16 hours
  • Mono-LCD
  • 35,000 Coursemaps
  • Features: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Editor rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

>> Read Handheld Golf GPS Reviews

Golf GPS watches are the latest innovation in the sport of Golf which effectively combines technology and convenience to provide a much easy Golfing experience in style. These are basically field measurement devices which will map out the course for you, give you accurate directions and distances and at the same time keep a track of your scoring.

The life of a Golfer used to be much harder earlier where one they had to refer to books, maps and markers to prepare for a play. The new range of Golf GPS watches now allow faster and more efficient plays and eliminate time consuming course research activities all at the touch of a button.

It is great help for Golf starters who are looking to improve their game play. With the market flooded with such devices and a range of features we hope the below article will be of help to amateurs looking to get their hands on the latest Golf accessory.

How A Golf GPS Watch Can Help You Improve Performance

A golf GPS watch is one of the easiest and most convenient ways of measuring distances when on the course. Although convenience is the greatest advantages that this device will offer you, there are still many other ways that it can help to improve your performance.

1. You Never Have To Guess

Checking the course map on your GPS watch will eliminate the need to guess anything when on the course which can affect your performance. By providing accurate or reliable distances, you will always know how to take each shot and what club to use without having to make guesses.

2. Speeds Up Play

Being able to play fast is one of the main characteristics of good performance, and with a GPS watch in your hand, you can speed up play. Knowing things like where you will land with the tee shot or the distance that you will leave to the hole will make the next shots fast and efficient. Also, you never have to waste time calculating distances or choosing a club.

3. It Is Possible To Plan Ahead

Playing on a new course can affect your performance because you do not understand its layout. However, with the best golf GPS watch, it is possible to plan ahead. Most come with preloaded courses, and so you can go through the course you intend to play on and familiarize with it before you go out for a game or practice.

Things To Consider To Buy A Golf GPS Watch

Things to Consider When Buying The Best One
 Now that we have reviewed the best watches in the market let us discuss some of the parameters that one should consider before buying a Golf GPS watch device especially if it is your first encounter with a smart Golfing device.

  1. The Design This will include the shape, size, color and form of the device. Golf GPS watches now come with cool additions and sleek looks which make them a perfect accessory
  2. Battery Life This is one of the most important feature and directly relates to the amount of time that you spend for a single round on your local Golf course. Choose a model which would at the least work for multiple rounds and is easy to boot.
  3. Data Support Whether you can download new courses easily or the amount of pre-loaded courses that the device offers. Some devices charge an additional fee for extra downloadable content while other provide free lifetime access. It is also important to check compatibility with other mobile devices such as smartphones
  4. Features Depending upon your style of play and requirements one can choose from a wide range of GPS golf devices available. If you just want the basic choose any of the lower versions which will not cost much or if you want the best you can go for the latest versions with multiple set features and customization settings
  5. Ruggedness While performance and features form the major part of deciding which GPS device to buy it is very important to make sure that the one you purchase is an all-weather bearing design. Impact and waterproof are two qualities which are a must for all weather conditions. And for the typical sunny days you would wish that you had taken an anti-glare screen which makes things much simpler.
  6. Ease of use It makes no sense to have a highly complex range of features which are difficult to navigate and use while playing. This is one of the most important things to look at before you make a purchase decision
  7. Cost Last but not the least, price does play a role. Make sure you are getting value for the money you put in by comparing the products available. 

Here Are Our Golf GPS Watch Reviews

Garmin Approach X40

Garmin Approach X40 Golf GPS Watch Review

Golf GPS watches have not been around very long when compared to many other golf devices, but they are now one of the most popular golf gadgets thanks to their convenience and the amount of valuable information they can provide. The Garmin Approach X40 is one of the most popular models currently on the market, and golfers love it as it not only provides valuable information but is also comfortable to wear and relatively affordable.

Garmin Approach X40 uses a highly sensitive GPS receiver that will acquire the satellite fast and provide accurate distances to the greens, hazard, and doglegs. Also, the GPS watch has an Auto Shot analyzer that will measure shot distances automatically and has an automatic recording feature to allow for post-round analysis. This watch also has a comfortable strap and with a heavy-duty buckle to ensure it lasts long enough.

Besides the shot measurement feature, this golf GPS watch also has an activity tracking feature that will help remind you to stay active whether you are on or off the course. And there is also a heart monitoring feature that will allow you to track your heart rate both day and night. With this watch, you will also not have to worry about missing important calls, emails or texts as it has smart vibration notifications to alert you when you get any of them. For those that also value the appearance of their golf watches, the Garmin Approach X40 will allow you to choose from four different colors.

Garmin Approach X40

Via https://www.amazon.com/

Pros

  • Highly sensitive GPS
  • Activity tracking helps to remind you to keep active
  • Automatic shot round analysis
  • Auto recording makes post-round analysis possible
  • Long battery life
  • Heart rate monitoring included
  • Comfortable straps and a solid buckle
  • Available in four different color choices
  • Smart vibrating notifications

Cons

  • Screen seems a little too small
  • Band is quite thin
  • Auto shot measuring misses some shots and there is no measure shot feature that you can initiate
Garmin Approach S4

Garmin Approach S4 – Best Golf Watch With Efficient Performance

The Garmin table continues to expand its range with more efficient performance and better features in its latest watches. The S4 improves upon the S3 having a better battery life, additional statistics and a dedicated view for greens. It still excludes the hazard features but provides distances along worth layups and doglegs.

Garmin Approach S4 GPS Golf Watch

Via https://www.amazon.com/

Pros

  • Boasts of a battery life up to 10 hours in GPS mode
  • More than 38,000 worldwide courses
  • Free lifetime updates for new as well as old course data

Cons

  • One of the most expensive watches in the market
  • No online portal to track statistical data

Cost/Value: At almost $300 it belongs to the high price range of GPS Golf watches. But with its super features, ease of use and extended battery life it very well provides value for the money spent

Conclusion:
Worth its high price, good technical support and the touch screen provides very accurate coverage

Garmin Approach S6

Garmin Approach S6 – Best GPS Golf Watch With Multitude Of Features

Overview: The latest from the Garmin stable moves away from the traditional approaches in its earlier version and delivers something much different and much better. It is the epitome of quality performance in a compact design. It is sleek, maintains the color touch screen and is one of the smallest devices in the market. It adds two new buttons for easy of navigation and a battery to last 15 hours.

Garmin Approach S6

Via https://www.amazon.com/

Pros

  • Smallest and lightest device in the market
  • Extended battery life which is unmatched by other devices
  • A range of features including statistical analysis and tracking
  • The database is free as with the earlier versions
  • Score card with additional options
  • High resolution detailing of the course image
  • Easy set up and sync

Cons

  • Minor bugs and crashes have been observed by some users – It is sometimes difficult to view the scores on the screen when determining the target point – Statistics cannot be saved on a computer

Cost/Value: The retail price was about $400 on launch which makes it one of the most reasonable watches in its range. Also the no additional yearly fee is an added bonus.

Conclusion: Absolutely recommended for its ease of use, excellent features, sleek design and robust technology.

Bushnell Neo Ion

Bushnell Neo Ion – Best Golf GPS Watch For The Money

Overview: Bushnell Neo Ion is a beautiful GPS watch that comes with a round odometer. It features more than 35,000 preloaded golf courses from 30 countries, and so you can almost be sure of finding yours, and there are no download or subscription fees. This watch has an automatic course recognition and auto hole advancement to speed up play, and it provides some easy to read distances to the back, center, and front.

This watch will also give you up to 4 layup/hazard distances for every hole, and it also has a shot distance calculator, dual injected silicone strap and a reachable battery with a long life. You also get a USB charging and sync cable when you buy the Neo Ion.

Bushnell Neo Ion Golf GPS Watch

Via https://www.amazon.com/

Pros

  • Auto course recognition and auto hole advance help to speed up play
  • It comes with more than 35,000 golf courses from 30 different countries.
  • Also, it features an integrated step counter and up to 4 layup/hazard distances for every hole.
  • There are no download/membership fees
  • The battery has a long life.
  • It is a comfortable watch to wear thanks to the dual injected (Silicone) band.
  • You can use it in professional tournaments as it is legal.

Cons

  • The band does not always secure it well on the hand.
  • You have to turn off the golf mode every time you need to know the time.
  • It does not have swing tracking technology and a digital scorecard like other top brands.

Cost/Value: The Bushnell Neo Ion is retailing at between $149 and $199 which is quite a reasonable price range given the quality of the watch and the many features that it has to offer. It is also cheaper than many others on the market without the same functions and ease of use.

Conclusion

If you are shopping for an easy to use GPS watch with all the essential features that you need when on the course that will also not cost you a lot of cash the Neo Ion by Bushnell is an excellent pick. Apart from the attractive price tag, there is still much more to this amazing GPS. Key among them is the fact that it will offer access to tens of thousands of courses from across the world and you will not need to pay any download or subscription fees.

Also, it provides enough information about the hole and course which will help to improve every shot that you make. And although it has a few shortcomings the bottom line is that it is a top notch device and an excellent pick for golfers playing at all levels.

Garmin Approach S20

Garmin Approach S20 – Golf GPS Watch With The Best Battery Life

Overview: Most golf GPS watch reviews will always list the Garmin Approach 20 as one of the best mid-level watches. It features more than 40,000 global courses to ensure that you always find yours. This watch has a sleek and comfortable fully-hinged band design, and it can give you distances to hazards like water and bunkers. It also has a Green View Feature, AutoShot, CourseView Auto Updater, Stat Tracking, Digitals Scorecard and Activity Tracking. The Approach S20 will receive smart notification alerts for texts, emails and calls, it allows for wireless connectivity, and the battery life is long enough.

Garmin Approach S20 Golf Watch

Via https://www.amazon.com/

Pros

  • Auto-recording makes post-round analysis possible.
  • It has activity tracking to remind you to stay active.
  • Approach 20 also features enhanced stat tracking.
  • This watch has a sleek design and also a comfortable fit.
  • You will always receive smart notifications for texts and calls.
  • It has more than 40,000 courses from all the continents.
  • This watch allows for Bluetooth connectivity.
  • You can pair it with the TruSwing sensor.

Cons

  • Sometimes it takes long to get the distances to hazards.
  • There are some difficulties when trying to pair it with a smartphone.
  • It does not display the layout of the entire hole.

Cost/Value: The Approach S20 debuted at $199, but the price is now about $149 in most online retail stores. At this price tag, it is more affordable than most other Garmin GPS watches that come before it. And this is quite remarkable given the fact that it has more features and performs better than most of its predecessors.

Conclusion: The Garmin Approach S20 might not have as many features as the more expensive S6 or a color screen, but it is still a top notch GPS watch that you will enjoy owning. It covers all the important things that you need in a GPS device for golf, and it has more than 40,000 courses to ensure that you can get your course. 

Conclusion

While the market is flooded with tons of choices for someone who is looking to buy a golf GPS watch, it makes little sense to go for something that you struggle to use and also a waste of a good amount of money. It is advisable to go for something which is easy to use, comfortable and does not hinder your game.

The above golf GPS watch reviews more or less sum up the best devices in the market at present and the range of features one can expect from a golf device and the things one needs to consider before buying one. So go get the best golf GPS device which will help you improve your game and will also double up as a smart accessory the next time you are on the golf course. It is the perfect addition to your kit and it does not matter if you are out with colleagues or your friends, this device will always come in handy.