The Best GPS Golf Watch in 2023
Over the years, there have been a lot of improvements in golf equipment, including GPS technology for golfers. Several brands of fitness watches have developed a golf-specific range of products to best serve and improve golfers’ experience on the course.
10 Benefits of Wearing a Golf Watch
A golf watch is a smart device used to help golfers play in unfamiliar courses and monitor their performance on the course.
The main benefits of a wearing a GPS golf watch are:
- In-built GPS locates you, the pole and hazards on the course map
- Resistant to harsh weather conditions
- Accurate calculation of distance to green / pole
- Accurate calculation of distance between shots
- Recording of statistics
- Digital scorecard
- Lightweight
- Comfortable
- Portable (more so than range finders)
- Generally suitable to track other sports
Will I Play Better With a GPS Golf Watch?
No, unfortunately, you won’t… But you’ll be equipped to track your performance evolution over time.
How Will a Golf Watch Improve My Experience on the Course?
It will compute yardage, or how far you’ve gotten, with the use of an in-built GPS. A golf watch can map out the green and other on-course features like bunkers, water hazards, etc. Some golf watches come pre-loaded with a digital map of thousands of golf courses around the globe. While playing, it precisely locates the golfer on the course and calculates the distance between shots or distance to the pole. It also collects a bunch of statistics and helps keep track of scores.
The Best GPS Golf Watch in 2023
The best GPS golf watches based on consumers’ trends in 2023 are the following ones:
- Garmin Approach S62
- Shot Scope V3
- Garmin Approach S10
- SkyCaddie lx5
- Garmin Fenix 7
- Galaxy Watch Active 2 (Golf Edition)
Garmin Approach S62
The Garmin Approach S62 is a top-end GPS golf watch that does everything you need on the golf course. It suggests wind speed, direction, and the distance you swing. It also gives a full vector map with a complete touch targeting system that allows you to see any point you want to reach. Its battery life can last up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, it is also equipped with a wide range of everyday tracking tools.
Reasons to buy include: full vector map, virtual caddie, pulse-ox sensor
Shot Scope V3
The Shot Scope V3 is a slim golf watch at just 10mm thick, this design makes it relatively comfortable and convenient for all-day wear, it’s packed with great thoughtful and handy features which help improve game style as it boasts automatic shot with most shot plotted on the map of the course. Unlike the Garmin approach s62, its major disadvantage is its screen, it has a relatively low resolution. Also, there are no touch controls as the shot scope v3 is controlled using four physical buttons.
Reasons to buy include: automatic shot detection and a great range of stats.
Garmin Approach S10
The Garmin Approach S10 is a simple easy to use golf watch with a sleek, lightweight, comfortable design with a high-resolution sunlight-readable display that provides yardages to the front, middle and back of the green. It is loaded with more than 41,000 courses worldwide compared with the shot scope v3 which only have 36,000 course maps. The Garmin approach s10 keeps track of your game accurately and it’s less expensive compared to the Garmin approach s62. It also has a feature to summarize your round, total distance played and total time played.
Reason to buy: great affordable watch by a trusted brand
SkyCaddie LX5
The SkyCaddie LX5 is a premium golf watch with extremely accurate maps, it has a larger screen compared to Garmin Approach s10, Garmin s62 and shot scope v3. This feature gives room to view maps accurately and with great precision. Unlike the Garmin approach s10, s62, and shot scope v3, golfers with smaller wrists may find the skycaddie lx5 too much for them. It is usually pre-loaded with 35,000 courses compared to others. However, it is an excellent watch but it lacks many smartwatch features.
Garmin Fenix 7
The latest model by Garmin is not sold as a golf-specific watch, but has best in class features for golfers.
The Garmin Fenix 7 series was released in January 2022. It pairs with the Garmin Golf app, and comes pre-loaded with over 42,000 golf maps. It has an inbuilt-GPS, very good battery life, and is one of the best sports watches out there.
The Garmin Fenix 7 series is the premium consideration for those that want one of the best options from the Garmin smartwatch lineup. It is equipped with all you need to track your workouts: in-built GPS, on-wrist heart rate monitor, step tracker, automatic rep counting on gym mode, an advanced swimming mode (both open water and pool), VO2 Max, run speed, distance and mapping, heart rate zones, pre-loaded ski and golf course maps, you name it! The Fenix Series features 100m depth resistance. It’s relatively expensive but has so much to offer. If it is within your budget, it’s a worthwhile purchase!
Samsung Galaxy Active2 (Golf Edition)
Samsung didn’t just include your traditional gym-goers in their design model, but Golfers as well. As it stands, the Samsung Active 2 Golf Edition comes standard with the usual Samsung Active 2 features and specifications but includes something for the serious Golfer. It comes in the standard 44mm and 40mm sizes but shows off different colors like Aqua Black and Pink Gold.
For instance, consider these features:
- Touch-targeting shot history
- Dual-arc distance readings between you and the fairway
- Accurate information and data on 40,000 courses worldwide at your fingertips
- Golf with GOLF GPS app comes standard on the Golf Edition allows you to pair satellite and course maps into a yardage book to track your game.
- Designed to keep from interfering with your golf swing.
- The Super-AMOLED screen is easy to read and very bright.
- Smart Caddie gives you information and advice for those tricky shots.