Garmin Approach Z10 Review: Garmin’s Cheapest Rangefinder Is an Easy Yes, for the Right Golfer

The new Garmin Approach Z10 is the rangefinder that I think is finally the obvious choice if you’re already a Garmin user.

It’s essentially the same thing as the older Garmin Approach Z30 model, except it’s $200 cheaper.

That means the Z10, like the Z30, will talk to your Garmin golf watch or GPS handheld to deliver a connected experience that’s completely unmatched.

That’s the exact feature set that made me fall in love with the Z30 a couple of years ago. But what I could never love was the Z30’s price, especially once Garmin raised it from the introductory price and settled on a $499 retail. That’s 500 bucks for a rangefinder aimed at a user who had already spent real money on a Garmin watch or handheld. It was a lot to ask of a limited audience.

So now we’ve got the same core trick and the same ecosystem payoff. But for $200 less.

That’s certainly an attention-getter. And, after using it, I think it might be about the easiest yes available to you if you’re already a Garmin user.

Now, if you’re not already a Garmin user, well, that’s a different conversation.

Because the truth about the Z10 is that it’s really two different rangefinders. There’s the plain laser, hooked up to nothing. And there’s the one that’s connected to the rest of your Garmin gear. Two very different experiences. Which one you’re buying determines whether or not I think the Z10 is a good value.

Let me explain.

Garmin Approach Z10 Setup Is Simple and Reliable

I’ll start where the Z10 continues to impress me. And that’s not just the initial setup but also the ongoing usage.

Pairing it is nothing. On your Garmin device — I tested with both the S70 golf watch and G82 handheld — you go to settings, then sensors and accessories, then add new, then rangefinder. You wake the Z10 up with a press of the power button. And then they find each other and you’re done. It’s pretty much the exact same process if you want to use your phone and the Garmin Golf app.

You don’t touch any settings on the rangefinder itself for this pairing, and after your initial setup, it all happens automatically every time thereafter. You start your round with your watch or GPS or app, and then when you pull out your Z10 and shoot a target, the pairing happens totally seamlessly and invisibly to you.

I’ll get to all the good stuff of what that pairing unlocks for you, but I wanted to start by saying it couldn’t be easier or more reliable. If you’ve used enough golf tech, you know that pairing and re-pairing and dropped connections and searching for satellites are all common frustrations. No such issues with this. It’s pretty idiot-proof, which I really love, no matter what that may say about me.

Even on Its Own, the Garmin Approach Z10 Is a Solid Rangefinder

I said at the top that the Z10 really is two different rangefinders. Let’s start with the plain one. The Z10 connected to nothing, used the way most people use a rangefinder.

The Z10 is actually quite good as a standalone laser. But I wouldn’t say it’s exceptional.

It’s accurate. Build quality is good, though maybe not as solid as something like a Bushnell or Mileseey. It ranges up to 350 yards. It gives you a good solid buzz when it locks onto a flag. It adjusts for slope, giving you an elevation-adjusted number. Or you can opt for Tournament Mode, which disables the PlaysLike distance and indicates that you’re legal with a light on the side of the device. I never once got a number that I didn’t trust. The optics are good, not necessarily great. The 6x magnification is pretty standard for the price. The display is black lettering only, which isn’t quite as nice as some dual-color displays. The weather rating is IPX4, which is on the lighter side but still good enough for it to be able to handle some light splashing.

So, yeah, it’s a solid enough rangefinder. And I think it’s priced fairly. That said, there are a lot of other good options for $300, and if I wasn’t using the connected features that I’ll get to in a minute, I’m not sure the Z10 would be my choice.

Connected Is Where the Z10 Becomes Special

Alright, now for the other rangefinder. Same device, but paired to your Garmin gear or the Garmin app.

And this is the one I’d actually tell you to buy.

So with this rangefinder, you shoot the flag once, and then that number lives on your watch or GPS for the rest of the hole.

It’s really cool, especially because it works really well.

So let’s say you’ve got a 150-yard approach shot that you chunk and leave some 40 yards short. This is normally where you’d pull out the rangefinder again to get an exact distance to the flag. Or where you’d look at your watch or GPS to get general front/middle/back yardage. But with the Z10, you can look down at your watch and get not only the normal information your Garmin golf watch gives you but also the exact yardage to the pin. And no matter where you move on the hole, that yardage will continuously update.

Think about how many times a golfer normally pulls a rangefinder on a single hole. It’s often two or three times. This collapses that down to a single time. Over a full round, that does add up.

On top of that, when you’re connected, in the Z10 viewfinder, you get the distances that the pin is from both the front and back of the green.

So maybe you’re hitting an approach shot where you can’t quite see the surface of the green. You see that the pin is somewhere near that bunker that’s in front, but you can’t tell quite how far on it is or how much room you have behind it. That’s where this feature is extremely useful. You might see that the flag is tucked just 5 yards from that bunker but that you’ve got 20 yards of green behind it. That helps inform what kind of shot you’re going to play and with what club.

Now I know some people have complained that they’d rather just get a yardage to the front and back, rather than the distance from the pin to the front and back of the green. I totally disagree. I think getting this specific number of exactly where the pin is in relation to the green I’m trying to hit into is incredible information. I love it just the way it’s presented.

Also, when you’re connected, after you shoot the flag with the Z10, you get an arc on your watch or GPS that shows you the distance to the pin across the whole width of the hole. That way you can see what kind of trouble you might be facing if you hit your yardage but miss in either direction. It’s nice to have a quick visual that tells you the club you’re choosing might be bringing the sand or water into play. I especially liked using this feature with the G82’s larger screen.

And because this is all running through your connected Garmin device, the plays-like number can do more than the standalone version I described earlier. On its own, the Z10 adjusts for elevation. Connected, Garmin says plays-like also factors in wind and weather pulled in from your paired device.

The One Thing That Slows You Down

There is a small catch to getting all of this connected information. And that’s that it takes a couple of seconds.

When you just want your number, the Z10 is plenty fast. I don’t think it’s quite as quick as the Mileseey IONME2 I just reviewed, but you get your number pretty much right away. However, on the connected device like your watch or handheld, it takes about two seconds for the lasered distance and arc to appear. Also, in the Z10 viewfinder, it takes those same couple of seconds before the pin-to-front and pin-to-back numbers show up.

It’s not a major deal, but it is a thing. Golfers definitely know that there are plenty of times when you’re kind of hurrying on the course. We’re all trying to keep pace, and most of us want to play fast anyway. So it can be a tiny bit of a drag when you’ve got to wait those couple of extra beats before you get your information.

Garmin Z10 vs Z30: What’s the Difference Other Than $200?

I told you at the top that the Z10 and the Z30 do the same core things. Having spent time with both, I’ll stand on that.

The Range Relay, the shoot-once pin lock, the dynamic distances that follow you up the hole, the Laser Range Arc, the plays-like distance — all of it is on both the Z30, for $499.99, and the Z10, for $299.99.

As for what spending $200 more for the Z30 actually gets you, it’s really four things:

• The Z30 ranges a flag out to 400 yards, the Z10 to 350.
• The Z30 is rated IPX7, the Z10 IPX4. So either can handle rain, but the Z30 could also handle a brief submersion.
• The Z30 (7.4 ounces) is about an ounce heavier than the Z10 (6.3 ounces).
• The Z30 has red lettering, and the Z10 has black.

I mean, honestly, those aren’t huge differences. To me, the biggest one is the display. The numbers in the Z30 viewfinder contrast more and pop better than on the Z10. But it’s not really a big deal.

And I guess if you ever fully submerged your rangefinder in water, you’d have a better chance of the Z30 surviving than the Z10. But, I mean, come on.

It is nicer to have a 400-yard flag-lock range than a 350-yard range. That’s because of the shoot-it-once feature. With the longer range, you could potentially shoot it from the tee box and then be done with it for the rest of the hole. So that is a slight advantage for the Z30.

In any case, while the Z30 does win on every difference, to me there’s no way that those things add up to $200. If it’s my money, I’m buying the Z10 every single time.

The Z10 Is a Smart Way to Buy Into Garmin

It should be clear by now that this rangefinder best serves someone who’s using a second Garmin device. As I said, on its own the Z10 is very good but not necessarily amazing relative to all of the competition.

But I could still see a scenario where you may want to consider the Z10 even if you don’t own a Garmin golf watch or handheld GPS. And that would be if you thought you might want to add a piece like that down the line.

You’d be covered from the start with a perfectly good rangefinder. Then when your budget allowed for adding a watch or GPS, you’d be getting into a far better experience than if you just owned a watch or rangefinder on its own.

At $299.99, that’s a fairly painless way to get one foot into the Garmin world without buying the whole ecosystem at once. You can grow into it on your own schedule.

Let’s face it, this is exactly how these big tech companies get you. The pieces work so well together that once you own one, the next one starts making a lot of sense, and then the one after that.

I don’t mean that as a knock. That’s how business is being done right now. Just trying to help you keep your eyes open before you end up feeling like you can’t escape a brand because you’re too far invested.

Honestly, if you’re going to get pulled into an ecosystem, Garmin is a great way to go. And that’s why I say the Z10 may be a smart way to test the waters.

A Couple Small Things About the Z10 I Ended Up Appreciating

Two quick notes that don’t need much space but are worth mentioning.

I like the Garmin rangefinder carrying case. I just think the design looks clean and classy. And the case itself is great. Good zipper and clasp quality. The carabiner is decent quality. It’s nice.

There’s also a small satisfaction in pulling out something different from a Bushnell. When everyone in your group is repping the same brand, it can be kind of nice to have a different look. And it’s not like Garmin is some off-brand gamble. You get to stand out a little without going out on any kind of limb.

Who Should Buy the Garmin Approach Z10?

I think you know where I’m going here.

If you already own a Garmin golf watch or a handheld like the G82 or G20, I think this is an easy yes. Now, that does presume that you’re cool with playing golf with both a watch/GPS and a rangefinder. That does make you a bit of a golf tech nerd. Fair warning. Takes one to know one.

If you don’t yet own a golf watch or GPS but could see yourself getting one down the road, I also think the Z10 makes good sense.

But if you’re not a Garmin golfer and you have no plans to become one, I’d go with something else. Not because the Z10 is a bad rangefinder. It’s just that everything special about it lives in the connection. And if you’re never going to make that connection, you’re paying for a good-not-great rangefinder when there are options at this price with a nicer display and a little more speed.

So that’s the Z10. It’s fairly ordinary out of the box. But once it’s connected, it becomes a very powerful tool.