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Best Golf Gift for Dad | Shop Golf GPS Watches

Find the Best Golf Watch in Time for Father's Day 2023!

Buy the Golf Watch That Fits Your Dad’s Game, Fashion, and Lifestyle

Today’s golf GPS watches offer features and functionality that can’t be matched with a rangefinder. Golf watches are generally less cumbersome than rangefinders, and many of them include shot-tracking data that have the ability to actually improve your dad’s game.

Beyond the course, a golf watch can be used for fitness tracking, sleep measuring, heart rate monitoring, and much, much more. The best-looking models can even liven up your dad’s fashion game.

So, even if your dad has been getting his yardages using a rangefinder, he may be open to the idea of making the switch.

But not just any GPS golf watch will do. Because, unfortunately, there are a lot of substandard products out there.

We’ve got you covered. Stick with this list of the best golf watches of 2023, and you’re sure to find a winning golf gift for dad.

Best Garmin Golf Watch Review Video

Best Golf GPS Watch Gifts for Dad | Table of Contents



Great Golf Gifts for Dad | Best Golf Watches of 2023


Garmin Approach S62: Best Overall Golf Watch

Alright, if you’re gonna give dad an ultimate golf gift, why stop short of the actual ultimate? Because that’s what you’re getting (or giving) with the Garmin S62 golf watch. This is the bar-none, top-of-the-line, premium golf GPS watch. It wants for nothing, and it gets our nod for overall best golf watch.

Why?

Because it’s jam-packed with features. This is a watch that has the potential to actually improve your dad’s golf game. Seriously. This Garmin watch is going to learn how far your dad hits each of his clubs, and it’s going to use that data to help him make better decisions out on the course with its virtual caddie function.

Beyond the virtual caddie, the S62 provides slope, wind speed and direction, a beautiful touchscreen display that allows you to pinch and swipe around each hole to find yardages to hazards and layup spots, a pin pointer that gives you a target on blind shots, swing tempo monitoring, and much more. This golf yardage watch is unbelievably smart!

And if all that weren’t enough, dad’s going to get a full-fledged, top-of-the-line fitness tracker that includes a heart rate monitor, a pulse oxygen sensor, a sleep sensor, a step counter, a stress level monitor, and more.

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Garmin Approach S70: Best Golf Watch, BRIGHTER!

If you've got the budget for the best golf watch for dad, the NEW Approach S70 is Garmin's latest top golf GPS tech done better and brigher!

This stunning Garmin golf watch now feautres an AMOLED display and is available in two sizes: 42 mm (1.2” display) and 47 mm (1.4” display).  

Also, the case is sleeker and both sizes are lighter in weight compared to the previous Approach S62. What's more? You can now store music on this Garmin watch for phone-free listening!

But the golf feature upgrades are where the Approach S70 really shines. Improved Virtual Caddie shows your shot dispersion data and suggests a club based on a variety of factors, including your historical swing data, elevation, wind speed, wind direction, layout of the hole, and more.

Enhanced PlaysLike Distance feature accounts for uphill shots, downhill shots and trajectory and now factors in wind, temperature, and air pressure with a built-in barometer—for more accurate plays like distances.

Plus, this golf gadget is loaded with over 43,000 course view maps and a ton of other features for golf, fitness, health-monitoring, and more!

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Voice Caddie T9: Best Golf GPS Watch Value

For pure golf watch value, we’d like to hear a logical argument for a better contender than the Voice Caddie T9. Because we can’t find a more sensible way to spend less than $350.

Sure, the Garmin Approach S62 has even more bells and whistles and the advantage of very advanced fitness tracking functionality, but the Voice Caddie T9 does some things even better than the S62, and it costs $150 less!

First of all, the T9 is smart enough to know when you’ve taken a shot. With other golf watch options, including the Voice Caddie T8, you have to manually enter your score after each shot or at the end of each hole. Voice Caddie T9 handles that job for you, including on the putting green.

You also get the very useful swing tempo monitor to allow you to groove a precise, smooth, and repeatable swing.

And, like with the T8, the Voice Caddie T9 delivers industry-leading heat map, green undulation technology.

There’s an awful lot included with this golf watch. If you want to get your dad a top-of-the-line product and still have a little money left over, the T9 is going to be very tough to beat.

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SkyCaddie LX5/LX5C: Best Golf Watch Display  

No need for dad to strain his eyes if you’re going to hook him up with the SkyCaddie LX5. This golf GPS watch provides the highest-resolution display of any watch we’ve tested. Our partner Gabe at YouTube’s Let’s Play Thru agrees and rated the SkyCaddie display a 5 out of 5 in a recent golf watch review.

By the way, the difference between the LX5 and LX5C is in the watch’s bezel. With the LX5C, you get a higher-quality ceramic bezel, while the LX5 comes with a simpler, less-expensive plastic bezel. Overall, we’ve found this to be one of the better-looking watches on the market.

You’re not going to get shot data or club recommendations with the SkyCaddie, and there’s no wind speed or direction with this watch.

But for the quality of display, this golf watch can’t be beat. This GPS watch comes with a large screen, multiple brightness options, and a very crisp resolution.

The SkyCaddie features a simple-to-navigate touchscreen with a nice overview of each hole. You can swipe, pinch, and drag around the screen to get distances to hazards and layup targets. And you’ll always get the standard front/middle/back yardages from wherever you are on the hole. On the fitness side, you get a step counter and heart rate monitor.

There may be watches with more features, and there are watches that cost a bit less. But for display quality—which for a lot of people is the most important consideration in a golf watch—the SkyCaddie stands above the competition.

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Garmin Approach S42: Best Looking Golf Watch

Dad’s got dinner plans, doesn’t he? Get him a golf watch that’s going to deliver the features he needs on the course but also the style to look good going out afterwards.

The Garmin S42 golf watch may not have all the features as the S62. Things like a virtual caddie, wind speed and direction, and a heart rate monitor aren’t included with the S42. But in exchange, you get a sleeker watch that might be more fitting as a daily driver. The watch face itself is smaller and the high-quality silicone band is narrower than with the S62.

And the Garmin S42 golf watch still has plenty of features. You get the spot-on Garmin GPS accuracy. With a quick touchscreen swipe, you get yardages to spots on the green and to various hazards on each hole. You can manually move the pin around to reflect where the hole is cut that day. And you’ve got a step counter and weather updates.

So, the S42 isn’t as loaded as the S62. And it’s a bit pricier than the S12. But you know what most dads really need? A little help with their style. Could the Garmin S42 golf watch actually make your dad look cool?

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Shot Scope G3: Most Comfortable Golf Watch

Wearing the Shot Scope G3 is like… Well, it’s like not wearing a watch at all. Seriously, this thing is so light (41 grams) that you can barely tell you have it on.

But make no mistake. This watch might be slight, but in terms of performance, it’s no lightweight.

The Shot Scope G3 is a highly accurate GPS golf watch with distances to front/center/back and hazards available in yards or meters. It’s preloaded with more than 36,000 courses worldwide and has free firmware updates. There’s a daylight readable color screen and easy-to-navigate buttons.

And did we mention just how darn light this watch is?!

So, if you want to give your dad the gift of comfort, check out the Shot Scope G3.

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Bushnell iON Elite: Best Budget Golf Watch Worth Owning

Want to give your dad a very, very solid golf gift without having to spend the hundreds of dollars it costs for most options? Look no further than the Bushnell iON Elite. This is the golf watch that’s going to give dad everything he wants without giving him all the things he doesn’t need.

The Bushnell iON Elite does the basics, but does them very well. You get front/center/back yardages, scorekeeping, a green view, moveable pin placement, distances up to six hazards or layups per hole, and a 12-hour battery life.

This Bushnell golf watch also gives you slope-compensted distances, HoleView & Shot Planning, GreenView with Movable Pin Placement, and Dynamic Green Mapping.

Are there golf watches that do more? Sure.

Does your dad need any more features than what the Bushnell ION Edge provides? Maybe not.

Oh, and the best part? This golf yardage watch is priced at PlayBetter.com for just $199.99! And you can get free 2-day shipping, free 60-day returns, and the option to make four interest-free payments. That’s a lot of value for a product that might be exactly what fits your dad’s game.

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Voice Caddie A2 Hybrid: Best Golf Watch of 2022 Under $200

At $199.99 (through Father's Day), the Voice Caddie A2 can’t quite be classified as budget, but for what it delivers relative to its sub-$200 price, it most certainly can be classified as value.

This stylish, white-band golf watch GPS gives you green undulation, a color touchscreen, customizable pin placement, and slope calculation. You’ll get accurate yardages to front/center/back and to all hazards and bunkers.

At $150 less than the Voice Caddie T8 and T9, the A2 still comes loaded with the same more than 40,000 courses. If you want a watch that delivers more than just the essentials but stops short of the latest and greatest, you can’t do better than $199.99 for the A2.

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Shot Scope V3: Best Golf Performance Tracking for Under $200

PlayBetter.com has the Shot Scope V3 golf watch marked down to $179.99 for Father's Day, a full $40 off the regular retail price! That means that for less than $200, your dad can track every one of his shots and review game-changing data. That’s crazy-good value!

The way the Shot Scope system works is you screw tracking tags (the watch comes with 16 of them) into the butt of your golf club grips. After that, the watch tracks each shot, and the information is available for review on the Shot Scope online portal.

The watch gives you fairly standard front/center/back yardages plus distances to all hazards. But the real differentiator is the shot tracking capability.

There are no subscription fees, and the Shot Scope V3 comes preloaded with more than 36,000 golf courses.

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Garmin Approach S12: Most Affordable Garmin Golf Watch

If you’re a Garmin loyalist (and why wouldn’t you be?) but aren’t looking to spend the kind of money required for the Approach S42 or Approach S62, the Approach S12 gives you the option for that Garmin reliability at a discounted price.

Speaking of discounts, you can save $50 on the S12 at PlayBetter.com where it’s priced at just $149.99 through Father's Day.

The Garmin Approach S12 gives you accurate GPS with distances to the main features of every hole. It gives you the same 41,000 preloaded courses as with the S42 and S62. And it gives you the same scoring system as those more advanced watches.

What you won’t get is a virtual caddie, slope adjustment, wind speed, swing tempo, a step counter, a heart rate monitor, and some other features. And while those things are most definitely awesome, if you don’t have the budget for them, you’re still going to score a gift for your dad that will deliver tons of game-enhancement features.

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Garmin fēnix 7 and Garmin epix 2: Two Bonus Options That Go Way Beyond Golf

Now, if you really want to go big-time with a gift for your dad, check out these two Garmin multisport watches.

Why are we including them here?

Because these watches actually include all of the same golf features as the Garmin Approach S42. But, in the case of the Garmin fēnix 7 and Garmin epix (Gen 2), you also get a ton of fitness/lifestyle features that make these products among the top of the line for Garmin. We’re talking navigation features, training tools, health and wellness monitoring, and so much more.

Yes, these are pricey watches, but if your dad is active beyond the course, either of these options is going to be a game-changer for his golf and everyday life.

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Choose the Best Golf Gift for Dad

We’ve now given you our best-of picks based on budget, looks, bonus features, comfort, performance tracking, and display quality. Each golf watch option included here is guaranteed to deliver reliable performance. It’s all a matter of choosing what fits for your individual dad.

Remember, even if you select the wrong watch, and it ends up that your dad would have preferred something else, you’ve got two months to return the product for free at PlayBetter.com. That should take the pressure off of your decision-making.

Put a smile on your dad’s face and a little style around his wrist. You can’t go wrong with any of these candidates for best golf watch of 2022.

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