How To Choose a Garmin Golf Watch

Garmin leads the way when it comes to golf watches. That’s a simple fact, and that much you probably already know.

But Garmin also has A LOT of watches. Shopping can get pretty confusing, even when you’ve narrowed your selection down to their golf-capable products.

There really aren’t any bad choices when selecting from Garmin's golf watch lineup. But you can short yourself or pay for features you don’t really need.

So, how do you choose the right Garmin golf GPS watch? We’ve got you covered. Read on for a breakdown of what each watch can and can’t do. Pay careful attention to how the different features align with your preferences on the golf course, in the grill room, at home, at work, and while working out.

Think of your golf wearable choices in these simple lifestyle categories:

• Basic is plenty
• A little style would be nice
• I play more sports than just golf
• I want the best

Now, let’s walk through some recommendations for each category.

1. Even the Most Basic Garmin Golf Watch Is a Heavyweight
2. Which Garmin Golf Watch Looks the Best?
3. Are You Looking for a Multisport GPS Watch?
4. What About When Only the Best Will Do?
5. Don’t Overthink It—There’s Not a Bad Choice

Maybe you’re dismissing this category, thinking that nothing basic applies to you or your golf game.

That’s cool.

But know this: Garmin doesn’t make any bad golf watches. Actually, they’ve got five golf-capable watches, and all of them are sturdy, reliable, tried and tested, and able to help your game. That includes even their basic watch for golfers.

If you want the Garmin brand and functionality around your wrist but don’t want to spend the kind of money required for some of their flagship watches, our recommendation is the Garmin Approach S12.

The S12 gives you accurate GPS with distances to the main features of every hole. You get the same more than 42,000 preloaded courses as with Garmin’s more expensive golf gadget options. And the Garmin Approach S12 gives you the same scoring system as you’d find on the pricier watches.

You’re not going to get virtual caddie, wind speed, swing tempo, a heart rate monitor, and some of the other more advanced features. But maybe you don’t need those things.

Here are the golf features you’ll find in the S12 golf yardage watch:

• More than 42,000 preloaded golf courses worldwide
• Yardage to front/middle/back of green
• Yardage to layups/doglegs
• Manual shot distance input
• Digital scorecard
• Stat tracking, including for strokes, putts per round, and greens and fairways hit
• Auto courseview updates
• Green view with manual pin position
• Hazards and course targets
• Round time and odometer
• Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory)
• Tournament legal

If that sounds like plenty, it’s because it really is a lot. So, if basic is enough for you, choose the Garmin Approach S12, save a little dough, and be plenty satisfied.

Style is of course entirely subjective. Only you’ll know what catches your eye as most attractive for a golf GPS wearable.

Not to keep beating the no-wrong-choices drum, but really, here’s another category where you could probably argue a few different products as the best choice. If you’ve ever worn or seen a Garmin golf watch, you know they are very high quality. That’s even more apparent if you’ve compared a Garmin golf watch with a GPS golf watch from some of the other manufacturers. Garmin’s build quality is just better. They clearly maintain a higher standard of quality.

Like with a lot of things, the best-made, highest-quality materials tend to look the best. So, yeah, pick the Garmin golf watch that’s the right size and has the right look for your style.

For us, that’s the Garmin Approach S42. The S42 comes close in performance to Garmin’s more souped-up S62, but the S42 is sleeker. The S62’s thicker profile makes the watch sit a bit higher above your wrist. The S42 also has a more narrow band, which just looks a little classier for off-the-course wearability. Also, the S42 has just one button, which makes for a cleaner overall look.

As for golf features, the Garmin Approach S42 gives you:

• More than 42,000 preloaded golf courses worldwide
• Yardage to front/middle/back of green
• Yardage to layups/doglegs
• Automatic shot distance calculation
• Digital scorecards
• Custom targets
• Stat tracking including for strokes, putts per round, and greens and fairways hit
• Garmin AutoShot
• Auto courseview updates
• Green view with manual pin position
• Hazards and course targets
• Handicap scoring
• TruSwing™ compatible
• Round timer and odometer
• Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory)
• Tournament legal

Garmin makes watches designed specifically for running, cycling, swimming, hiking, golfing, and more. But if you’re like a lot of people, you’d like a watch that can do a little bit of everything.

Our recommendations for the golf-capable Garmin multisport watches are the Garmin epix (Gen 2) and the Garmin fēnix 7. Both of these watches are going to give you pretty much every fitness tracking metric you could want. And both of them are loaded with golf watch functionality.

The epix 2 includes all of the golf features of the S62, except for swing tempo, tempo training, and compatibility with Garmin’s TruSwing™ swing analysis tool. And the AMOLED display on the epix (Gen 2) is flat-out stunning.

And the fēnix 7 GPS smartwatch basically has a full-fledged S62 built inside of it. You get virtual caddie, slope adjusted yardages, wind speed and direction, a PinPointer, touch targeting, and a lot more. Everything but the swing tempo, tempo training, and compatibility with Garmin’s TruSwing™ swing analysis tool.

If you’re looking for a premium golf device that’s also going to have everything you need for your active life, the epix (Gen 2) and fēnix 7 are excellent options.

If you want the best Garmin golf watch, you want the Approach S62. In fact, if you want the best golf watch from any brand, you’re still going to end up at the S62. Simply put, it’s the best watch for golfers.

The Garmin Approach S62 will actually learn how far you hit each of your clubs and use that data to help you make better decisions on the golf course. And 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 PinPointer that gives you a target on blind shots, swing tempo monitoring, and a lot more.

And the S62 is also loaded with fitness-tracking features, including a heart rate monitor, a pulse oxygen sensor, a sleep sensor, a step counter, a stress level monitor, and more.

No other golf GPS watch checks as many on and off the course boxes as the Garmin Approach S62.

Specific to golf, here are the on-course features you’ll enjoy in the Garmin Approach S62:

• More than 42,000 preloaded golf courses worldwide
• Yardage to front/middle/back of green
• Yardage to layups/doglegs
• Automatic shot distance calculation
• Digital scorecards
• Custom targets
• Stat tracking including for strokes, putts per round, and greens and fairways hit
• Garmin AutoShot
• Full vector map
• Auto courseview updates
• Green view with manual pin position
• Hazards and course targets
• PinPointer
• PlaysLike Distance
• Touch-Targeting
• Handicap scoring
• Swing tempo
• Tempo training
• TruSwing™ compatible
• Round timer and odometer
• Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory)
• Tournament legal
• Virtual caddie

If there’s a knock on Garmin, it’s that they make too many awesome watches. It can get really confusing. So many features, specs, and price points. But for the golfer, this post should narrow your options and help you to identify which Garmin golf watch is the one for you.

If Garmin’s most basic GPS golf watch, which is basic only relative to other Garmin golf watches, is enough for you, grab the Approach S12. It’s a steal!

If you want to wear your watch to the dinner table and look good while you’re there, our vote is the S42.

If you’re going to hike, bike, run, and swim while you’re not playing golf, check out the epix (Gen 2) or fēnix 7.

And if you’re the type that wants the best, pick up the Garmin Approach S62, and don’t look back.

With something for everybody, which is the choice for you?