In this buyer’s guide, we take a look at the best golf watch for the money. There are a number of solid choices, all catering to different budgets.
Let’s get started.
Best Golf Watch For The Money
Garmin Approach S12
In terms of good quality yet affordable golf watches, the Garmin Approach S12 is definitely near the top of the list.
While it doesn’t pack each and every golf feature that Garmin has to offer, it definitely includes all the most important features.
Unlike some of the other Garmin golf watches in this round-up, the Approach S12 has no other sports tracking capabilities. In other words, it is an out-and-out golf watch.
In some respects, this makes it very simple to use and very easy to understand. You can use it to measure distances while you play golf, and you can use it to tell the time when you’re not playing golf.
Apart from simplicity, another great feature of the Approach S12 is its design. At first glance, you wouldn’t necessarily guess that it is Garmin’s entry-level golf watch. By shifting to a round watch face with a premium bevel, the Approach S12 is considerably more attractive than Garmin’s older entry-level models like the Approach S10.
Garmin Approach S12 Golf Features
- Preloaded With 42,000 Courses Worldwide
- Yardage To F/M/B (Distance To Front, Middle And Back Of Green)
- Yardage To Layups/doglegs
- Measures Shot Distance (Calculates
- Exact Yardage For Shots From Anywhere On Course)
Digital Scorecard - Stat Tracking (Strokes, Putts Per Round, Greens And Fairways Hit)
- Auto Courseview Updates
- Green View With Manual Pin Position
- Hazards And Course Targets
- Round Timer/odometer
- Automatic Club Tracking Compatible (Requires Accessory)
- Tournament Legal
Garmin Vivoactive 4
Technically speaking, the Garmin Vivoactive 4 isn’t just a golf watch. Instead, it is a fully fledged multisport GPS watch with activity tracking features and Garmin golf tracking capabilities.
It could be classified as the best golf watch for the money, or the best sports watch for the money, depending on which lens you choose when considering the capabilities of this watch.
Garmin Vivoactive 4 Golf Features
- Yardage To F/M/B (Distance To Front, Middle And Back Of Green)
- Yardage To Layups/doglegs
- Measures Shot Distance (Calculates Exact Yardage For Shots From Anywhere On Course)
- Digital Scorecard
- Stat Tracking (Strokes, Putts Per Round, Greens And Fairways Hit)
- Garmin Autoshot™
- Green View With Manual Pin Position
- Hazards And Course Targets
- Round Timer/odometer
- Automatic Club Tracking Compatible (Requires Accessory)
Garmin Approach S42
The Approach S42 is considered Garmin’s midrange golf watch. It is the direct upgrade to the Garmin Approach S12, introducing a bunch of much-appreciated improvements, including:
- A larger and brighter screen
- Touchscreen capability
- Automatic shot distance tracking
- Garmin TruSwing compatibility
- Custom course targets
- Handicap scoring
- Activity Tracking
- Sleep Tracking
- Indoor Running + Outdoor Running
- Indoor Cycling + Outdoor Cycling
As you can see from the feature set above, the Garmin Approach S42 is a more capable golf watch and sports watch when compared to the Approach S12.
It does cost $100 more, but it’s easy to justify the extra spend if you are torn between these models.
Garmin Approach S42 Golf Features:
- Preloaded With 42,000 Courses Worldwide
- Yardage To F/M/B (Distance To Front, Middle And Back Of Green)
- Yardage To Layups/doglegs
- Measures Shot Distance Automatically (Calculates Exact Yardage For Shots
- From Anywhere On Course)
- Digital Scorecard
- Custom Targets
- Stat Tracking (Strokes, Putts Per Round, 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/odometer
- Automatic Club Tracking Compatible (Requires Accessory)
- Tournament Legal
Skycaddie LX5 Golf Watch
The Skycaddie LX5 is comparable to the Garmin Approach S42 and the Garmin Approach S62 in terms of golf tracking capabilities.
The key selling point of the Skycaddie LX5 is lies in the quality of the golf maps, and the amount of course information that you can unlock with the LX5 on your wrist.
In addition, the LX5 also has a high quality, 3.5 cm touchscreen with HD graphics. This makes it a pleasure to use on the course. You will start to see details of the hole that you’ve never even thought about.
Skycaddie LX5 Golf Features
- Pre-loaded with 35,000 SkyGolf Course Maps
- Distance to front middle and back of the green
- Distance to hazards, carries and layups
- Automatically updates distances to the hole as you progress from the tee
- PinPoint technology can provide exact distance to the pin
- Intelligreen rotates the view of the green based on your angle of approach
- Super detailed green view including depth and true shape
- Auto-Course Selection finds and loads your course
- Auto-Hole Advances displays the next hole before you get there
- Auto-Zoom provides the best view of the hole as you proceed from tee to green
- Auto-Distance updates yardages continuously from your location without aiming
Garmin Approach S62
The last golf watch in this buyer’s guide is the Garmin Approach S62. It is considered Garmin’s top-of-the-range golf watch, and it is a substantial upgrade on the Approach S60.
One of the standout features of the Approach S62 is windspeed and wind direction. Judging how the wind will affect your golf ball is tricky at the best of times, but with the Approach S62 on your wrist, you gain access to reliable wind strength metrics.
The Garmin Approach S62 also doubles as a multisport GPS watch, packed with fitness modes and additional sports modes. For instance, the S62 can track running, cycling, rowing, swimming, and even skiing.
It also gives you access to some of Garmin’s best fitness features, including 24/7 heart rate tracking, step tracking, and body battery score.
All-in-all, the Garmin Approach is an attractive GPS Golf watch with excellent sports tracking features as well. It is definitely worth considering.
Garmin Approach S62 Golf Features:
- Preloaded With 42,000 Courses Worldwide
- Yardage To F/M/B (Distance To Front, Middle And Back Of Green)
- Yardage To Layups/doglegs
- Measures Shot Distance Automatically
- Digital Scorecard
- Custom Targets
- Stat Tracking (Strokes, Putts Per Round, 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 (Touch Target On
- Display To See The Distance To Any Point)
- Handicap Scoring
- Swing Tempo
- Tempo Training
- Truswing™ Compatible
- Round Timer/odometer
- Automatic Club Tracking Compatible (Requires Accessory)
- Wind Speed And Direction (Requires Connection To Garmin Golf App)
Virtual Caddie - Tournament Legal With Tournament Mode Enabled
Final Thoughts
If you’re still on the fence at this point, these final buying tips may help:
- Best Cheap Golf Watch: Garmin Approach S12
- Most Accurate Golf Maps: Skycaddie LX5
- Best Golf + Sports Watch: Garmin Approach S62