The best golf watch not only looks the part, but it can significantly lower your handicap as well. A golf watch can act as a virtual caddie attached to your wrist, and could give you a big advantage over other players on the course. Being able to track your data, from the distance to the green or swing speed, could give you an insight into your game that you may have missed.
Upgrading your golf game isn’t just about spending hours at the driving range or practising your short game in your backyard – it’s about trying new things too. Golf watches and activity-tracking devices are now an affordable option for even the most amateur golfer, and they’re better than ever.
There are loads of different devices on the market, too, from golf watches aimed at those who teeing up for the first time, to tech that can help seasoned professionals correct the minor faults in their game.
The Garmin Approach S24, released in March, is our pick for the best golf watch of 2021. It sits in the middle of Garmin’s golf watch lineup, in between the all-singing, all-dancing S62 and the pared-back S12.
Like all the best Garmin golf watches, it’s pre-loaded with details of 42,000 courses worldwide, plus Garmin Autoshot to analyze and records shot distances. Green View allows you to position the pin manually using the large color touchscreen, and shows you the green’s true shape. Battery life is impressive too, lasting up to 10 days in smartwatch mode, or 15 hours with GPS enabled.
The Approach S42 is also smart enough for everyday wear. Whereas many golf watches focus on function above form, the Approach S42 has a metal bezel and buckle, plus a slim case that mean it won’t look out of place off the course.
That’s just as well, because with all-day step tracking, sleep tracking, and workout profiles for both cycling and swimming, you might not want to take it off.
It lacks the Virtual Caddie feature of the Approach S62, and has fewer fitness tracking features for off the course, but strikes a good compromise and is a well-priced all-rounder.
The Garmin Approach S62 offers everything you get from the S42 and more, if you can afford the extra cash.
Garmin’s Virtual Caddie app suggests clubs based on wind speed and direction, and the distance you typically swing with each type. You can check out the wind before taking your shot, and there’s a full vector map complete with touch targeting, which allows you to see the distance to any point by simply tapping the extra-large 1.3in screen.
Its larger battery means it can keep running for up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, or 20 hours with GPS enabled. It also boasts a wide range of everyday health tracking tools too, including all-day stress monitoring (based on changes in heart rate), relaxation reminders. There’s a pulse-ox sensor for measuring blood oxygen saturation at night, and performing spot-checks during the day.
Garmin Pay allows you to make contactless payments (provided your bank is one of those supported), you can use it to control music on your smartphone, receive app notifications, check the weather forecast, and send text responses (if you have an Android phone).
The SkyCaddie LX5 is essentially a wearable equivalent of the the SkyCaddie SX500 golf computer, and has the largest screen in this roundup, measuring a huge 1.39in. That means plenty of room to view maps and graphics, which you can pan and zoom with your fingertips, though golfers with smaller wrists may find it’s simply too much.
It’s pre-loaded with details of 35,000 courses around the world, and like the Garmin Approach S62, offers full vector maps so you can see the precise shape of the green. All its maps are also error-corrected for impressive precision. You can be confident that the yardages given are accurate, and everything is clearly presented.
It’s an excellent golf watch, but its lack of general-purpose smartwatch features (other than a pedometer and heart rate monitor) mean it’s not as handy off the course as Garmin’s wearables. Your choice will simply be down to where your priorities lie,
The Shot Scope V3 is surprisingly slim at just 10mm thick, making it comfortable and convenient for all-day wear. Despite that slender profile, it’s a very impressive device packed with thoughtful touches and handy features to help improve your game and save time. It boasts automatic shot detection, with every shot plotted on a map of the course. 36,000 course maps are pre-loaded, and GPS distances are quick to update.
It also comes bundled with 16 tracking tags, allowing the watch to identify your clubs automatically. These are usually sold separately, even with premium golf watches, so this is a real boon.
The only real downside is that the screen is relatively low resolution (just 176 x 176 pixels compared to 260 x 260 for the Garmin Approach S62), meaning less information can be displayed at once.
There are also no touch controls (the watch is operated using four physical buttons along the edges). On the plus side, this means you’re less likely to activate anything accidentally, but it also means navigating maps is less intuitive.
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 Golf Edition is available in two sizes to accommodate golfers whose wrists would be overwhelmed by giants like the SkyCaddie LX5: 44mm in aqua black, and 40mm pink gold. This does mean you get less screen real estate for viewing maps, but the display is bright and navigation is simplified by the watch’s unusual rotating bezel.
When the watch is paired with Samsung’s Golfwith GOLF GPS app on your phone, you can use it to take calls, and receive text messages and app notifications on the course.
The watch also comes pre-loaded with Samsung’s Smart Caddie app, which gives you real-time data and satellite maps for over 40,000 courses, in addition to graphic maps. Subscription to this app would cost $100 (about £70 / AU$130) if purchased alone. What you don’t get here are the more advanced features like shot detection or a virtual caddie, but yardages are accurate and its lightweight design means it’s never obtrusive while you swing.
When you’re off the course, you get the standard functions you’d expect from a Galaxy Watch Active device, including workout and sleep tracking, all-day heart rate monitoring, breathing exercises, electrocardiogram and (thanks to a recent firmware update) blood pressure monitoring.