There are indeed skeptics of GPS golf watches who think that a rangefinder is more accurate and less expensive. However, the Garmin Approach S60 on a 36-hole day could be the reason to leave that rangefinder at home.
With a bright screen, long battery life, accurate maps, and many features, the Approach S60 is an upscale but invaluable aid to tech-minded golfers.
Garmin‘s best golf smartwatch offers all the features passionate golfers and fitness fans need to navigate the course.
Garmin Approach S60 Reviews-Key Features
- Weight: 61.0 g. Dimensions: 46x46x14,5 mm.
- Screen: 30.5 mm. diam. 240 x 240 px resolution, sunlight readable, low power consumption.
- Water resistance: 5 ATM, swimming, diving, snorkeling.
- Battery life: GPS mode: 10 h. standard way: up to 10 days.
- Connectivity and other functions: smart notifications, heart sensor (with accessory), running, gym, cycling, swimming.
- Golf functions: front/center / back distance of the green, shot distance, view of the green with flag positioning, dogleg, obstacles and targets, scoring, SwingTempo, TempoTraining.
- Sensors: GPS, ANT +, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer.
Garmin Approach S60 Reviews-Setting
It takes less than 10 minutes to complete the initial setup of the Approach S60. Just follow the onscreen prompt to download the Garmin Connect app to your phone.
Next, you have to create a free account and use the Bluetooth connection to pair the S60 with the new Garmin Connect account. From now on, almost all settings will be controlled from the watch.
You can see the Garmin Approach S60 user manual here.
Garmin Approach S60 Reviews-Design and interface
Although the Approach S60 doesn’t look incredibly sleek or flashy, it has a matte black finish and a clean design. This makes it look great during physical activities, but also as an everyday smartwatch.
It is also light and comfortable to carry during each lap. The 30.5mm round touchscreen. It’s big enough to see and interact with apps when you’re wearing a glove or when it’s drenched in sweat.
It also works in the pool or for diving. It is 5ATM water-resistant and obvious, even under sunlight.
Overall, the S60 is easy to navigate. Three buttons on the right side allow you to select activities and move through the menus.
Unlike most Garmin GPS watches, using its touchscreen, you can scroll through some basic widgets, which summarize daily activities, weather, and last lap.
The golf app follows the same general flow. It has breakdown capabilities, from a summary to club selection and distances for each shot.
Playing with the Approach S60
From the first hit, you’ll have no trouble using the watch’s GPS and locating any of the 40,000 courses that Garmin claims can be downloaded. At the beginning of each hole, the display shows the yards in the front, center, and back of the green.
It also indicates elevation relative to the green itself. It has a compass that points you in the hole’s direction during blind shots.
The power zooms in and zooms out to see the obstacles and check distances anywhere in a hole; it is instrumental in tours that have not been played before. And for close-up shots, there’s a green view that can be adjusted using the touchscreen for even more precise distances.
The S60’s GPS features exceed expectations. To validate its accuracy, we can make a quick comparison of the distances provided by the S60 against a high-end rangefinder and some applications available on the Apple Watch 4.
While the S60 and the rangefinder measure distances with a few meters of difference between both, the Apple Watch usually loses the GPS connection, something not very reliable to use in the field.
There are still advantages of the rangefinder for more accurate distance and elevation measurements. But the overall reliability of the S60’s measurements, coupled with the hole-view characteristics, are compelling reasons to leave the rangefinder in the bag.
»We recommend that you also read: Best Golf Clubs For The Money
Garmin Approach S60 Reviews-Battery life and other features
The fully charged S60 can withstand a day of 36-hole golf, and only when you’re in the locker room will you realize it needs to be recharged. However, it will have more life if you stop the application between laps.
It is also equipped with some additional golf features. Among them, the option to record each club used, adjust the handicap scores and keep that of the fellow players using different formats.
It also comes with a Swing tempo app, but this requires the TruSwing sensor, which is sold separately. This sensor signals your swing tempo, speed, clubhead line measurements, or critical club angles, so you know what to improve.
One complaint in earlier versions of the Garmin software was the lack of looking at and edit scores for individual holes during the round.
Garmin solved that with a dashboard view, which you can access at any time by simply tapping the side button.
You can also set the clock to indicate how many changes were made from the tee to the green.
It will not count putts, but it could be useful for some golfers who do not remember exactly how many strokes they have made.
In addition to golf and fitness features, the Approach S60 comes with smartwatch features for those who want to use it every day.
It’s easy to change the watch face with the Connect app, and you can configure the notifications you’ll receive from your phone.
It can display information for calls, text messages, Instagram comments, Google maps, and your news. And if you indicate it, none of the notifications will appear while the golf application is active.
Garmin Approach S60 Reviews-Advantages and disadvantages
The best
- Precise distances to any location, including hazards.
- Intuitive interface.
- Access to 40,000 fields.
- Excellent battery life.
- Phone notifications can be disabled for non-stop play.
- It looks good on the wrist and is very comfortable.
✘ The worst
- Expensive.
- It only indicates whether it is uphill or downhill without further details. A rangefinder can give actual elevation measurements.
And what do customers think?
Customer opinions are critical to helping you make the best purchase decision. The Garmin Approach S60 is the complete golf watch, and more than 82% of users have a positive experience with it, with comments like these:
- – “Without a doubt, the simplest and most complete golf watch on the market and that I have taken an honest check out it and had several.”
- – “The truth is that the function is analogous to other Garmin of less price, it’s indeed something more which it is often used for other sports, but if you want a watch only for golf, it is to pay a lot.”
- – “This may be a great golf GPS; it’s very accurate and provides tons of hole design information.”
- – “With all the useful features, easy to use, and also has additional features for other sports.”
The best golf watch
While the game may not improve just by wearing the Approach S60, it is clear that the passionate golfer has a great alternative in this stylish sports watch.
It’s not cheap, but it looks fantastic, it’s super reliable, and has all the golf and smartwatch features that justify that price.
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