Best Rated GPS Watch for Golf
When it comes to golfing today, there is absolutely no excuse for not knowing your distances on the golf course. Thanks to high technology golf GPS watches, you can now be more accurate than ever, and make sure you get the shots exactly where you want them! But which is the best rated golf GPS watch to buy? Keep reading to find out more from my full and comprehensive reviews of the best rated GPS watch for golf.
The technology in the following watches makes it all possible and allows golfers to play with much more renewed confidence and accuracy, having an overall better sense of their game. With so many choices available on the market, however, it can be quite difficult to know which is the best golf GPS watch to purchase, and also which is best suited to you and your specific budget.
In this article we have sourced three of the very best golf GPS watches to buy, which should hopefully make your purchasing decisions a little easier when it comes to getting one. We have highlighted their top features and included a few pros and cons along the way. The three watches we have selected therefore are the Garmin Fenix 3 special edition watch, the Garmin Approach S2 GPS golf watch and finally the Bushnell NEO XS golf GPS watch – all fantastic watches, but we will mention our firm favorite at the end!
Why purchase a golf GPS watch?
If you want to drastically improve your golf skills, then a golf GPS watch is definitely a good investment to make. Not only will they help to improve your skills overall, but they will help you when you are out and about on the golf course itself. Most of these watches have the ability to map out the entire course, sometimes in 3D, which makes your experience a whole lot simpler by showing you exactly where you need to be and how to get there.
If you are not perfect at swinging, these watches can definitely help make sure you get your swing up to scratch, by showing you how to position best and in some cases even recommend the best club suited to your individual preferences. Also, if you are a competitive individual who enjoys playing golf with friends, some of these clever devices allow you to keep track of your scores and ultimately your progress! This can then be shared with your teammates and friends which makes it a fun way to keep golf exciting!
Therefore, a golf GPS watch is bound to provide you with some benefits, whether you are a beginner or not. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top three golf GPS watches on the market!
Garmin Fenix 3 GPS Special edition Watch
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Garmin watches are widely known for their innovative quality and design, with their watches being popular with professional golfers worldwide. The Garmin Fenix 3 HR Special Edition is a great choice of GPS watch for golfers. Featuring a strong stainless steel design, this watch has a lot of promising features, including an extra GLONASS satellite reception, and both fitness training and outdoor navigation features – making it a firm favorite for sports men and women alike.
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Pros
- High quality design
- 1 Lithium ion battery included
- Heart rate technology
- GLONASS satellite reception
- Fitness training features
- Outdoor navigation features
- Recovery advisor
- Titanium DLC band
- 2 Inch sunlight-readable Chroma display
Cons
- Altimeter function is not perfect.
Summary
Garmin is all about high quality. Their watches are built to last and made to become an essential part of their customer’s lives. With that being said, they guarantee good quality products. Featuring a strong, stainless steel design, the Garmin Fenix 3 GPS watch is perfect for taking on your golf trips.
It features a 1.2 inch chroma display which is sun readable, and one of its favored benefits as a lot of watches without this feature can be difficult to read in sunnier weather. The watch face itself is a high-strength domed sapphire crystal lens which gives the watch a superior look. Including both a GPS and GLONASS satellite reception, the golfer can easily use both options to help track and reveal more challenging environments around them.
GLONASS feature
As we previously mentioned, Garmin’s watches are made with quality, and their GPS watches prove this. They feature strong attention to detail, and the Fenix 3X is no exception. GLONASS, or “Global Navigation Satellite System”, is a Russian space-based satellite navigation system which provides another alternative to the US GPS. This is especially accurate at high latitudes, far north and south respectively. Therefore, when used together with GPS, this is bound to give a more fantastic, accurate result in terms of game positioning, than merely using GPS alone.
Fitness and Outdoor features
Although the Garmin Fenix 3 HR watch is favored for it GPS tracking features, it also packs in some extra added benefits for the user, including outdoor navigation features: a 3-axis compass, an altimeter perfect for hiking, paragliding and sports where altitude is present, and also a barometer which is great for checking pressure.
On the fitness side of things, the watch can also be perfect for those who like to run, as it includes state-of-the-art running dynamics such as vertical oscillation, which measures the user’s bounce while running, and also a Vo2 Max score system which gives the user their individual fitness level score. The heart rate can also be monitored with this watch and a recovery advisor is available for after the sport has taken place, which is a handy little piece of technology to have when it comes to keeping fit! These multi-use features make this watch a top favorite with customers.
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Garmin approach S2 GPS Golf Watch
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The next watch by Garmin is another popular choice on the market. This S2 GPS golf watch by Garmin is one which includes a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, meaning playing on the more challenging courses can be a breeze. Where tracking can sometimes be an issue, this watch certainly provides a remedy!
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In terms of accuracy, the S2 seems to be a winner. Let’s take a look at the Garmin Approach S2 in a bit more detail:
Pros
- Good quality design
- Highly accurate GPS system
- Strong sensitivity
- Precise yardages
- 30,000 courses worldwide & free course updates
- Measures individual shot distance
- Improved tracking
- Digital score card feature
Cons
- Battery life known to be poor
Summary
The Garmin Approach S2 GPS Golf watch is another fantastic product from Garmin, and one exclusive to golfers. This model is sold as a ‘worldwide courses’ watch, as it comes already preloaded with over 30,000 different courses around the world, and includes free course updates throughout the year. This makes it a perfect watch to take when travelling from course to course, as it will be helpful in teaching the user exactly where and how far they have to go! As a bonus, this watch includes many more favorable features, which would make it a perfect choice for the golf field.
Precise Yardages
Thanks to its high-sensitivity GPS receiver, it allows the golfer to see yardage at both the front, middle and back of the golfing green. As well as this, the watch allows the user to view layup distances in 50 yard intervals, showing distances to the flag and how far you have to hit! On holes with a dogleg, the touchscreen system includes a list with the distance to the apex of the bend where you will have a clear shot of the green. This means it can also precisely measure yardages for shots played everywhere on the course!
Digital Scorecard
Keeping track of your score is no longer an issue with this watch, as the Approach S2 does it for you, all year round! With the digital scorecard, you can easily track each of your scores, and then with the USB cable which is included, connect to your computer or laptop and download them instantly to store or print.
Efficient design
The Approach S2 is a very flexible, durable and lightweight watch, which is comfortable to wear during golfing. Unlike most GPS watches, this one is water resistant, up to 10 meters, meaning any accidents on the field won’t weaken it. Along with its great GPS features, it also includes the time and date, alarm and rechargeable lithium-ion battery, with a battery life of up to 3 weeks in watch mode, and 8 hours in GPS mode. Different colored bands are also available for further customization of the S2.
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Bushnell NEO XS Golf GPS Rangefinder Watch
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Bushnell has been making watches since way back in 1955, and they have always kept a constant emphasis on product innovation. Similar to Garmin’s golf GPS watch, the Bushnell NEO XS is a rangefinder watch which is perfectly suited to golfers! And it is a number one choice for many professionals. This watch offers more than 30,000 courses already preloaded into it making this a suitable option also for first time golfers and the golfer who enjoys exploring new courses with ease! The watch also proposes recommendations for the best club to use based on its specific user’s statistics, making it a very helpful watch to have around the golf course!
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Pros
- Lightweight
- 30,000 preloaded courses
- Auto hole advance
- Auto course/hole recognition
- Shot distance calculator
- Extended battery life
- Long battery life
- Includes USB charger
- 1 year warranty
Cons
- Battery issues not long into ownership
Summary
With the touch of a button, the Bushnell NEO XS golf GPS watch selects your exact course from a selection of over 30,000 preloaded worldwide courses, making discovering a new golf course simple and easy! The NEO XS watch does not require any membership or download fees and includes 50% more battery life than its competitors. It features some fantastic auto features, including auto hole recognition which help increase any golfer’s chances of making a successful swing! Overall this little watch is lightweight, thin and extremely comfortable to wear.
Super auto recognition features
Not only does this watch locate your exact course, but also gives easy to read front, center and back distances! Thanks to this watch’s technology, it is able to easily auto locate holes and find out the exact distance of how far you have to putt. This helps make your golfing experience so much more accurate!
Lightweight & durable
The Bushnell NEO XS is a watch which is known for being one of the lightest GPS watches currently on the market and is especially favored for its sleek, thin design. The golfer wearing this is guaranteed an easy game with this watch as the band is not too tight and made with breathable material to keep things cool and comfortable. The watch is also sweat resistant and waterproof up to 10m, making it a very durable watch, and one which is also very easy to clean.
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Which is the Best golf GPS watch for Me?
So there you have it, three of the top ranking GPS watches currently on the market. All of these should be perfectly suited to your golfing needs. However, if you really want a watch that performs well, then the S2 Garmin Approach GPS watch is definitely a good choice to make. Why? Because it already features a large amount of preloaded golf courses as well as high-sensitivity GPS, which is crucial when using a GPS watch on the playing field. Its sleek, durable design, together with the long battery life, definitely guarantees a good golfing experience!
However, if you are a sporty individual looking for a golf watch which includes more than just its GPS features, then the Garmin Fenix 3 HR special edition watch is a perfect choice for you. Not only does it include fantastic GPS tracking, but also some fitness extras perfect for use when training. This means that the user can switch between two modes, and have more than one use, whereas the others are mainly suited to their GPS features. All in all, the three watches are pretty good products which will all more or less provide you with better accuracy when it comes to playing your next game!
