The best Garmin golf watches for improving your game

Whether your handicap is in the single digits or you’re just breaking in your first pair of gloves, a dedicated golf watch is a useful way to dig into your stats and improve your game. For the most powerful picks, we turn to a trusted brand. Before you swing another club, check out the best Garmin golf watches you can buy right now.

The best Garmin golf watches

Garmin watches are among the most trusted wearables available, especially when it comes to fitness tracking and GPS accuracy. Garmin is also well-known for its dedicated devices engineered for particular activities. In this case, we round up the best Garmin watches for golfers. Each of the company’s golf watches below are loaded with tools and features to help you tee off with every advantage.

The Garmin Approach S70 is the best pick from Garmin’s Approach lineup and quite possibly one of the best golf watches available anywhere. With a 1.4-inch AMOLED display, the lightweight wearable ships with over 43,000 preloaded golf courses and all the tools you need to make par. These include Garmin favorites like Virtual Caddie and Green Contour, plus everything from hazard views and plays like data to 24/7 health and activity tracking beyond the clubhouse. In fact, this is Garmin’s first Approach device to feature a nearly full set of the company’s wellness tracking tools. Considering it’s built to be worn all day, we’re also grateful to see the impressive battery spec of up to 16 days in smartwatch mode. On that front, the device supports smart features such as notifications, onboard music storage, and Garmin Pay.

For fitting in at the highest-end clubs and courses, the second-generation Garmin Marq puts advanced golf tracking metrics into a luxury timepiece. Compared to the Approach lineup, build upgrades include a titanium case, a domed sapphire crystal over the display, and an appropriately green jacquard nylon band. It’s a truly elevated accessory (with an elevated price tag to match). The Marq features all the tools and features found on the Approach S70 plus detailed tracking for more sports modes, top-tier Garmin tools like Real Time Stamina, advanced navigation features, and a few extra health-centric details. It’s by a large the best upscale Garmin golf watch. Unfortunately, these upgrades will run you $2,300.

Back in the Approach stable, there are a number of more reasonably priced devices than Garmin’s luxury Marq lineup. Though it’s now been outdone by the Approach S70, the S62 is still a fantastic golf GPS watch. It packs a full-color display, 41,000 preloaded maps, and plenty of advanced tools for stroke and play analysis including a range finder and Garmin’s Virtual Caddie. It doesn’t offer multi-band GNSS support or every single feature of the pricier Approach, but it houses more than enough to keep the average golfer informed. It’s also easier on the wallet at $499, though not as inexpensive as the S42 or the budget-friendly S12.

The Garmin Approach S42 is a paired-down, mid-tier golf watch featuring key elements of Garmin’s pricier S62. In other words, it provides the basic stats most golfers are looking for at a better price. You’ll still get preloaded courses, Green View, and a handful of smart features. You won’t find extra sport modes, health tracking, Swing Tempo, or Virtual Caddie. Also, the case is made from metal rather than ceramic, and the display doesn’t offer Corning Gorilla glass durability specs. For the average player, these omissions shouldn’t matter a whole lot. The Garmin Approach S42 sells for $299.

If golf isn’t your only game, you may be interested in Garmin’s top-of-the-line multisport watch, the Garmin Epix Pro. A half-step successor of the Epix Gen 2, the Pro model packs a built-in flashlight, Garmin’s most powerful heart rate sensor, multiband GNSS, and all of the company’s advanced training tools. For golfers, it offers 43,000 preloaded full-color CourseView maps and the full suite of course and play analysis features. This makes the device one of the best Garmin golf watches you can buy. The Epix Gen 2 is also available in three model sizes so golfers of all sizes can find the perfect fit. The smallest models start at $899.

Apple Watch vs Garmin golf watch: Do they compare?

In our experience, it’s hard to compete with Garmin when it comes to advanced fitness or training metrics. The best Garmin’s golf watches are among the top tools available. They and are worn by many professionals. On the other hand, Apple’s display is unmatched, particularly on the Apple Watch Ultra. Though Apple’s native golf features are limited, thanks to the App Store it’s easy for Apple Watch users to find a large selection of powerful golf apps. This levels the playing field a bit and makes an Apple Watch a more viable competitor. Any iOS user looking for the best smartwatch experience first and a solid golf companion second is better off with an Apple Watch.