Best Golf Watches This Year
Joel Tadman tests out eight of the latest golf GPS watches up against each other on the course at Peterborough Milton Golf Club highlighting the pros and cons of each to help you pick the one that best suits your needs and your budget. Golf watches now do so much more than give you basic distance information, but not everyone wants a comprehensive feature suite - hopefully among this selection you’ll discover the watch that’s right for you.
Transcript
00:00 Now more and more golfers are turning to one of these in 2023 to get their crucial distance
00:04 information on the golf course. Yes, it's a GPS watch and the days of simply providing the yardage
00:10 to the front, middle and back of the green are over. Well, they're not entirely over.
00:14 All these watches in this test still do that, but they also offer an array of other useful features
00:20 to help golfers make better decisions and analyze their play while also making them
00:25 more suited to use away from the golf course too. In this video, I'm going to run through my top
00:30 eight golf watches in 2023 and highlight the pros and cons of each model to help you pick the one
00:35 that best suits your needs and your budget. So without further ado, let's take a look at the
00:39 first watch in this test. It's the Garmin Approach S70. Right, I'm going big for the start of this
00:44 video, straight in with the Garmin Approach S70, which replaces the Approach S62. And this slightly
00:50 bigger size comes in black only, unfortunately. But what you do get with this watch is a AMOLED
00:56 touchscreen display. So the display is absolutely fantastic. It's really bright, vibrant, crystal
01:00 clear. And the level of detail you get is exceptional, has a much more of a smart watch
01:05 feel about it, more like an Apple watch or a smartphone feel about it when you're using it.
01:10 You know, you've got the front, middle, back, you can click on the hole, get a lot more detail.
01:14 Zooming in, it'll tell you where you're driving, distance finishes, you can scroll through the
01:17 different hazards. It'll give you numbers to reach and carry the hazards, which I think is really
01:21 useful. You can move the pin position, but there's an awful lot more features that this watch offers
01:26 versus the competition. So if you pair it with the Garmin app, you get access to things like
01:32 atmospheric pressure and wind information. And when you factor in the slope functionality as well,
01:38 it'll give you a much more accurate distance versus a lot of golf GPS watches out there.
01:42 So obviously that functionality isn't legal for competition play. You can disable it if you want
01:46 to, but this has the capability to go that extra mile to give you even more accurate distances.
01:52 A whole host of other features, a virtual caddy. If you play enough rounds, it will start recommending
01:57 clubs for you. You can do your scoring on it. You can measure shots. But I think one of the
02:01 biggest things that make this watch stand out is its functionality away from the golf course. It
02:05 has a lot of health and fitness related functions that I found really useful in testing. For
02:10 example, if you're wearing it overnight, it will track your sleep via your heart rate and your
02:14 blood O2 levels and give you a recovery score every morning, minus 91% in case you're wondering.
02:19 So I'm quite happy with that. But the level of different applications to have in terms of fitness
02:24 exercises and activity is really useful. So you can choose all sorts of activities. It'll even
02:28 recommend different exercises and workouts based on what you want to do. So if you're looking for
02:32 a watch to wear on and off the course, essentially the whole time, this is a really impressive
02:37 option. The only thing I don't like about this watch is it comes with a USB-C charger, which
02:42 luckily I have a MacBook Pro, so I was able to use that adapter for charging this watch. But
02:46 some people have to invest in a separate adapter to be able to charge this watch. But that aside,
02:51 this is definitely the one to go for. If you're looking for the best display, the best versatility,
02:55 and the best features, the Garmin Approach S70 is really leading the way. Next, we have the SkyCaddy
03:02 LX2. Now, as you can see, this is probably a little bit more basic versus what we saw with
03:06 the Garmin Approach S70. And it's a much more golf specific watch. But what you do get with
03:10 SkyCaddy is ground verified, error corrected yardages that are done on foot by SkyCaddy
03:16 employees. So I do think that adds to the level of accuracy you get, especially when courses are
03:21 changing layouts of holes and putting bunkers in here and there, you're going to get the most
03:26 up-to-date information from a SkyCaddy like this. As you know, they do have more advanced feature
03:31 pack watches like the LX5. But if you're looking for simplicity on a budget, the LX2 is a great
03:36 option. It gives you front middle back distances, it gives you hazard information. But if you want
03:41 a little bit more from it, like hole maps with a movable pointer and things like that, you have to
03:45 upgrade to a membership plan, the 360 Pro plan, which does cost around about £40 in the UK per
03:52 year. So it costs a little bit more to get that information, it probably is worth it. But I think
03:56 one of the genius elements of this watch is its simplicity. When you're wearing it, you don't
04:01 really need to touch it at all. You can just keep glancing at it to get the distance information you
04:06 need. Very quick to update as you're walking along and just does the job if you're looking
04:10 for something basic, simple to use, accurate, reliable, the SkyCaddy LX2 is the way to go.
04:16 Next we have the Bushnell ION Elite. Now I think this is probably one of the best looking watches.
04:21 I love the white strap on it, really sporty, really modern. And I also think this is probably
04:26 the one that's most easy to use and navigate. It's incredibly intuitive. It's just got that
04:30 one button on the side and then when you've got the main screen, obviously you've got your front
04:34 middle back distances and you've got the four icons in the corners and they're pictured to let
04:39 you know exactly what they are. So you know that that's a little mini hole map, you click that
04:42 and you get the whole maps and you can scroll through different points of interest to see what
04:46 lies ahead. And that button, press back and you get back to the main screen. So this is really
04:51 simple to navigate. You've got your hazard information there if you want to see what
04:55 hazards are coming up. You've got the flag position there, click that and you can move
04:59 the pin position to get a more accurate distance to the flag. And then the last one in this corner
05:03 is your score. So you can enter your score and end of each hole you can also tell it if you missed
05:08 the fairway left or right or if you hit the fairway and that will give you a nice summary at the end
05:12 about your performance. What you do have the option with this watch is to pair it with the
05:16 Bushnell app and you get a little bit more insight into your scoring. You also get some detailed fly
05:21 overs of the holes and a bit more GPS information on those hole maps if you want a clearer view.
05:25 The one thing the ION Elite also offers is the ability to compensate for slope. It's a little
05:30 bit confusing given there's a few different coloured rings that can appear but if you read
05:34 the manual and get your head around what the different colours mean it's able to compensate
05:38 for slope and give you even more accurate distances which I think is a really strong selling point.
05:42 So that aside and the fact that the charging element is a little bit fiddly to get right,
05:48 this Bushnell ION Elite is definitely up there as one of the best for ease of use, for simplicity
05:53 and coming in at £200 I think represents the best value for money given the level of features
05:57 on offer. Next we have the GolfBuddy AIM W12 which I would class as a golf specific watch.
06:04 I wouldn't really see myself wearing it away from the course too much given the styling on offer
06:08 although it does come with the option of this leather strap which I do think adds to the appeal
06:13 somewhat but in terms of combining simplicity and a decent level of features this does a really good
06:18 job. I think the home screen is really good. I think the screen could be a little bit brighter
06:23 but the detail is relatively easy to see. You've got the hole information front, rear, back and you
06:28 can swipe in different directions to access different features. For example you can access
06:32 the full hazard list. It doesn't say the distance to reach and carry the hazard which is a bit
06:37 frustrating but you've got that hazard information there if you need it and if you swipe the other
06:42 way you get the whole map and on the tee you get an awful lot of different arcs both off the tee
06:46 and then coming into the green which can be confusing but equally do give you a good guide
06:51 as to where different distance is off the tee will finish on that hole and what hazards that brings
06:56 into play and then when you get to the green you are able to move the pin position. It also has the
07:01 ability to compensate for slope as well. The other thing I think I like about this watch is it is
07:07 waterproof. IXP7 waterproof so you do get that kind of peace of mind if you get caught in the
07:12 shower this functionality will remain untouched. I think this watch does the basics really well.
07:16 I like the little flyover that pops up on the hole when you get to a new tee that's quite a cool
07:21 feature and in the US you do get heat maps that show the undulations of the greens which just
07:26 gives you a level an extra level of detail if you're struggling to read the greens you can take
07:29 a look at that if you're after a steer as to which way your putt might break on the green. So decent
07:35 level of features for the price. I think off course versatility is limited but if you're looking for a
07:39 golf specific watch that's not going to bamboozle you with too many features the Golf Buddy AIM W12
07:44 does an excellent job. Next we have the Voice Caddy T9 and this is one of the better looking
07:49 watches I would say. It's slightly more compact than the others and has this nice kind of metallic
07:54 effect bezel around the side which I think just gives it an edge versus competition and it has a
07:59 lot of features as well that I think golfers will really enjoy aside from the front middle back.
08:03 This is where you can zoom in on a big screen to get those numbers nice and big. You do have hole
08:07 maps with a movable pointer. They are quite basic versus say like the Garmin Approach S70 but they
08:13 do a decent enough job. If you tap the bunkers it will give you the distances to reach and carry
08:18 those hazards which is pretty cool. But what really brings the T9 to life is on the greens.
08:23 So when you swipe to the left from the hole map you get to see the green undulations for the hole
08:28 you're playing. You can move the pin position around if you wanted to get more accurate
08:31 distances and if you swipe again you're able to kind of plot your position on the green and it'll
08:36 tell you exactly how far away it is and also what the up or down undulation is. So if you're
08:41 struggling to read the green in terms of maybe direction or pace you get a much clearer steer
08:48 as to what the slopes and the green are doing versus what you can see. My testing has shown
08:53 that to be somewhat accurate. There were situations where some of the subtle nuances on the greens
08:58 weren't factored in but I think for a general view of the topography it gives you a really good idea
09:03 if you're struggling to see it what the green is going to be doing on those putts. So really cool
09:08 feature does compensate for slope and not many other watches do. There's a little icon that will
09:12 appear there if you've employed that. Obviously you need to disable it for competitions if you
09:16 want to. A lot of good functionality specific to golf. It'll measure your shots for you,
09:20 it'll give you hole flyovers. There's a lot to like about this. Hole maps are a bit basic but
09:25 I think it looks really good and for the price around £300 you get a lot of tech free money.
09:30 Next is the Shotscope X5. Now this is a big step up visually from where we were with the Shotscope
09:35 V3. You can see it's now circular in shape, a little bit more compact and it definitely has
09:40 more off-course appeal with that kind of metal effect on the bezel versus the prior generation.
09:44 Definitely see yourself wearing it down the pub potentially. As a basic GPS watch it does a really
09:50 good job. It gives you front middle back distances, it'll give you distances to reach and carry hazards
09:54 which I think is really important. It'll give you layup information as well and you can move the
10:00 pin position to give you a more accurate distance. Where this watch sets itself apart from the
10:04 competition is via its shot tracking capability. So when you screw in the tags that come with it to
10:10 the tops of your grips it will mark the shot locations for each club and that will appear
10:14 in the display so you know what club has been tracked and where. And then after your round you
10:19 can sync that to your app and it'll give you a kind of plot your way around the course. You can
10:23 move the shots around if you need to do some editing. What I would say with that is that the
10:28 editing process on your phone is quite fiddly. Shotscope recommend you do it on your desktop
10:32 and I would definitely agree with that because on your phone it can be quite difficult to change
10:36 the positions of shots subtly if you want to get more accurate distances. And the only other thing
10:41 I didn't really like about the X5 was the touchscreen. I felt like it was a bit too
10:44 responsive. I was doing kind of swipes when I wasn't supposed to and I was tapping icons I
10:49 wasn't supposed to. I think it was a bit bit fiddly, a bit too many kind of repeat swipes
10:55 and pressing stuff I didn't want to. So that aside is a very pleasant watch to use and I think with
11:01 the extra capability you get with the shot tracking I think it adds an awful lot of value to this
11:06 offering from Shotscope. So well worth a try if you're into your stats. Next on my list is the
11:11 Tag Heuer Connected Caliber E4 Gold Edition watch. I don't have it on me today but I have tested it
11:17 in the past and this is by far the most expensive watch in this test coming in at around about £2,200.
11:23 So what do you get for your money? Well you get improved golf functionality, you get an included
11:28 marker on the strap and you get automatic shot tracking off the tee which does work pretty well
11:33 most of the time. Why it hasn't been transferred to the other clubs in the bag, who knows. But in
11:37 terms of the hole maps I think they're really user-friendly. Some of the colour coordinating
11:42 of it is a bit confusing but the rotating bezel in the top corner is really easy to use. It allows
11:48 you to scroll through the hole to see what lies ahead and you can tap the screen to see the
11:52 different distances to different hazards and things like that. It's very easy to mark the shot
11:57 locations and the club that you hit from different shots and as that data accumulates you get some
12:01 interesting performance insights from the Tag Heuer watch. I do like the driving zone which
12:06 comes via the app that's associated with the watch that will essentially plot on the hole where your
12:11 tee shot's finished, what club you hit and also what score you got from those shots. So essentially
12:16 you can see what strategy is optimum on every hole. So the more if you're on your home course
12:20 and you're accumulating a lot of data that information is really useful. Even for a watch
12:25 that comes in over £2,000 there are some things I don't really like about it. For example the
12:29 styling is very golf specific. I don't think you'd see yourself wearing it away from the course too
12:34 much because of how it looks. And also the setup process is quite laborious. There's a lot of
12:39 different apps you have to download, a lot of syncing and pairing you have to do to get it
12:43 fully up and running which does take a lot of time and was a little bit frustrating. But
12:47 obviously if you're going to spend that amount of money on a watch you're probably going to be
12:49 invested in the setup process and getting the most out of it. And in terms of functionality
12:53 and features it's probably up there with the best, probably just falling short slightly of the Garmin.
12:59 And it certainly offers that premium look and feel you'd expect for a watch that costs that
13:03 amount of money. So if you're looking for something a bit different that's going to
13:06 offer excellent golf functionality the Tag Heuer is definitely one to consider.
13:10 Now if you're based in the US and you have an Android phone you definitely want to be
13:14 considering the Samsung Galaxy 5 Pro golf watch. It's the last one we're going to talk about in
13:19 this video and it probably is one of the better looking watches on test. It has a really smart
13:24 versatile design that suits use away from the course as well as on it. And it has some pretty
13:30 cool functionality as well. It'll give you hole maps, it will track each of your shots and which
13:35 club you hit. So over time it gives you a really good picture about your play and which club you
13:40 might want to use in different shots that you have coming up. The watch will also give you
13:43 heat maps of the greens that show you the undulations that you're about to face. And
13:47 there's also a compass feature which shows you the direction of the hole which the Garmin watch
13:51 also has as well. And that's really useful when you've got a blind shot and you're not exactly
13:55 sure where the middle of the green is. So that's a really useful feature I think to have. If you
13:59 have an Android phone and you're in the US it's definitely well worth considering.
14:03 So now it's time for me to pick my favourite golf watch of 2023 and it's a pretty easy decision I
14:08 have to say. But I have my three favourites here. The ShotScope X5 I think looks great,
14:13 it's very lightweight and it has that shot tracking capability which is really seamless.
14:17 I think if you're into your stats and you want a little bit more detail on your play,
14:21 that's going to deliver that while also giving you some pretty decent distance information as well.
14:25 I think in terms of ease of use, simplicity and level of features you'll struggle to beat the
14:30 Bushnell ION Elite. I love the interface, I think it's really clear, really intuitive. That
14:35 touchscreen works really well and it has a lot of features which I like including the slope
14:39 functionality. I think the hole maps are really good as well. But the leader, head and shoulders
14:43 above the rest in terms of the best golf watches in 2023 is the Garmin Approach S70. This watch
14:49 has it all. It has the best display, I think it has the best level of features and it has the
14:54 best off-course functionality as well. If you're into your fitness and monitoring your health,
14:58 things like that, this watch delivers on that. It'll also give you smartphone notifications as
15:02 well so you can stay connected to the outside world on the golf course. But that display,
15:06 the hole maps, the clarity, the detail is exceptional and I think if you're looking
15:11 for the best of the best, the Garmin Approach S70 is comfortably the best golf watch of 2023.
15:17 So that's all for me. I hope you enjoyed this video from Peterbilt Milton Golf Club.
15:21 I'll see you next time.