Out on the course, eliminating worrying thoughts or fear can produce great results because you tend to swing freely and focus on what is truly important. Knowing what lies ahead can make a huge difference when selecting a club and committing to a shot. Tour professionals will use rangefinders in their practice round to help dial in distances when they truly need it in competition. Finding the best golf GPS watch that can deliver reliable distances, will transform any player into a more confident golfer.
There are a ton of factors to weigh against each other in this golf GPS watch review, to help find the right fit for you. Some of the factors include:
- the amount of courses available
- weight of the watch
- durability
- waterproof or not
- distances available (to green, hazards, layups, etc.)
- smart phone connection possibility
- the screen on the face of the watch
- band comfort
- price
- reliability
Some of the factors may be more important to you depending on the type of game you play. Without a doubt, most rangefinders will benefit a player in finding yardages quickly and reliably, but the extra features are where each watch will separate itself from the rest of the field.
Best Golf GPS Watch Reviews
Golf GPS Watches Comparison
Image | Model | Features | Price |
 | Garmin Approach S2 GPS Golf Watch |
| |
 | Bushnell Neo Ion 2 Golf GPS Watch |
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 | Garmin Approach S10 |
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 | Smartwatch GARMIN Vivoactive GPS |
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 | GolfBuddy Voice 2 Golf GPS/Rangefinder |
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 | TomTom Golfer 2 GPS Watch |
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 | POSMA GT2 Golf Trainer |
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Garmin Approach S2 GPS Golf Watch
Garmin watches have been the top-of-the-line for fitness and activity tracking. Their expansion into golf GPS rangefinders has been an easy one. Garmin’s tracking and distance measuring creates one of the best golf GPS watch on the market.
Their coverage is expansive with over 40,000 courses around the world. The yardage available to golfers are front, back and middle of greens as well as layup and dogleg distances.
While calculating distances to different locations, it also has an odometer ability to track the amount of distance covered while playing a golf round.
Instead of losing and constantly searching for a physical scorecard, the watch can act as a digital scorecard to download on to a computer. The scorecard can then be stored and printed to have a physical copy.
Another great feature is that it is lightweight and waterproof. Not having to worry about keeping a scorecard or a laser rangefinder dry, the Garmin Approach S2 functions in the rain giving reliable yardages. The model comes in white/grey, purple/white, black/red, and black/green options.
Bushnell Neo Ion 2 Golf GPS Watch
This stylish watch can help you improve your game by keeping track of the distance in between holes. It has a long battery life that outlasts many other golf watches.
Because it is using a GPS the battery dies a lot faster than a regular watch, but with this model you should be able to play three rounds of golf at least before you need to charge it up again. You will love how easy it is to use this watch and how long the battery lasts. It is super convenient to use.
The design of this watch is one of the best things about it. It comes in several stylish color options, but the most important part is how comfortable it is. The band sits comfortably on your wrists and prevents you from sweating underneath it.
There is even the option to connect the watch with bluetooth for updates on the course. You may find that the distances for your golf course are already loaded onto this watch, because it included the courses for over 36,000 golf courses in multiple different countries.
There are a lot of reasons why we think this is one of the best GPS watches, but among them are how comfortable and stylish the design is. We also like how user friendly it is and how easy to use it is.
The battery life is another feature that makes it a great model, because you do not need to recharge it all the time like some other GPS watches. You can use it with the free app on your phone to get visual flyovers of the golf course.
Garmin Approach S10 – Lightweight GPS Golf Watch
This GPS enabled golf watch by Garmin is a great model because it is a lightweight design that is as comfortable as it is stylish. You can also enjoy this watch for a great price that does not sacrifice on any of the features that you want from a GPS watch for golf.
The design of the watch is very aesthetically pleasing and modern looking. It does not look like any ugly old sports watch, it is a sleek design that will look great on and off the course. The watch comes in a few different colors too so you can pick the one that best matches your personal style.
The display on the watch is digital and uses big clear digits to display the information. It is easy to read what the watch is displaying, with no small numbers or a dim screen. Even in bright sunlight you will be able to easily read the watch which is fantastic.
It comes ready for you to use on the course and you will love how easy it is. It has 41,000 courses that are already loaded onto it so you may find that your course is already there.
With this golf watch you can easily keep score of your game. You can even upload the results of your scores to the Garmin portal for an easy way to keep track of how you are doing.
This is a great GPS golf watch for experienced and beginners. It comes with a rechargeable battery and you can get twelve full hours of play out of it before you need to change the battery.
Smartwatch GARMIN Vivoactive GPS Waterproof 5 ATM Glonass
This stainless steel and black watch by Garmin is very handsome looking as well as high performance. We have included multiple Garmin watches in our list because they make some of the best golf watches that money can buy.
This golf watch has all the great features you can expect out of a Garmin watch, and more. It is a fully enabled smartwatch that is one of the best in the market.
The watch is made for use outdoors and is completely waterproof so you can rest assured that it will not be damaged if it gets wet because of sprinklers on the golf course or if you accidentally drop it in a pond on the course.
This is a smartwatch which means that it is technologically advanced and can help you to improve your game.
The readout of the watch is another great feature, because it is very clear and easy to read. Not only that, but it is very aesthetically pleasing and features an easy to read font along with some highlight colors in the graphics to offset the black and white design of the watch.
This watch is compatible with your iphone or your android to monitor your results. In addition to helping with your golf game, it will also monitor your heart rate for your health.
TomTom Golfer 2 GPS Watch
TomTom is known for their GPS systems for cars and other vehicles. Their expansion into one of the best golf GPS watch companies makes perfect sense. The same technology used for making perfect routes on roads and highways will lead you around a golf course with precision.
The TomTom Golfer 2 device will automatically detect when a shot is hit and record it in a log. The recorded shots can be compared to see which part of your game needs work. An example of this would be if you tend to miss shots from the 175 distance, it will record that you tend to be 20 yards short of the desired distance.
This can then be used to make practice time more efficient knowing what needs to be worked on. It will display the front, center, and back of green distances as well as individual hazards throughout the course.
Along with recording shots distances, the TomTom can act as a virtual scorecard without the use of a pencil or paper. You can then upload each round to compare statistics from previous rounds.
A unique thing to TomTom is the ‘Ultimate Round’ feature which will take the best holes from rounds that have been played at the same course and put it all together. It is an interesting view on your game because it shows you the possibility of going low; you have done it once before and can do it again.
GolfBuddy Voice 2 Golf GPS/Rangefinder
This is an amazing tool to use on the golf course for golfers of all experience level. If you want to take your golf game to the next level a rangefinder and gps enabled device like this may be able to help.
This rangefinder/GPS combo actually talks to you so that you do not even have to look at it to get the read out which is an amazing feature.
During sunny days it may be hard to read the face of a watch, but with the voice you can select either a male or female voice and it will call the results out to you. This even gives you more time to golf as you will spend less time staring at the face of your watch.
The device is completely water resistant so you can take it with you on the course with confidence. There are multiple colors available such as black, white, and silver so you can select whichever one matches your personal style or taste.
This device is super simple to use and will remember your settings for the next game. The battery life for this GPS is longer than many of the other models, at up to fourteen hours of play time. You can enjoy getting the distances read from all angles from the screen and it is displayed on an easy to read screen.
POSMA GT2 Trainer + Activity Tracking GPS Watch
POSMA Sport is an up and coming brand that deals largely with watches and other outdoor wearable items, which is mostly for people that enjoy working out and playing sports. The POSMA GT2 is focused on the game of golf and a player that wants to get better.
When heading to the first tee, the watch will automatically register which course you are at. The high-tech watch will tell front, center, and back of green distances as well as hazards within the course (e.g. water, bunker or large trees).
If the course offers double green options, the watch will be able to switch between left or right greens with the push of a button. A feature that is not included in most watches is the ability to track the previous shot distance for future reference. This can be helpful for club selection if a similar distance is needed for a future shot.
The GT2 model will monitor things other than distances for golf shots. The watch has a built-it pedometer, which can track the amount of steps taken during a round. In addition to steps taken, the device can also calculate the amount of energy spent (calories) while playing holes or practicing.
Practice or play can be done in inclement weather because the GT2 is waterproof. The lithium-ion battery will last you 8-10 hours in play mode (measuring distances and tracking numbers) while it will last around eight days in simple watch mode. The watch is available in a solid black with red band highlights.
How to Choose the Best Golf GPS Watch?
The best golf GPS watch is a subjective matter for each golfer. Through this review, features have been described for each product to help decide on the right fit. There are features and qualities that may make a watch superior in different areas than others.
For the most part, they track yardages very similarly and yet they are all unique. The added confidence that players get from a reliable GPS watch can lead to improved consistency from certain distances and lower scores.
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Also make sure to read about the top golf bags, golf ball reviews, more golf equipment comparison, and about the best golf mats.
The main factors that should be taken into account to are reliability, distances available and the amount of courses it possesses. The reliability factor is the single-most important factor because without reliability, distances will be off.
Most watch brands have experience with calculating distance with other products and use the same technology in their watches. This also impacts the distances available to players. A watch may only have distances to greens when it may be helpful to have distances for hazards and other layup spots.
This feature is critical when playing a new course because you may not know what the hole looks like or how to play it. The amount of courses a watch is capable of tracking is make or break.
If the watch does not have the course you play regularly it would not be worth it! The more the GPS watch carries, the more likely it will have different courses you play or will play eventually.
Secondary factors that are still important are smart phone connection, band comfort, and price. Smart phone connection for your watch will eliminate any miscommunication between other people when you are out on the links.
A few watches will be able to send alerts to notify when people are trying to contact you. You may not want this feature and can toggle it to remove the alerts so it does not bother you. Having a product, especially the band in a watch, that fits and feels comfortable is another consideration.
Pricing on the watches are in a pretty close range. Some features that are unique to that watch may increase the price because it is only available on that merchandise.
The Perfect Fit
In this golf GPS watch review, many products were compared with different qualities and features. Rangefinders, in theory, should deliver the same results. With so many options to deliver yardages out on the course, products vary in many ways.
Choosing which distances you would like to see in your game could depend on your skill level or need for yardages.
If you are a more precise, plotter-of-the-golf-course player then you may want all of the distances available on a watch; if you are a “it-plays-about 150” type player than a device with center distances could suffice. Weighing all of the factors and features against each other will yield the right fit for you and your game.
