Distance measuring devices in golf are now commonplace among professional and amateur golfers alike. Recent advances in technology mean the best golf GPS watch in 2023 is like having a caddie on your wrist.
Packed with a dizzying array of features, the top GPS watches perform a host of functions from calculating yardages, accounting for slopes, and even tracking your shots and score across your round. Quite simply, a GPS watch will help save you shots by allowing you to focus purely on your swing, knowing you have the right club for the shot in hand.
One of the main advantages of using a GPS watch over a laser rangefinder is the instantaneous information they provide from just a quick glance at your wrist, helping you stay focused on your pre-shot routine.
So, if your mind is set, and you’re ready to dive into the golf GPS watch market, then here are five of the top models available.
Best overall golf watch: Garmin Approach S70 – $650 / £600 RRP
The Garmin S70 features tones of activities to better your game including HIIT, yoga, running, swimming, and more, as well as keeping you on top of your health with heart, sleep, and hydration tracking. When it comes to golf, the S70 really excels with over 43,000 pre-loaded courses and a touchscreen display that’s up there with the best. Yardage adjustment takes into consideration the environmental changes and the elevation of the green for super precise distances, with green contour data showing you the perfect place to land.
Best golf watch for shot tracking: Shot Scope X5 – $300 / £280 RRP
The sleek look and range of watch faces means the X5 looks great on the wrist, and with AI-powered performance, it can track over 100 statistics to help you improve your game. The X5 has a built-in step counter and accurate, real-time front, middle, and back distances to all greens, hazards, and doglegs all on over 36,000 golf courses globally. The watch features a glare-resistant full-color 1.2″ touchscreen, which, along with the clear and large display, makes for an easy-to-navigate watch. The X5 comes with a collection of 2nd Gen RFID tracking tags that automatically track over 100 performance statistics.
Best premium golf watch: TAG Heuer Connected Caliber E4 – $2,500 / £2,400 RRP
Ok, it’s big money, but for those with a passion for watches and golf, TAG Heuer’s stunning special edition GPS golf watch is a piece of kit to get the blood pumping. You get 40,000 courses in stunning detail, plus an accelerometer and gyroscope functions to record each shot to the nearest meter. The E5 also includes a pedometer, heart rate monitor, and a ‘Golf Edition Box’ containing a host of TAG Heuer goodies.
Best golf watch for screen quality: Samsung Galaxy 5 Pro – $500 / £480 RRP
The Galaxy Watch5 Pro has been built to not only enhance your golf game but also help you live healthier and better day-to-day with features such as a built-in step counter, heart rate and blood pressure monitor to give you a complete picture of your physical wellbeing. This watch comes with a lifetime subscription to the golfing app Smart Caddie, allowing you to track over 40,000 courses worldwide, with distances to the green, hole-by-hole maps, shot tracking, a green undulation screen, and much more. Best golf watch for features: Bushnell ION Elite – $200 / £219 RRP
The ION ELITE is a color touchscreen watch packed with most of the features found at the more premium end of the watch on the market. The ELITE is loaded with over 38,000 golf courses and has an easy-to-read display that shows distances to the front center and back of the green. It is also the first watch to feature Bushnell’s patented Slope Technology. The dynamic distances the watch displays, allows you to see the hole and provide precise distances from any point, along with green mapping which gives you a distance based on your angle to the pin.
How to choose a golf GPS watch
If your mind is made up and you are officially in the market for a golf GPS watch, here are some important things to consider:
Budget – Arguably the biggest consideration with watches ranging from under $200/£200 to over $2,000/£2,000. We advise you to set a budget, decide on your non-negotiable features, and then make an informed decision before finding the best deal.
Accuracy – While not providing the gold standard accuracy of the top laser rangefinders, the accuracy of GPS data has improved significantly, and with yardages accurate to within a couple of yards from most models, there should be no issues with selecting the wrong club.
Features – What are your non-negotiable features? Do you require slope adjusted yardages, shot tracking analytics, or perhaps a watch that will help keep you in shape off the course as well? Super premium models may do it all, but if your budget is more modest then go for a model that is recognized for the specific feature most important to you.
