Best Golf Watch of 2025: The Top 11 Choices for Every Budget

When golf watches first came out, they were fairly rudimentary. Early models really only gave you distances to the front, middle, and back of each green. That’s great information, of course, and for that reason, even primitive golf GPS watches created some buzz. But, for the most part, serious players stayed away.

Instead, golfers grinding to shoot their best scores almost always chose rangefinders to get their distances. And to be clear, there is no substituting for the pinpoint precision of a laser rangefinder.

But golf watches are now also capable of giving you accurate distance numbers to specific locations, and they can do way, way more than that. In fact, the tables have turned to the point where the new top-of-the-line rangefinders are trying to catch up with the capabilities of the best golf watches of 2025, introducing smart features like club recommendations and factoring weather into distance calculations.

The best part about this golf watch evolution is that as the technology has improved and as demand has increased, the leading manufacturers are starting to tailor their offerings to hit different price points by including a variety of feature sets. That means we’ve all got options.

Not too long ago, if you got a golf watch, it was kind of the same as the other small amount of golf watches on the market. But not now. Now you can choose everything from that old-school front/middle/back simple warhorse all the way up to a watch that can seemingly do everything short of launching a missile.

But of course with options can come option overload. Fear not. That’s what this guide is for. We’re going to help you find the best golf watch of 2025 for your specific wants and needs, giving you 11 great choices.

Let’s get to it!

Why Choose a Golf GPS Watch?

This post isn’t about knocking rangefinders. We love them too. But, for the right type of golfer, a GPS watch offers some distinct advantages.

For one thing, they, um, tell time. Has your rangefinder ever helped you realize that you’re late to pick your kid up from soccer practice?

That breaking news aside, golf watches can one-up rangefinders in several key scenarios, including:

• Pace of play. If you’ve played with a rangefinder or watched someone who did, you know that it takes at least several seconds every time you want to get a yardage. With a golf watch, you can get the basics in as little time as it takes you to look at your wrist.
• Style. The best golf watches of 2025 are legitimately nice-looking timepieces meant to be worn throughout the day. Many of them even come with multiple color options and changeable bands so that you can match your watch to your wardrobe if you’re so inclined. For as cool as rangefinders are, we don’t recommend wearing them to dinner.
• Features. The best golf watches give you every piece of information you need on the course and can even help you quarterback your life off the course. Think yardages, club recommendations, green contour maps, pin location setting, shot tracking, score keeping, hole maps, distances to hazards, fitness tracking, sleep tracking, stress tracking, step counting, texts, emails, calendars, weather, music, and so much more. It’s incredible how much information these little devices can contain.

Basically, a great golf watch can make a rangefinder look like a one-trick pony. Like, Is getting yardages all that you can do?

Like with all golf tech products, there’s some amount of give and take with every golf watch option, even if it’s just price. As you’ve probably guessed, to get the most features, the most premium brand name, and the highest-quality materials, you’re going to pay the most.

But that doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of value to find. And depending on how you want to use a golf watch, you may not need to pay for everything.

Let’s take a look at our picks for the 11 best golf watches of 2025.

The Best Golf Watch of 2025

(Golf watches in image, from left to right: Garmin Approach S70, Shot Scope X5, Garmin Approach S44, Bushnell iON Elite, Voice Caddie T9, Sky Caddie LX5, Garmin Approach S50.)

Garmin Approach S70: Best Overall Golf Watch

If you want the best, you want the Garmin Approach S70.

End of story.

It is the absolute finest golf watch of 2025, and it’s not particularly close.

The S70 has everything! No other golf watch combines innovation, features, reliable performance, and style in a way that can rival the S70.

Among the features:

• A super-bright AMOLED touchscreen display
• Maps and yardages from 43,000+ preloaded golf courses
• Club suggestions based on performance and even wind speed and direction
• A plays-like distance feature that takes into account slope and weather
• 24/7 health monitoring and activity tracking
• A stylish, lightweight build and ceramic bezel
• Much, much more

The S70 comes in Black, White, or Gray, so there’s an option for whatever your color preference. And the watch itself is absolutely gorgeous. This is something you can wear proudly to even a high-end occasion.

You can get the 47mm version, which features a 1.4-inch display and weighs 2 ounces. Or, there’s a 42mm version with a 1.2-inch display and a weight of just 1.5 ounces.

The S70 is so much more than a golf watch. Not only can it track all of your shots, make club recommendations, and give you incredibly accurate plays-like distances, it’s also a fully-loaded everyday smart watch with fitness features like sleep tracking, stress tracking, step counting, heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, calendars, texts, emails, weather, music, and much more.

If you want to know that you have the top-of-the-line golf watch, buy the Garmin Approach S70.

Shot Scope X5: Best Golf Watch Value 

A beautiful 1.2-inch, glare-resistant touchscreen watch with five different band color options, a ceramic bezel, shot-tracking tags included, no subscription fees, and all for just $299.99! This is an extreme value!

The Shot Scope X5 might not be quite as luxurious and high-quality as a Garmin, but for the features that it includes at this price, it’s going to be hard to pass up for a lot of golfers.

The X5 is stylish, and the band is very comfortable. But most importantly, the information it delivers is incredible. To get shot-tracking tags included and all of the resulting stats about your golf game, all with no annual subscription fees, is unbelievable!

Other X5 features include:

• Green view with pin placement
• Front and carry distance for water and bunker hazards
• Layup points and doglegs on each hole
• More than 36,000 preloaded courses
• Automatic performance tracking
• Multiple clock-face designs
• Step counter
• Digital scorecard
• More than 100 statistics about your game, including Strokes Gained and handicap benchmarking

Garmin Approach S44: Best of the Basics

 

 

 

If you’re looking for a golf GPS watch that nails the essentials without venturing into over-the-top smartwatch territory, the Garmin Approach S44 is the one to get. It’s an entry-level Garmin in price, but with a premium AMOLED display, enhanced course maps, and all the golf-specific features you actually need, it’s easily the best “good” golf watch on the market.

At $299.99, the S44 replaces the older Approach S42 at the same price point, but with some major upgrades, including that stunning display. For golfers who don’t need advanced fitness tracking or a virtual caddie, this watch delivers a perfect blend of performance and value.

What makes the Garmin S44 a standout?

• AMOLED display for a fraction of the cost - The S44 gives you the same ultra-bright, crisp display as Garmin’s most expensive watches but at less than half the price of the S70. Compared to the previous S42, it’s a night-and-day difference.
• More intuitive navigation - A second button (compared to just one on the S42) makes on-course navigation smoother and more responsive.
• Garmin ecosystem integration - Syncs with the Garmin Golf app, can pair with Garmin shot-tracking tags, and even works alongside the Garmin Approach Z30 rangefinder for a fully connected experience.

What’s missing?

• A virtual caddie
• Heart rate or sleep tracking
• Plays-like distances (unless you subscribe to Garmin’s Golf membership)

Bushnell iON Elite: Best Budget Golf Watch

It’s not too often that “Bushnell” and “budget” are used in the same sentence, but that’s the case here. And it means real opportunity.

The Bushnell iON Elite is a very classy, nice-looking, totally reliable golf watch that keeps the price in check by not trying to do too much.

First and foremost is the Bushnell name. By this point, if you don’t know that they’re renowned for making durable, super-high-quality golf tech products, you must be new here. This is a brand that you can trust. And to be able to own anything Bushnell for just $199.99 is a big plus.

Available in either Black or White, the iON Elite comes preloaded with more than 38,000 golf courses worldwide. It has a color touchscreen display, a nice overview map of each hole, and the ability to pinpoint specific locations on the hole to get exact yardages to things like hazards. You can also manually move the pin placement on the screen so that you can get precise numbers to specific pin locations. And the robust battery life should last more than two full rounds on a single charge.

It’s a Bushnell! What’s not to like?

Voice Caddie T9: Best Golf Watch for Tracking Putts

Voice Caddie changed the game with accurate heat map, green undulation technology. And when they added shot and putt tracking with their T9 flagship model, suddenly they became a legitimate contender for best overall golf watch.

While we don’t think the T9 can quite pry that top title away from the Garmin Approach S70, we do want to call out in particular the awesome accuracy of the T9’s shot tracking, including putt tracking. With other golf yardage watch options, you have to manually enter your score after each shot, especially your putts. But the Voice Caddie T9 handles that job for you, even on the greens.

Another really cool feature with the T9 is its swing tempo practice mode, allowing you to dial in your precise and repeatable rhythm which will undoubtedly help you hit better shots more consistently.

And finally, the T9 is also a strong contender for best looking golf watch, exuding a simple classiness that’s likely to catch a lot of eyes.

SkyCaddie LX5/LX5C: Best Display

This golf GPS watch provides an absolutely gorgeous, high-resolution display. It doesn’t include advanced features like shot data, club recommendations, or wind speed and direction, but the large screen, multiple brightness options, and very crisp resolution mean that you’ll never have to strain your eyes to get your yardages.

The LX5 version is the more basic of the two, with a simpler, less-expensive plastic bezel. With the LX5C, you get a bit more luxury and a higher-quality ceramic bezel.

The SkyCaddie LX5/LX5C features a simple-to-navigate touchscreen with a nice overview of each hole. You can swipe, pinch, and drag around the screen to get distances to hazards and layup targets. And you’ll always get the standard front/middle/back yardages from wherever you are on the hole. On the fitness side, you get a step counter and heart rate monitor.

There are golf watches with more features, and there are less expensive golf watches. But for display quality, which is the most important consideration for many golfers, the SkyCaddie is a big winner.

Garmin Approach S50: Best-Looking Golf Watch

If you want a golf watch that looks amazing, feels great on the wrist, and delivers top-tier golf performance without overkill, the Garmin Approach S50 is it. This is the golf watch that most golfers should buy because it balances premium features, comfort, and affordability better than any other option.

Why the Garmin Approach S50 is the perfect fit:

• Sleek, stylish, and comfortable - With a low-profile design, a featherweight build (just 29 grams), and Garmin’s first-ever-in-a-golf-watch nylon ComfortFit band, the S50 is the most wearable golf watch Garmin has ever made.
• Stunning AMOLED display - The vibrant, high-contrast AMOLED screen (previously reserved for Garmin’s most expensive watches) makes yardages, hole overviews, and course maps easier to read than ever—even in bright sunlight.
• Loaded with golf features - 43,000+ preloaded course, plays-like distances, shot-tracking compatibility, and PinPointer for blind shots make the S50 a serious golfer’s tool. While it lacks the virtual caddie and wind data of the S70, it still delivers all the information most players will ever need.
• Strong off-course capabilities - Unlike the more golf-specific S44, the S50 includes heart rate monitoring, stress tracking, advanced sleep monitoring, and fitness features, making it a true all-day wearable.
• Expandable golf performance - Want more? Garmin’s optional $9.99-per-month or $99-per-year golf membership unlocks advanced course maps, green contours, and other pro-level data, letting you level up without committing to the higher price tag of the S70.

The Garmin Approach S50 isn’t just the best-looking golf watch, it’s the right choice for most golfers. It has the sleekest design, the most well-rounded feature set, and the perfect balance of golf performance and smartwatch functionality.

Shot Scope G6: Full-Color Hole Maps for Only $179

(Coming Soon)

The Shot Scop G6 is a significant aesthetic and useability upgrade from the outgoing G5.

Whereas the G5 was limited to a square display within the circular watchface (an odd and dated look), the new G6 fills the entire watchface with awesome graphics and color. And that now includes full-color hole maps.

Another strong selling point of the G6 is that it’s preloaded with more than 36,000 golf courses worldwide, meaning there is no need to interface with an app.

And still another feature that will be attractive to many golfers is that this watch features exclusive button navigation. Many people don’t care for touchscreen, so this is a nice go-to for that group.

The G6 is an otherwise fairly simple watch. But you might not need anymore than what it can do, which includes:

• Front/Middle/Back yardages
• Distances to front and carry of hazards
• Yardages to doglegs and distances to layup points
• More than 36,000 preloaded courses worldwide
• Digital scorecard
• Multiple clock faces
• Battery life of more than 36 holes
• No subscription fees

Voice Caddie G1: A Lot of Innovation for Not a Lot of Money

The Voice Caddie G1 is another strong contender for best value in a golf watch. For just $299.99, you get a lot of really cool innovative features including:

• Green undulation data
• Course layout view
• Color touchscreen
• Customizable pin placement
• Bluetooth compatibility
• Slope-adjusted yardages
• Automatic scorecard
• Waterproof
• No subscription fees
• Stats/scoring history

As something of a junior version of the Voice Caddie T9, the G1 offers those same best-in-class heat map green-reading views. The visual on this feature is outstanding and really does help with finding the best line for your putts.

Garmin Approach S12: You Can Own a Garmin Watch for Just $199.99!

If you love Garmin golf watches but get tripped up by the price points, the Approach S12 is the perfect solution. You can get all that Garmin reliability but at a discounted price.

The Garmin Approach S12 gives you accurate GPS with distances to front/center/back and hazards on each hole. It gives you the same 41,000 preloaded golf courses as the other Garmin golf watch options, and you get the same scoring system as with those more advanced models.

You won’t get a virtual caddie, slope adjustment, wind speed and direction, swing tempo, a step counter, and a heart rate monitor. But so many golfers find those things to be unnecessary. If you’re the type that doesn’t need those bells and whistles, save some money and be perfectly content with what is still one of the very best golf watches available.

SkyCaddie LX2: Just Give Me My Yardages!

 

Are you here for a simple, accurate, durable, reliable — and inexpensive — golf watch? One that doesn’t include a bunch of crap that you care nothing about? Something that just works and works well?

That’s the SkyCaddie LX2 in a nutshell. You can save a whole lot of money if you just need accurate yardages. The LX2 gives you numbers you can trust for just $149.95.

You know, technology can be great. But sometimes, for some people and for some situations, it can all get to be a little too much. If you like the modern approach of getting accurate yardages by way of a golf watch but don’t want or need all the extras and can maybe live with a little less classy look, save some money and get the LX2.

There are no subscription fees with this little 1.28-inch touchscreen workhorse. And you do get a step counter, some alarms, a stopwatch, timer, and digital scorecard with stats to go along with preloaded yardages on more than 35,000 golf courses.

Not bad for $150.

No Bad Choices on This Best Golf Watches List

There you have it: 11 sure-fire winners for you to consider. Any one of these will make for an excellent golf GPS watch. It all comes down to what kinds of features and style you prefer.

If you just want basic yardages with a few added goodies, there are multiple options for you here.

And, of course, if you want every single feature that’s been dreamed up to date for a golf watch, that’s here too.

And then we’ve got options that are somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

Hell, you might find so many things to your liking that you start wearing a watch on each wrist! 

OK, don’t do that. But a golf watch does make for a great gift, so nothing wrong with picking up more than one.

Whatever you do, don’t sleep on the benefits of today’s golf watches. Even if you’ve been a rangefinder devotee to this point, you might be surprised at how much fun and easy it can be to play golf with a GPS watch. And now you hopefully know just the one to put on for your next round.

About PlayBetter Golf Reviewer Marc Sheforgen

Marc "Shef" Sheforgen is a golf writer whose passion for the game far exceeds his ability to play it well. Marc covers all things golf, from product reviews and equipment recommendations to event coverage and tournament analysis. When he's not playing, watching, or writing about golf, he enjoys traveling (often golf-related), youth sports coaching, volunteering, and record collecting.