Are you in the market for a new golf watch? Look no further than the Garmin Approach S70, a feature-packed GPS smartwatch with a vibrant AMOLED screen designed to enhance your golfing experience—and your lifestyle off the course!
In this blog post, we will compare the Garmin Approach S70 with its predecessor, the Garmin Approach S62, as well as other popular golf GPS watches on the market. Let's dive in and explore what makes the Approach S70 a top contender in the world of 2023 golf wearables.
If you're considering an upgrade from the Garmin Approach S62, it's worth comparing the two models to determine which one suits your needs best.
While the Approach S70 offers similar features to its predecessor, it comes with impressive improvements that left our go-to golf guy Gabe awestruck (be sure to watch his review video where he give this new Garmin watch 6 out of 5 stars! Don’t think he’s ever done tha!).
The S70 boasts a larger, higher-resolution display, bringing course information to life on your wrist at a glance. It also includes enhanced battery life, ensuring you won't run out of power during a round of golf. But that’s not all, not by a long shot! Be sure to check out its deep feature set—on the course and beyond. Did we mention it comes in two sizes now?
If you're considering an upgrade from the Garmin Approach S62, it's worth comparing these two flagship models to determine if you want to make the $200 leap in price. Gabe from Let’s Play Thru initially thought, before he used the new S70, that he probably would not upgrade. But he quickly changed his mind, saying:
“Six out of five stars! The screen alone might push you over the top, it's that good. But the feature set and the new improvements—that does it for me."
We highly recommend you watch his video above to see the upgrades firsthand.
Aside from the eye-catching display, there are some other noteworthy design improvements. This highest end Garmin golf watch now comes in two sizes—42 mm and 47 mm—so that women or people with smaller wrists can also enjoy Garmin’s most robust golf features. The case is sleeker and both are lighter weight compared to other golf wearables.
But the golf feature upgrades are where the Approach S70 really shines. Improved Virtual Caddie shows your shot dispersion data and suggests a club based on a variety of factors, including your historical swing data, elevation, wind speed, wind direction, layout of the hole, and more.
Enhanced PlaysLike Distance feature accounts for uphill shots, downhill shots and trajectory and now factors in wind, temperature, and air pressure with a built-in barometer—for more accurate plays like distances.
Plan the best approach shot, and sink the putt with green contour data—which shows you the green’s slope direction and severity on select courses (available with an active Garmin Golf™ app membership—$9.99 per month or $99.99 per year).
Garmin now brings over 43,000 preloaded full-color CourseView maps to life on its golf watches and handhelds! Play where you want—the Approach S70 will recognize the course when you get close!
For those seeking a more budget-friendly option, the Garmin Approach S42 may be an appealing alternative to the Approach S70.
The Approach S42 offers many of the core golf features found in the S70, such as yardage information, course maps, and hazard detection. However, it lacks some of the premium golf tools that will help you hone in on strategic decision-making—like Virtual Caddie. It also doesn’t have quite the advanced health tracking capabilities and the larger, brighter AMOLED display found in the S70.
If you prioritize golf-specific features and are on a tighter budget, the stylish Approach S42 might be the right choice for you.
Another notable comparison is between the Garmin Approach S70 and the Garmin Approach S12.
The Approach S12 is a more basic golf watch that focuses primarily on providing accurate yardage information. It lacks much of the advanced golf analysis found in the S70, such as Virtual Caddie, PlaysLike Distance, and AutoShot—along with smartwatch features and health and wellness monitoring like heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking.
If you're looking for a no-frills golf watch that delivers reliable GPS distances without breaking the bank, the Approach S12 could be a suitable option. However, if you desire more comprehensive features and advanced health tracking, the Approach S70 is the better choice.
When comparing the Garmin Approach S70 to other popular golf watch brands on the market, one obvious competitor is the Bushnell iON Elite.
Both watches offer ultra reliable GPS functionality and provide yardage information. However, the Approach S70 distinguishes itself with its advanced golf analytics and health tracking capabilities, including heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking.
The Bushnell iON Elite lacks these additional health features. If you value comprehensive fitness and smartwatch features alongside your golf data, the Approach S70 may be the superior choice.
Another contender in the golf watch arena is the Voice Caddie T9.
Out of all the golf watches on the market, the T9 is probably the Approach S70's closest competitor.
Like the new flagship Garmin golf watch, this high-end Voice Caddie option offers slope calculation, green undulation data (like Garmin's Green Contours), shot and putt tracking (Garmin's AutoShot offers shot tracking but needs sensors for putting and chipping), yardages to greens and hazards, a color touchscreen with zoom, putt view, and practice tempo mode.
Plus, the T9 is a sweet looking GPS watch.
But it does not have the vibrant AMOLED screen, the in-depth golf analytics of the Virtual Caddie on the Approach S70, or any of the smart features or health and fitness monitoring.
While the Voice Caddie T9 is a high-end golf watch with advanced golf features (that comes in $300+ less than the Approach S70), it does not offer the rich on- and off-the-course feature set of the Garmin option.
The SkyCaddie LX5C golf GPS watch—priced similarly to the Voice Caddie T9—also gets much closer to offering the same features as the Approach S70—including some activity tracking.
Like 2023 Garmin golf watch, this SkyCaddie has a larger 1.39" AMOLED display and also adds some style to your wrist.
Advanced golf features on the LX5C include Dynamic HoleVue with Zoom, Dynamic RangeVue, IntelliGreen Technology, Skycaddie Pinpoint Technology, Dynamic Front-Center-Back, Digital Scoring. It also measures the distance you hit any shot and learn your club distances.
While we would give the Approach S70 the overall edge for features, if you want some impressive golf course strategy tools on your wrist, the SkyCaddie LX5C may be a more affordable option.
If you’re looking for a high-end golf GPS watch, the new Approach S70 is going to tick every box in terms of features, style, wearability, and versatility.
Nothing beats a Garmin golf watch for course management. You are going to make better decisions if you use the amazing features on this watch.
Plus, this GPS watch adds a ton of value off the course. You can use it for your workouts, to monitor your sleep and stress, to listen to your favorite tunes without getting your phone out, check your calendar, the weather … the list goes on.
And it doesn’t look like a golf-only watch. It adds style to your wrist on the course, at work, at dinner. And the AMOLED display is a real eye-catcher.
If you want the best golf watch of 2023—look no further than the Garmin Approach S70.
