Garmin Approach S3 GPS Golf Watch

I've been playing golf for nearly 20 years and have never had any sort of ranger finder. I always relied on markers and such and mostly was pretty spot on. However, THIS WATCH HAS CHANGED MY GAME. First time out: -The night prior I charged the watch, too easy. The charging cradle is MAGNETIC and is dummy-proof. The next day I put it on and headed to the course. FEEL: I wear an "oversized" TIMEX watch (I have small wrists as well) and this fit like a brand new golf glove, AMAZING. It didn't get in the way of my swing nor my glove. DURABILITY: So far I've worn it once on the course for 18 holes and around town. There were some complaints on the durability of the band but this seems SOLID. I wouldn't wear this watch on any sort of endurance race or through the woods (unless you hit your ball there) but for the course and normal wear, this watch is as high of quality as I would have expected from Garmin. INTERFACE: As soon as I walked outside the time synced with GPS, NO PROGRAMMING NEEDED! The touch screen is great and EASILY navigable. I didn't notice the buttons on the side. They're nice if you use it to keep score (I haven't yet as I use Nike Golf 360 app) and the "distance" button (top right) is great for measuring shots, you push it from where you hit to where the ball landed, TOO EASY. Now I was able to actually see real-world number of my shots. AWESOME! USE DURING PLAY: I drove to the course and several courses around me came up, with the one I was at on top. I selected it and it started at hole one and gave me the distance to the pin, front, and back (as you see in most photos of the watch). Whenever I moved around the tee box, the numbers changed accordingly, and VERY QUICKLY. You can also use the distance to doglegs and the 150/200 yard markers. Finally knowing the distance to dog legs was GREAT! I was able to change up my teeing options and nail the doglegs instead of hitting a driver or 3 wood and wondering if they would stay on the fairway. GREAT TOOL! -After the tee shot, this watch was ABSOLUTE MONEY. I was able to stick a few greens and change my club options by knowing the EXACT distance to the pin. You can even physically move the pin on the "green view" which was also pretty amazing. -At one point the watch switched to another hole (as noted by another reviewer) but all I did was literally press UP or DOWN on the screen (top or bottom) and it switched to the hole that I was on and was accurate to the pin (I may have bumped or accidentally touched the screen). This ONLY HAPPENED ONCE and rest assured that it doesn't register wayward motions or touches, at least it didn't for me during the rest of the course. I'm not sure of the "downtime" between presses but you'll find yourself having to "swipe" across the screen to make changes. It's not a pain at all and I like the design. ODOMETER: I didn't realize until before I started that I could use the odometer to track my overall walking distance. It also keeps time via a timer and lets you see how fast you're playing as well. Pretty great! I finished walking 18 holes and also ran a 3 mile course afterward by MAPPING IT OUT with the watch. Too cool! I've never had a GPS watch before and this was great! UPDATING: When I returned home I plugged it into my computer with the included USB cable. On the watch face it gave me the website to go to (again, dummy proof!) I went there and had to download a small program (Garmin Express) and it quickly recognized my watch. There were 5 updates (2 watch software) to include map updates! Again, too easy. I had to restart the watch (top left button) and turn it back on for the updates to apply. Simple, fast, and easy. BOTTOM LINE: I haven't worn watches when golfing up until a few weeks ago (knowing that I wanted a GPS watch). It doesn't hinder my play or throw my swing off whatsoever. I personally believe that this is WAY BETTER than using a laser distance range finder (beats carrying it around!). Knowing distance to the hole (for me anyhow) allows me to also know the distances to any hazards (which the watch DOES NOT give you distances to). This IS NOT a deal breaker for me! -Having been jammed up after the 10th hole and falling out of rhythm, I nailed a +8, not bad given the windy conditions. Do I think that I was able to take strokes off with the watch? Absolutely. Before checking distance a couple of times I chose what club I thought I should use and then checked distance. A few times I changed clubs and stuck it right on the green; I was ecstatic! WHY I CHOSE THE S3: I was torn between the less expensive S1/2 and the more-expensive-with-more-features S6. For me I don't need anymore features than what the S3 has (I don't need the smartphone notification, color maps, swing tempo, etc). Here is a link to the comparison on the Garmin website (scroll down): [...] .These all seemed more than what I actually needed a distance finder for. If you want DISTANCE, GREEN VIEWS, ODOMETER, etc, this watch is perfect for you. If you want to keep track of phone calls and want color maps on your wrist, then get the more expensive watch (Me personally I don't care to know who is calling and the score cards and signs on the course ALREADY give you the course layout!) Also, for less than $199 this was a GREAT INVESTMENT and price point for me. Want SIMPLICITY but also some STYLE? Then this watch is for you. My girlfriend and a few buddies even commented on how nice it looked. The best in making your decision and I hope that this review was able to help out!

Great golf accessory. I love wearing any kind of watch so wearing one while golfing that gives me great information during my round Is terrific. The S3 is the best watch for the money because it has the touchscreen capabilities. It easily keeps score, tells you how long any shot goes that you want to track, and the cool feature of moving the pin location for better accuracy on the green side view. I don't need my phone apps or laser rangefinder when I'm walking the course with the S3. Helps to keep that bag lighter! It is very helpful in addition to your other golf tools while riding too. Plug it into your computer to view all your score cards. It would receive a 5 star except for 2 things: the battery life doesn't quite make 2 rounds and you CAN NOT but it in white...only black. White is an option but it quickly fades to an ugly off white/yellow after a year of golf in the sun. The S4 or newer S6 may address these issues. The S3 is very reliable and accurate and convenient to keep up with your game at glance.

Purchased a golf GPS watch from them for my husband for Christmas. I ordered it on Dec. 1st and it was supposed to arrive no later than the 10th. On the 15th, still no watch, so they re shipped the watch which arrived on the 24th. All is good until my husband goes golfing and uses his watch. A few problems, but figured he just needed to read up on it a little more. No more golfing until Jan 13th, he got to use the watch. Weather had not permitted him to go golfing before that time. Watch didn't work. Sent email to to seller and was told their return time had passed. Three weeks from time received. After emails back and forth, they offered store credit as they no longer carried GPS golf watches of any kind. They got very nasty with me and ended up rescinding their offer for store credit and refused to do anything. Best of luck to anyone who has to deal with these people. Check out the small print before purchasing!

I bought this item as a present 4 my husband. Hes really well impressed wth it He says its improved his game as well