I currently use a Garmin vivoactive which includes golf. I really rate Garmin golf watches over the competition as they are accurate and battery life is good. I can just about get 36 holes out of one charge.
I got mine today. I got it because I was actually looking for a nice watch for every day wear. I have a very nice one but it has caused me so much stress thinking I have lost it on so many occasions I have put it in a drawer and only wear it when the occasion demands. So this is hopefully going to scratch my itch to get a yardage reading device AND provide me with a watch that isn’t going to stress me out every time I take it off. Lol. I bought a kick ass black steel band for it too. Looks amazing!
I've got this watch and have been using it for +3 months - it's the best golf watch out there (it's the 5th one I've tried in 3 years) and it's so good locking that it has become my daily watch to wear. Especially the easily changeable wrist bands make it very easy to change the look and feel for any occasion you can think off. Battery live is great as well, I can wear it for two/three days and a full round of golf and have ~20% battery left. Without using the GPS function the battery last easily 5 days, and if you lower the light output of the display I've gotten it to last 8 days on a trip where I forgot the charging cable. I can highly recommend this watch to anybody, not just golfers.
Hey Sven, can I ask you about the vibration function. I’m trying to use the tempo trainer but I can hardly feel it, changing low-medium-high in settings does little so was wondering if it’s faulty or you have the same experience. Also is there any sound?
I have the same issue... I want my watch to be my watch.. and not have to change. But it does look a good piece of kit. I'd go for the handheld or clip to your bag option. Love the reviews. Give viewers the exact pros and cons of the kit. Not... oh yes yes it's lovely cos I got it for free malarkey. 👍
I think people who say they can't golf while wearing a watch would get used to it very quickly; esp. when they discover how convenient a GPS golf watch is.
So if its collating all your Data Mark could this then replace something like golfgame or do you think long term Garmin could delelop an app to see each shot?
Been using this for a few months after my old Bushnell that I won at a tournament literally fell apart on my arm. The feature that I miss on the Garmin is distance to hazards/bunkers/water. The Bushnell gave me up to 6 per hole. You can do that on the Garmin but it means having to fiddle with the screen and move around the target thing. I do like the Garmin’s distances and clear screen though.
i have a garmin watch and bushnell range finder - tend to use range finder from 100 yards and in as want a little bit more specific measurement - but that watch does look good Will you mean reviewing the Shot Scope V2???
a gps watch is a must on the golf course. they are getting better and better ever yr. Garmin are pushing the boundaries, they should team up with Apple to create the perfect smart watch
I've got an S6 for 6 month now. I concur with what Mark says, as a golfing watch it is perfect, very simple to use. Garmin offers plenty of stats you can consult afterwards. I have adopted it as my everyday watch as well, it is certainly not super fancy, but it is has relatively classic look (and you can chose the watche face that looks best for you). I still prefer that to an Apple Watch that I find quite ugly. Question of taste I guess.
I've got the s6.. I switched around with my normal watch but only use it primarily for golf. However the s60 looks better and more refine. Don't mind using it as daily watch.. And considering the price, might as well use it daily. It can also do few more things I believe. Again it's personal choice
Haha, I have to be honest Mark you’ve not done this watch justice at all, you’ve barely touched on any of the features that make this watch so amazing and focused really on fashion as appose to function. I’ve had this watch for around 5+ months and use it all the time and it is everything you could want and more in a Golf watch. Features such as, the hole layout map, plays like for elevation adjustments to yardages, Pin compass for new courses, yardages to anywhere on the course, tracks each shot distance for club yardages, analyses your rounds by plugging it in to your computer using the Garmin software etc. The only real concerns are the price and most importantly will golf clubs allow you to use it in competition golf/handicap rounds, which no one ever mentions. The elevation adjustments to yardages and Pin compass are illegal features in competition golf and the S60 mitigates that by having a “Tournament Mode” which disables them but it’s down to the clubs local rules as to whether they’ll allow it, ie trust you to use this mode. I’ve just joined a club and have just sent an email asking the question, fingers crossed. Hope that helps you in your decision :)
John Ogden Just something that most people will be disappointed with if you play serious comps ie Pro/county /EGU etc you will find any device that can provide extra info other than straight yardage will be disallowed ( no elevation help /no wind help/no predicting club help - windy days not much help anyway ) . The list gets quite big now bushnell x2. Garmin various gps etc .
Having had the s6 which was very good I can't wait to own an s60 ....unfortunately it's expensive so it will have to wait a while yet .....unless you want to send me that one Mark ...for honest evaluation purposes obviously 🏌️♂️⛳👍
I don’t like having ANYTHING on my wrist, so watches are out for me. I actually use a Bushnell HYBRID. It has BOTH laser and GPS which tells you front , middle and back at a glance. It also has distances to hazards etc programmed in. Also it is programmable, so I can put in useful points such as lay-up points or anything I want, to customise my course. You can even programme a whole course yourself if you need, which is probably unlikely. However, my club has a shorter 2nd 9- hole course which I walked round while playing and programmed it all in. Combined with the laser, I can’t think of a better gadget.
Was this a fashion review..? What about stuff like how it knows what Clubs you hit..? Does the user input the info, preset anything up themselves, or is it software based feedback..?
could get an external power suppy for $10.00 or even one of the cases with the built in battery to double battery life (they are getting both slimmer and cheaper as time goes on).
I use my everyday Android watch with Golf Pad app and Golf Pad Tags to get the same info along with shot tracking, layup distances, club suggestions and stats (much like Game Golf gives you). I carry my phone to track shots using it's NFC but you could get a LINK that works like Game Golf's tracker. I can also use my phone get a map of the hole other information elevation, but I mostly just use the app to track shots and get distances on my wrist and leave the phone in my pocket.
I am just picking up the game of golf and I and I need every advantage on the course I can get, I am looking forward to trying out the watch this golf season.
Thinking of getting one of these watches. Would be interested to know what people thought of the unit. The face looks pretty big was it uncomfortable to use during a full swing? Did you find that you kept pushing the buttons on the side during the swing because of contact with the glove? How well did it track your shots in comparison with something like Game Golf? Thanks in advance.
Bought one of these as soon as they came out. The watch is large and I have quite a thin wrist, however it's so light that you very quickly forget you're wearing it. Coming from steel automatic watches, I must say it's much more comfortable than any watch I've worn previously. Love it on the course, and I actually quite like the look of it so it's become my daily as well as my overall fitness watch.
Luque7 Thanks for your reply. Do you find your glove accidentally pushes the button during the swing? I’ve had that with some watches in the past. And how do you find the shot tracking? Thanks in advance!
TartanArmyBoy Yes that does happen unfortunately, not every time but often enough for you to notice. Shot tracking is quite good, if you take divots then it might pick up a practice swing as well, but it asks you to confirm how many shots you took after each hole and you can go back into the computer app and delete shots retrospectively as well.
Just purchased the S60 & im hopefully going to wear it as my daily watch when it arrives . Anyone want to buy my Apple Watch as I can’t be bothered keep changing between the two of them
i'd think a watch would be a good compromise in respects to a laser for walkers. bit of a pain getting a laser in and out of your bag, but a laser can live in a buggy.
I walk and use a laser. Easy enough to clip the pouch to the bag, then I just unzip, take, zap, replace, rezip with not much in the way of trouble... I also have my phone in my pocket and use hole 19 or golf pad and they give me the "lay of the land" before the hole. That's mostly on "unknown courses"...
I am looking at this watch..Getting tired of paying Skycaddie every year..I have never played with a watch on..My wife uses one so I tried hers on a couple of driving range sessions and it was hardly noticeable especially on my glove hand..
Be careful when looking at this unit. I really like the watch but have come two major issues for everyday golfers. 1). in the auto detect mode it very rarely registers chip shots, 2). In stableford scoring, if like me you have played too many shots on the hole and just pick up, there is no way to cleanly exit that hole. I spoke to Garmin support and they told me for the first issue, there is no way to manually add a shot (unlike the cheaper S40) and to resolve both problems, you have to manually edit shots after finishing the round. For an expensive, top of the range GPS watch I believe these are serious shortcomings for the average golfer.
chase cook it looks way better on the arm the S6 is for golf that’s it. You may take it off when you’re finished playing. This is not the case with the S20. The watch looks great on the arm and I bought the midnight teal colour. I’ve had lots of compliments . The yardage’s are spot on when you’re playing and the features the s20 has compared to other watches is second to none. The notifications are excellent also. The garmin connect app is also excellent . It gives you loads of info. I love the S20 and I wouldn’t change it for any other smart watch. Plus the battery life is unreal on the watch. Nearly a month without charging when not playing golf and about two weeks between charging when you are using it for golf.
I really don’t see the point. if you want the tech aspect then GameGolf offers that and it’s also compatible with the Apple Watch and Android smarts watches, if you do want to be able to see yardage’s at a quick glance.. I use the app on my iPhone while playing. It’s great if your playing somewhere new as you can zoom in on the hole to see potential hazards and your live yardage into the green from every shot.. And it’s cheaper...
Great review. Bought it yesterday . Can’t wait to try it on the course tomorrow!
I currently use a Garmin vivoactive which includes golf. I really rate Garmin golf watches over the competition as they are accurate and battery life is good. I can just about get 36 holes out of one charge.
I got mine today. I got it because I was actually looking for a nice watch for every day wear. I have a very nice one but it has caused me so much stress thinking I have lost it on so many occasions I have put it in a drawer and only wear it when the occasion demands. So this is hopefully going to scratch my itch to get a yardage reading device AND provide me with a watch that isn’t going to stress me out every time I take it off. Lol. I bought a kick ass black steel band for it too. Looks amazing!
I've got this watch and have been using it for +3 months - it's the best golf watch out there (it's the 5th one I've tried in 3 years) and it's so good locking that it has become my daily watch to wear. Especially the easily changeable wrist bands make it very easy to change the look and feel for any occasion you can think off. Battery live is great as well, I can wear it for two/three days and a full round of golf and have ~20% battery left. Without using the GPS function the battery last easily 5 days, and if you lower the light output of the display I've gotten it to last 8 days on a trip where I forgot the charging cable. I can highly recommend this watch to anybody, not just golfers.
Sven Hallauer Thanks you, That's the information I wanted to know about it. Maybe you should have done the review. LOL
I agree Tony , Theres a reason I dont subscribe to Mark C .
Hey Sven, can I ask you about the vibration function. I’m trying to use the tempo trainer but I can hardly feel it, changing low-medium-high in settings does little so was wondering if it’s faulty or you have the same experience. Also is there any sound?
Love the look of it. I would actually use this as my time piece. You said that it connects to smart phone, does it track stats also?
I have the same issue... I want my watch to be my watch.. and not have to change. But it does look a good piece of kit. I'd go for the handheld or clip to your bag option. Love the reviews. Give viewers the exact pros and cons of the kit. Not... oh yes yes it's lovely cos I got it for free malarkey. 👍
Am in lock step with your assessment.
I think people who say they can't golf while wearing a watch would get used to it very quickly; esp. when they discover how convenient a GPS golf watch is.
So if its collating all your Data Mark could this then replace something like golfgame or do you think long term Garmin could delelop an app to see each shot?
Been using this for a few months after my old Bushnell that I won at a tournament literally fell apart on my arm. The feature that I miss on the Garmin is distance to hazards/bunkers/water. The Bushnell gave me up to 6 per hole. You can do that on the Garmin but it means having to fiddle with the screen and move around the target thing. I do like the Garmin’s distances and clear screen though.
How's the battery life? My last Garmin was not so great.
i have a garmin watch and bushnell range finder - tend to use range finder from 100 yards and in as want a little bit more specific measurement - but that watch does look good
Will you mean reviewing the Shot Scope V2???
a gps watch is a must on the golf course. they are getting better and better ever yr. Garmin are pushing the boundaries, they should team up with Apple to create the perfect smart watch
I've got an S6 for 6 month now. I concur with what Mark says, as a golfing watch it is perfect, very simple to use. Garmin offers plenty of stats you can consult afterwards. I have adopted it as my everyday watch as well, it is certainly not super fancy, but it is has relatively classic look (and you can chose the watche face that looks best for you). I still prefer that to an Apple Watch that I find quite ugly. Question of taste I guess.
I've got the s6.. I switched around with my normal watch but only use it primarily for golf. However the s60 looks better and more refine. Don't mind using it as daily watch.. And considering the price, might as well use it daily. It can also do few more things I believe. Again it's personal choice
I have a lot of watches, so changing one isnt an issue. I would keep it with my golf shoes. You could also wear it on the other hand. I do like it
Haha, I have to be honest Mark you’ve not done this watch justice at all, you’ve barely touched on any of the features that make this watch so amazing and focused really on fashion as appose to function.
I’ve had this watch for around 5+ months and use it all the time and it is everything you could want and more in a Golf watch.
Features such as, the hole layout map, plays like for elevation adjustments to yardages, Pin compass for new courses, yardages to anywhere on the course, tracks each shot distance for club yardages, analyses your rounds by plugging it in to your computer using the Garmin software etc.
The only real concerns are the price and most importantly will golf clubs allow you to use it in competition golf/handicap rounds, which no one ever mentions.
The elevation adjustments to yardages and Pin compass are illegal features in competition golf and the S60 mitigates that by having a “Tournament Mode” which disables them but it’s down to the clubs local rules as to whether they’ll allow it, ie trust you to use this mode.
I’ve just joined a club and have just sent an email asking the question, fingers crossed. Hope that helps you in your decision :)
John Ogden Just something that most people will be disappointed with if you play serious comps ie Pro/county /EGU etc you will find any device that can provide extra info other than straight yardage will be disallowed ( no elevation help /no wind help/no predicting club help - windy days not much help anyway ) . The list gets quite big now bushnell x2. Garmin various gps etc .
how do you change from yards to metres ive look at the manual garmin website support nothing
Cheers for the video I'm still looking for a gps range finder have you any suggestions please
Having had the s6 which was very good I can't wait to own an s60 ....unfortunately it's expensive so it will have to wait a while yet .....unless you want to send me that one Mark ...for honest evaluation purposes obviously 🏌️♂️⛳👍
I don’t like having ANYTHING on my wrist, so watches are out for me.
I actually use a Bushnell HYBRID. It has BOTH laser and GPS which tells you front , middle and back at a glance. It also has distances to hazards etc programmed in.
Also it is programmable, so I can put in useful points such as lay-up points or anything I want, to customise my course. You can even programme a whole course yourself if you need, which is probably unlikely. However, my club has a shorter 2nd 9- hole course which I walked round while playing and programmed it all in.
Combined with the laser, I can’t think of a better gadget.
Was this a fashion review..? What about stuff like how it knows what Clubs you hit..? Does the user input the info, preset anything up themselves, or is it software based feedback..?
I use phone apps like 19th green but battery life is always a problem. Might have to look at a watch or handheld, it really comes down to price.
could get an external power suppy for $10.00 or even one of the cases with the built in battery to double battery life (they are getting both slimmer and cheaper as time goes on).
I use my everyday Android watch with Golf Pad app and Golf Pad Tags to get the same info along with shot tracking, layup distances, club suggestions and stats (much like Game Golf gives you). I carry my phone to track shots using it's NFC but you could get a LINK that works like Game Golf's tracker. I can also use my phone get a map of the hole other information elevation, but I mostly just use the app to track shots and get distances on my wrist and leave the phone in my pocket.
I am just picking up the game of golf and I and I need every advantage on the course I can get, I am looking forward to trying out the watch this golf season.
Can you read the watch display in normal light when backlight times out?
Yes can see it no problem. The back light just makes it a bit easier when needed
Thinking of getting one of these watches. Would be interested to know what people thought of the unit. The face looks pretty big was it uncomfortable to use during a full swing? Did you find that you kept pushing the buttons on the side during the swing because of contact with the glove? How well did it track your shots in comparison with something like Game Golf? Thanks in advance.
Bought one of these as soon as they came out. The watch is large and I have quite a thin wrist, however it's so light that you very quickly forget you're wearing it. Coming from steel automatic watches, I must say it's much more comfortable than any watch I've worn previously. Love it on the course, and I actually quite like the look of it so it's become my daily as well as my overall fitness watch.
Luque7 Thanks for your reply. Do you find your glove accidentally pushes the button during the swing? I’ve had that with some watches in the past. And how do you find the shot tracking? Thanks in advance!
TartanArmyBoy Yes that does happen unfortunately, not every time but often enough for you to notice.
Shot tracking is quite good, if you take divots then it might pick up a practice swing as well, but it asks you to confirm how many shots you took after each hole and you can go back into the computer app and delete shots retrospectively as well.
Luque7 Cool, thanks again!
Use the Vivoactive HR, Golf, Swimming and walking. Garmin 1000 on the bike✌️
Does it give distances to doglegs, bunkers, water hazards, etc?
Yes it does
Thanks. In which case it sounds like it fits all my needs.
Just purchased the S60 & im hopefully going to wear it as my daily watch when it arrives . Anyone want to buy my Apple Watch as I can’t be bothered keep changing between the two of them
i'd think a watch would be a good compromise in respects to a laser for walkers. bit of a pain getting a laser in and out of your bag, but a laser can live in a buggy.
I walk and use a laser. Easy enough to clip the pouch to the bag, then I just unzip, take, zap, replace, rezip with not much in the way of trouble... I also have my phone in my pocket and use hole 19 or golf pad and they give me the "lay of the land" before the hole. That's mostly on "unknown courses"...
I am looking at this watch..Getting tired of paying Skycaddie every year..I have never played with a watch on..My wife uses one so I tried hers on a couple of driving range sessions and it was hardly noticeable especially on my glove hand..
I just can't wear a watch when i play soooo not 4 me...looks good though 👍
I use a simple free app on my phone to get yardage and keep score. I don't wear a watch when I play and I don't want to wear one when I play.
Great for golf, but few people would a watch that large for every day use
I’ll take the watch if you don’t want it Mark.
Come on Mark,you know you want one..
Be careful when looking at this unit. I really like the watch but have come two major issues for everyday golfers. 1). in the auto detect mode it very rarely registers chip shots, 2). In stableford scoring, if like me you have played too many shots on the hole and just pick up, there is no way to cleanly exit that hole. I spoke to Garmin support and they told me for the first issue, there is no way to manually add a shot (unlike the cheaper S40) and to resolve both problems, you have to manually edit shots after finishing the round. For an expensive, top of the range GPS watch I believe these are serious shortcomings for the average golfer.
bit pricey I think. you can get a non golf specific smartwatch and app sub for less than this
279 off the tee! Happy days. 262 is for the weak.
Oh, it was 262, there was just 17 yards of rollout where he was stood at his ball ;)
Presume you have a Rolex Mark
The S20 is a better watch all round. Looks better on the wrist also .
Mark Cuskelly why you say that? I'm looking to buy the S20 myself.
chase cook it looks way better on the arm the S6 is for golf that’s it. You may take it off when you’re finished playing. This is not the case with the S20. The watch looks great on the arm and I bought the midnight teal colour. I’ve had lots of compliments . The yardage’s are spot on when you’re playing and the features the s20 has compared to other watches is second to none. The notifications are excellent also. The garmin connect app is also excellent . It gives you loads of info. I love the S20 and I wouldn’t change it for any other smart watch. Plus the battery life is unreal on the watch. Nearly a month without charging when not playing golf and about two weeks between charging when you are using it for golf.
I would use it, but I use a phone app. which does the same thing for around 5.00.
I really don’t see the point. if you want the tech aspect then GameGolf offers that and it’s also compatible with the Apple Watch and Android smarts watches, if you do want to be able to see yardage’s at a quick glance..
I use the app on my iPhone while playing. It’s great if your playing somewhere new as you can zoom in on the hole to see potential hazards and your live yardage into the green from every shot..
And it’s cheaper...
No estoy de acuero este reloj no es intuitivo.....