Customer Reviews

Garmin Approach S1 Golf GPS Watch - Black

This Garmin could not be easier to use.
Switch it on when you arrive at the golf club (it takes less than a minute to find satellites),
it prompts you with the course name (your club may have multiple courses),
click select on the course,
walk onto the tee (front or back 9; doesn't matter; it figures it out),
off you go,
while standing at my ball, a quick glance at my wrist helps my shot/club selection (its as easy as checking the time)
Unlike my shotsaver, I can read it without glasses.
as you walk from a green to the next tee it switches automatically to the appropriate hole.
Unlike my shotsaver, I don't have to explicitly 'finish hole' and confirm the next hole.
I can forget about it for a few holes and not have get out my glasses and 'finish' multiple holes to get to where I am.
Its strictly 'distance to green (front, middle, back)'; nothing about bunkers and other hazards.
Very accurate, to the yard. I already trust it more than my course's 150yd and 100yd markers.
It measures around dog legs (not as the crow, and occasionally the ball, flies).
Oh, you do have to 'end round' as you finish your round, or the battery will discharge too quickly (I didn't try leaving it on).
'Measure shot' worked as expected. 'Odometer' worked fine too.
Highly recommended.

Incredibly impressed with this device.
I have a golf gps on my phone which is very good, but this takes the idea to a new level.
The whole point is that the information is so close by, I look at it before every shot because it's so much easier than getting the phone out of my bag to check yardages, the simplicity of use means you actually use it.
What has surprised me is how much it has helped with the shorter approach shots, before I would rarely think about actual distance, now I check everything over 50 or so yards. This has saved me shots, as I find it much easier to judge the weight of shot when I know the precise distance. Before looking at the watch I will guess what I think it will say, and I am surprised how easy it is to be 10 or 20 yards out. I am find my guesses are getting closer each round, which suggests my judgement is improving as a result.
You do need to charge the watch after each round as the battery life with GPS running is 8 hours, but I don't find this a hardship. I have a USB adapter in the car, so if necessary I can just leave the watch on charge there. Otherwise it lives next to my PC connected via USB so it is always ready to go.
I haven't yet had a need to update the courses as the ones I play have all been there and accurately represented, including what has to be one of the more obscure 9 hole seaside courses in the country, and perhaps more surprisingly the 9 hole par 3 that's attached to my own club.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who is seriously looking to improve their golf.

Bought one of these recently and have used it a few times on my local course. The watch has a very clear display both in the timekeeping and golf modes. It was extremely easy to set up and is very easy to use. Instructions are clear any the selection buttons are very positive to use. In fact I first switched it on to check the odometer function at home and then tried the course selection mode and it very quickly offered me all of the courses that I know of within about a 20 mile radius! It would be a better product if the strap was not an integral part of the watch as it would be a pity if the strap broke so that the device could no longer be worn. Although it comes pre-loaded with around 5400 European courses it does not appear possible to add additional individual maps although it may be possible to change the loaded European maps to the US ones - however, I do not intent to try! Bottom line is if you want a good golf gps that supplies simple an clear information that is literally always to hand then get one of these! It is also a good functioning watch, alarm and odometer.

I've been researching golf distance finders for months, lasers and sat navs and smart phone apps. Finally settled on this watch, and having used it just once I have to say it's brilliant. Just take it out of the box, charge it up, switch it on, wait 60 seconds, and away you go. No subscriptions, no down loads, no faffing. Check the garmin website for a massively comprehensive list of courses. All it shows is distance to front, middle and back of the green, alright it doesn't say how far it is to carry a fairway bunker, or a stream or pond, but, for handicap players, how often do we need to know that. I played with a guy yesterday who had a Skycaddie, and he barely looked at it, because, he said, he couldn't be bothered to keep getting it out of the bag, and putting it away again, all I did was glance at my wrist. EASY! Accuracy was within + or - 2 yards. Fantastic. Get one now, you won't regret it. Also only 150 quid on Amazon, with free delivery. Can't go wrong!!

If you are buying this product, either for yourself, or as a gift, you MUST make sure that the course you want to play is featured on Garmin's database, or you are going to be very disappointed.One 5 star reviewer has suggested that if your course is not available, all you have to do is tell Garmin and it will be downloaded. That may be true, but you may have to wait several months. Garmin will not tell you what courses will be in the next update. If you live in Scotland, you won't find Blairgowrie,Castle Stuart, Aboyne, Banchory,Boat of Garten,Luffness, Archerfield, Renaissance, for example on the current list. Garmin concede that this device is "still relatively new,and as such still being developed, along with the course list. Whilst we will aim to add as many courses as quickly as possible, it is not possible for every course to be added in one go, as there is a lot of work in creating the course information, taking the measurements and applying it to the device."Hmmm
I have found the charging clip-on connecter to be a bit fiddly too, and you must wait to see the battery symbol light up to ensure that it is charging.
Having said all the above, I still think it is a great gadget and would recommend it.

Having recently purchased the Garmin GPS Watch for my father, I decided to roadtest it for myself.
Its very comfortable on the wrist, you only press a button twice and you are up and running. Once to select course
and one time to start, its as easy as that. I did let my father use it once and he was delighted with it , however, I took it back and love it. Beware of buying this as a gift for someone ! You may not want to part with it like me !!!
Its also a very nice watch.

One of my friends bought one of these and spoke highly of it, so I bought one as well and I am very pleased that I did. It is unbelievable that something so small can contain so much information and be so accurate. I have used the watch on my home course and many other courses since I bought it and it is fantastic. When you start the round, you just press the start button and it quickly searches for satellites. After about 25 seconds, it knows which course you are on and which tee. Unlike some satellite course measuring devices, there are no download fees for adding courses, once you have registered. I do not write testimonials like this very often, but I am so pleased with the Garmin Approach S1 that I felt that I should say so. I really recommend it to golfers of all standards, as it actually speeds up the game, because instead of guessing or pacing out distances, you just glance at your wrist to know how far it is to the front, middle and back of the green. Well worth the money.

Having used Sky Caddie and Lazer Bushnells, i purchased the S1 GPS Watch.
It does what it says on the box. . . . ; Front - Middle - and back of all greens! Generally useful all round but not as accurate as Lazer. Very good for "blind shots" and "quick n easy" to view. I think the battery would struggle over 36 holes but i am generally very happy. Finally and by far the best point with the S1 is . . . . NO ANNUAL FEES & NO down loading of courses as all courses are loaded via G.P.S free!!! Great! - Good Golfing, enjoy mw

The Approach S1 is everything I hoped it would be. It has completely removed any guesswork involved in approach shots to the green.On my own course I have found the 150yd markers to be as much as 16yds out, although whether this is the fault of a land survey measurement, or the satellite's measurement of what constitutes the centre of an irregularly-shaped green I do not know, but my approach club selection has been revolutionised. Better golfers have said the S1 is not necessary - maybe not for them (?) - but one such quietly requested his distance to the green from me yesterday!

Having done my homework on this product I bought it and must say, I'm glad I did. being hopeless at judging distance, I find it to be ideal, especially since I play at a tight little course at which a club or two over can put your ball amidst the great British public. This GPS, being worn on the wrist, is instantly at hand, pardon any puns. No fumbling about the bag for a GPS giving pictures and information that the average golfer basically does not need, that type of facility may be useful for someone who plays many different courses but for Joe Public, this is all that is needed. It picks up the course in a matter of seconds, is extremely easy to read and now I have it, I wouldn't be without it. Just make sure to have the GPS fully charged before setting out. The one negative I have with it is that the strap is an integral part of the entire casing and cannot be replaced seperately, so don't bust the strap. The unit is pretty rugged, but I didn't buy this thing just to have to replace it every couple of years, so we'll have to see if it passes the test of time. I would hate to think that the manufacturer would use the lifespan of the strap to dictate the lifespan of the product as some insidious form of marketing ploy, should that prove to be the case, I would replace it with another GPS, from a different firm. However, so far so good. I would recommend it, but it only gets 4 stars because you can't replace the strap.