Garmin G6 Approach Reviews

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'Garmin Approach G6'

Garmin Approach G6
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The Garmin Approach G6 isn’t the newest golf GPS on the market and it isn’t the most expensive. But in our opinion, it’s still the best legal full-featured golf GPS on the market.

User reviews continue to be excellent for the G6 and quite frankly, there hasn’t been all that much competition.

Garmin Approach G6 User Rating: 4.20 Stars 4.20 out of 5 (648 reviews)

Score compiled from multiple sources.

There are only three brands that contend in the full hole view handheld golf GPS market: Garmin, SkyCaddie and GolfBuddy. SkyCaddie charges an annual fee for getting your course maps and generally they receive pretty lousy ratings compared to Garmin. GolfBuddy makes a somewhat larger handheld device, but it’s not in the same league with the Garmin G6. Fortunately for golfers, the Garmin handhelds are excellent and the price on the G6 is unbelievable!

The other competition to the G6 comes from Garmin’s own G7 and G8 models. These are both excellent devices and they have some fun bells and whistles, but the price difference is significant.

When you consider the pros and cons that we aggregated from feedback from over 100 users, keep in mind that positive comments far outweighed the negatives.

Most Mentioned Pros: (most frequently mention on top)
  • Screen brightness in sun or clouds
  • Compact size
  • Easy to use
  • Accuracy
  • Preloaded with golf courses
  • Quality
  • Battery Life (3 rounds was about average)
  • No fees
  • Quickly locked onto GPS
  • Lightweight
  • Responsive touchscreen
  • 28,000 golf courses and growing
  • Value/price
  • Touch targeting
  • Easy stat tracking
  • Easy to use scorecard
  • Green View made it easy to set pin and see approach distances
  • Ready to go out of the box – even had enough charge to play
  • GPS lock was fast and the lock was solid
  • Easy to read (as mentioned, a few users had trouble)
  • Shot measuring capability
  • Yardage layup arcs to 100, 150, 200 and 250
  • Stats and scorecard analysis on computer
  • Waterproof
  • Auto hole advance
  • Free lifetime updates
Most Mentioned Cons: (most frequently mention on top)
  • Some fonts too small
  • Some units experience shutdowns during the round (if this is yours, we suggest returning it as defective)
  • Not enough hazard information and carry yardages
  • Battery life not as long as advertised (only 3 users mentioned this)
  • A few users found pars and handicaps were wrong on their golf courses
  • Slow to acquire satellites (many more users found it to be quick)
  • Doesn’t automatically find the hole you are playing if you turn it on a hole other than #1
  • Scorecard could be better
  • Couldn’t find battery meter (FYI:Pressing the power button will display the battery meter and signal strength)
  • Some accuracy issues
  • Screen was not bright enough (many more users felt the brightness was excellent)
  • Screen scratches easily
  • Screen is too sensitive (most felt it was just right)

Garmin G6 Approach Features and Specifications
Garmin Approach G6
Course Download Fees No
Pre-loaded with Courses 27,000
Full Hole Views Yes
Slope / Elevation No
Battery Life up to 15 hrs.
Battery Rechargeable Li-Poly
Size (Width x Height x Depth) 3.7 in. x 2.1 in. x .8 in.
Measure Shot Distance Yes
Screen Size 2.6
Resolution 160 x 240
Display Type Transreflec ColorTFT
Weight 3.37 oz.
Rainproof IPX7
Touch Screen Yes
Touch Targeting Yes
Manual Pin Positioning Yes
Stat Tracker Yes
Digital Scorecard Yes
Computer Analysis Tools Yes
Ground Verified No
Alternate Targets Yes
Green Rotates to your shot angle Yes
USGA Compliant (local rule) Yes, if Club Averages feature is not used.
Notes -
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User Manual for Garmin Approach G6

Comments

  1. dave sullivan says

    is wentworth by the sea golf course in your data bank ?

  2. tony smith says

    is blair park golf course in high point n. c. in your data base?

    • Golf Rangefinder Shop says

      Yes Tony, the Garmin G6 does have Blair Park in High Point, NC in the database. Thanks for checking!

  3. Peter Metham says

    I bought a G6 & now regret it as the courses are not up to date. Changes done to my course over 6 years ago are not updated. A GPS that does not give you correct yardages is in my view a useless piece of equipment.
    YES I have contacted Garmin by phone & email. No reply to date (that was 4 months ago) so the customer service stinks.

    • Golf Rangefinder Shop says

      So sorry to hear that Peter. Did you update the courses through your computer before you tried it?

  4. Joost van Eijsden says

    Does the Garmin G6 automatically gives information about the distances from where you stand to the hazards?

  5. Does the G6. Work in the Turks& Caicos Islnds

  6. Greg Lengsfeld says

    Can you replace the battery when it finally dies? How much does a replacement battery cost?

    • Golf Rangefinder Shop says

      I don’t think Garmin intends for anyone to replace the battery on this and you should get several years of use out of it. That said, there are non-OEM batteries available. I cannot recommend that you do this, but if you are inclined to try it, here is my affiliate link to a battery kit that claims to work for the Garmin G6.

      Also, I don’t know if instructions come with this kit or not, but I did find some here: http://www.batteryeducation.com/2014/10/garmin-approach-g6-battery-replacement-instructions.html

      DISCLAIMER: GolfRangefinderShop.com does not recommend trying to replace the battery for the Garmin Approach G6. We have no knowledge of whether or not the product or instructions work or are safe to use.

  7. David Greene says

    I bought the Garmin G6 last December and right away found out my home course is very out of date on this device. Our course was renovated and bunkers were added and greens were enlarged. Some bunkers were moved. The work was done in fall of 2010 and it is still not corrected in this device! I called Garmin support about it and was told it is up to a company they use for course mapping and every three months there is an update. Garmin said they notified them and I did as well. It is now April and nothing has changed. I am very disappointed with this product. It is nearly useless for me. I have wasted my money. Seven years and still don’t have the course info correct! NOT HAPPY!

    • Golf Rangefinder Shop says

      Sorry to hear that, David. It’s definitely not one of the complaints I hear or see from most Garmin users. I guess the lesson for others is that if it doesn’t have your golf course mapped correctly when you get it, return it before it’s too late. Do you know of anyone using another brand that has better luck on your course?

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