Garmin S1 Review

The Garmin Approach S1 Watch has been retired. Check out our current recommendations for today's best golf rangefinders..

'Garmin Approach S1 Watch'

Garmin Approach S1 Watch
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Our Garmin S1 Review Summary reveals a new champion in the GPS golf rangefinder category. Yes, we’re talking about the Garmin Approach S1 golf watch, whose main function is to provide GPS distances to the front, middle and back of the green. No fancy hole layout views, no distances to hazards, no color on the screen… so what is it that sent this GPS golf watch to the top of our GRS Scores for GPS rangefinders? It’s super convenient and super easy to use. That’s not all that users liked about the Garmin S1, but those are the two things most mentioned in reviews we read… and we read as many as we could find. Some golfers will want more features than are available on the Garmin S1, but if you’re looking for something that actually reduces the distractions during your round, this one is worth a look. Don’t stop here, take a look at the list of pros and cons before you decide this is what you’ve been waiting for.

Garmin Approach S1 Watch User Rating: 4.48 Stars 4.48 out of 5 (1285 reviews)

Score compiled from multiple sources.

Most Mentioned Pros (in order of mentions high to low):

  • Convenience
  • Easy to use
  • Accurate
  • Preloaded with over 14,000 golf courses
  • Comfortable
  • lightweight
  • No fees
  • Ability to measure your shot distance easily
  • Can be used as regular watch
  • auto course recognition
  • GPS odometer tells you how far you’ve walked
  • Easy to read
  • Good battery life
  • Lots of courses
  • Attractive looks
  • Automatically forwards to the next hole
  • Adjustable band
  • Speeds up play
  • Nice size

Most Mentioned Cons(in order of mentions high to low):

  • Takes some care to hook up to charger
  • No digital scorecard

Garmin Approach S1 Features and Specifications

Garmin Approach S1 Watch
Course Download Fees No
Pre-loaded with Courses Yes
Full Hole Views Yes
Slope / Elevation No
Battery Life 3 wks / 8 hrs GPS
Battery Li-ion
Size (Width x Height x Depth) 2.7 in. x 1.8 in. x .6 in.
Measure Shot Distance Yes
Screen Size 1x1
Resolution 64x32 px
Display Type monochrome LCD
Weight 1.8 oz.
Rainproof Yes IPX7
Touch Screen No
Touch Targeting No
Manual Pin Positioning No
Stat Tracker No
Digital Scorecard No
Computer Analysis Tools No
Ground Verified No
Alternate Targets No
Green Rotates to your shot angle N/A
USGA Compliant (local rule) Yes
Notes Available in Black & White, Time, Date, Waterproof IPX7 (30 min. immersed at a depth of 1 meter)
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Garmin G5 Approach Reviews

The Garmin Approach G5 has been retired. Check out our current recommendations for today's best golf rangefinders..

'Garmin Approach G5'

Garmin Approach G5
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Our summary of Garmin G5 Approach reviews takes a look at the pros and cons that we have observed from user reviews on a variety of other websites. We also put together our own ratings Score based on hundreds of customer reviews.

Overall, we were struck by the number of reviewers who were extremely enthusiastic about all aspects of this device.

Also be sure to check out the Garmin G6 Approach

Garmin Approach G5 User Rating: 4.17 Stars 4.17 out of 5 (401 reviews)

Score compiled from multiple sources.
Most Mentioned Pros (from most to least):
  • No membership or course fees
  • Easy to use
  • Durable
  • Accurate
  • Good selection of targets
  • Battery life (when using rechargeable batteries)
  • Preloaded with thousands of courses
  • Lists nearby courses and has the phone number for courses in the database
  • Easy to read
  • Nice Touchscreen
  • Displays yardages quickly
  • Scorecard feature
  • Waterproof
Most Mentioned Cons (from most to least):
  • Not enough detailed info on screen – hazards are displayed, but no detailed information about trees
  • Tough in bright sunlight – 2 Notes: 1) Users who cited this as a problem did not say what type of batteries they were using. One user indicated that with alkaline batteries, the screen was not as bright as with rechargeable. 2) Other users noted that if you held unit directly at sun, it was easier to see.)
  • Bulky
  • Not enough courses – Although Garmin has a very large database of golf courses and adds to it at least quarterly, before making this purchase, you will want to check to see if the courses you play regularly are on their list.

There were a few users who wished for larger numbers, particularly on the distances to hazards. However, since most said it was easy to read, we did not want to specifically list this as a Con. This is a pretty large display when it comes to these types of portable units and unfortunately, there is only so much room for information. We’ve included this video, so you can see for yourself.


Garmin G5 Approach Features and Specifications
Garmin Approach G5
Course Download Fees No
Pre-loaded with Courses Yes
Full Hole Views Yes
Slope / Elevation No
Battery Life 15 hrs. max
Battery 2 AA
Size (Width x Height x Depth) 4.5 in. x 2.3 in. x 1.4 in.
Measure Shot Distance Yes
Screen Size 1.53x2.55
Resolution 240x400
Display Type TFT color
Weight 6.8 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 N/A
USGA Compliant (local rule) Yes
Notes -
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GolfRangefinderShop.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you buy anything after clicking through, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps us keep the site up and running, so thank you! We work very hard to obtain the correct information about product features, but cannot make any guarantees about the accuracy. Please double check with the merchant or manufacturer before making a purchase.
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Stat-Tracking Software for Garmin Approach G5 Golf GPS

One of the newer features on some golf GPS units is personal statistical analysis. Stat-Tracking software for Garmin Approach G5 Golf GPS device is now available as a free download from the Garmin website. As described by Garmin, it sounds like this will be fairly easy to use, so if golfers want to track distances for each club, greens in regulation (GIR), fairways hit and putts, they can now do so by answering a few extra questions each hole. Of course the data can be fed back into your computer for analysis on your desktop. [Read more…]

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