The Approach S44 GPS golf watch is the latest entry level watch from Garmin. It comes in £250 cheaper than the premium S70 that I reviewed (and loved) last year. So let’s find out the differences and whether this Garmin watch could in fact be a better option for you with the help of a full Garmin Approach S44 GPS golf watch review.
Golf distance measuring devices (or DMDs) were first used in 1995 with the introduction of laser technology. GPS devices arrived about five years later. And one of the companies at the forefront of this technology is Garmin.
Garmin was founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min H. Kao and, from the outset, has specialised in GPS technology for automotive, aviation, marine, outdoor and sports activities. Their first customer was the U.S. Army back in 1991.
So, with that sort of pedigree, you can rest assured that you will be getting quality kit if you purchase a Garmin device.
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Garmin Approach S44 GPS Golf Watch review: NCG Summary
NCG SUMMARY
The Garmin Approach S44 GPS Golf Watch is a lightweight and easy-to-use watch. It has the features you would expect in a golf watch in a smart package without any of the extra features that some premium watches offer.
PROS
- Crystal clear display.
- Long battery life.
- Intuitive to use.
CONS
- Occasional GPS glitches.
First Impressions
Slimline and clear display
There’s a small logo on the Garmin S44 box which simply states “Engineered on the inside for life on the outside” which I thought was pretty cool. The box contains the smartwatch, a fast charger and a small page of instructions, which is all rather minimalist. You need to click on the QR code or head to the website in order to get all the relevant information to make the most of this device.
The Approach S44 comes in a 43mm diameter which is a little smaller than the S70 I tested previously, but not discernibly so. The model comes with a smart aluminium bezel and a choice of two strap colours. choice of 3 colours-black, white and grey. It’s pretty slimline, certainly compared to the S70, but all information is clearly displayed.
Comfortable to wear and easy to read
The strap is robust, comfortable and flexible, so, all in all, the S44 is a pleasure to wear, and certainly could be your all-day watch if you wish.
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There are 2 buttons on the right side of the watch. The larger top button accesses the various activity modes – in my case almost invariably ‘Golf’, but there are also, if you’re feeling energetic, running, walking, cycling and pool swimming modes. You get into ‘settings’ with a long press on the top button. The lower button is a ‘back’ feature.
The AMOLED display screen is crystal clear. I haven’t seen more easy to read graphics in any smartwatch I have tested. And the touchscreen is quick and responsive. It’s also easy to download the Garmin app onto your smartphone to make the most of the features offered by the S44.
So, how did the S44 perform on the course?
On course testing
Smooth GPS
The first thing to say is that, once you’ve pressed the top button and selected ‘Golf’ on the touchscreen, the GPS kicks into action and finds out where you are quickly and accurately.
Loads of courses and front, middle, back distances
There are over 43,000 courses preloaded on the watch. You are offered your tees of choice and off you go. You are also asked if you want to keep your score. It’s so easy to do that I tend to always press in the affirmative.
The standard screen has the usual 3 numbers on the left for ‘back’, ‘middle’ and ‘front’ with a simple map of the hole on the right. The S70 does offer a more interesting hole view but no difference functionally. That information is generally all you need in most circumstances, particularly if you’re playing on a familiar course.
Plenty more!
But there’s plenty more! If you have entered your driver distance in the settings section, then you see an arc on the screen, indicating if there are hazards at your drive distance. Scrolling through the screen will also enable you to get accurate distances both to the front and the back of hazards such as bunkers, and also layup distances. I actually found it quicker and simpler to get this data from the S44 than the S70.
S44 vs S70
What you don’t get (compared to the S70) are full green vector maps, touch targeting and ‘plays like’ distance (going up or downhill). They are available on this watch but require a Garmin subscription at an extra cost of £8.99 per month. Wind speed and direction is also available on the S70 but not the S44.
Normally, when you have finished a hole, and entered a score, the watch moves on to the next hole. My S44 occasionally seemed to get a bit lost, which I thought was curious. It’s easy enough to rectify when you spot the issue, so was not a major negative.
How much information do you need?
I guess that your decision regarding choice of golf watch does depend on the amount of information you want. Now I do love information but there is a limit to the amount of it that I can compute. There is also the small matter of hitting the ball out of the middle of the club. Suffice it to say, the more standard front, middle and back yardages are fine for me. The Garmin website offers a whole host of information, including comparison charts between their various devices, in order to help your decision making.
I should mention keeping score on the watch is very simple and straightforward. There’s also a nice distance measuring feature on the watch which I tend to use when I’ve hit a drive out of the middle on a hard bouncy fairway, to make me feel better about my game. It’s also quite useful to narrow the search area when trying to locate a ball buried in the rough.
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Pairing with compatible devices
I could go on. You can purchase sensors for each club which will give you data to analyse distances with each club on your Garmin. You can, as with the S70, pair it with a compatible Garmin rangefinder, such as the Approach Z30, to give detailed information about pin positions on the greens, and I have found that to be a most useful feature, particularly on courses that do not offer different coloured flags for front, middle and back pin positions.
Garmin Approach S44 GPS Golf Watch review: Final verdict
Outstanding battery life
So here we have a golf watch that offers all the important features you need on the course. The battery life is also outstanding with up to 10 days in smartwatch mode, and up to 15 hours in GPS mode. So that should be plenty for 36 holes in a day. Charging is quick and simple via an included proprietary charger.
Thoroughly recommend
This is a watch that I can wholeheartedly recommend, and it works well as a standalone distance measuring device.
It also pairs seamlessly with the Garmin Approach Z30 rangefinder, and I do rather love that combination of watch and rangefinder.
Prior to reviewing Garmin kit, I’d known a bit about the brand but I hadn’t realised that you could spend anything from £180 to over ten times that figure for a Garmin golf watch.
The choice is yours
So, you’re sure to find something in your price bracket, secure in the knowledge that your device is designed with the most advanced and up to date technology.
Garmin Approach S44 GPS Golf Watch review
Available: Now
RRP: £299.99 / $299.99
More Information: Garmin / Amazon
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