A Golf GPS Watch: A Walking Necessity
The other day, I was thinking about walking golf courses and how it differs from riding in a golf cart. A golf cart is essentially a moving storage locker. You can bring anything and everything with you.
- Sound system? Check!
- Rain gear, parka, tuxedo (you never know)? Check!
- Hibachi and tailgating gear? Check!
- Ten dozen golf balls? Check!
- Training aids (not to be used in competition)? Check!
When you are walking a course, it is much more about freedom of movement and minimalism. Think, “Less Is More”:
- Three balls
- Four tees
- Seven clubs
- And a Sunday Bag
No rain gear because nobody really likes walking and golfing in the rain.
While minimalism is important, there is one extravagance that, in my opinion, is a necessity for walking a golf course. I won’t walk a course without a golf GPS watch.
I might only have seven golf clubs with inappropriate distance gapping, but I still want to know the distance to the greens’ front, center, and back. I want to know how far it is to the water or a dogleg.
Even though I crave distance information, I am not a range finder fan. Personally, I don’t want to lug around a high-tech, slope-adjusting, climate perceiving, NASA optics, range finder. They are too large. Too heavy. And they are just one more thing to carry. On the other hand, a GPS watch is just a replacement for my everyday watch and gives me all the data I need.
I have two favorite current golf GPS watches reviewed on our sister site, The Best Golf Training Aids (click here). They are the Garmin S10 Approach and the Garmin S60 Approach. They are at two different ends of the pricing and functionality spectrum. At a minimum, both golf GPS watches offer:
- Over 41,000 pre-loaded courses
- Sunlight readable faces with the S60 being color and the S10 being monochromatic
- Accurate readings of the distance to the front, middle, and back of the green
- Yardage to layups and doglegs
The S60 has much greater functionality as a golf performance training tool and for activity and sports tracking. It is also smartphone-compatible for additional functionality.
I would not walk a course without a Garmin golf GPS watch. Click here to check out our total reviews.
Check Amazon for the Approach S10
If you like The Best Golf Carry Bags, check out our sister sites:
- The Best Golf Training Aids for golfers looking to improve their on-course performance.
- The Aggressive Fade if you are looking for the perfect golf-related gift.