The S60 provides premium looks with premium performance, as it contains a number of useful features which will improve your game out on the golf course. It may be a tad pricy, but its offerings are plenty.
For
- Smart looking watch
- Crystal clear touchscreen is easy to use
- A lot of useful features
Against
- Limited battery life
The Garmin Approach S62 GPS Watch is undoubtedly one for the gadget lover who wants the very latest features and the ability to track shots all in one place and use it off the course too.
For
- Lots of unique and useful functionality
- Ability to track shots
- Versatile styling and off-course features
Against
- The hole map graphics look somewhat dated
When you think of the best golf watches, your mind is likely to drift towards Garmin, with the company known for producing some of the most reliable models on the market. In this piece, we take a look at two of the best Garmin golf watches that the company makes, with the Approach S60 and Approach S62 certainly some of the most recognized names in the range.
Not only do they provide the performance of some of the best golf GPS', but can also be used off the golf course, with both including added touches like health and fitness, as well as emails and contacts. So, which one is best for your game and lifestyle? Well, at Golf Monthly, we have tested both models and given our verdict, with the pair living up to their reputation of superb performing products.
Garmin Approach S60 vs S62 GPS Watch: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict
Styling
We begin with the styling, which can often help you decide which model you want. Thankfully, you will have no such issue with the looks, as both provide a clean, sleek aesthetic that won't look out of place on or off the golf course.
Having tested the Garmin Approach S60, we believe that it can be easily transformed into a watch that doesn't look out of place away from the golf course, a fact many of its competitors can't boast. It's also proved extremely comfortable to wear, in part due to how light it is on your wrist. We tested a black silicone watchband, but they are easily interchangeable and there is an assortment available, including leather and stainless steel styles.
It's a similar story with the S62, which has a touchscreen of 1.3", a mere 0.1" bigger than the S60. What's more, it also features in an array of different color bands, meaning there is plenty of options to personalize your look.
Ease of use
So, both tick the boxes when it comes to looks and it's a similar story when we tested ease of use, as both provide a user-friendly experience which won't leave you frustrated out on the golf course.
The S62 works via a touch screen and side buttons, which means you can scroll through the various options. As mentioned earlier, the color touchscreen is slightly larger than the S60 and you can even swipe around the edge of the screen to change holes quickly if you need to, and access distances to hazards as well as the crucial front, middle and back yardages.
Like the S62, the Approach S60 has an easy-to-use touchscreen, with three main screens available to be be flicked between during your round. There's more information below on what these screens are, but we thought that realistically you never really have to move away from the first one, which gives you numbers to the front, middle and back of the green alongside the hole map, its par and number.
We only found one slight negative with the S60, and that was the fact it had an awful lot of features, almost too many. However, because of the design, it was easy to ignore them, but the screen did occasionally need a second press to activate your selection, a common issue with any touchscreen technology.
Features
Both are crammed with features and technology, including the standard front, middle and back yardages, so we have to go a bit more in-depth to find the key differences between the two.
As mentioned, the S60 almost has too many features! To begin, the first screen offers yardages to the front, middle and back of the green alongside the hole map, its par and number, whilst the second useful screen has a a close-up view of the green so you can see its shape. This screen also has a flag on it and it allows you to manually move the pin position to wherever it has been cut that day for very precise yardages that rivaled the laser rangefinder we had with us.
The third helpful screen is the touch targeting display, which allows you to manually move a crosshair to get distances from your location to a point such as a bunker or dogleg and then, from that point, to the green. Outside these screens, you can keep score, track statistics and measure your tempo, while the Garmin Golf app lets users compete in weekly leaderboards and against friends, plus view other players’ rank, score, handicap and more.
Although the S60 contains all of these features, the S62 certainly rivals that, with the watch still jam-packed with technology. To begin with, it contains the option to enable elevation changes, as well as the function to manually move the pin position for more accurate distances.
Although the elevation change option is illegal for competition play, it does have a Pin Pointer feature, which is legal, whereby an arrow will point to the direction of the centre of the green. This is useful on blind shots and efforts from the trees when the green isn't visible.
The hole maps are perhaps a little basic and dimmer than we'd have hoped, but we were still able to see clearly what lay ahead and move the pointer to areas of interest. If you enable shot tracking, you can tell the watch what club you hit after each shot and, after five rounds of doing this, the Virtual Caddie feature becomes available, suggesting clubs to hit for upcoming shots. Once again, it is not permited in tournament play, but it is a useful feature to have for social games.
Versatility
Not only does the S62 excel on the course, but also off it, as it offers a range of fitness tracking options should you want to use it more as a sports watch rather than just a golf GPS. There is also the ability to receive email and text notifications, a handy feature if you are not able to access a laptop or computer.
Once again, it's the S60 which boasts the more features when it comes to versatility, as not only can you receive notifications for calls, texts and emails, but also, when paired with the Garmin app, it can provide weather forecast data.
It also boasts SwingTempo, which measures the relationship between your upswing and downswing. This then means you can use its vibration-based TempoTraining to fine-tune your rhythm in practice. Finally its running, swimming and cycling functions, alongside its very stylish look, means it can be used away from the golf course for other sports and for general wear.
Value
Both may be on the more expensive side, but both also provide a premium performing product that will certainly holds its value in the long run. Price wise, the S62 is the more expensive of the two, but it is the more user-friendly in the sense that it's easier to navigate.
For the individual who loves their technology, the S60 is the one to go for, seeing as it has an array of features available that are more likely to be unlocked by one who knows and uses technology regularly. However, do note that its battery-life isn't the longest, with our testing showing it to last around nine hours.
Both though are great performers on and off the course and an addition that will save you ample shots when you're out playing your game. They may be a tad pricy, but certainly worth it as a long-term investment.
Which one should you choose
Choose the Garmin Approach S60 if…
- You enjoy your technology and are familiar with previous models
- You want a modern, streamlined design
- You are serious about your golf
Choose the Garmin Approach S62 if...
- You are after a watch that will be a long-time investment
- You are looking for a watch that will provide ample information on and off the golf course
- You want a watch that is easier to navigate and easier to use
