The Garmin Approach S50 is a mid-range golf watch made by Garmin that combines a vibrant AMOLED touchscreen with comprehensive fitness tracking in a lightweight design. At $400, it sits comfortably between entry-level and premium golf watches, yet delivers features that rival devices costing significantly more.
Key Takeaways
- Garmin Approach S50 features a 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen with crystal-clear color and fast yardage readings
- GPS accuracy within 1-2 yards matches laser rangefinder precision on most courses
- Includes heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, stress metrics, and body battery alongside 43,000+ preloaded courses
- Priced $170 cheaper than the S70 and $80 more than the S44, offering best value for most golfers
- Velcro strap design feels less premium than leather or synthetic alternatives
Display and Course Navigation on the Garmin Approach S50
The Garmin Approach S50 stands out immediately for its 1.2-inch full-color AMOLED touchscreen, a genuine upgrade from previous Garmin golf watches. Power it on by holding the orange button—the display activates instantly with sharp clarity and vibrant colors that cut through most conditions. Navigation is intuitive: switch to golf mode and you get precise distances to the front, middle, and back of greens, plus hazard locations (bunkers, water, layup points) and “plays like” distances with hole animations.
One reviewer who typically relied on laser rangefinders found the accuracy remarkable: “I found both the objective distance and the ‘plays like’ metrics to be very accurate – within 1 or 2 yards of my laser rangefinder”. The watch includes tournament mode for sanctioned events, ensuring compliance with official competition rules. With over 43,000 golf courses preloaded worldwide, course coverage is comprehensive.
Direct sunlight can reduce screen visibility without a shield, and the touchscreen—while responsive—requires occasional taps that some users find less satisfying than dedicated buttons. For golfers accustomed to premium materials, the Velcro strap feels cheap compared to leather or synthetic alternatives.
Fitness Tracking Beyond the Course
The Garmin Approach S50 distinguishes itself from budget competitors by bundling serious fitness capabilities into a golf watch. Heart rate monitoring enables advanced health metrics: stress level tracking, sleep analysis with recovery insights and bedtime reminders, body battery energy tracking, and abnormal heart rate alerts. The watch monitors steps, calories, and respiratory rate, creating a complete picture of daily wellness.
This fitness integration is a key differentiator from the cheaper Approach S44, which lacks a heart rate monitor. For golfers who want their smartwatch to double as a genuine fitness device, the Approach S50 delivers without forcing a choice between golf-specific features and health tracking. Sleep tracking identifies sleep factors and provides recovery guidance—valuable for golfers managing fatigue between rounds.
Ecosystem Integration and Setup
Setup is refreshingly simple. Pair the Garmin Approach S50 with your phone using the Garmin Golf app in roughly five minutes, and the device smoothly integrates across your Garmin ecosystem. If you own other Garmin devices, data syncs automatically. The home screen displays step count, temperature, analog time, and date—practical information at a glance.
The Garmin ecosystem advantage is real. “For someone who usually relies on laser rangefinders, I found the Garmin Approach S50 GPS an absolute breeze to use,” one tester noted. However, some golf features require subscription upgrades, so the full feature set doesn’t come free.
Garmin Approach S50 vs Competitors
Positioned against the premium Approach S70, the S50 offers most of the same golf features at a significantly lower price—£170 cheaper in UK pricing. The S70 includes some premium aspects the S50 lacks, but for most golfers, the value proposition of the S50 is compelling. Fitness metrics are nearly identical between the two, making the S50 an intelligent choice for budget-conscious players.
Compared to the entry-level Approach S44, the S50 costs £80 more but adds heart rate monitoring, enabling sleep and stress tracking that the S44 cannot provide. For golfers who want fitness capabilities alongside golf features, that premium is justified. Against Apple Watch paired with the Arccos golf app, the Garmin Approach S50 is nearly competitive enough to replace that combination, with the advantage of dedicated golf features and longer battery life.
Should You Buy the Garmin Approach S50?
The Garmin Approach S50 strikes a genuine balance between capability and cost. It is not the absolute best golf watch available—premium models offer nicer materials and additional refinements—but it offers a fantastic feature set with room for upgradability. For golfers who value accuracy, fitness tracking, and a seamless Garmin ecosystem without premium pricing, the S50 delivers. The AMOLED display, heart rate monitoring, and 43,000-course library make it a serious contender against watches costing $200 more.
The main trade-offs are the cheap-feeling Velcro strap and the requirement for subscriptions to unlock some features. If you can accept those compromises, the Garmin Approach S50 represents excellent value and will challenge how you think about mid-range golf watch pricing.
Does the Garmin Approach S50 require a subscription?
Some golf features require subscription upgrades, though core functionality—course navigation, yardage readings, and fitness tracking—works without one. Check which features you need before purchase.
How accurate is the Garmin Approach S50 GPS?
GPS accuracy is within 1-2 yards of laser rangefinder readings on most courses, though signal can be reduced on some layouts. This matches the precision most golfers need for shot planning.
How does the Garmin Approach S50 compare to Apple Watch for golf?
The Garmin Approach S50 is nearly competitive enough to replace an Apple Watch with the Arccos golf app, offering dedicated golf features, better course library (43,000+ courses), and longer battery life. Choose the S50 for golf-first functionality, Apple Watch for broader smartwatch versatility.
The Garmin Approach S50 proves that a mid-range golf watch doesn’t need to compromise on the essentials. With AMOLED clarity, laser-accurate yardages, comprehensive fitness tracking, and seamless Garmin integration at $400, it punches well above its price class and makes premium golf watches harder to justify for most players.
Where to Buy
Edited by the All Things Geek team.
Source: TechRadar
