The 9 Best Golf Watches For All Budgets

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While some people may debate whether golf is really a sport or not, there's no arguing the massive popularity of this pastime. In the pursuit of lower pars, golf has developed a whole ecosystem of gadgets and technologies, a lot of it snake oil, to help improve your game. 

Smartwatches have been at the forefront of golf technology for some time. If you're an avid golfer, special features like advanced mapping might even be a reason to skip a Galaxy smartwatch and get a Garmin instead. In fact, Garmin started the entire golf watch category with the launch of the Approach S1 in 2010, and has been the market leader since.

The thing is, though, golf has a tendency to attract those with thicker wallets, and so you might expect every golf watch worth having is some sort of expensive luxury TAG Heuer smartwatch. However, the truth is that there are both specialized golf watches and smartwatches with golf features available for every budget. Being cheap or being expensive doesn't track perfectly with being good or bad, either. That's why we're taking a swing at finding the best golf watches for all budgets, where good quality is par for the course.

The Shot Scope G6 is an aggressively priced, highly focused golf watch that both Golf Monthly and My Golf Spy have pegged as one of the best values among golf GPS watches. This watch is all button-operated, so there's no touchscreen, and you also won't find a shot-tracking feature (available in a higher-priced model).

However, that's about the extent of the downsides to this $179.99 GPS watch. If you can live with those two minor compromises, you'll get to enjoy a clear sunlight-readable screen, accurate maps and distance calculations, score tracking, and a compact and comfortable watch overall. It's preloaded with over 42,000 courses and offers a battery life of up to 15 hours on a full charge. The G6 is ambidextrous and comes with two straps, with more available as optional extras. An app is available to tinker with your watch using an Android or iOS device, but this is entirely optional. 

The G6 works out of the box without a phone or other device required to set it up. However, if you want to update the maps or device firmware (and you do!), then you'll have to use the phone app at some point. It's important to note that this is not a smartwatch. It doesn't have fitness tracking, app notifications, or anything you'd expect from a basic smartwatch at all. While you're not playing, it's just a digital watch. For some, that's no doubt another mark in the "pro" column.

Garmin was largely known for making GPS navigation systems, but since the advent of smartphones with free navigation built in, that market has shrunk significantly. However, the company has found a strong niche in its wearables, including fitness trackers, smartwatches, and golf watches like this entry-level Garmin Approach S12.

At $199.99, this watch is only $20 more expensive than the Shot Scope G6 and is similarly missing touch functionality. Golf Monthly noted that the lack of touch did detract from the Approach S12 compared to its more expensive siblings. However, to us it makes more sense to compare it to the G6, which shares pretty much the same feature set. So, for the additional $20, you get the Garmin name and styling, which certainly counts for something, as well as the build quality the company's wearables are known for. Not to mention double the S6's rated battery life. Golf Monthly applauded the S12 for being comfortable and light. A common concern with these watches is that they'll get in the way of your natural swing, and it seems that's not a worry with the S12. Plugged-In Golf called it "simple, efficient, and affordable" while echoing Golf Monthly's sentiment about accuracy and ease of use. 

While Garmin makes its watches in Taiwan, the company does actually manufacture its own hardware, as opposed to contracting a third-party factory to do the work. To that end, it makes sense that its golf watches have developed a reputation for durability. Combine that with the relatively long period that Garmin smartwatches get software support, and it's clear why the Approach series tends to dominate golf watch lists and why it's worth spending a little extra for this one if you want that brand assurance.

Moving up another $20 increment to the Bushnell iON Elite at $219.99, things begin to get rather interesting. Bushnell is mainly known for its sports optics products like binoculars and rifle scopes. But the company also has a dedicated golf division that has developed products like the Bushnell Wingman family of GPS golf speakers. The iON Elite fits in neatly within the Bushnell Golf line and offers more than the absolute entry-level options.

As noted by Golf Monthly, the Elite is a significant step up from Bushnell's Ion Edge, thanks at least in part to the Elite's color touch screen, which sets it significantly apart from the G6 and S12. Without relying on buttons only, navigation is much more intuitive and works well even while wearing a golf glove, according to reviewers.

Both Golf Monthly and National Club Golfer agree that the star of the show when it comes to features is the slope functionality. This is a feature common in much more expensive golf watches, and taking the slope of the course into account when calculating distance is such a golfing super-power that it's not legal in some tournaments. That's precisely why this Bushnell watch lets you disable the slope function when you're playing in those tournaments. The only complaint of any real substance is a somewhat weak charging connection, making it easy to dislodge the watch and interrupt charging. Given that it takes three hours to charge for 12 hours of operation, you'll want to take extra care.

The Shot Scope V5 is significantly more expensive than the G6, coming in at $249.99, but arguably offers more value for money when you look at its additional features and capabilities. As Golf Monthly notes, one of the reasons this watch can offer a much richer feature set than entry-level models while not hitting the heights of premium golf watch prices is that it lacks a touchscreen. 

The result is a gadget that is effectively equivalent to the higher-end $329.99 Shot Scope X5, but with button navigation. The Golf Monthly reviewer counted this as a plus point from a personal preference point of view. If you don't like using a touchscreen on a golf watch, this may be the best value option for you.

Both Golf Monthly and National Club Golfer agree that the best feature here is the shot-tracking system. The watch comes with 16 tracking tags for your club, which are used to automatically compile your shot statistics, including the all-important strokes gained metric that so many golfers seem to care about these days. This is crucial to rapidly progressing and keeping track of those improvements, and the V5 offers the functionality without a subscription. That makes it the perfect gift for the ambitious (or struggling) golfer in your life. On the downside, the watch has only one strap color option, but hopefully you'll be too enamored with your golf stats to care.

The SkyCaddie LX5 is another golf watch that comes in at the $250 mark and offers its own mix of features for that price. Golf Monthly praised it for clear hole maps, accurate distances, and lots of information to help you plan shots. Likewise, National Club Golfer also highlighted the large, clear touch display and a hazard screen that's actually useful. It's an AMOLED screen, too, which is a pleasant surprise at this price. There are many perks of switching to OLED, including that the watch should be more sunlight readable — a welcome upgrade for golfers.

All of that makes the LX5 the right watch for players who like to have as much info as possible, presented in a clear and simple way. Having more detail packed into a small watch screen isn't always a good thing, but both of the professional reviewers we've cited here explicitly laud the LX5 for visual clarity and readouts that are easy to understand.

However, actually navigating the UI is a different story, as somewhat unintuitive controls lead to a distinct and fairly steep learning curve. Once you're used to how the LX5 does things, it will probably be fine, but expect some friction early on. Another key downside worth mentioning is the subscription model this watch uses. It comes with a three-year membership included in the price, but after that, you'll have to pay up to maintain full functionality. So before deciding whether this is the watch for you, have a gander at the membership page to see what the costs are and what's included.

We mentioned the $329.99 Shot Scope X5 earlier when discussing the V5, and if you recall, the primary difference between these two watches is the addition of a touch screen and the use of fewer buttons. That's not to say that the gadgets are aesthetically identical, but the software and functionality are mostly the same. However, and importantly considering what we just saw with the SkyCaddie LX5, the X5 also doesn't have any additional subscription fees.

Golf Monthly praised its shot tracking and how clear the color screen is. National Club Golfer also has nice things to say about the accuracy of the GPS, depth and breadth of statistics, and that lack of annual fees. Is that enough to justify its price premium over the V5? Touch navigation is clearly a personal preference, and your decision will largely be based on that. However, there's no doubt that this is a solid watch, and the higher price is at least somewhat offset by the lack of additional future costs. 

With the Voice Caddie T11 Pro at $349.99, we are now clearly crossing the threshold into the more high-end part of the spectrum. The first sign is that the T11 Pro has a large and stunning OLED display. 

Indeed, Golf Monthly explicitly highlighted the bright and responsive OLED as a key feature, along with extensive golf-specific goodies. MyGolfSpy liked the putting assistance and tempo practice features, among other neat touches. The big caveat here is that the T11 Pro is very specialized as a golf watch and of limited use when you're not on a course. As Golf Monthly points out, having so many on-course tools and options can be a negative, too, as it's almost bewildering. 

Yet, if you're serious about golf and improving your game, there's a lot to like here. Course data and details are plentiful. A non-comprehensive list includes shot and putt tracking, full hole mapping, slope, elevation, wind speed and direction confirmation, and it just goes on and on. For once, this is a product where the Pro label isn't just marketing. If you just want a basic GPS golf watch, then you might want to look elsewhere. But if you live, eat, and breathe the game, the T11 Pro's higher asking price is completely justified.

At $399.99, the Garmin Approach S50 puts us in the upper mid-tier, or lower high-tier of budget options, depending on how you look at it. When you start to spend this much money on a watch, you probably want to use it for more than just golf, which means we are looking for off-course features and for comfort that lasts far longer than just the time you spend playing.

Both Golf Monthly and National Club Golfer mention just how light and comfortable the S50 is. This is a watch designed to be worn all day. The AMOLED display is detailed, clear, and responsive. Controlling it is intuitive, and like other Garmin smartwatches, the battery life is enormously impressive. According to Garmin, you should get up to 10 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 15 hours in continuous GPS watch mode.

The golf features offered by the S50 are comprehensive and work well based on hands-on testing, but the same can be said about cheaper watches than this. The real differentiator comes when you're not on the course since the S50 is also a fitness tracker. It can measure your heart rate and monitor sleep, and it also lets you track your runs and activities like yoga. In other words, this is a jack-of-all-trades device, and from that perspective, the price might actually represent great value since you don't have to purchase a separate fitness tracker or smartwatch.

Finally, we have the most expensive golf watch on this list at a whopping $699.99. The Garmin Approach S70 is a flagship product from the dominant brand in golf watches. So expectations are high ... and the S70 delivers all the golf and off-course features you might expect.

Golf Monthly was lyrical about the S70's screen, how usable it is, the breadth of course information, and the long list of onboard golf tools. MyGolfSpy has named this the best golf watch two years in a row. In short, the S70 gets top marks from the professionals despite the high price. For your money, you get a highly attractive watch with a 1.4-inch AMOLED screen and 43,000-course CourseView map. Its battery life specs are significantly improved over the S50, with up to 16 days in smartwatch mode and 20 hours in GPS watch mode. Golf Monthly sums it up nicely by noting the watch can do just about everything by swinging the golf club for you.

The less expensive Approach models are just fine for most people, but the S70 has a more modern UI, a more detailed screen, and better map design. Basically, if you want to own the best golf watch money can buy, this is the one.

In order to determine which watches should make the cut for this list, we decided to rely on professional reviews from dedicated golf publications. Each watch needed at least two independent positive reviews from reputable golf-focused outlets to make the cut. The reviews had to be hands-on and evaluate the watch from multiple angles.

We paid special attention to usability, feature sets, and off-course functionality. Since this is a list of watches for all budgets, the cost of a given watch is a mitigating factor when it comes to its shortcomings. For example, taking $100 off the price and only losing touch functionality can raise the standing of a watch in our estimation — for its budget category, at least.

Finally, we read user reviews to identify any clear red flags that professional reviewers might have missed. While in this case there was a lot of noise in the data, with many user ratings based on factors that are not directly relevant to the performance of these devices as golf watches, they can still yield valuable nuggets and helped us narrow our choices.