Best golf GPS watches

In its favour

• 1.2 inch colour AMOLED display brings 43,000+ preloaded courses to the wrist.
• Up to 15 hours in GPS mode, enough for a round plus practice, and 10 days as a smartwatch.
• Works with Approach CT1 or CT10 club trackers for automatic shot data.

Good to know

• Full colour CourseView, green contours and PlaysLike Distance need a Garmin Golf membership.
• Smart notifications on the wrist may be a distraction for some golfers.

In its favour

• Automatic performance tracking with 16 tags in the box and 100+ statistics.
• Strokes Gained and handicap benchmarking with no subscription fees, as stated.
• Full hole maps with distances to greens, hazards, layup points and doglegs.

Good to know

• Fitting tags to every club takes a little setup time before the first round.
• Display resolution of 240 x 240 is modest next to AMOLED watches.

In its favour

• Up to 30 hours in GPS mode is the longest stated battery among these watches.
• Yardages to the front, back and middle of the green plus hazards and doglegs.
• Keeps score on the watch and uploads to the Garmin Golf app for leaderboards.

Good to know

• No green shape or full hole map is described, so it shows numbers rather than pictures.
• Club tracking needs separately sold Approach CT10 sensors.

In its favour

• Full hole maps for every hole on every course, including hazards.
• Front and carry distance for each hazard, plus layup and dogleg distances.
• Distances in yards or metres and free app access with no subscription.

Good to know

• Battery life is not stated in this listing, so check the maker's figures.
• Listed weight of 140 g likely includes packaging, so actual wrist weight is unclear.

In its favour

• Green undulation data shows slope and contour on the green for putting.
• You can move the pin position manually for more precise yardages.
• Fitness mode tracks walking, running and cycling away from golf.

Good to know

• Slope adjustment must not be used in competition rounds under the Rules of Golf.
• Hazard detail is not described in the listing.

In its favour

• GreenView with a movable pin position gives more precise numbers on big greens.
• Up to 6 hazards per hole and hole view with shot planning.
• 2 year warranty is stated in the listing.

Good to know

• The number of preloaded courses is not stated in this listing.
• Slope-compensated distances must stay off in competition rounds.

In its favour

• Heat maps and arrows show green break direction and elevation.
• Over 40,000 preloaded courses with no subscriptions, according to the listing.
• Practice tempo mode and automatic score logging for left and right handers.

Good to know

• Listed battery of 7 hours is tight for a long round plus practice.
• Slope mode must be switched off for competition play.

In its favour

• Large 1.39 inch colour touchscreen with zoom and pan for hazards and layups.
• IntelliGreen shows the exact green shape rotated to your line of play.
• 3 year prepaid worldwide membership is included in the box.

Good to know

• Course maps depend on a membership, so ongoing costs return after the prepaid term.
• Battery is listed at up to two rounds, so it needs regular charging.