
If you do use your phone during the round, there are some apps that work really well in tandem, like GolfShot, SwingU and The Grint. Apple Watch golf apps must be started on the phone and tether to the watch, which might be a non-starter to some golfers. A few limitations of the Apple Watch itself, however, are its lagging battery life and, with the potential for a lot of notifications, a distracting user experience on the course. Apple Watch is light, powerful and has a beautiful, bright display. Arccos, in particular, recently added shot tracking and the ability to set the pin directly from your watch (no need to do it on your phone or with the link clip). App development from third parties is improving. There are scores of them and can run an additional $29.99-$59.99 annually (though there are some very basic, free Apple Watch app versions). So once you buy your device, it's time to go shopping for the best Apple Watch golf app for you. All of its golf apps are third-party providers. A big part of Apple Watch's success is its fitness and activity tracking, not to mention all the things you can do from your watch like respond to texts, take calls and control music. Brandon Tucker/GolfPassĭue to a wide range of features and connectivity to other devices, Apple Watch, whose latest models are the Apple Watch 7, dominates the wearables market. View of the Arccos app on the Apple Watch 7, which provides real and "plays-like" distances, and also can shot track and set pin location. You can play 3-4 rounds of golf on one charge and if you're not using the GPS it can last for about two weeks.| recently dropped the price of the Garmin Approach s62 to $449.99. The Approach s62 comes with a HR monitor and all your fitness tracking widgets so you can record bike rides, swimming and indoor cardio among many others. If you assign clubs to shots tracked after the round (or use the CT10 sensors), Garmin's Virtual Caddie will provide A.I.-driven club recommendations on the course. For even more accurate shot tracking and strokes gained data, you can add their CT10 club tags. It has color maps, GPS, auto shot measuring and shot detection, so you can track your game using their Garmin Golf app. It has an impressive lineup of golf watches, with their Approach s62 being the most all-encompassing model for both golf and lifestyle. Garmin is a favorite brand of fitness and outdoors buffs and is a leader for all things GPS. The Approach s62 has a 1.3-inch color display and hole flyovers, plus distances to hazards. Other courses that have been recently redesigned won't have the most up-to-date maps. You can't determine the exact distance to the flag, and at some courses, the satellites can go on the fritz and give you a bad number. I really like the ease of scoring with a watch and getting yardage is faster than using a rangefinder, although it's not as accurate. Knowing exactly how far I've walked since my last shot helps me find balls when I hit them into the rough or deep hay. I like watches that auto-detect shots and measure the shot distance in realtime. Personally, I've been wearing a watch for all my rounds over the last several years.


So before you choose which golf smartwatch is right for you, ask yourself a few questions: The health-conscious golfer may stick to a paper scorecard but rely on their wearable to track their heartrate, steps and more. The question is, however, what exactly do you want out of the device? The more serious golfer will want fast and/or colorful GPS yardage and mapping, scoring and shot tracking. When it comes to golf, there are myriad ways you can use a smartwatch or wearable device to elevate your experience.

They can be especially useful in aiding their sporting lifestyle as well, however intense it may be. For many people, the profiliferation of wearables and smart watches have assumed an essential part of their life. The modern magic of mobile GPS, bio-tracking and advanced analytics have converged into lightweight electronics you can wear on your wrist.
