Best Golf GPS 2026
We take you through the best golf GPS devices on the market this year
When played at its best, golf is a game built around precision. You only have to watch the world’s best players to see just how accurate they are with their yardages throughout the bag. While distance control is a skill developed through practice and experience, knowing your numbers out on the course can be hugely beneficial for golfers of any ability. That might mean knowing the distance to the pin, working out the carry needed to clear a fairway bunker and much more. Most of us don't have the luxury of a caddie alongside us, which is why GPS devices can be so useful.
The best golf GPS gear, whether that's one of the best golf rangefinders, the best golf watches or one of the increasingly impressive golf GPS devices, can help you make better-informed decisions that may ultimately lead to lower scores. In recent years these devices have become increasingly sophisticated, but even the more affordable options will generally provide yardages to the front, middle and back of the green.
With so much choice available though, finding the right device for your game can be a little tricky. Would a watch suit you best? Perhaps you'd prefer a device that allows you to play music alongside its GPS functionality? Fortunately we’ve been testing the best golf GPS equipment and have put together this guide to highlight our favorites across the different GPS categories.
Best Golf GPS
The Quick List
As premium as they come, the Garmin S70 pairs a crisp, high-resolution display with detailed course mapping. Whether you're identifying a hidden bunker or targeting a particular corner of a dogleg, this watch has you covered.
It's an entry-level watch, but don't let that fool you because the G6 is packed with useful features and represents excellent value for money. It's incredibly easy to use, while the hole maps and hazard information are features you rarely find on a watch at this price point.
A rare device that excels in two different roles, serving as a trusty launch monitor on the range and a reliable eye in the sky on the course, providing accurate, detailed yardages and helpful club recommendations.
The SkyCaddie Pro 4X is an intuitive, compact and extremely detailed GPS device which is ideal for those who don’t like to wear a watch. You get a comprehensive map of the course with numerous game assisting features.
The GeneSonic Pro looks great and performs even better, with the detachable GPS device allowing it to be used every round, whether you're riding in a cart or enjoying a traditional walking round.
The Wingman HD offers some notable upgrades over its predecessor, including a crystal-clear 3.5-inch screen that provides hole flyovers, green previews and yardages to virtually any target you need.
Best watch overall
The Garmin Approach S70 GPS watch comes with all the bells and whistles and is an excellent option for golfers who believe that, when it comes to information on the course, more is definitely more.
As with all of the best Garmin golf watches, you get an impressive 43,000 preloaded courses that can be accessed at the touch of a button. The feature list is extensive but the S70 also handles the basics extremely well, from providing accurate yardages to greens and bunkers to keeping score and tracking shot distances. There are plenty of more advanced features too, including the Smart Caddie tool, which offers club recommendations. PinPointer is another great feature, it's a useful compass that helps you locate the green when faced with a blind shot. You can even integrate weather forecast data into your round, allowing you to factor in the wind.
It's easy to switch between the regular watch face, which displays details of your most recent round at the bottom, and golf mode when you want to dive deeper into the numbers on the course. We were also impressed by the S70's battery life, with it lasting up to 16 days in smartwatch mode and around 20 hours when using GPS, which should comfortably be enough for four rounds.
- Read our full Garmin Approach S70 Watch Review
Best budget watch
Not everyone wants or needs all the features offered by a watch like the Garmin above. Fortunately, there are plenty of simpler options available at a much more affordable price and our favorite in the budget category is the G6 watch from Shot Scope.
Despite its modest price tag, it can compete with many of the best golf watches thanks to an impressive selection of easy-to-use features. In fact, that simplicity is one of the main reasons we've included it in this guide. Once it's charged and switched on, simply navigate to 'Play Golf' on the menu and you're ready to go. The four buttons positioned around the corners of the watch allow you to access color maps of each hole, providing useful information on hazards as well as yardages to the green. There is no shot tracking functionality, though.
The G6 comes with 36,000 courses preloaded, while battery life is also pretty solid. We found a full charge was enough for around two rounds of golf. It even comes with two interchangeable straps, both of which we found perfectly comfortable to wear. As for potential drawbacks, the buttons can occasionally be a little fiddly to operate but that's not enough to stop us recommending the G6 as one of the best value golf watches available.
- Read our full Shot Scope G6 Watch Review
Best GPS device overall
In my review, I described the S82 as a "unicorn" device that expertly bridges the gap between a high-end handheld GPS and a portable launch monitor. On the course it works as a top-tier GPS with more than 43,000 preloaded maps, while the Virtual Caddie provides club recommendations based on factors such as wind and elevation. It's particularly well suited to golfers who use a cart, although it's portable enough to slip into a pocket or attach securely to a golf bag using its magnetic mount. Head to the driving range and it transforms into a plug-and-play launch monitor, delivering almost instant feedback on ball speed, clubhead speed, smash factor and tempo.
Designed to be an all-in-one companion for both the course and the range, it features a crisp 5-inch display and a premium build that represents a significant upgrade over its predecessor, the G80. It does come with a premium price tag but the extensive range of features helps justify the cost, particularly as it removes the need to buy separate devices for practice and play.
When we tested the device for accuracy, we found the yardages to be right on the money, which is hardly surprising given the quality we've seen from the best Garmin golf watches and rangefinders. Pairing it with the Garmin Golf app unlocks even more functionality, including statistics across a range of categories such as fairways hit, number of putts and club yardages. You can also track your score on the course and store all the data from your range sessions.
- Read our full Garmin Approach G82 Review
Most accurate GPS
The SkyCaddie Pro 4X packs an impressive amount of detail into a compact device that can easily slip into your back pocket. Despite its small size the bright 4-inch LCD touchscreen is clear and easy to use in different light conditions, while we were impressed by how quickly it located the course and was ready to go.
There are plenty of useful features, with HoleVue allowing you to select targets around the course and see both the distance to that point and the remaining yardage to the green. Enter your club distances and you'll also see useful arcs showing where each club is likely to finish, while hazards are clearly displayed with constantly adjusting yardages. For approach shots PinPoint allows you to move the pin to its approximate location, while IntelliGreen Pro provides impressively detailed green maps showing contours, false fronts and distances to different parts of the putting surface.
We found all this information genuinely useful for course management, helping us make better decisions from the tee and avoid trouble on approach shots. There's also score and shot tracking for golfers who want to dig deeper into their data. Overall the Pro 4X combines excellent accuracy and comprehensive features with a compact design and excellent screen, making it an extremely user-friendly GPS device.
- Read our full Sky Caddie Pro 4X GPS Review
Best speaker overall
The best golf speakers are still something of a niche product, but we're seeing more and more options arrive on the market. That increased competition is ultimately good news for golfers, with a growing number of high-quality products to choose from. The best of the bunch in our opinion is the GeneSonic Pro, an innovative 2-in-1 speaker featuring a detachable, lightweight GPS handheld unit with a 3-inch color touchscreen. This allows golfers to access accurate yardages and course visuals whether they're riding in a cart or walking the course.
The sound quality rivals any Bose or JBL speaker I've used over the years, while the detachable GPS features 43,000 preloaded courses and provides information on hazard layouts, green shapes and slopes. It can also serve as a group scorecard, allowing you to keep track of the scores of everyone in your fourball. The GPS unit doubles as a remote control for the speaker too, making it simple to manage your music directly from your bag.
The GeneSonic Pro feels like a premium product from the moment you take it out of the box, thanks to its excellent build quality. It also boasts an IP67 waterproof rating and an extremely strong magnetic mounting system for secure use on a golf cart.
- Read our full MILESEEY GeneSonic Pro Detachable Golf Speaker Review
Best battery life
Bushnell's Wingman HD delivers several notable quality-of-life improvements over the previous generation, helping to cement its position as one of the best golf speakers money can buy.
The new 3.5-inch display not only shows you which song you're listening to, but also provides accurate yardages to the front, middle and back of each green as well as any hazards that stand between you and the putting surface. Hole flyovers and green previews are also displayed on the relatively small but crystal-clear screen, while Bushnell's BITE magnetic strip makes it easy to securely attach the device to your cart as you make your way around the course.
As for its performance as a speaker, the sound quality is as good as any music speaker I've owned over the years – and I've had quite a few. It's a worthwhile investment for social golfers looking for a durable, multifunctional device that works just as well in the living room when hosting a party as it does out on the fairways.
- Read our full Bushnell Wingman HD GPS Speaker Review
How we test the best golf GPS devices
Conor joined Golf Monthly in late 2024 after graduating with a Masters degree in Sports Journalism from St Mary's University and heads up reviews for rangefinders, GPS and golf watches.
Conor is lucky to have Royal County Down as his home golf course, beginning to play the game at the age of four, later becoming a caddy at RCD at just eleven years old and doing so for over 12 years. Playing to a 5 handicap, you’ll likely find him on the range trying (and failing) to hit a Shane Lowry-esque stinger that helped him win The Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
Testing the Garmin Approach G82
Our testing methodology at Golf Monthly is a rigorous process built on years of experience and a commitment to editorial integrity. It's this approach that has helped us build trust with our readers over more than a decade of impartial reviews. We aim to provide unbiased, informative buying advice. Manufacturers have no influence over our ratings. Our reviews are carried out by category experts who understand both premium performance and the importance of value for money.
When testing GPS devices, we use each product across multiple rounds of golf to assess its accuracy, usability and overall performance. Spending significant time with each device also allows us to evaluate its long-term reliability, battery life and how useful it can be when it comes to course management.
Testing the latest Garmin Approach watch on the 9th hole at Royal County Down
Our testers regularly use a variety of the best golf launch monitors, rangefinders, golf watches and GPS devices when testing golf clubs, whether that's the best golf drivers, best golf irons or the best golf wedges. This gives us extensive experience with these devices, particularly when it comes to assessing the accuracy of the distances they provide. As with any review we also aim to test products in a variety of conditions and on different styles of golf course to see how they perform in a range of situations.
This means testing rangefinders in both bright and dull conditions to assess their performance, using GPS devices across a variety of courses and putting golf watches through their paces both on and off the course. This is especially important for models that also function as everyday smartwatches or fitness watches, allowing us to explore the full range of features they offer. We aim to leave no stone unturned during the testing process, assessing every aspect of a device before reaching our final verdict.
For more information on how Golf Monthly tests its products, click here.
What to consider when buying a golf GPS device
Your routine
The best golf watches only require a quick glance at your wrist, making them much quicker to use than taking a handheld device out of its case. Consider whether you value the extra detail offered by a larger device or prefer something that causes minimal disruption to your round.
Your course
If your course features lots of doglegs or blind tee shots, or you regularly play other clubs in matches or socially, you may benefit from the additional information a GPS can provide compared to a laser. Of course, if your budget allows then carrying both gives you the best of both worlds.
Type
As our selections above demonstrate, there are several different types of GPS device available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
- GPS Watch - Simplicity and convenience are the big benefits here. If you'd rather glance at your wrist for a yardage than reach for a larger GPS device or laser, a watch could be the ideal option. Modern GPS watches are also increasingly compact, slim and lightweight, meaning they shouldn't interfere with your swing or become a distraction.
- Handhelds - The main advantage of a handheld GPS is the larger screen, which can provide considerably more detail. Touchscreen functionality will also feel familiar to anyone used to a modern smartphone. Clear hazard information and overhead maps of each hole can help with strategy and potentially save you shots.
- Speakers - If you primarily want distances to the front, middle and back of the green and aren't concerned about having lots of detailed information, there's plenty to be said for having those yardages read aloud to you. In that case, a GPS speaker could be a great choice.
Features
The features available can also vary considerably between GPS devices. Below are some of the key ones we think are worth considering.
- Clear and accurate distance information - This is an obvious one but some devices provide clearer and more accurate yardages than others.
- Preloaded courses - The number of courses included varies between devices so it's worth checking the coverage offered by each model.
- Scorecard - Rather than writing down your score or entering it into an app some GPS devices allow you to keep score directly on the device.
- Stat tracking - This can be particularly useful for golfers who want to learn more about their game and identify where they are gaining or losing shots.
- Green mapping and pin location - Some devices allow you to view the shape of the green and move the pin to its correct location. This can provide more precise yardages and help with club selection.
- Waterproofing - A waterproof device is well worth considering, particularly if you regularly play in wet conditions.
- Battery power - GPS devices will typically need charging via USB after around two to four rounds so consider which option will be most convenient for your weekly routine.
For more buying advice in the technological side of the game, check out our guides on the best golf launch monitors, best golf simulator, or best portable launch monitors.
FAQs
Are GPS devices worth it?
Absolutely. A high-quality GPS device can help take some of the stress out of putting together a good round by replacing the guesswork of estimating distances with accurate, reliable yardages. These portable devices also remove the need to search for sprinkler heads or other distance markers, allowing you to concentrate fully on the shot in front of you.
Are there GPS devices which you can use for golf and other activities?
Today's high-end golf wearables are designed for life both on and off the golf course. Many GPS devices, especially watches, can justify a permanent place on your wrist thanks to everyday features such as displaying phone notifications and allowing you to make contactless payments in the pro shop before your round. They can also track a wide range of health and fitness metrics throughout your daily activities.
Do golf GPS devices require a subscripton?
While most modern golf GPS devices come with tens of thousands of courses preloaded and ready to use, some premium brands operate subscription services to unlock additional features. SkyCaddie, for example, requires a membership with the newer Pro 5X to access its "ground-verified" course maps. Garmin also offers a Golf Membership that unlocks extra features across its compatible distance-measuring devices. However, there are still plenty of features available without a subscription, so it really comes down to whether you're willing to pay extra for additional information on the course.