Best Golf Watches 2026 - Our favorite models on the market, tested and reviewed

It wasn't all that long ago that golfers headed out onto the course armed with little more than a scorecard, pencil and the trusty yardage markers for guidance. Times have changed though and technology has transformed the game, giving today's players access to a huge range of devices designed to improve their swing and help with course management. Among the most useful developments has been the emergence of the best golf watches and other GPS devices. While the best launch monitors can help golfers dial in their distances and identify flaws in their technique, GPS technology has arguably had an even greater impact on how we play the game.

GPS takes much of the guesswork out of judging distances, with the best golf watches providing precise yardages at a glance. Whether you want to know the distance to the front, middle or back of the green, that information is available right there on your wrist.

As a general rule, the more expensive the watch, the greater the range of features on offer. Many golf watches also double as excellent everyday smartwatches, but if golf is your sole priority it's also worth checking out our guide to the best rangefinders for pinpoint accuracy when you need an exact yardage to your target.

Best Golf Watches 2026

The Quick List

Top pick

The S70 builds on the success of the excellent Approach S62 as Garmin's flagship golf watch, retaining everything we liked about its predecessor while adding several refinements that make it even better. Among the upgrades are an improved display, enhanced graphics and longer battery life. Having tested these new additions selecting the S70 as our top pick was an easy decision.

The AMOLED touchscreen is one of the brightest we've ever tested and is undoubtedly one of the standout features of the S70. A ceramic bezel and sleek overall design add to its premium appeal, making this an excellent choice for golfers who want a watch that performs brilliantly while looking equally at home on and off the course. It's packed with advanced technology and that does come at a premium price, but if you're looking for plenty of detail and depth the S70 delivers both in abundance.

Like the best Garmin golf watches, it comes with more than 43,000 preloaded courses and automatically moves between holes, providing precise distances not only to the pin but also to bunkers and water hazards. Pair it with the smartphone app and it can even factor in elevation and wind, giving you the feeling of having a tour caddie on your wrist by offering club recommendations based on your data.

Away from the course, the S70 also doubles as a fully featured smartwatch, providing extensive health and fitness tracking alongside convenient access to messages and emails. Having a huge range of features doesn't always result in a seamless user experience but we found the S70's intuitive interface and clear graphics make its various functions straightforward to access and highly effective.

• Read our full Garmin Approach S70 Golf Watch Review

Best accompanying app

Golfers will appreciate this versatile watch for its combination of style and functionality as well as the excellent value for money. It looks superb on the wrist, with the stainless steel bezel providing a suitably premium touch. When paired with its excellent companion app it delivers impressive performance from tee to green, offering plenty of useful features alongside crisp, easy-to-read visuals. For anyone familiar with the ION Edge, the ION Elite represents a significant upgrade.

One of the most noticeable improvements is the display, with the ION Elite featuring a brighter, higher-quality screen that compliments the premium metallic bezel nicely. Its impressive IP67 rating also provides plenty of reassurance for golfers who regularly play in less-than-perfect weather conditions.

During testing we found it delivered accurate distances to the front, middle and back of the green, with additional information available through the on-screen icons. This includes green views, hole maps, lay-up distances and scoring. The detailed maps were a particular highlight, providing a clear view of each hole and helping us plan shots more strategically from tee to green. The slope feature was equally useful as it provided adjusted yardages that gave us added confidence on undulating courses. We also liked the scoring screen which tracks fairways and greens hit and provides useful insight into which areas of your game may need improvement.

• Read our full Bushnell Ion Elite Golf GPS Watch Review

Best for golf and health

'How can Garmin make its watches even better?' was the question we asked ourselves ahead of the release of the S50. The answer was to create something that isn't just an excellent golf watch, but a fully functional fitness watch too.

Starting with the golf features, you have access to 43,000 courses on the crisp 1.2-inch color AMOLED display providing all the information you need on yardages to hazards and the front, middle and back of each green. We were also hugely impressed by how lightweight the watch feels, barely noticing it on the wrist while swinging the club. The fabric strap makes it even more comfortable and provides one of the best watch-wearing experiences we've had. Rather than using the fixed holes found on many silicone straps, its small Velcro closure allows you to adjust the fit precisely to your wrist.

The S50 is also one of the best health and fitness watches we've tested. It's packed with modern tracking technology, including a Pulse Ox sensor for monitoring blood oxygen levels and HRV tracking to provide greater insight into heart health and recovery. That makes it an excellent all-in-one option for golfers who want a high-performance smartwatch that can monitor their health and fitness away from the course as well.

• Read our full Garmin Approach S50 Golf Watch Review

Best accuracy

If you're familiar with SkyCaddie's SX400 and SX550 handheld GPS devices, the LX5 can essentially be viewed as their wearable equivalent. Like those models it features a bright HD color touchscreen and comes preloaded with 35,000 courses. It also offers an extensive selection of features for use both on and off the course.

One of the biggest highlights during testing was just how clear, bright and user-friendly the LX5 is. The highly detailed hole graphics provide an excellent overview that can genuinely help with course strategy, even showing information such as the optimal driving position based on data collected by mappers who have physically walked the courses. The clarity of the screen also makes key yardages to the front, middle and back of the green easy to read, while a quick swipe gives you access to more detailed information, including scores, maps and much more.

The LX5 does an excellent job of combining an extensive feature set with an intuitive interface, making it accessible to golfers of all abilities. Battery life is another major plus with the watch comfortably lasting for 36 holes on a single charge. Its overall appearance is perhaps a little more functional than some of the sleeker watches on the market, but five different watch faces provide enough customization for most golfers to find a look that suits them.

• Read our full Sky Caddie LX5 GPS Watch Review

Best budget

The Shot Scope G6 is a great example of a golf watch that keeps things simple and for many players that's a big part of its appeal. Setup is quick and straightforward, while navigation is easy even without the benefit of a touchscreen. Despite that simplicity it certainly isn't short on features, which only adds to its excellent overall value.

The G6 features a large crystal-clear display housed within a surprisingly slim and lightweight design. For the money there's an impressive range of functionality including color hole maps, a digital scorecard and accurate distances to hazards, doglegs and layup points. We particularly liked the way reach and carry distances are presented, making it easy to relate the yardages to specific hazards shown on the map. The hole graphics are relatively simple but they remain extremely useful when planning your way around an unfamiliar course or dealing with difficult blind shots.

Given its affordable price the performance of the G6 is very impressive. It may not be the most technologically advanced watch available but it provides all the essential information most golfers need alongside a handful of useful additional features. Taken together that makes it an easy choice as our top pick for the best budget golf watch.

• Read our full Shot Scope G6 GPS Watch Review

Best for green reading

The T11 Pro GPS is so feature-packed that there's a chance some golfers may actually find the amount of information a little distracting. We didn't experience that during testing, although we're accustomed to using watches that provide this level of detail. However, I can think of a few golfers I know, particularly some older players, who might find the sheer amount of data slightly overwhelming. That said, if you're looking for an information-packed golf watch this could be an excellent option.

Alongside the essentials such as yardages and wind direction there's a long list of additional features, including automatic slope calculation, putt tracking and detailed green undulation data. The latter helps make the T11 Pro our pick as the best watch for green reading. All of this technology is housed within a premium-looking design featuring a bright, responsive touchscreen, although unsurprisingly it comes with a fairly substantial price tag.

Despite the amount of information available, much of the data is delivered automatically, making the T11 Pro considerably more user-friendly than you might initially expect. We found the readings to be highly accurate, while standout features such as full-hole mapping are presented seamlessly, demonstrating how well the watch handles complex information. Whether you need this much detail will ultimately come down to personal preference. It may be more than some golfers require but overall the experience is surprisingly hands-off. For players looking for additional assistance on the greens in particular it could prove to be an extremely useful tool.

• Read our full Voice Caddie T11 Pro Golf GPS Watch Review

Best mid-price

The Approach S44 is essentially an S50 Lite. It's comfortable to wear and has enough functionality to make it useful both on and off the course. It's an incredibly good-looking watch that skips the fancy packaging and instead focuses on the quality of the product itself. The design is simple but stylish, making it one of the few golf watches you'll genuinely want to wear as your everyday timepiece.

After reviewing it in April, we found ourselves keeping it on 24/7. That wasn't just because of the crisp AMOLED display but also because it's one of the most comfortable and stylish mid-range watches Garmin has released to date.

If you're looking for something close to the 'S50 experience' at a lower price, the Approach S44 is an excellent alternative, particularly for golfers who aren't overly interested in monitoring their fitness trends and want a golf-first watch. It features the same crisp, sunlight-readable display as its more expensive sibling, along with excellent yardage accuracy and plenty of useful features.

We particularly liked the smart scoring reminder, with the watch giving you a gentle vibration almost immediately after leaving the green so you don't forget to enter your score. We've experienced similar features on other watches but few have been as consistent as the S44 and S50. It doesn't include the more advanced wellness sensors found on the S50 but it still covers the fitness basics, including tracking steps, cycling and swimming. It's primarily a dedicated golf watch but one that also works well as an everyday fitness tracker.

• Read our full Garmin Approach S44 Golf Watch Review

Best simplicity

The Aim W12 from GolfBuddy is a straightforward, value-for-money golf watch that delivers a solid selection of core features without a hefty price tag. Based on our experience with the Aim W12 it's a worthwhile upgrade over the 2021 Aim W11. It looks and feels better on the wrist thanks to a slimmer, more refined design, while the color display is clear and generously sized. We also liked the inclusion of two straps (one leather and one silicone) along with an IPX7 waterproof rating.

The GolfBuddy Aim W12 is designed to present yardages in a simple, easy-to-understand way but there's still plenty of technology packed in considering its price. The vibrant touchscreen makes features such as 2D hole flyovers and green undulation maps easy to view, helping to create an impressive overall user experience. Another standout feature is the ability to provide slope-adjusted distances.

We did find that the initial GPS connection to the course takes slightly longer than on some of the other watches in this guide. Once you're playing though, the W12 performs without any issues and the interface is highly responsive. Battery life has dropped from 13 hours on the previous W11 to 10 hours here but that's still comfortably enough to complete 36 holes on a single charge.

• Read our full GolfBuddy Aim W12 GPS Watch Review

Best everyday watch

The Amazfit Balance 3 is a little different from many of the watches in this guide because essentially its a premium fitness watch with golf functionality added, as opposed to a dedicated golf watch with fitness features. It looks superb on the wrist with a crisp 1.5-inch AMOLED display capable of reaching 3,000 nits of brightness, making it extremely easy to read in different light conditions. Battery life is another major strength, lasting up to 21 days in normal use or as much as 41 hours in its Accuracy GPS Mode. That's the best in class and gives it an edge over the watches in this guide.

Golf performance has also improved over the previous Balance 2, with faster processing and map refreshing making everything feel noticeably quicker and more responsive. There are more than 40,000 courses available, while on the course we found the yardages to be accurate. You also get distances to hazards and bunkers, course maps and a movable pin that allows you to dial in your approach yardages more precisely. The Zepp companion app provides additional post-round information, including greens in regulation and putting statistics.

Where the Balance 3 really stands out is its versatility. Dedicated golf watches offer more detailed golf-specific functionality, but few can match this as an all-round sports and fitness device that also performs well on the course. It can track a huge variety of activities alongside health and fitness data, making it particularly appealing to golfers with an active lifestyle who want one watch capable of doing a little bit of everything.

• Read our full Amazfit Balance 3 Watch Review

Specifications table

How we test golf watches

Conor Keenan

With over 12 years experience as a caddy at his home course at Royal County Down, Conor is best placed to head up the Golf Monthly reviews for rangefinders, golf watches and GPS devices. Having played the game since the age of four, golf has always been a constant in his life, whether for work or pleasure. Although Conor leads golf watch reviews, testing is conducted by himself and other highly knowledgable members of the Golf Monthly team like Deputy Editor Joel Tadman and Kick Point Podcast host Dan Parker.

Our testing procedure for golf watches is every bit as thorough as it is for any other product we review. Testing watches is slightly different however, because the process begins as soon as a sample arrives on our doorstep. With so many modern watches offering health, fitness and lifestyle features, we put each one on our wrist straight away and begin testing. From that point the watch is worn during everyday life, regardless of whether it includes health features, allowing us to assess how comfortable and practical it is throughout a typical working day.

We then take the watch onto the golf course for more rigorous testing. One of the first things we check is yardage accuracy, comparing the readings against sprinkler heads that display distances to the front of the green. This gives us a good indication of how accurate the GPS numbers are. Every watch is used across multiple rounds and in a variety of conditions, giving us a much more complete impression than we could get from testing it over just 18 holes. This also allows us to assess performance in different weather conditions and check overall accuracy, often by comparing readings with some of the best laser rangefinders available. Testing over several rounds also gives us the opportunity to see how each watch performs in specific situations, such as elevated tee shots and blind approaches.

Our reviews are always impartial and based on performance so our advice is focused solely on helping you find the right equipment for your game. It's an approach that has helped us build trust with our readers over more than a decade, and that commitment will not change.

Glossary

If you're not particularly familiar with golf GPS technology, some of the terminology used above can be a little confusing. To help, we've put together this glossary explaining some of the most common terms and features you'll encounter.

GPS (Global Positioning System) - A satellite-based system used to determine your precise location and calculate distances.

Action Buttons - Physical buttons used to navigate the watch, either instead of or alongside a touchscreen.

GPS Mode / Golf Mode - A higher-power mode used during a round to provide accurate distance information. This typically drains the battery considerably faster than normal smartwatch use.

Companion App - A mobile app such as Garmin Golf or Bushnell Golf, that allows you to sync your watch and analyze data after your round.

Slope - Adjusts yardages to take elevation changes between you and your target into account.

Virtual Caddie - Recommends clubs based on factors such as your previous shot data and playing conditions.

PlaysLike Distance - A feature that factors in slope and on some devices wind, to provide a more realistic playing yardage.

Course Mapping / Hole Maps - Displays an overhead view of each hole, usually accompanied by relevant yardages and hazards.

Green Contour Mapping - Shows the slopes and breaks on a putting green.

Pin Placement / Movable Pin - Allows you to manually reposition the pin on the screen to provide a more precise yardage.

PinPointer / Compass - Shows the direction of the green, which can be particularly useful when playing a blind shot.

Score Tracking / Digital Scorecard - Allows you to enter and store your scores directly on the watch.

Shot Tracking - Records the distances and locations of your shots for analysis after the round.

Club Tracking Sensors - External sensors, such as Garmin CT10s, that attach to the grip of your clubs and record club-by-club data.

Auto Course Recognition - Automatically identifies the golf course you're playing.

Auto Hole Recognition - Detects when you've finished a hole and automatically moves on to the next one.

Flyover / 3D View - Provides a visual representation of the hole from above to help with strategy and course management.

Bezel - The outer ring surrounding the watch face, typically made from materials such as ceramic, metal or plastic.

AMOLED / LCD / OLED Display - Different types of screen technology that can affect factors such as brightness, clarity and battery consumption.

Fitness Tracking - Monitors health and activity data such as heart rate, steps and calories burned.

Contactless Payments / Garmin Pay - Allows you to make compatible contactless payments directly from your watch.

How To Choose The Right Golf GPS Watch

Features

Choosing the right golf watch is certainly not a one-size-fits-all process (pardon the pun). If you only need quick and accurate yardages an affordable entry-level model can be a great way to save some money. However, if you want something closer to the full caddie experience with detailed maps, wind calculations and club recommendations, you'll need to invest in a more premium device. It's also worth deciding whether you simply want a golf tool or a versatile smartwatch that can track things like workouts and sleep away from the course.

Your routine

The right golf watch shouldn't become an extra part of your pre-shot routine, but instead complement it without becoming a distraction. If you're the type of golfer who likes to consider every variable before hitting a shot, you'll probably appreciate a data-rich watch that takes factors such as wind and slope into account while also providing club recommendations. If you prefer to see the yardage and hit the shot, a simpler device that provides the essential numbers instantly may be a better fit. Just make sure you're not holding up the group behind!

Versatility

Thankfully the days of having to choose between a dedicated golf watch and an everyday smartwatch are largely behind us. Many of the leading brands now produce excellent hybrid models that transition seamlessly between daily life and the golf course without sacrificing style or functionality. If you want accurate yardages alongside emails, text notifications and detailed fitness insights, investing in a premium model can give you the best of both worlds.

Battery power

Unlike laser rangefinders, which can often last for months on a single battery, GPS watches require a more regular charging routine. That's worth considering if you're not particularly disciplined when it comes to keeping your devices charged and ready to use.

If you play golf regularly, battery life should therefore be high on your list of priorities. To reduce the chances of arriving at the first tee with a dead watch, look for a model capable of handling at least two or three rounds before it needs to be charged again.

Budget

Decide on your budget before you start shopping. If you want a watch that does it all, be prepared to pay for those premium features. If you don’t need the extra bells and whistles, the market is full of budget-friendly models that nail the basics perfectly - our guide to the best value golf watches can help you there. Unless you catch a holiday deal, remember that you generally get what you pay for: more money buys you better screens and deeper analytics.

FAQs

We hope you enjoyed this guide on the best golf watches and for more gear content, like the best golf simulator or best golf GPS apps, check out the Golf Monthly website. We also recommend checking out our guides on the best golf GPS devices, best golf launch monitors, and the best golf watches for ladies should you be looking to expand your arsenal of golf gadgets.