This New Feature Will Change How I Use My Golf Rangefinder Forever

A budget-friendly Garmin rangefinder? You have my undivided attention.

Say hello to the Approach Z10, the latest Garmin rangefinder that also happens to now be the cheapest, coming in at a mere £249.99/$299.99. Just because it is the lowest priced option in the Garmin family, however, doesn’t mean it is basic in terms of features - in fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Unbox the Z10 from its subtle yet sophisticated packaging and you’re met with the most compact Garmin rangefinder the brand has ever produced. It’s not quite as small as the likes of the Bushnell Pro XM or A1-Slope, but it is definitely slightly smaller than the average-sized model like the Garmin Approach Z30. Tipping the scales at just 178g, it's one of the lightest, too.

Ultimately, like many of the best golf rangefinders, it looks great. The black and white colorway is nothing new from Garmin, but it looks the part. It remains one of the few battery-powered rangefinders in this day and age, but you get a free one included in your purchase and it should last you roughly one year.

In your hands, it won’t feel as premium as devices at the top of the price scale like the Bushnell Tour V7 Shift, for example. You won’t get the same protection from the elements, either, with the Approach Z10 having just IPX4 waterproofing to protect in light to moderate rain showers. It won’t give you the same IPX7 protection as the Garmin Approach Z30, which you could take with you on a scuba diving trip if you wanted (though I wouldn't recommend it), but this isn’t out of the ordinary at this price point.

Now, on to features, as there is one main one to talk about because I absolutely love it. The catch is you need another Garmin device with you like one of the best Garmin golf watches. For the purposes of this review, I used the Garmin Approach S70 to see how the headline feature named ‘Range Relay’ performed in practice.

To simplify, Range Relay combines with your Garmin watch to synchronize distances to your target. If you’re on a 300-yard par 4, for example, you can shoot the flag from the tee box and get that information sent to your wrist. Doing this not only gives you accurate yardages to the flag, it’ll allow you to see exactly where it is on the green in addition to the front and back yardages your watch will give you.

Image 1 of 2

Now for my favorite part - once you shoot the flag on a hole, you won’t have to shoot it again. Your watch will continuously update your yardage to the flag as you walk down the fairway. I was skeptical as to how accurate this would prove, but when I brought out another rangefinder to test this it was never more than two yards out across multiple rounds of golf. Very impressive indeed.

Per Garmin’s website, the Approach Z10 only has a range of 350 yards. However, I found during my testing that if your club has reflectors on the top of flag sticks, the range can extend beyond this boundary.

Other features include those seen on a number of rival rangefinders, but prove very useful nonetheless. The tournament mode is easily accessible by double-pressing the mode button on the top of the device and is indicated to your playing partners by a clear blue light on the side of the device.

I’ve never understood why all brands can’t show a rangefinder is in tournament mode as easily as this, but credit to Garmin for nailing it. It has also nailed the carry case, which stays the same as previous releases and provides a safe refuge for your device.

The ‘Find My’ feature is superb in case you misplace your device on the course, whilst the magnetic mount on the side allows you to stick this to any metal frame and seemingly adds next to nothing to the overall weight - again, I was impressed.

Unfortunately, I was waiting for a catch and I found one almost immediately with the display. I’m not naive enough to think a £250 rangefinder would be flawless, but it feels like the optics you get on the Z10 lag behind those on rangefinders with similar price tags.

It isn’t the brightest display in the world and I felt the course in front of me looked a bit dull. What else was dull was the number feedback you get, which is in black in contrast to the red numbers you’re fed in the Z30. As mentioned though, the Range Relay mode means you only have to use it once a hole! It’s by no means a bad display, it’s just not as good as previous Garmin devices in my opinion.

To conclude, it isn’t quite perfect, but the Approach Z10 is a superb addition to Garmin’s family of lasers. The Range Relay feature will prove very popular for golfers already in the Garmin ecosystem and I imagine it is the type of feature we’ll see more often in the best golf rangefinders going forward.

Combined with a compact form factor, magnetic mount, and handy 'Find My' feature, the Z10 is an easy recommendation and one of the smartest and best budget rangefinders on the market for existing Garmin watch owners.